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3.23 AVERAGE
3.23 AVERAGE
DNF @ 49%
Overall, I'm very impressed with Katie's writing abilities! It's always weird, going into a book written by someone you follow online-- I never know what the quality of the work is going to be. But I can see Katie's hard work and innate talent in this book, and that's such a good thing.
I know it looks bad, since I'm DNF-ing it, but it's really more of a me-thing. Some of the triggers (which are helpfully listed at the very front of the book, in case you need them) are just a little too much for me. On top of that, I made it halfway through the book and it feels like the main plot (as listed in the synopsis-- the anti-virginity pact getting out) still hasn't happened yet. If I'm going to fault the book on anything, I don't think that fact should have been included in the synopsis; given how far into the book it must happen, it feels like a spoiler.
I like a lot of this, any I'll possibly come back to it in a few months when I'm in a better headspace and can handle everything going on in here. I do still recommend you check it out in June when it releases if it sounds like something you'll enjoy!
Overall, I'm very impressed with Katie's writing abilities! It's always weird, going into a book written by someone you follow online-- I never know what the quality of the work is going to be. But I can see Katie's hard work and innate talent in this book, and that's such a good thing.
I know it looks bad, since I'm DNF-ing it, but it's really more of a me-thing. Some of the triggers (which are helpfully listed at the very front of the book, in case you need them) are just a little too much for me. On top of that, I made it halfway through the book and it feels like the main plot (as listed in the synopsis-- the anti-virginity pact getting out) still hasn't happened yet. If I'm going to fault the book on anything, I don't think that fact should have been included in the synopsis; given how far into the book it must happen, it feels like a spoiler.
I like a lot of this, any I'll possibly come back to it in a few months when I'm in a better headspace and can handle everything going on in here. I do still recommend you check it out in June when it releases if it sounds like something you'll enjoy!
DNF @ 49%
Overall, I'm very impressed with Katie's writing abilities! It's always weird, going into a book written by someone you follow online-- I never know what the quality of the work is going to be. But I can see Katie's hard work and innate talent in this book, and that's such a good thing.
I know it looks bad, since I'm DNF-ing it, but it's really more of a me-thing. Some of the triggers (which are helpfully listed at the very front of the book, in case you need them) are just a little too much for me. On top of that, I made it halfway through the book and it feels like the main plot (as listed in the synopsis-- the anti-virginity pact getting out) still hasn't happened yet. If I'm going to fault the book on anything, I don't think that fact should have been included in the synopsis; given how far into the book it must happen, it feels like a spoiler.
I like a lot of this, any I'll possibly come back to it in a few months when I'm in a better headspace and can handle everything going on in here. I do still recommend you check it out in June when it releases if it sounds like something you'll enjoy!
Overall, I'm very impressed with Katie's writing abilities! It's always weird, going into a book written by someone you follow online-- I never know what the quality of the work is going to be. But I can see Katie's hard work and innate talent in this book, and that's such a good thing.
I know it looks bad, since I'm DNF-ing it, but it's really more of a me-thing. Some of the triggers (which are helpfully listed at the very front of the book, in case you need them) are just a little too much for me. On top of that, I made it halfway through the book and it feels like the main plot (as listed in the synopsis-- the anti-virginity pact getting out) still hasn't happened yet. If I'm going to fault the book on anything, I don't think that fact should have been included in the synopsis; given how far into the book it must happen, it feels like a spoiler.
I like a lot of this, any I'll possibly come back to it in a few months when I'm in a better headspace and can handle everything going on in here. I do still recommend you check it out in June when it releases if it sounds like something you'll enjoy!
I got a copy of this book through NetGalley. All opinions are my own
I was really happy to receive a copy of this book. At first it took me a little bit to get into the story, but then I felt like it started to pick up and I was really into the story but somehow at the end it felt flat to me. Overall I felt like the author tried to include too many different topics but none of them where truly explored in the novel. It went from one thing to the next. I would have loved to the see the theme of religion being more explored.
To sum up, I really enjoyed the writing style but it felt overly ambitiuous. Still I would recommend it specially for the way religion was handled. And I would definitely read more from this author.
I was really happy to receive a copy of this book. At first it took me a little bit to get into the story, but then I felt like it started to pick up and I was really into the story but somehow at the end it felt flat to me. Overall I felt like the author tried to include too many different topics but none of them where truly explored in the novel. It went from one thing to the next. I would have loved to the see the theme of religion being more explored.
To sum up, I really enjoyed the writing style but it felt overly ambitiuous. Still I would recommend it specially for the way religion was handled. And I would definitely read more from this author.
I’ve started and stopped writing this post multiple times today. It’s been a difficult day with off and on crying for what’s going on in America right now. On a positive note we did get to see friends today, which we haven’t seen since coronavirus started.
The Anti-Virginity Pact is written by Katie Wismer. It is releasing June 16, 2020. Thank you to @katesbookdate and @netgalley for allowing me to read this book early.
I’ve been watching Katie on youtube for a long time and couldn’t wait to support her first published novel. This book comes with a ton of trigger warnings, but Katie does a great job of pointing them out to you. We are following Meredith as she is going through her senior year of high school. She’s an atheist and a preacher’s daughter. At the beginning of the book she makes a pact with her best friend to lose her virginity. Eventually the pact becomes known at school and flips her world upside down.
❤️Review❤️
This book sounds controversial and I will admit that I was a little nervous going into it. I was so wrong. It starts off like a typical YA novel, but it gets very gritty and very real. Katie isn’t afraid to deal with heavy topics and leaves you with a great message that a lot of people need to have especially with what is going on right now. It’s a great book for learning to stand up for yourself and what you believe in! Loving others, but also loving yourself. I saw myself in Meredith and I found myself crying multiple times in this book. Younger me needed to read this book. I think a lot of readers will be able to relate to this book in one way, shape, or form. Highly recommend you try this book if you like hard hitting contemporary books!
4 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
What’s the last controversial book you’ve read?
#newbooks #2020bookreleases #netgalley #bookstagram #booktube #antivirginitypact #debutauthors #ebooks #junebookreleases #bookreview
The Anti-Virginity Pact is written by Katie Wismer. It is releasing June 16, 2020. Thank you to @katesbookdate and @netgalley for allowing me to read this book early.
I’ve been watching Katie on youtube for a long time and couldn’t wait to support her first published novel. This book comes with a ton of trigger warnings, but Katie does a great job of pointing them out to you. We are following Meredith as she is going through her senior year of high school. She’s an atheist and a preacher’s daughter. At the beginning of the book she makes a pact with her best friend to lose her virginity. Eventually the pact becomes known at school and flips her world upside down.
❤️Review❤️
This book sounds controversial and I will admit that I was a little nervous going into it. I was so wrong. It starts off like a typical YA novel, but it gets very gritty and very real. Katie isn’t afraid to deal with heavy topics and leaves you with a great message that a lot of people need to have especially with what is going on right now. It’s a great book for learning to stand up for yourself and what you believe in! Loving others, but also loving yourself. I saw myself in Meredith and I found myself crying multiple times in this book. Younger me needed to read this book. I think a lot of readers will be able to relate to this book in one way, shape, or form. Highly recommend you try this book if you like hard hitting contemporary books!
4 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
What’s the last controversial book you’ve read?
#newbooks #2020bookreleases #netgalley #bookstagram #booktube #antivirginitypact #debutauthors #ebooks #junebookreleases #bookreview
3.5/5
(Thanks to netgalley for providing me with a free copy in return for an honest review)
I gotta be honest here. This story took a different turn than I was expecting. It was enjoyable, but honestly, not really something I’d pick up to reread I think.
There were several bits that annoyed me a little. For example, I think the story would’ve fit better if the main character was 15 or 16 years old instead of 18. The entire time I was reading it, I was picturing Mare as a 15/16 year old instead of the 18 year old she is. It’s isn’t majorly disturbing, but something that ticked me off.
The second is, the pact got revealed halfway through the book. True is necessary for the plot and everything that happens after the reveal, but I would’ve liked the pact-reveal to happen a little later than it actually did.
I did really like the relationship between Sam and Made. It felt really realistic and tangible, and I liked that they didn’t end up together in the end, it’s refreshing.
Overall, a very enjoyable read, but I don’t think I’ll pick it up for a reread in the future.
(Thanks to netgalley for providing me with a free copy in return for an honest review)
I gotta be honest here. This story took a different turn than I was expecting. It was enjoyable, but honestly, not really something I’d pick up to reread I think.
There were several bits that annoyed me a little. For example, I think the story would’ve fit better if the main character was 15 or 16 years old instead of 18. The entire time I was reading it, I was picturing Mare as a 15/16 year old instead of the 18 year old she is. It’s isn’t majorly disturbing, but something that ticked me off.
The second is, the pact got revealed halfway through the book. True is necessary for the plot and everything that happens after the reveal, but I would’ve liked the pact-reveal to happen a little later than it actually did.
I did really like the relationship between Sam and Made. It felt really realistic and tangible, and I liked that they didn’t end up together in the end, it’s refreshing.
Overall, a very enjoyable read, but I don’t think I’ll pick it up for a reread in the future.
Thank you Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Even though I’m an avid fan of Katie’s Youtube Channel, this review and my opinion of it are completely unbiased.
Trigger warnings would include sexual assault, bullying, religion, anxiety, animal abuse. Very emotional and a impactful book. I loved this book. It had everything, love, friendship, high school trouble, LGBTQ+, family, and most importantly dogs.
I was hitting a ready slump when I picked this book up but from the first page I was addicted and could not put it down. It was a fast page turning read. For a debut novel, I expected it to be a three-star read but it ended up being five stars.
I went into this book not knowing much about the plot, so I recommend going in blind. I love all the emotion we feel from the main character Mare, and her problems with anxiety, I felt like I could relate to this character (and I have a white Maltese who is super hyper as well). Mare and her relationship with her sister were great. They fought sometimes but, in the end, they were there for each other when needed. The story line flowed naturally. The best part about this book is that it is unique. Most books now a days I feel like are basically the same stuff from another book. Vampires, Illnesses, Fae, etc. But this book was completely different and unique all on its own. I cannot wait to read more of this authors work. 5 stars!
Trigger warnings would include sexual assault, bullying, religion, anxiety, animal abuse. Very emotional and a impactful book. I loved this book. It had everything, love, friendship, high school trouble, LGBTQ+, family, and most importantly dogs.
I was hitting a ready slump when I picked this book up but from the first page I was addicted and could not put it down. It was a fast page turning read. For a debut novel, I expected it to be a three-star read but it ended up being five stars.
I went into this book not knowing much about the plot, so I recommend going in blind. I love all the emotion we feel from the main character Mare, and her problems with anxiety, I felt like I could relate to this character (and I have a white Maltese who is super hyper as well). Mare and her relationship with her sister were great. They fought sometimes but, in the end, they were there for each other when needed. The story line flowed naturally. The best part about this book is that it is unique. Most books now a days I feel like are basically the same stuff from another book. Vampires, Illnesses, Fae, etc. But this book was completely different and unique all on its own. I cannot wait to read more of this authors work. 5 stars!
I enjoy Katie Wismer’s YouTube videos a lot, so when she announced she would be publishing a book soon, my curiosity was piqued. And when I saw that it was available on NetGalley (many thanks to them for the free ARC!) I decided to request a copy. With a title like The Anti-Virginity Pact, I had initially assumed this would be a goofy, high-school sex romp, sorta like the female version of Superbad. Boy, was I wrong.
This novel follows Meredith, an 18-year-old high school senior. She lives in a devoutly religious household, and has never even been kissed before. Meredith and her best friend, Johanna, make a pact at the beginning of the novel to lose their virginities by the time they graduate. Sounds like a lot of high school sex comedies, but lemme tell ya, things take a dark turn about halfway through, and the intensity just keeps ramping up until the very end.
Overall, I think Wismer did a great job with her main characters. I could really relate to Meredith, as I too was once a shy, quiet, and anxiety-ridden teenager. I loved the relationship between her and Johanna, her bold, outspoken best friend. These girls truly adore each other, and consistently demonstrate their loyalty towards one another throughout the novel. I also like the evolution of Meredith’s relationship with her younger sister, Harper. It was truly touching.
However, I think this book suffers from trying to cram in too many hard-hitting topics at once - religion, mental illness, sexual assault, animal abuse, bullying. You could write an entire dissertation on each one of these topics, let alone trying to fit them all into one short YA book. Also, the writing style was rather simplistic and juvenile, kind of reducing the impact of these very complex, dark themes.
I will say, the religious themes in this book were handled incredibly well. Meredith is a closeted atheist, afraid to reveal her true beliefs to her family. And while the story is clearly from the atheist’s point of view, it never openly bashes religion or religious people. It is a far more nuanced portrayal of conflicting beliefs that emphasizes the necessity of setting boundaries and respecting the boundaries of others.
