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3.31 AVERAGE
3.31 AVERAGE
Very fast read. Nothing too spectacular about this book, but entertaining. Will probably read the sequel.
This book is told in first person, and switches point of view at every chapter. These are my least favorite kind of books ever, because I get the characters mixed up and usually they're a cop-out for writers that can't handle third person. However, I am excited to say that this is the first book I've ever read I think did a good job with this format, and the story would not have been good told any other way. Because of the format, you can really get into everybody's head and see what they're all feeling. But that doesn't mean that nothing was up for interpretation. Often times the book did wonderful demonstrating the "show not tell" rule. It also made it so there's no good guy/bad guy thing going on. Other characters may see each other as the bad guy, but when you see it from everybody's perspective you're more understanding of what happened and what they're going through. Very dynamic characters.
This is a good book that shows that a bad decision doesn't just affect you, it also affects the people around you. It did a good job explaining situations and emotions, so reading it felt very realistic and natural, and nothing felt forced.
Like I've mentioned in other reviews, I hold an interest in the issue of teen pregnancy, therefore this book had my attention from the start. But it was written interestingly enough, and was a unique enough story (you read as many teen pregnancy novels as I have and some of them seem to all be the same) that it held my attention, entertained me, and took me through all my emotions, from the first page to the last.
This is a good book that shows that a bad decision doesn't just affect you, it also affects the people around you. It did a good job explaining situations and emotions, so reading it felt very realistic and natural, and nothing felt forced.
Like I've mentioned in other reviews, I hold an interest in the issue of teen pregnancy, therefore this book had my attention from the start. But it was written interestingly enough, and was a unique enough story (you read as many teen pregnancy novels as I have and some of them seem to all be the same) that it held my attention, entertained me, and took me through all my emotions, from the first page to the last.
This book captivated me from the very beginning; it had me hanging on every word, had me feeling every emotion, and had me trying to get into the brain of the characters so I could figure out why they did what did. Basically, it was great and I enjoyed it.
The alternating from the perspectives of Ellie, Josh, Corine, and Caleb as they are each affected by one situation, one decision was perfect. I could see into the lives of each character and get into why and how they are who they are. It really was crazy how each of their lives were affected by just one thing; it really makes you think.
I really felt bad for Ellie; from the very beginning I wondered why she keeps doing what she's doing and then when we see into her home life it's easy to understand even though, if she really looked, she would see that she does have people who love her like Corrinne and Caleb and even Liz. I absolutely loved Corinne and Caleb; they are great people and great friends. Josh, I felt bad for him but at the same time couldn't stand how he did nothing the entire book.
Overall, this book was so enthralling and intense, I loved it! It really made me think and feel for these characters which made it a worthwhile read.
The alternating from the perspectives of Ellie, Josh, Corine, and Caleb as they are each affected by one situation, one decision was perfect. I could see into the lives of each character and get into why and how they are who they are. It really was crazy how each of their lives were affected by just one thing; it really makes you think.
I really felt bad for Ellie; from the very beginning I wondered why she keeps doing what she's doing and then when we see into her home life it's easy to understand even though, if she really looked, she would see that she does have people who love her like Corrinne and Caleb and even Liz. I absolutely loved Corinne and Caleb; they are great people and great friends. Josh, I felt bad for him but at the same time couldn't stand how he did nothing the entire book.
Overall, this book was so enthralling and intense, I loved it! It really made me think and feel for these characters which made it a worthwhile read.
I wish I could give a 3.5 review here. It's hardly original, but not horribly done. The characters are almost completely stereotypes, but somehow it works. In the end, I think what depressed me was how little growth one of the characters seemed to experience by the end of the novel. The other 3 seemed to grow and change and learn from the experience, but one... not so much. Ah, well, a quick read if nothing else. :-)
When Josh, an eager virgin, and Ellie, a girl just waiting to be loved and feel love share a 'one night thing' neither of them really expect anything from it. But when Ellie finds out she's pregnant, she, Josh, and their two friends Corrine and Caleb are in for a life changing experience.
There were quite a few things I did and then didn't like about this novel. Knowles is an amazing author, and is able to be unique with how she writes as well. Unlike a lot of novels this book doesn't go into great detail. It's a fast and easy read, and it gets straight to the point. On some occasions something like this is perfectly fine, but the fact that there were huge time skips in between parts and absolutely nothing was shared (especially about Ellie's pregnancy) tended to get annoying, and just made me want to finish the book already.
