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A review by maggieha
V is for Virgin by Kelly Oram
1.0
*1.5/5 stars*
After having time to think about this book, I find that I had way too much problems with it to give it two stars. I did like some messages and how Valerie stood out for herself and what she believed in, but I felt like even the message this book was trying to send could've been done in a better way, and I didn't 100% agree with everything Valerie said, especially toward the end. But my biggest problem with this book is the love interest, Kyle Hamilton. I simply hated him and everything he represented. Never at any point did I think he or his actions were 'swoonworty'. He repeatadly disrespected Val. Disrespected her values and opinions and practically everyting she stood for. While Valerie was mostly respectful of other people's decisions and opinions, Kyle thought his idea of prodigal 'lifestyle' was the only one to have. His opinions were the only ones that mattered, the only ones that were true, repeatadly shrugging aside the MC'S values. His disrespectful behavior was masked as 'banter' with the heroine, but witty banter it was not. Kyle was simply selfish, self centered, spoiled, disrespectful, misogynistic celebrity used to getting what - and who - he wanted every time he wanted and I hated how this book was trying to romanticize his behavior. I hated how the way he broke up with her was romanticized, since he did it only because of his selfish, shallow and spoiled nature. The only thing Kyle Hamilton was able to think about was sex. Never in any point for me did it seem like he fell in love with her, only in lust and that's becaue she was the only one in his life who refused him and his ego couldn't bear that. There was no respect here in the romance and that's one of the essential things in a healthy relationship.
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*2/5 stars*
“Becoming sexually active is a huge decision. It's not one we should let the world or even our own boyfriends make for us.”
Firstly: starting this book, I was a bit wary that the story would either ridicule girls (any people really) who want to wait for marriage, or that it would be really preachy and against girls who want to be sexually active. To my great relief, neither of the feared happened. Yes, Valerie was ridiculed in school for her choices by some kids, but then the tide started to change and it became an actual movement.
V is for Virgin is by no means a perfect book, I had quite a few problems starting with some of the characters, but it's awesome that the author was trying to pass on such a positive messages - that you shouldn't be afraid to say no and decide for yourself. That it's your choice.
“There is too much pressure on teenagers to become sexually active,” I heard myself say. “I’m not saying that everyone needs to follow my example and wait until they’re married, I’m just saying that people shouldn’t be ashamed or scared to admit it if they aren’t ready for sex. People need to know that not everybody is doing it.”
I so don't feel like writing anything in depth for this one. I honestly enjoyed it more than I thought I would. It also raised some important questions about sexuality and the fact that it's your choice and yours alone if you want to wait or not, so the overall message was great. While I didn't personally agree with every one of Valerie's opinions, I loved how strong she was about it and how she stood up for herself and what she believed in. She was also surprisingly judgment free, which I didn't expect. It was all about one's choice for her, and the fact that you shouldn't let other people's opinions pressure you into something you don't want. So thumbs up for the positive message, and pretty admirable heroine.
“I really felt for poor Lacrosse4life. Even anonymously he was the only guy to admit to being a virgin. But my heart especially went out to those two girls who admitted to getting pregnant. One had given her baby up and the other had had an abortion.
Suddenly, I didn’t mind my self-professed virginity being posted for the world to see. I didn’t care that people were laughing at me. I didn’t even care that my name was painted on a stall in the boys’ bathroom.
Someone had to stand up for these poor girls, and for anyone who was afraid to say no to sex. Afraid of being mocked. Afraid of being dumped. If that person had to be me, then so be it. I didn’t think I could do much to change the ways of the world, but maybe I could make it a little better for the sexually challenged population of Huntington High.
Then, suddenly, I had the perfect idea how.”
Thumbs down however would be for the love interest - Kyle - for me. That guy was so far from being my type, it's actually funny. More often than not, he was acting like an arrogant, rude, mysogynistic asshole caring more about sex than anything else. The supposedly 'romantic' song he wrote for Val was about how he wanted to have sex with her. he was only capable of thinking about one thing and one thing only. He also couldn't respect her decisions and constantly ridiculed her for it.
