Cover Image: Belly Up

Belly Up

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Member Reviews

I really enjoyed this novel. When the reviews I read mentioned it had a Gilmore Girls Meets Juno feel, I knew I had to read it.



So I am going to get my one negative thing out here first. I was pregnant at 20, not as young as this protagonist, but young enough not to know what the fuck I was doing. I kept my daughter and would never change that decision. But my life has been hard. I had friends who got pregnant younger than me whose lives were difficult.Not bad, just hard. I did not feel like this book talked enough about the fact that Sara's privilege of living with a family who supports her, friends that won't abandon her, being able to finish school, keep her baby and get a hot boyfriend are exceptions to the rule. While teen pregnancy can be a positive experience and I like that this novel highlights that- in general, it is not. I wish the author had made Sara a little more aware of the fact she is blessed and lucky.



Now, with that being said. This book got me. Every time the MC spoke it was if teen me were cheering. In fact, adult me cheered too. Because I still sound just like that, if my slang is a little outdated. Sara's relationship with her mother is totally me and my 15-year-old. We are just like this, this same style of banter and teasing each other, love fueled by jokes and sarcasm. (Though my kid and I swear a lot more.) My mom and I are also very similar to Sara and her Mom, put the three of us in a room and you will walk away shaking your head.



I love how Sara is a bisexual fat girl and not once did the story shame her for her eating habits. I've been pregnant four times, the hunger is real. I enjoyed all the talking about food and the reality that sometimes the cheeseburger is what you need to stuff your face with. This novel is real about how pregnancy feels, tired all the time, horny, hungry, hairy, emotional. The author did not sugar coat it.



The inserts of Romani culture, from new boyfriend Leaf, was amazing and if you liked this aspect of the book you should read her novel The Hollow Girl. Sara's boyfriend Leaf is a wonderful (if a tad unrealistic) boy that if I were a teen would be swoon-worthy.



Sara's friends are written beautifully and are very diverse. Speaking of diverse, I also wanted to touch on the fact Sara is half Hispanic and feels out of place in her own culture as she doesn't speak Spanish and her Swedish mother and grandmother (mormor - who is amazing!) raise her.



I am that girl. I am half Puerto Rican and don't speak Spanish and am constantly trying to figure out where I belong. It's hard when you want to connect to part of your heritage and don't know how. I (like many characters in this book) use food to do that. I cook meals my grandma taught me and look up Puerto Rican cuisine and food customs.



While I understand why the author brings back Jack- the baby daddy- I kind of wish she hadn't. It did bring in some ugly realism to the funny rom-com feel of the story.



This book was great, funny, quirky, full of fluffy feel-good nonsense with an underlying serious plot. I got a copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review and when I finished it I bought myself a copy to support the author. So go forth and read the funny fluff!

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A diverse lighthearted story. A bit of a mash up of Juno and The Gilmore Girls. Sarah is smart and snarky with her future all planned out. But you know what they say about the best made plans... and getting pregnant the summer before her senior year by a stranger was not part of Sarah’s plans. Fortunately Sarah has an amazing support system around her. I do have to give major props to Sarah‘s mother and grandmother, not sure I would’ve handled the situation quite as well. I mean I’d be supportive, but probably after I lost my temper a few times. Sarah also had an amazing BFF in Devi. Seriously we all need a Devi in our lives.

Not only is Sarah pregnant, but she also has to start at a new school her senior year. Something that would not be easy even under the best of circumstances. Sarah is lucky enough however to find a diverse group of supportive friends at the new school as well. Even a boy named Leaf. This boy was so sweet, so kind, so supportive, and best of all he could cook! The only tiny problem I had with this book I thought things worked out a little too perfectly for Sarah. I know the girl got pregnant and she was going to have to deal with that, but... I thought it was all a bit sugarcoated, however they do say good things happen to good people and Sarah was truly a good person. Simply put this was a sweet diverse story filled with friendship, family, and love!7/10

*** many thanks to Harlequin/Inkyard Press for my copy of this book ***

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I have been looking forward to this book for so long! The cover art is amazing. It really draws me in and I think teenage pregnancy is a great contemporary topic for young adults. I thought that this novel was really well done. It had just enough real life, but also balanced some of the weighty topics with comedy relief.

