Title: The Stain of Losing My First Love
Author: Ollie Marshall Rico
Publisher: Ollie Marshall Rico
ISBN: 978-1-956741-61-2
Pages: 134
Genre: Biographies & Memoirs / Non-fiction / Spirituality / Relationships
Reviewed by: Tony Espinoza

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Of all of life’s greatest challenges, one of the toughest is the pain and unbearable agony of loss. Loss comes in many forms in one’s life. Loss can be in reference to the loss of a beloved family pet, or the loss of a beloved grandparent. Other forms of loss can be the loss of an expectant job or the loss of an opportunity not taken. For far too many however, the loss of a parent, child, or loved one is some of the worst pain that can be experienced. How we overcome that pain and loss is what defines so many of our lives. As Walter Anderson once said, “Bad things do happen; how I respond to them defines my character and the quality of my life. I can choose to sit in perpetual sadness, immobilized by the gravity of my loss, or I can choose to rise from the pain and treasure the most precious gift I have – life itself.”

In author Ollie Marshall Rico’s book, The Stain of Losing My First Love, the author takes readers on a personal journey of loss and how it impacted the relationships in her life. That loss came in the form of a first true love. Sharing her personal experiences as a young 18-year-old girl who experienced love for the first time, the author shares the personal experiences which defined her pain and loss upon the realization that things were not what she had thought. Exploring her family life, her upbringing, and her faith in the process, the author delves into the scars which the experience left her, and how coming to terms with that pain would impact her search for love moving forward.

The author crafted quite a powerful and profound read. The opening prologue hit me with quite an emotional punch, sharing the recent loss she endured that inspired her to take on this personal story. Although the initial story and the loss that came with it is one which is all too familiar for many readers, especially young women in this day-and-age, the author’s ability to write and share her personal experiences while also acknowledging the man she references in this book has his own POV which she couldn’t possibly write for, is both refreshing and adds importance and clarity to the author’s own story. No matter the spiritual or family reasoning behind the frame of mind that shaped her views on relationships before this first love, the harsh reality of how many young men care little for the personal feelings which go into relationships and instead focus on the physical is something many readers will be able to identify with; and made for an engaging read immediately.

This is the perfect read for those who enjoy non-fiction books, especially those which include elements of memoir, biography, spiritual, and relationship-style writing genres. As a fan of memoirs and relationship studies, it was both intriguing and emotional to read the author’s experiences, and readers who do lean more towards the spiritual side will be pleased with the author’s personal connection to faith, and how it plays an important role in her coming to terms with the loss she endured at such a young age, as well as future losses to come.

Brilliant, emotional, and thoughtful, author Ollie Marshall Rico’s The Stain of Losing My First Love is a must-read book of non-fiction and spirituality meets relationship studies. The heart and passion for which the author wrote is evident in her writing style and the connective way she was able to relate her own story.  Readers will be able to feel the powerful storytelling component which kept me, as a reader, totally invested.