Yeah, I think I'm swooning now. *Insert heavy sarcasm here*
They were very dysfunctional duo, so I don't really know how I'd feel like reading the sequel honestly.
So overall, the romance was the worst aspect of the book, and let me tell you, this story was way too much centered on it. I simply hated Kyle.
“Kyle didn’t give me the chance to reply. He pulled my face to his and kissed the hell out of me in front of everyone from my boyfriend to CNN.
I forgot about the cameras. I forgot about my parents. I forgot about my campaign. I forgot that I was supposed to be a role model. In that moment the only thing I could think about was Kyle.
And how much I wanted to kill him.”
One of the other negatives was Cara, Valerie's best friend. I really liked them in most of the book, but the way Cara started treating Val toward the end was not okay. At the beginning, I had already noted that this book portrayed great female friendship, but sadly it got ruined and I can no longer say anything positive about it. I really hate when authors do this. Write great female friendships which you start to like only to ruin them in the end for stupid reasons. Why, just why. I was so let down by this!
“Originally, things had calmed down for a while. Then the album came out, and Kyle gave an interview on a late night TV show announcing to the world that he’d personally dedicated the album to me (and my legs) because he’d written every song on it with me in mind. This sparked a lot of tabloid gossip because there were some seriously dirty songs, and some really angry songs, and even a few completely romantic songs on the album.
Apparently what I inspired in Kyle Hamilton was a multiple personality disorder.”
Though yes, there were other new friendships that were likeable enough. For example, I quite liked how the author slowly showed us that Olivia wasn't such a witch after all. It kind of smashed the trope of 'the high school bitch queen'. So there's that at least. Also, there was something missing for me. Don't know exactly what, but the fact that I wasn't invested in the romance and didn't like Kyle at all is a big part of it.
“There’s more to life than just having sex, and there should be more to a relationship than that too.”
This book was entertaining read. It's clear that the author was trying to send a positive message to her readers, and that's awesome. But I just hated the romance - and Kyle's character as a whole - way too much to not be constantly annoyed with this book.
“Is sex really that vital? Am I really not worth waiting for?”
After having time to think about this book, I find that I had way too much problems with it to give it two stars. I did like some messages and how Valerie stood out for herself and what she believed in, but I felt like even the message this book was trying to send could've been done in a better way, and I didn't 100% agree with everything Valerie said, especially toward the end. But my biggest problem with this book is the love interest, Kyle Hamilton. I simply hated him and everything he represented. Never at any point did I think he or his actions were 'swoonworty'. He repeatadly disrespected Val. Disrespected her values and opinions and practically everyting she stood for. While Valerie was mostly respectful of other people's decisions and opinions, Kyle thought his idea of prodigal 'lifestyle' was the only one to have. His opinions were the only ones that mattered, the only ones that were true, repeatadly shrugging aside the MC'S values. His disrespectful behavior was masked as 'banter' with the heroine, but witty banter it was not. Kyle was simply selfish, self centered, spoiled, disrespectful, misogynistic celebrity used to getting what - and who - he wanted every time he wanted and I hated how this book was trying to romanticize his behavior. I hated how the way he broke up with her was romanticized, since he did it only because of his selfish, shallow and spoiled nature. The only thing Kyle Hamilton was able to think about was sex. Never in any point for me did it seem like he fell in love with her, only in lust and that's becaue she was the only one in his life who refused him and his ego couldn't bear that. There was no respect here in the romance and that's one of the essential things in a healthy relationship.
-------------------------------
*2/5 stars*
“Becoming sexually active is a huge decision. It's not one we should let the world or even our own boyfriends make for us.”
Firstly: starting this book, I was a bit wary that the story would either ridicule girls (any people really) who want to wait for marriage, or that it would be really preachy and against girls who want to be sexually active. To my great relief, neither of the feared happened. Yes, Valerie was ridiculed in school for her choices by some kids, but then the tide started to change and it became an actual movement.
V is for Virgin is by no means a perfect book, I had quite a few problems starting with some of the characters, but it's awesome that the author was trying to pass on such a positive messages - that you shouldn't be afraid to say no and decide for yourself. That it's your choice.