Sara winds up pregnant after a quick hookup in a pickup truck. One big problem is she has no way to contact the father, she’s moving and switching schools, and she meets a new guy who she really likes. There’s a lot of stuff going on! I enjoyed the plot and never thought that it was overwhelming. It had a really good pace and maintained my interest the whole way through. I loved Sara and her family’s humor throughout. Even though Sara thoughtfully thinks about her options, she doesn’t let anyone pressure her and ultimately her family is very open and supportive of her decisions.

I love that the diversity never felt forced throughout this whole book. Sometimes it feels that the only reason a character might make an appearance in a book is to showcase their diverse point. This wasn’t that case, every character was well developed and had their own personalities throughout.

My only critique is very minor and mainly I just wish we had more of some of the pregnancy hardships. We got a lot about the morning sickness and food craving and a few other things, but I think I just wanted more. I also felt like the labor and delivery itself felt a little rushed. I was sad when this book ended I really wanted to keep reading about Sara and her family.

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Teenaged pregnancy is a fact of life.  Like it or not, it happens, which is why I picked up this book.  Being a mother to two teen girls - one 17 and other 19 - I thought it'd be an interesting read and I wasn't wrong.  

Sara is a breath of sarcastic fresh air.  Her voice is fresh and real, even in the moments when she's putting up a front because she's scared half to death.  She's also very mature, never once blaming her mistakes on anyone other than herself.  It helps that her mother was also a young, single parent, so she didn't risk the judgement that so many parents hand down to their kids in these situations.  Instead, Astrid encourages Sara to embrace the moment and live up to her potential, baby and all.  

Belly Up covers all the issues surrounding teen pregnancies, the realities you face, as well as how horrifying being pregnant can be.  Those were some of my favorite parts, I have to admit.  Sara turning into a bottomless pit once her morning sickness eases up.  All the bizarre changes in your body.  It was glorious how horrified she was, but hopeful in the way she took it all in stride.  

In addition to teen pregnancy, Belly Up also touches on issues of gender identity, sexual identity, and racism.  None of this is hit on too hard, but it is presented in a way that you take note of it.  I enjoyed the way Sara refused to call her unborn baby it and instead used genderless pronouns (them for the most part).  It was a different sort of way to handle the whole MY BABY'S NOT AN IT thing that I went through.  

Hands down, for me the best character was Leaf.  He's cute, he's sweet, he's this big teddy bear of a boy AND HE'S ROMANI.  Now, side note here: I fell in love with all things Romanian at a young age.  Why?  I'm not sure, but it probably had a lot to do with my Dracula obsession.  Anyway, since Romania has probably the largest population of Romani people, it was inevitable that I'd eventually fall in love with that culture as well.  Hearing that Leaf is Rom made my day.  Even more amazing was that the author actually took time to research the people themselves and dropped tidbits about their culture so that Sara could learn from Leaf about his heritage.  

The only thing that bugged me was the addition of this new trend of adding a question mark at the end of a statement.  Things like, "He's a jerk but I love him?".  I get where the intent comes from - you're making a statement you're not one hundred percent sure about.  Maybe I'm old, but it throws me off every time.  

Belly Up is the kind of book that bridges the gap between adults and young adults.  Although both of my kids are around the same age as Sara, I still thoroughly enjoyed her story.  Part of it might be because so many of my friends had babies in high school, but most of it is due to Sara herself.  She's fun, she's vibrant, and she has an amazing support group to help her through one of the toughest times of her life.  Being a teen mom isn't the end of the world by any stretch of the imagination.  The key is to surround yourself with the right people.  Good friends like Devi, Erin, and Morgan.  A great boyfriend like Leaf.  Never mind her amazing mom and grandmother.  An excellent book no matter your age.

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Serendipity (Sara) has revenge sex and gets pregnant. She decides to keep the baby and has to navigate her senior year of high school at a new school while also balancing the pressure of becoming a parent.

