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rleibrock's review against another edition
2.0
I absolutely hate the book cover and title but I picked this up because I thought the subject matter about a girl contemplating "giving up" her virginity was provocative. And it is--it's just too bad the book didn't really do it any justice.
This is one of those examples of an author who relies on telling vs. showing. Much of the book feels hurried and the characters seem stock and generic. Worse, I had very little connection to the main character. Outside of her thoughts about losing her virginity, I had very little clue to who she was as a person--what did she like in school? What were her hobbies? It made it pretty difficult to care about her one way or another.
This is one of those examples of an author who relies on telling vs. showing. Much of the book feels hurried and the characters seem stock and generic. Worse, I had very little connection to the main character. Outside of her thoughts about losing her virginity, I had very little clue to who she was as a person--what did she like in school? What were her hobbies? It made it pretty difficult to care about her one way or another.
andreathereader's review against another edition
4.0
Spencer is happy with the way things are going and sees no reason to change things. But her friends start talking more and more about doing the deed and on her 16th birthday, her progressive mom takes her to the doctor and gets Spencer her first prescription for birth control pills. The Pill makes her a kind of celebrity amongst her friends and they start wondering when she’ll finally do IT. Then Ben shows up at school and suddenly Spencer starts thinking now is a good time to lose her V-card.
This was a quick and easy (or down and dirty, as it were) read. The novel opens with poor Spencer in the stirrup chair for the first time and I found her sense of humor so funny. I literally laughed out loud several times in just the first few pages. If you can remember that very first visit to the gyno, you can relate to her embarassment. Especially given the fact that she doesn’t even want to be there, as she’s not planning on having sex for quite a while.
I enjoyed Spencer’s friends, they were a diverse group of people and they all had their quirks, good and bad qualities. There was the manwhore with a heart of gold; the goth chick with crazy clothes and hair who was sensible and yet couldn’t stay away from her on-again, off-again boyfriend; the funny smart guy who was always there for his friends… Though some characters could have been considered cliches, I never got the feeling that I’d seen them before, they felt fresh and new to me.
Sometimes I would find Spencer or one of her friends doing something that I thought was silly, then I would remind myself that they were just teenagers, with hormones a’plenty. Lord knows I’ve done some stupid things in the throes of a crush!
Besides the obvious ‘should she’ or ‘shouldn’t she’ plot line, there was a secondary one with Spencer’s friend Alyssa, a strong female character who decided to go ahead and have a one night stand just to lose her virginity and created a spreadsheet of possible candidates. One of the possible candidates was the one and only Ben, which left Spencer unsure of how to handle the situation. This additional plot line blended the 2 opposite viewpoints on sex well.
The dialogue was probably the best part of the book for me. The way Spencer and her friends talked was so snarky and witty, I loved it. The way her friend offered himself as sacrifice for her first sexual experience was sweet and ironic at the same time. There was no explicit sex, but it was talked about in great detail. There was a little romance, and it was both sweet and real.
As reviewed by TheBusyBibliophile.com.
This was a quick and easy (or down and dirty, as it were) read. The novel opens with poor Spencer in the stirrup chair for the first time and I found her sense of humor so funny. I literally laughed out loud several times in just the first few pages. If you can remember that very first visit to the gyno, you can relate to her embarassment. Especially given the fact that she doesn’t even want to be there, as she’s not planning on having sex for quite a while.
It’s not like I didn’t know my weight. I was reminded of it every time I stepped into my size thirteen jeans. But was it really necessary to share it with complete strangers? Especially skinny ones? I wasn’t sure which part bothered me more, revealing my weight or my vagina.
I enjoyed Spencer’s friends, they were a diverse group of people and they all had their quirks, good and bad qualities. There was the manwhore with a heart of gold; the goth chick with crazy clothes and hair who was sensible and yet couldn’t stay away from her on-again, off-again boyfriend; the funny smart guy who was always there for his friends… Though some characters could have been considered cliches, I never got the feeling that I’d seen them before, they felt fresh and new to me.
Sometimes I would find Spencer or one of her friends doing something that I thought was silly, then I would remind myself that they were just teenagers, with hormones a’plenty. Lord knows I’ve done some stupid things in the throes of a crush!
Besides the obvious ‘should she’ or ‘shouldn’t she’ plot line, there was a secondary one with Spencer’s friend Alyssa, a strong female character who decided to go ahead and have a one night stand just to lose her virginity and created a spreadsheet of possible candidates. One of the possible candidates was the one and only Ben, which left Spencer unsure of how to handle the situation. This additional plot line blended the 2 opposite viewpoints on sex well.
The dialogue was probably the best part of the book for me. The way Spencer and her friends talked was so snarky and witty, I loved it. The way her friend offered himself as sacrifice for her first sexual experience was sweet and ironic at the same time. There was no explicit sex, but it was talked about in great detail. There was a little romance, and it was both sweet and real.
As reviewed by TheBusyBibliophile.com.
rissaluvs2read's review against another edition
4.0
This was another reread for me (trying to get back into reading). I remember buying this book when I was a young teenager and loving it so much back then, and still loving it now. It's a short, fun read and it discusses serious topics that really do affect teens but Serena Robar portrays it so well. Reading this as i'm in my mid 20's, I immediately saw the red flags of Benjamin and the scary obsessive behavior of the bff Alyssa. I still loved Zach and his sweet friendship and the "crew" seems fun and close. The only issue I have with the plot is how quickly Zach and Spencer got feelings for each other..literally happened out of the blue but their interaction was still sweet. I love the ending scene at prom and how Zach became the hero (giving me Neville vibes). This book is my tween classic and I still love it. I'll definitely reread again!!
cexleybooks's review against another edition
5.0
Spencer is the last girl that needs a prescription for the Pill. Sixteen year old Spencer is a virgin and is happy to be. She is happy to wait until she’s with the right person to have sex, rather than get obsessed about it like all her friends in her crew.
Spencer has always been the girl her friends confide in. Her tight group of friends include Ryan, the player; Morgan and Justin, the on-again/off-again/on-again rocking couple; her best friend, Alyssa, who is so petite she looks like she is only twelve; and good old Zach. It isn't until Spencer lays eyes on the new transfer student, Ben, that she even considers putting her pills to good use.
It doesn't help when her friend Zach starts keeping his distance from her. Though he assures her that everything is okay, Spencer isn't so sure. And she's also confused when she realizes that Zach has started to sport some well-defined muscles of his own.
Spencer has always been the girl her friends confide in. Her tight group of friends include Ryan, the player; Morgan and Justin, the on-again/off-again/on-again rocking couple; her best friend, Alyssa, who is so petite she looks like she is only twelve; and good old Zach. It isn't until Spencer lays eyes on the new transfer student, Ben, that she even considers putting her pills to good use.
It doesn't help when her friend Zach starts keeping his distance from her. Though he assures her that everything is okay, Spencer isn't so sure. And she's also confused when she realizes that Zach has started to sport some well-defined muscles of his own.
buzzingaboutbooks's review against another edition
4.0
I read this book at that awkward 9th grade time in my life! I really dont known why I did but it was an interesting read that from my memory was ok.
onceuponabookcase's review against another edition
5.0
16-year-old Spencer is a virgin, and is happy to be. She is happy to wait until she’s with the right person to have sex, rather than get obsessed about it like all her friends in her crew. But then Benjamin Hopkins joins the school. Gorgeous, funny, athletic, Spencer can’t help but go weak at the knees when she’s around him, and Ben starts giving her the right kind of attention. How far will she go to get her guy?
I really like this book! It reads a lot like it could be part of an American TV teen programme; the teens were so lifelike and believable. I found myself literary crushing on pretty much all the guys in the book, even the guys who weren’t so great. Ryan, for example; he may use girls a lot, but he was hot and funny, so it was easy to see how he could get away with it.
I loved how Spencer wouldn’t give in to the jokey “peer pressure” from her friends over being a virgin, that she was determined to have sex when she wanted to , when things were right, and not when others felt she should – before Ben arrived. It kind of annoyed me she went a little crazy over him, as I was thinking “pull yourself together, he’s just a guy”, yet it was believable, we girls do get a little “oh my god!” when it comes to guys. I also admired how she was still able to pretty much be herself around him despite it all, it was cool. I identified with her a lot when she wasn’t sure what she should do when things started to happen between her and Ben; very true to life.
What was also interesting was the sub-plot in the story; Spencer’s best friend Alyssa was determined to lose her virginity, a one-night-stand so she could get it out of the way, and planned and organised for she was going to get it done. It was a little disturbing how tenacious she was, and how she made it seem like some school project, like no big deal, but something that had to be done – with no feelings. It was great to see these two different attitudes and stories running along each other.
There were no actual sex scenes in this book, but there were some almost-sex scenes that were really well written. It was a great depiction of how Spencer was feeling AND thinking towards what was happening, and keeping those two things clearly separate worked well.
This was an awesome book overall dealing with a sensitive subject with great characters and a lot of humour. I loved it!
I really like this book! It reads a lot like it could be part of an American TV teen programme; the teens were so lifelike and believable. I found myself literary crushing on pretty much all the guys in the book, even the guys who weren’t so great. Ryan, for example; he may use girls a lot, but he was hot and funny, so it was easy to see how he could get away with it.
I loved how Spencer wouldn’t give in to the jokey “peer pressure” from her friends over being a virgin, that she was determined to have sex when she wanted to , when things were right, and not when others felt she should – before Ben arrived. It kind of annoyed me she went a little crazy over him, as I was thinking “pull yourself together, he’s just a guy”, yet it was believable, we girls do get a little “oh my god!” when it comes to guys. I also admired how she was still able to pretty much be herself around him despite it all, it was cool. I identified with her a lot when she wasn’t sure what she should do when things started to happen between her and Ben; very true to life.
