
First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?
- Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
- Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
- Finally… reveal the book!
First Line:
This isn’t the first time I touched a dead body.
Do you recognize the line?

Hint: The book just released this week!

Still not sure? Here’s another hint:
It’s written by Riss M. Neilson.

The First Lines Friday book is:
Deep in Providence
About the Book:

Title: Deep in Providence
Author: Riss M. Neilson
Publication Date: May 31, 2022
Publisher: Henry Holt
Synopsis: For best friends Miliani, Inez, Natalie and Jasmine, Providence, Rhode Island has a magic of its own. From the bodegas and late-night food trucks on Broad Street to The Hill that watches over the city, every corner of Providence glows with memories of them practicing spells, mixing up potions and doing séances with the help of the magic Miliani’s Filipino grandfather taught her.
But when Jasmine is killed by a drunk driver, the world they have always known is left haunted by grief…and Jasmine’s lingering spirit. Determined to bring her back, the surviving friends band together, testing the limits of their magic and everything they know about life, death, and each other.
And as their plan to resurrect Jasmine grows darker and more demanding than they imagined, their separate lives begin to splinter the bonds they depend on, revealing buried secrets that threaten the people they care about most. Miliani, Inez and Natalie will have to rely on more than just their mystical abilities to find the light.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Have you read this one? What do you think of the first lines? Comment below!
Oh my goodness that first sentence! Love it!
Right! Definitely makes me want to read more!
Okay, your Schitt’s Creek gifs were awesome! And that’s a great first line, definitely sucks you in.
Thank you! lol It’s a great book!
Woo, I thought I knew this one but I was thinking of a different book that started with a dead body. Always an intriguing start with those involved 👀😂
Right! It definitely pulls you in quickly!