This book is definitely a "best case scenario" pregnancy story. Sara was not raped. Her family is supportive. Her school is helpful. She hits very few bumps along the road. All of that is fantastic, albeit not very realistic. I appreciated the extremely diverse cast of characters as well as Sara's matter-of-fact descriptions of pregnancy and her visits to the gynecologist, etc. I don't know that many teens who become pregnant can relate to Sara's best-case situation, but it is a fun, enjoyable read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley for review purposes.

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Title: Belly Up
Author: Eva Darrows
Genre: YA
Rating: 4 out of 5

It’s bad enough Sara’s boyfriend cheated on her and she found out when she saw sexting pics on his phone. But now he and the other girl are flaunting it around town, when all Sara wants is to get through the summer and spend senior year with her best friend, Devi, and get into an Ivy League school. Surely a drunken hook-up at a party will at least take Sara’s mind off her problems.

Or not.

She forgot to get the guy’s number, and when she finds out she’s pregnant, well, things change. She and her mom move in with her grandmother, and instead of starting senior year with Devi, Sara is the new girl at a new school. She meets some new friends and Leaf, a Romani boy who really gets her, and whose flirting makes her happy. Except she’s also the pregnant new girl. She should probably tell Leaf about that, but she wants to hold on to her happiness for just a little longer.

Belly Up wasn’t quite what I expected. Sara is an amazing character, and her voice is so much fun. This is an incredibly diverse book, and friendship is a main theme, as is love (and not romantic love, either). This was a fun read about serious subjects, and I recommend it.

Eva Darrows/Hillary Monahan is a New York Times-bestselling author. Belly Up is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin TEEN/Inkyard Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)

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I wasn't sure what to expect going in, but I really enjoyed this book. I found it difficult to put down and really loved the characters. The plot was smart, and different. Sara was fantastically written. I genuinely think people will like and relate a lot to themes in this book. Would absolutely recommend to YA Contemp lovers.

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I’m actually not sure how I felt about this book, I requested an advanced copy of this from Netgalley because it gave me such Gilmore Girls vibes. While some Gilmore Girls qualities do make their way into this book, and I loved how despite this being a teenage pregnancy book where everything could go wrong, the main character did sort of have a happy ending where she got the guy she was in love with and her daughter would end up with both parents even if they weren’t together. I loved the culture background and comedic aspects that Mormor included and the dynamics between mother and daughter buuuuut.. ALL the food talk and gender/labeling topics were a bit much. Like I get wanting to inform teens on the topic of gender is above and beyond important in this day and age, the constant references throughout the book felt lecture-y that it just sort of put me off it and a lot of points.

I definitely did enjoy this book, and I found the story both humorous and uplifting so despite some hiccups I’d say this was a great book to read for fans of Juno and Gilmore Girls.

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"My mom had given me all the talks. I'd just been reckless, played sperm roulette, and lost.

Top of her class with monster SAT scores, Sara thought she was destined for the Ivy League. However, after a rebound-one-night-stand, she found her plans needed to be altered to accommodate her new impending bundle of joy.

If you asked me what my first impression of this book was, I would immediately tell you it was funny. Sara and the other two Larsson women shared an acerbic wit, which consistently made me chuckle. From the comebacks to the endless list of names used to refer to her unborn child, I was almost always amused. Sara's voice instantly pulled me into the story, and I enjoy accompanying her from conception to the birth of her child. I have seen people calling this a diverse Juno meets Gilmore Girls, and I say YES, this was a good way to describe the vibe, though, it was still unique in its own way.

This story was very relatable to me, first as someone, who experienced an unplanned pregnancy (I was 22), and as a mother. I remember experiencing the same hopes and fears as Sara, as well as all the physical changes she went through. I will admit to you right now - I cried when Sara's child was born, because Darrows did such a great job of bringing me into the moment.

Anyone who knows my reading tastes understands that I prefer my books to be on the lighter side. I was initially worried, that this would not fit the bill, as it was dealing with teen pregnancy, but this was an interesting balance of being honest about the situation, while still be low drama.

Darrows gifted Sara with super supportive friends, and an incredible cadre of women to help her during and after the pregnancy. Sara also had a sweet cinnamon roll of a love interest, Leaf, who I just couldn't get enough of. He was sweet, attentive, family orientated, and an incredible cook.