Unfortunately, the sexual assault and animal abuse subplots seemed rather superfluous to the story. They were not nearly as well-developed, and they didn’t really serve a purpose other than increasing the drama and piling more misery and rage on top of Meredith and the reader. But what really got my blood boiling was the bullying. The bullying in this novel - committed by the popular “mean girl”, Ashley - is some straight-up heinous, illegal shit. It has been a long time since I’ve hated an antagonist this much (kudos to Wismer for making me feel such strong emotions). I was eager to see how this plot point would play out, itching for Ashley to get her comeuppance or her redemption. And sadly, neither of these things happened. At least, not to my satisfaction. I wanted the resolution of Ashley’s character arc to be proportional to her cruelties, and it just wasn’t.
Overall, I did like this. I enjoy dark, gritty reads, and this book definitely delivered. I just think it could benefit from being more focused.
This novel follows Meredith, an 18-year-old high school senior. She lives in a devoutly religious household, and has never even been kissed before. Meredith and her best friend, Johanna, make a pact at the beginning of the novel to lose their virginities by the time they graduate. Sounds like a lot of high school sex comedies, but lemme tell ya, things take a dark turn about halfway through, and the intensity just keeps ramping up until the very end.
Overall, I think Wismer did a great job with her main characters. I could really relate to Meredith, as I too was once a shy, quiet, and anxiety-ridden teenager. I loved the relationship between her and Johanna, her bold, outspoken best friend. These girls truly adore each other, and consistently demonstrate their loyalty towards one another throughout the novel. I also like the evolution of Meredith’s relationship with her younger sister, Harper. It was truly touching.
However, I think this book suffers from trying to cram in too many hard-hitting topics at once - religion, mental illness, sexual assault, animal abuse, bullying. You could write an entire dissertation on each one of these topics, let alone trying to fit them all into one short YA book. Also, the writing style was rather simplistic and juvenile, kind of reducing the impact of these very complex, dark themes.
I will say, the religious themes in this book were handled incredibly well. Meredith is a closeted atheist, afraid to reveal her true beliefs to her family. And while the story is clearly from the atheist’s point of view, it never openly bashes religion or religious people. It is a far more nuanced portrayal of conflicting beliefs that emphasizes the necessity of setting boundaries and respecting the boundaries of others.
Unfortunately, the sexual assault and animal abuse subplots seemed rather superfluous to the story. They were not nearly as well-developed, and they didn’t really serve a purpose other than increasing the drama and piling more misery and rage on top of Meredith and the reader. But what really got my blood boiling was the bullying. The bullying in this novel - committed by the popular “mean girl”, Ashley - is some straight-up heinous, illegal shit. It has been a long time since I’ve hated an antagonist this much (kudos to Wismer for making me feel such strong emotions). I was eager to see how this plot point would play out, itching for Ashley to get her comeuppance or her redemption. And sadly, neither of these things happened. At least, not to my satisfaction. I wanted the resolution of Ashley’s character arc to be proportional to her cruelties, and it just wasn’t.
Overall, I did like this. I enjoy dark, gritty reads, and this book definitely delivered. I just think it could benefit from being more focused.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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:
Yes
“Because when you’re quiet, you learn to speak in short, fast sentences, because you’re not sure how long people will listen to you.”
This book is the embodiment of high school drama. It gives me a combination of Mean girls, meets heathers, meets real life.
This book gives me extremely small town vibes, making you feel quiet peace and sunshine. And then there were moments where I was panicking because everything was going wrong.
Through it all it was addicting. While reading, stopping would have been like a crime against myself, because it was too good to put down.
I’m just gonna say. I want this book to have a movie.
It perfectly encapsulates teenagers. It shows them being smart but it also delves into them messing up (real bad). It captures the idea that teenagers are teenagers. They’re naive, they make dumb decisions, they’re smart, they know a lot but they still don’t understand everything. They’re not perfect because they’re still growing.
Mare, Jo and Sam are such lovable characters. They wholeheartedly win you over in this book, even though they have their flaws.
This book faces so many antagonists and it’s all dealt with so well and realistically.
The Mean girl group either has moments where they are realistic or cliche. But it’s still overall entertaining.
I loved the aspect of the toxic side of religion that gets delved into. It was done and explored excellently. My only critique on this aspect is that I wish we got a conclusion for Silvia.
There’s a teacherXstudent aspect. But it represents the fact that teens are not mentally old enough for relationships with adults, and that there is a power imbalance shown by the way teens deal with it.