The alternate point of views though was a plus for this book. It was great being able to see into all four of the teenagers' lives and see the impact that the pregnancy had on them. However the negative was that near the end and a good ways through the book, we feel a very...pessimistic view on nearly every teenager. How they talk about what a failure they were and how they should have done this better and this and that. At first it's like 'oh okay, yeah I can relate with that, I understand' but unfortunately near the end I was just getting sick of the pity party that each of them was throwing form themselves.
Overall it was a book I liked, but surely was not amazed by. Worth the read if you are bored, or just want something short and easy.
There were quite a few things I did and then didn't like about this novel. Knowles is an amazing author, and is able to be unique with how she writes as well. Unlike a lot of novels this book doesn't go into great detail. It's a fast and easy read, and it gets straight to the point. On some occasions something like this is perfectly fine, but the fact that there were huge time skips in between parts and absolutely nothing was shared (especially about Ellie's pregnancy) tended to get annoying, and just made me want to finish the book already.
The alternate point of views though was a plus for this book. It was great being able to see into all four of the teenagers' lives and see the impact that the pregnancy had on them. However the negative was that near the end and a good ways through the book, we feel a very...pessimistic view on nearly every teenager. How they talk about what a failure they were and how they should have done this better and this and that. At first it's like 'oh okay, yeah I can relate with that, I understand' but unfortunately near the end I was just getting sick of the pity party that each of them was throwing form themselves.
Overall it was a book I liked, but surely was not amazed by. Worth the read if you are bored, or just want something short and easy.
alright, i'll cut this book some slack. it was published well over a decade ago. teen fiction has drastically changed since then. i love fast paced books but this just dropped major plot points every chapter. there was also an unnecessary number of POVs and really, a strange lack of emotion and reactions. but for 2009, i'll give it some credit!
ANYWAY what stuck out the most to me was this one disturbing line LOL. our girl ellie is feeling bad about herself for hooking up with people without really wanting to (that's ok, emotions are valid, we'll work through it ellie), and then proceeds to describe herself like this: "I was nothing. Just a smell on their [boys'] hands to share with their friends."
I'm--girl, what??? Sorry lollll that line threw me for a loop. I had to pause and ask my ex-football player boyfriend if this was a thing. He has years of exposure to locker room talk. Surely he would know? This is why I, a book nerd, would date the high school football guy: to fact check! But alas, he has not heard of boys sniffing the smell of their sexual conquests off each other's hands. I'm almost disappointed. It sounded so vile and weird that I almost wanted some truth to it. Maybe he just missed out or something. Maybe he refuses to acknowledge. Maybe he participated without knowing...? Who knows! I have many questions.
okok sorry djkadhf no more sarcasm i will stop nitpicking that hilariously fascinating line
if you're looking for a teen pregnancy book, i really enjoyed belly up by eva darrows!
ANYWAY what stuck out the most to me was this one disturbing line LOL. our girl ellie is feeling bad about herself for hooking up with people without really wanting to (that's ok, emotions are valid, we'll work through it ellie), and then proceeds to describe herself like this: "I was nothing. Just a smell on their [boys'] hands to share with their friends."
I'm--girl, what??? Sorry lollll that line threw me for a loop. I had to pause and ask my ex-football player boyfriend if this was a thing. He has years of exposure to locker room talk. Surely he would know? This is why I, a book nerd, would date the high school football guy: to fact check! But alas, he has not heard of boys sniffing the smell of their sexual conquests off each other's hands. I'm almost disappointed. It sounded so vile and weird that I almost wanted some truth to it. Maybe he just missed out or something. Maybe he refuses to acknowledge. Maybe he participated without knowing...? Who knows! I have many questions.
okok sorry djkadhf no more sarcasm i will stop nitpicking that hilariously fascinating line
if you're looking for a teen pregnancy book, i really enjoyed belly up by eva darrows!
Very easy read. It definitely hit close to home with things that I went through and I want to say it depicts what goes on very very well. I do plan to give this book to my future kids when they are old enough just so they know all the options are available and they’re never alone.
This is...fine. The book switches between the viewpoints of two guys and two girls, all teens at the same school, all connected to a girl who gets pregnant. Nothing too exciting or annoying, just very meh.
Yes, this is a teen pregnancy novel, but it's a pretty good one. It's also a good examination of relationships between parents and children. There are four first-person narrators, and all of them tell how they feel about their own parents, plus we get to see those relationships from the other characters' points of view. I do have a hard time with shifting POV, though, at least partly because I'm not in the habit of reading chapter titles.