But let's go back to Sara's family. Her mother and mormor were both strong women, who had learned a lot via their life experiences. It was interesting that both of them had experienced their own unplanned pregnancies, and were able to share this with Sara, as she was struggling with her own choices. Yes, both were strong, fierce, independent women, but mormor was amazing! I loved that woman from the first time she threw a shoe at someone. Mormor may have come off a bit rigid, but she gave her heart and soul to her "girls", and it was the little things she did, over and over again, that really warmed my heart.

Though it was easy to predict the stages of Sara's pregnancy, there was this "event", which occurred, and surprised me in a good way. I was totally ready for things to go a certain way, and then Darrows changed directions, and I approved!

Overall: This was a teen pregnancy story as seen through rose-colored glasses. It was amusing and witty, while still honestly addressing real issues faced as a result of an unplanned pregnancy.

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This started out so good and fun, but slowly declined the more I kept reading. It was almost as if chunks of the book were either written by a different person, or not edited as closely. At the end of reading, I didn’t get exactly what the point was of the book—nothing really happened. I could tell the author had a lot of great ideas scrambled all together, but nothing was fleshed out enough to carry that whole book.

It could have been about the struggles of being pregnant in high school—or even pregnancy in general. There was a lot of positive talk and representation of the LGBTQ+ community, but even that felt a little half-assed. Sara makes a remark towards the end about being a questioning bisexual it just came out of nowhere! It could have been really interesting to explore someone questioning their sexuality while young, pregnant, and falling in love with a guy. On the positive side, we get lots of talk of gender politics when it came to the baby, not wanting to assume gender until the kid could decide on their own. There was ace, trans, and queer rep, as well. 

One of the things that I immediately loved about the writing was the voice. It was fun and felt really authentic teen voice. However, as the story progressed, that voice sometimes tried too hard to be funny and quirky, especially when it came to Sara’s mom—she sounded more like a teenager than a mother in her late 30’s.

Other things that I felt were really strong were the relationships: between friends, parents, and romantic. The three generational Larssen family was rock solid, taking on this pregnancy as a united front. The tight knit friendship between Sara and her best friend, Devi, was so strong that it transferred over to Sara’s friends at her new school. Even with her baby daddy Jack, they had a connection that clicked from the start and transformed once he popped back into her life. I actually wish he could have appeared earlier in the book so that we could see more of him being a part of pregnancy. I know that the big plot device was to have him find out so late, but once he found out he could have contributed something, and not be so passive.  

There were such good intentions, it just didn't work for me. 

I was sent an e-arc from NetGalley in exchange for honest reviews.

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I really enjoyed Belly Up. It's hilarious but rings of truth and the characters are not only memorable but a majority of them are lovable. I also love how supportive Sara's loved ones are.

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I got an ebook ARC of Belly Up a little while ago and I was super intrigued by this book and it turned out to be just the book for me. It went by super fast for me because I was very invested in the story and characters and being very honest I wish there was more because I could read it forever.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Serendipity is a sixteen-year-old who has been through a rough break up with her boyfriend and is now at a summer party with a friend. However, at this party, she meets a new boy, Jack. Jack does not go to her school and they spend the party getting friendly, up until friendly turns into a romantic time in Jack’s truck. A few months after the party while Sara (her nickname) is feeling very sick she goes to the doctor and finds out her time in Jack’s truck resulted in her being pregnant. Now she has to face the last year of school (at a new school because her mother and her are planning to move one town over to live with Mormor, her grandmother) while pregnant and she does not have any way to contact Jack.

The story of Sara and her pregnancy, as well as her journey of the last year of high school, was beyond amazing. I loved how the author treated the characters and showed different sides of everyone. I did not want to give up too many spoilers about Sara’s story but she has major decisions to make as the book goes on including if she is ready to be a mother and the author handles each of these decisions with grace. I can not recommend this book enough and I really need to get myself a finished copy when it comes out at the end of the month.

