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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
fast-paced
WOW! Ivy (16) and her boyfriend Lorenzo (18) take a cross country trip from their home town of Paris. Texas to Tillamook, Oregon during their summer vacation. The reason for the journey, Ivy is pregnant and can’t get an abortion because her home state deemed it illegal. She was assaulted by her employers son and was afraid to say anything. Her boyfriend, being a gem of a human supporting her takes her along this journey. They stay in hotels, with family members and learn about all the women before her who have experienced what she is about to do. How 1 in 4 women have had to have an abortion for medical reasons. How it should be her choice because it is her body. How certain situations are life threatening and in certain states, it is still illegal.
After, they return home, charges are pressed against Lorenzo as he assisted Ivy, the town turns against her and her family and basically run them out of town. The ending, it’s really a chef’s kiss. The boyfriend, still a precious human, the mom and brother, priceless and the grandmother…we protect her at all costs.
A MUST READ.
After, they return home, charges are pressed against Lorenzo as he assisted Ivy, the town turns against her and her family and basically run them out of town. The ending, it’s really a chef’s kiss. The boyfriend, still a precious human, the mom and brother, priceless and the grandmother…we protect her at all costs.
A MUST READ.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Book Review
Title: Plan A by Deb Caletti
Genre: Contemporary
Rating: 5 Stars
I read The Story of Every Living Thing last year by the same author and despite it having a slow start it ended up becoming one of the my favourite books of that month and ended up ranking pretty high in my favourite books of the year, so I was excited to see what her new book had in store for me. Essentially in this book we are following Ivy on a road trip across the country in order to legally obtain an abortion with her boyfriend along for the ride, determined to make the trip memorable for the right reasons.
The first thing I was really stuck by, in a good way, was how quickly Ivy made her decision. In many books I’ve read where characters get abortions or contemplate getting one, the decision is one that weighs heavy on them but this isn’t the case in reality for a lot of people and Ivy reflects that. She knows that the sensible and right thing to do for herself is to have an abortion but she lives somewhere where she can’t get one legally and has to travel in order to do so. Caletti also makes sure to drive the point home that abortions are completely normal and commonplace as we see in Ivy’s interacts with people that have had abortions or know people that have.
Ivy is also a really sympathetic person as she is clearly shown to be an ordinary girl from Texas, who wants to go to college and has dreams for her life outside of becoming a mother, showing us why her choice is the right one at this stage in her life. However, she is shown to be more open-minded than a lot of her family and feels like an outsider in her small town which is a sentiment that her boyfriend shares coming from California himself. They aren't part of the old boys' network, of the church community, they haven't lived there for generations.
When we see the town turn on Ivy for her decision, they clearly don’t see her as one of their own and while a little over the top it does feel like something you can imagining happening in real life. Lorenzo, the boyfriend, was my favourite character because of how sweet and supportive he is over Ivy’s choice. While he isn’t responsible for the pregnancy and could very easily walk away from all the trouble, he decides to stick by Ivy, accompanying her on her journey and making memories together.
While the road trip itself and the abortion make up the bulk of the novel that isn’t the end as even after returning home, Ivy is harassed and bullied for her decision. She ends up losing her job, someone calls Child Protective Services and much more which stresses the pressures she is under even at such a young age. Honestly, while I want to believe that people aren’t like this in real life, I have witnesses similar events in my own country although they don’t go the extremes that we tend to see in the US.
Overall, I thought this was an insightful and respectful look into US abortion culture at the moment and what happens to people who actively seek out an abortion in other states when it is not permitted in their own. It really focused hard on the human elements, from Ivy’s reasoning for the decision to both the positive and negative reactions she gets because of her decision. I also felt that given what has been happening in America over the last few years more books like this are needed and Caletti isn’t afraid to tackle to more taboo topics in these modern times. Highly Recommended!
challenging
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
Moderate: Abortion
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I can practically smell the book challenges coming for this book upon its publication, but I think it’s an important addition to the YA genre. I found Ivy to be an extremely believable and complicated character and the story itself wasn’t straightforward, making it that much more true to life. The narrative doesn’t glamorize (although I'm sure that argument will be made) but instead gives a glimpse into reality, as complicated and sometimes simple as life really can be.
Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the review copy.
Pub date: October 3, 2023
Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the review copy.
Pub date: October 3, 2023
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Abortion, Pregnancy
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes