Written by: Non Pratt
Number of Pages: 380
Average Rating: 3.87/5 stars
My Rating: 5/5 stars
Published: March 6, 2014
Read in January 2018
Summary According to Goodreads
When the entire high school finds out that Hannah Shepard is pregnant via her ex-best friend, she has a full-on meltdown in her backyard. The one witness (besides the rest of the world): Aaron Tyler, a transfer student and the only boy who doesn’t seem to want to get into Hannah’s pants. Confused and scared, Hannah needs someone to be on her side. Wishing to make up for his own past mistakes, Aaron does the unthinkable and offers to pretend to be the father of Hannah’s unborn baby. Even more unbelievable, Hannah hears herself saying “yes”.
My Thoughts
I read this novel in two sittings while away on vacation. It was raining one day on the cruise, and I just sat in a shelter outside and read straight through, it was so good. I picked this up as a bargain book, and still cannot believe how much it has stuck with me.
This novel is written in alternating perspectives between Hannah and Aaron, and I can’t imagine this story being told in any other way. It is written as days instead of chapters, so we get each person’s perspective on things as they are happening and that was so refreshing to experience. Having the story told in daily entries over the course of a year helped to keep the story flowing smoothly, but also provided a unique insight into the lives of the characters. This writing style was an interesting blend of prose and diary entries, and it made the novel all the better.
On the topic of perspectives, the characters were written so well that it was easy to believe these were real people. I have watched my fair share of “16 & Pregnant” and “Teen Mom”, and this was pretty close to the dramatics that ensue on the shows. I found it so refreshing to read a contemporary novel where the two main characters don’t fall in love, they just become best friends. They are there for each other when they need it, and there is no sexual motive behind any of their actions. They are good kids that made stupid mistakes, but were able to grow and develop throughout the story.
There are so many important topics brought up in this novel, and each is dealt with in a way that doesn’t come off as a cliche or obnoxious. Each and every one of us has had (or is having) a unique high school experience, but there is some aspect within these 300+ pages that we can each relate to. Being a teenager is rough, and this novel did a great job of exposing some of the toughest times we can see in this time.
Overall, I can’t think of anything negative to say about this novel. For a debut novel it was written so well, the plot was developed realistically, and it was gripping from beginning to end. I think it is a perfect read for young adults, or parents of young adults (I have recommended it to my mother). This is not a novel I would have usually picked up, but it turned out to be one of my favourite novels ever.
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