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A light-hearted novel about a pregnant teen adjusting to a new change in her life, Belly Up has an entertaining narrator in the form of Sara. Sara has a deviation in her life plan in the form of an unintended pregnancy, and the book is about her growing into her new life. The tone of the book is more like 'OMG what is this new facet of pregnancy' and also has a family aspect much like 'One Day at a Time' (Okay, I know a lot of peeps are saying it has a Gilmore Girls vibe but I only ever saw one episode of that show, so I am making comparison with something I am familiar with). A big part of Sara's adjustment to this new situations and the difficulties of pregnancies at such a young age is the big support system she has - her supportive mom, her scary (but prickly kind) grandmother, her best friend/wifey, her super-sweet new boyfriend, as well as a helpful school staff. There are challenges for Sara, yes, but the general message is that she can overcome those with the help of those around her.

Besides the main theme of pregnancy, and the grueling months of gestation that Sara has to go through (which is explained in detail, with all the gross and wonderful aspects in between), the story also gives weight to the characters' life experiences. Sara discusses her identity through the lens of being white-passing Hispanic, through a questioning (bisexual) teen, and there's also discussion and delving of Leaf's Romani heritage, and his customs. Devi's addition is also great because she is a super-supportive and loyal best friend, whose presence lights up the bond between them as they affectionately call each other wifey; I feel her being grey-ace also allowed Sara to recognize Leaf being demi (because you know she researched upon it when Devi told her). Additionally, there was discussion about assigned gender and stuff, which is brought up by Morgan, one of Leaf's best friends. I felt the book gave good weight to how a Gen Z teen would consider these issues, and it reflects in their choices and interactions.

As for the interactions between the characters, it is subtly hilarious and light. The dialogue is very fresh and organic, and reflects their age well. Devi and Sara have a close bond, and they have a no-drama friendship going on, with them being supportive of each other. Sara and her mother (Astrid) have this wonderful dynamic where the latter is able to be a parent as well as a friend, and Astrid taking care of her daughter as well as eternally ready to stand up for her, even with her mother, was wonderful. Speaking of the grandmother, she was also hella interesting in that she means well, but she also has a prickly personality and occasional bouts of immaturity, but a rock when needed. Morgan and Erin are sweet, and they could have been more present, but I loved how they readily accepted Sara and also had conversations about their identities. Finally, Leaf - an adorable book boyfriend who is quite mature, yet friendly and he COOKS! Like, this dude is a GD gift! I loved how their romance was mostly no-drama and even with Jack's presence, it didn't rush to a predictable trope.

There are numerous times in which Sara makes you laugh with how she approaches her pregnancy with dry and at time, self-deprecating humor; sorta like this:

"Mom answered the call of the wild— aka my needy kid growling inside of my stomach— with the golden arches."



Finally, I would say that while this is a low-drama, low-conflict book, it is an amazing character-driven story that shows how supporting someone can help them thrive.

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This is a well written YA novel with perhaps the most diverse group of characters I've ever read. Sara's surprise pregnancy and move to a new town intimidated her at first but turned into an exploration of how it does take a village. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Two thumbs up.

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I received an E-ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher (Inkyard Press). I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Belly Up has a release date of April 30, 2019.

Short Summary: Belly Up is a story about 16 year old Serendipity (Sara) who falls pregnant at the end of her sophomore year. As a reader, you follow Sara as she goes on the journey of being a pregnant teen to becoming a young mother.

Review: I will be honest, I only made it to Chapter 16 (out of 38) before I started skim reading. I could not handle the main character or really the story line. It was all too fluffy and everyone was just so perfect and so happy. It seemed unrealistic in my eyes. I also thought that the story just repeated itself every couple of chapters. Overall, I was excited to read this story, but it fell short.

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I enjoyed Belly Up from beginning to end. I like that Sara is a teenage girl that is not perfect. She’s finds herself in a situation that’s not easy and isn’t sure what she’s going to do. She’s young and acts irresponsibly when she’s at a party where her ex is with his new girlfriend.
I like that Sara’s mother and grandmother are both strong women that have a lot to teach Sara so she will also be strong. Her grandmother is funny throwing shoes at people. She doesn’t reserve that just for her daughter, she will do it to anyone that makes her angry.
Sara is pregnant but it’s not the end of the world. She makes new friends, people who are different and not accepted by everyone. And she meets a boy she likes and grows to have feeling for.
It’s not easy for her because things change once she finds out she’s pregnant and she has to make some pretty big decisions. But she makes the best ones for her. She makes the decisions herself. I like how she’s makes the decisions herself. And how she’s accepting of others who are different.
A really good book with humor. I highly recommend it.