“There is too much pressure on teenagers to become sexually active,” I heard myself say. “I’m not saying that everyone needs to follow my example and wait until they’re married, I’m just saying that people shouldn’t be ashamed or scared to admit it if they aren’t ready for sex. People need to know that not everybody is doing it.”
I so don't feel like writing anything in depth for this one. I honestly enjoyed it more than I thought I would. It also raised some important questions about sexuality and the fact that it's your choice and yours alone if you want to wait or not, so the overall message was great. While I didn't personally agree with every one of Valerie's opinions, I loved how strong she was about it and how she stood up for herself and what she believed in. She was also surprisingly judgment free, which I didn't expect. It was all about one's choice for her, and the fact that you shouldn't let other people's opinions pressure you into something you don't want. So thumbs up for the positive message, and pretty admirable heroine.
“I really felt for poor Lacrosse4life. Even anonymously he was the only guy to admit to being a virgin. But my heart especially went out to those two girls who admitted to getting pregnant. One had given her baby up and the other had had an abortion.
Suddenly, I didn’t mind my self-professed virginity being posted for the world to see. I didn’t care that people were laughing at me. I didn’t even care that my name was painted on a stall in the boys’ bathroom.
Someone had to stand up for these poor girls, and for anyone who was afraid to say no to sex. Afraid of being mocked. Afraid of being dumped. If that person had to be me, then so be it. I didn’t think I could do much to change the ways of the world, but maybe I could make it a little better for the sexually challenged population of Huntington High.
Then, suddenly, I had the perfect idea how.”
Thumbs down however would be for the love interest - Kyle - for me. That guy was so far from being my type, it's actually funny. More often than not, he was acting like an arrogant, rude, mysogynistic asshole caring more about sex than anything else. The supposedly 'romantic' song he wrote for Val was about how he wanted to have sex with her. he was only capable of thinking about one thing and one thing only. He also couldn't respect her decisions and constantly ridiculed her for it.
Yeah, I think I'm swooning now. *Insert heavy sarcasm here*
They were very dysfunctional duo, so I don't really know how I'd feel like reading the sequel honestly.
So overall, the romance was the worst aspect of the book, and let me tell you, this story was way too much centered on it. I simply hated Kyle.
“Kyle didn’t give me the chance to reply. He pulled my face to his and kissed the hell out of me in front of everyone from my boyfriend to CNN.
I forgot about the cameras. I forgot about my parents. I forgot about my campaign. I forgot that I was supposed to be a role model. In that moment the only thing I could think about was Kyle.
And how much I wanted to kill him.”
One of the other negatives was Cara, Valerie's best friend. I really liked them in most of the book, but the way Cara started treating Val toward the end was not okay. At the beginning, I had already noted that this book portrayed great female friendship, but sadly it got ruined and I can no longer say anything positive about it. I really hate when authors do this. Write great female friendships which you start to like only to ruin them in the end for stupid reasons. Why, just why. I was so let down by this!
“Originally, things had calmed down for a while. Then the album came out, and Kyle gave an interview on a late night TV show announcing to the world that he’d personally dedicated the album to me (and my legs) because he’d written every song on it with me in mind. This sparked a lot of tabloid gossip because there were some seriously dirty songs, and some really angry songs, and even a few completely romantic songs on the album.
Apparently what I inspired in Kyle Hamilton was a multiple personality disorder.”
Though yes, there were other new friendships that were likeable enough. For example, I quite liked how the author slowly showed us that Olivia wasn't such a witch after all. It kind of smashed the trope of 'the high school bitch queen'. So there's that at least. Also, there was something missing for me. Don't know exactly what, but the fact that I wasn't invested in the romance and didn't like Kyle at all is a big part of it.
“There’s more to life than just having sex, and there should be more to a relationship than that too.”
This book was entertaining read. It's clear that the author was trying to send a positive message to her readers, and that's awesome. But I just hated the romance - and Kyle's character as a whole - way too much to not be constantly annoyed with this book.
“Is sex really that vital? Am I really not worth waiting for?”