This book was fantastic. It’s engaging, delightful and brings so much tension and love. It was everything and more.
The writing was superb. Katie Wismer has an amazing talent for writing and expressing stories.
Before I even finished reading the book, my impression was: “I already want to reread this.”
My heart didn’t have to get broken, but the story decided it wanted it to. So now I’m here sad and in love with this book.
I highly recommend this book, especially if you’re in high school.
Content Warnings
bullying, religion, animal abuse (one scene), sexual assault, homophobia, slurs, substance abuse, anxiety, trauma.
*I received an arc from Netgalley
I have decided to split this review into two parts: one that discusses what I enjoyed and the other about the things I didn't or would like to have seen. This review will be written in dot points for easy consumption.
What I liked:
- I really enjoyed the author’s writing style and found it very engaging.
- I enjoyed reading from the protagonist point of view.
-I liked the sister relationship explored throughout this novel. I wish we got more of that.
- I enjoyed the exploration of religion. While I was brought up as a Christian, I do not believe in the bible and/or the Christian religion. I felt seen within this novel and related to the main character.
- I enjoyed reading about the friendship between Mare and Jo.
- I enjoyed the relationship between the protagonist and the love interest. I still would have liked to see more of the relationship within the story.
What I didn’t like:
- I wish the pact played more of an important role in the story. It was present in the first half but it was forgotten at the end. I wished the subject of virginity was explored and discussed more in relation to religion etc.
- While I enjoyed most of the plot, some of the plot felt exaggerated and cliche. The whole mean girl element of the story, felt very melodramatic and unauthentic. I feel like this could have been written better.
- I wish Jo storyline could have been explored more and could have added more to the story.
- I wish the novel talked about more topics such as victim-shaming, slut shaming and bullying. These topics would have added more depth to the story and overall plot.
I have decided to split this review into two parts: one that discusses what I enjoyed and the other about the things I didn't or would like to have seen. This review will be written in dot points for easy consumption.
What I liked:
- I really enjoyed the author’s writing style and found it very engaging.
- I enjoyed reading from the protagonist point of view.
-I liked the sister relationship explored throughout this novel. I wish we got more of that.
- I enjoyed the exploration of religion. While I was brought up as a Christian, I do not believe in the bible and/or the Christian religion. I felt seen within this novel and related to the main character.
- I enjoyed reading about the friendship between Mare and Jo.
- I enjoyed the relationship between the protagonist and the love interest. I still would have liked to see more of the relationship within the story.
What I didn’t like:
- I wish the pact played more of an important role in the story. It was present in the first half but it was forgotten at the end. I wished the subject of virginity was explored and discussed more in relation to religion etc.
- While I enjoyed most of the plot, some of the plot felt exaggerated and cliche. The whole mean girl element of the story, felt very melodramatic and unauthentic. I feel like this could have been written better.
- I wish Jo storyline could have been explored more and could have added more to the story.
- I wish the novel talked about more topics such as victim-shaming, slut shaming and bullying. These topics would have added more depth to the story and overall plot.
*Received ARC in exchange for an honest review*
Rating: No rating unless I really have to, then its 3 stars.
bookboyfriendsdoitbetter.com
*Disclaimer* I am a huge fan of Katie's youtube channel and watch her religiously. She's actually the reason I made a NetGalley account, and this was my first ever NetGalley ARC.
With that said, I'm a little sad I couldn't get into this book. I thought this book was going to be a little bit more mature, because of the subject matter but it actually reads somewhat young. The main character's inner monologue reads like a 15 or 16-year-old when she is actually a senior in high school.
I really tried to give this book a chance but I finally had to DNF it at around 30%. I didn't connect to the characters and I found myself bored most of the time and it actually made me not want to read if it meant having to read this book.
Rating: No rating unless I really have to, then its 3 stars.
bookboyfriendsdoitbetter.com
*Disclaimer* I am a huge fan of Katie's youtube channel and watch her religiously. She's actually the reason I made a NetGalley account, and this was my first ever NetGalley ARC.
With that said, I'm a little sad I couldn't get into this book. I thought this book was going to be a little bit more mature, because of the subject matter but it actually reads somewhat young. The main character's inner monologue reads like a 15 or 16-year-old when she is actually a senior in high school.
I really tried to give this book a chance but I finally had to DNF it at around 30%. I didn't connect to the characters and I found myself bored most of the time and it actually made me not want to read if it meant having to read this book.