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I think this could have been a great book, but it missed the mark for me. The forced political correctness bothered me beyond distraction. Trans, lesbian, bi, grey ace, Demi, Really? Could we have possible fit in any more labels? And for what? I'm all for inclusivity, but there wasn't any reason other than to use those labels in the book so we can all pat ourselves on the back at how open minded we all are. There needed to be more of a focus on the plot, and giving the characters more distinct voices. I also didn't like where the book ended. I would have liked to have seen more of after the birth. Just not a winner for me.

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Happy Thursday!

It’s been a busy but good week thus far. I even finished a book and I am well on my way to finishing several others! I got an ebook ARC of Belly Up a little while ago and I was super intrigued by this book and it turned out to be just the book for me. It went by super fast for me because I was very invested in the story and characters and being very honest I wish there was more because I could read it forever.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Serendipity is a sixteen-year-old who has been through a rough break up with her boyfriend and is now at a summer party with a friend. However, at this party, she meets a new boy, Jack. Jack does not go to her school and they spend the party getting friendly, up until friendly turns into a romantic time in Jack’s truck. A few months after the party while Sara (her nickname) is feeling very sick she goes to the doctor and finds out her time in Jack’s truck resulted in her being pregnant. Now she has to face the last year of school (at a new school because her mother and her are planning to move one town over to live with Mormor, her grandmother) while pregnant and she does not have any way to contact Jack.

The story of Sara and her pregnancy, as well as her journey of the last year of high school, was beyond amazing. I loved how the author treated the characters and showed different sides of everyone. I did not want to give up too many spoilers about Sara’s story but she has major decisions to make as the book goes on including if she is ready to be a mother and the author handles each of these decisions with grace. I can not recommend this book enough and I really need to get myself a finished copy when it comes out at the end of the month. I gave this book five stars on Goodreads (wishing it could be more).

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**ARC provided by NetGalley**

I flip-flopped between 3 stars and 4 stars the entire time I read this book, so we'll settle for 4 because the ending totally won me over. I read a lot of YA novels, but I don't think I've ever chosen a novel that's about teenage pregnancy. It was SO INTERESTING to me! I know nothing about what it's like to be pregnant or birth a child, but I felt like this novel did an awesome job of showing the realties - both good AND bad - of what it's like to be pregnant, especially as a teenager. The main character, Sara, has so many authentic relationships, and I also love that about the story.

My only complaint is, at times, the characters were a bit annoying. The way they talked was sort of similar to the way high schoolers talk? But it seemed a little juvenile even so. Additionally, it felt like the characters were kind of surface level, and everything always seemed to work out in the end. I'm not saying that things CAN'T work out okay....but it seemed almost too good to be true.

I like to end on a compliment, so my final thoughts are that I REALLY loved the diversity in the book. I think it was awesome to see so many different nationalities and sexualities, and they were treated totally normally. Characters weren't really pointed out because they were trans or asexual...they just WERE. If that makes sense.

All in all, I feel like I have some students that would benefit from reading a novel like this. They could use the window into what a teenage pregnancy might be like (whether they are pregnant or know someone that is), and they could also use the characters as good examples of how they deserve to be treated in friendships and relationships. That was so important to me, and I really loved seeing that in this book.

Overall, totally enjoyable read!

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Rounding up from barely 2.5 stars. There were some moments of humor, but overall this felt like a generic teen pregnancy book with far too many quirky politically-correct characters (trans girl, Rom boy, grey ace bestie, mom who left an abusive relationship, cool grandmother, etc.). I almost didn't stick with this because of the overkill, but Sara could have been my biological mother 56 years ago and I wanted to see what happened. The ending was also a bit of a disappointment - did she graduate high school as planned? what about future plans? Less time on the quirky, more on the plot.

eARC provided by publisher.

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