What was also interesting was the sub-plot in the story; Spencer’s best friend Alyssa was determined to lose her virginity, a one-night-stand so she could get it out of the way, and planned and organised for she was going to get it done. It was a little disturbing how tenacious she was, and how she made it seem like some school project, like no big deal, but something that had to be done – with no feelings. It was great to see these two different attitudes and stories running along each other.
There were no actual sex scenes in this book, but there were some almost-sex scenes that were really well written. It was a great depiction of how Spencer was feeling AND thinking towards what was happening, and keeping those two things clearly separate worked well.
This was an awesome book overall dealing with a sensitive subject with great characters and a lot of humour. I loved it!
andreathereader's review
4.0
Spencer is happy with the way things are going and sees no reason to change things. But her friends start talking more and more about doing the deed and on her 16th birthday, her progressive mom takes her to the doctor and gets Spencer her first prescription for birth control pills. The Pill makes her a kind of celebrity amongst her friends and they start wondering when she’ll finally do IT. Then Ben shows up at school and suddenly Spencer starts thinking now is a good time to lose her V-card.
This was a quick and easy (or down and dirty, as it were) read. The novel opens with poor Spencer in the stirrup chair for the first time and I found her sense of humor so funny. I literally laughed out loud several times in just the first few pages. If you can remember that very first visit to the gyno, you can relate to her embarassment. Especially given the fact that she doesn’t even want to be there, as she’s not planning on having sex for quite a while.
I enjoyed Spencer’s friends, they were a diverse group of people and they all had their quirks, good and bad qualities. There was the manwhore with a heart of gold; the goth chick with crazy clothes and hair who was sensible and yet couldn’t stay away from her on-again, off-again boyfriend; the funny smart guy who was always there for his friends… Though some characters could have been considered cliches, I never got the feeling that I’d seen them before, they felt fresh and new to me.
Sometimes I would find Spencer or one of her friends doing something that I thought was silly, then I would remind myself that they were just teenagers, with hormones a’plenty. Lord knows I’ve done some stupid things in the throes of a crush!
Besides the obvious ‘should she’ or ‘shouldn’t she’ plot line, there was a secondary one with Spencer’s friend Alyssa, a strong female character who decided to go ahead and have a one night stand just to lose her virginity and created a spreadsheet of possible candidates. One of the possible candidates was the one and only Ben, which left Spencer unsure of how to handle the situation. This additional plot line blended the 2 opposite viewpoints on sex well.
The dialogue was probably the best part of the book for me. The way Spencer and her friends talked was so snarky and witty, I loved it. The way her friend offered himself as sacrifice for her first sexual experience was sweet and ironic at the same time. There was no explicit sex, but it was talked about in great detail. There was a little romance, and it was both sweet and real.
As reviewed by TheBusyBibliophile.com.
This was a quick and easy (or down and dirty, as it were) read. The novel opens with poor Spencer in the stirrup chair for the first time and I found her sense of humor so funny. I literally laughed out loud several times in just the first few pages. If you can remember that very first visit to the gyno, you can relate to her embarassment. Especially given the fact that she doesn’t even want to be there, as she’s not planning on having sex for quite a while.
It’s not like I didn’t know my weight. I was reminded of it every time I stepped into my size thirteen jeans. But was it really necessary to share it with complete strangers? Especially skinny ones? I wasn’t sure which part bothered me more, revealing my weight or my vagina.
I enjoyed Spencer’s friends, they were a diverse group of people and they all had their quirks, good and bad qualities. There was the manwhore with a heart of gold; the goth chick with crazy clothes and hair who was sensible and yet couldn’t stay away from her on-again, off-again boyfriend; the funny smart guy who was always there for his friends… Though some characters could have been considered cliches, I never got the feeling that I’d seen them before, they felt fresh and new to me.
Sometimes I would find Spencer or one of her friends doing something that I thought was silly, then I would remind myself that they were just teenagers, with hormones a’plenty. Lord knows I’ve done some stupid things in the throes of a crush!
Besides the obvious ‘should she’ or ‘shouldn’t she’ plot line, there was a secondary one with Spencer’s friend Alyssa, a strong female character who decided to go ahead and have a one night stand just to lose her virginity and created a spreadsheet of possible candidates. One of the possible candidates was the one and only Ben, which left Spencer unsure of how to handle the situation. This additional plot line blended the 2 opposite viewpoints on sex well.
The dialogue was probably the best part of the book for me. The way Spencer and her friends talked was so snarky and witty, I loved it. The way her friend offered himself as sacrifice for her first sexual experience was sweet and ironic at the same time. There was no explicit sex, but it was talked about in great detail. There was a little romance, and it was both sweet and real.
As reviewed by TheBusyBibliophile.com.
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