Friday, May 31, 2013

Review: Screwed by Laurie Plissner

Screwed
Screwed by Laurie Plissner
Flattered by the attentions of Nick, the cutest guy in school, seventeen-year-old Grace Warren, captain of the math team, lets down her guard and gets pregnant the night she loses her virginity. Hopeful that Nick will drop to one knee and propose when she breaks the baby news to him, Grace is heartbroken - Nick wants nothing to do with her. Her best friend, Jennifer, thinks she should get an abortion, but Grace is certain that her morally upright parents will insist that she keep the baby. After she comes clean to her super-religious, strait-laced parents, they surprise her by insisting that she terminate the pregnancy to avoid humiliating the family. But when she sees the fetus on the ultrasound, she decides she can't get rid of it. Deciding to save the tiny life growing inside of her, Grace must face the consequences of being that girl - the good girl who got knocked up
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Publishes in US: May 18th 2013 by Merit Press
Genre: YA contemporary
Source: Netgalley
Series? No

Buy it:  Amazon Barnes & Noble IndieBound BookDepository.com

Find Laurie online: site

 
   It could never happen to me. It is the famous last words. I mean, it is like cancer, teenage pregnancy. You know people it has happened to, and with head knowledge, you know it can happen to you. But at that age, we think we are invincible really, and I remember thinking that it would never actually happen to me. That is on the first page of this book. This shouldn't have happened to *me.*
   And I think that is why books like these are important, to show that it can and does happen. No matter how smart, no matter if you are a virgin, and sometimes even if you use birth control. 
    And yes, if you haven't noticed from my reading patterns, I am obsessed with books like these. The issue books are right up my alley. 
     This is the 2nd book in a row that is written in 3rd person, but this one is done better than the other. I got lost in Grace's head, and when it switched to Jennifer it jarred me for a second, and then I was into her line of thought. 
     One issue I had though was that Grace's parents are involved, but extreme. They lectured her for getting a B and said they would be wasting money if she went to a second tier school. And that is just the beginning. The way that they pushed her around, tried to make decisions for her and force them on her, and were generally mean people, did not sit well with me at all. As a parent to two girls, I can imagine that it's a huge shock, but no amount of shock justifies how they treated her. 
     The neighbor Helen though, is an amazing addition to the plot. She is a survivor of the concentration camps, so she knows suffering but she had chosen to do good things as a result. She wanted to help others, and every interaction with Grace really just shines. She helps to balance the negativity and bad treatment from Grace's parents and really just laces hope and kindness into the story. 
    Charlie, Helen's nephew, is awesome. He is kind, gentle and patient. He doesn't judge her and is a great friend, and along with Jennifer, helps keep Grace sane. I loved his character, he is everything a guy should be, and I def have a book crush. 
    The ending is perfect for the book and left me with this feeling of hope and peace, that Grace had learned so much and developed so much as a character. She made the best decisions for her, and was working on loving herself so that her other relationships would fall into place. While not everything was 100% neatly tied up, it was the best ending for the book, and it held hope and promise showed the most likely course for the characters. 

Bottom Line: Screwed tugs at your heart, and examines teenage pregnancy with a fresh voice.

Books similar to Screwed :(links go to my review) How to Save a Life by Sara ZarrTell me a Secret by Holly CupalaStar in the Middle by Carol Millward

My question to you, my lovely readers:
Have you ever thought you were "immune" to illness or pregnancy, thinking it could never happen to me?

27 comments:

  1. Again something I haven't heard of before. I've read a few books dealing with teenage pregnancy but the main character in these pissed me off mostly. Grace sounds like someone I might like. Great review :)

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  2. This sounds really good and nothing that I've really read about it. Thanks for letting us know your thoughts on it, seems like an intense book!

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  3. I 16 when I had my oldest daughter, so books like this hit home for me. Grace sounds great and I wonder what was she chose to do. Wonderful review.

    Jenea @ Books Live Forever

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  4. Another one I haven't seen before. I think it's important to expose teens to books that might help them get over that "it can't happen to me" mentality...Great review!

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  5. Wow, this book sounds amazing! I like issue books too. And it's great that the 3rd person narrative worked so well.
    Great review, Brandi!

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  6. I have this one to read. Glad you liked it :)

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  7. Sounds like a really interesting read. I don't have the experience, but my friend was exactly like that when she ended up preggers back in high school. Great review!

    Janina @ Synchronized Reading

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  8. Nice review. Glad you loved it. I should read this book before it expires on me :)

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  9. Ha ha, I read a review about this book being so bad that she couldn't finish it:-)

    This is not my type of book, though. SO I will never find out.

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  10. This book sounds incredible beautiful. I must add it on my TBR list right away. Thank you so much for this lovely review. She sounds like such a strong girl.

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  11. I'm not always an issue book gal, but I do think that these are so good to have in schools. You don't always know what people are dealing with and sometimes it helps. So glad you enjoyed it!

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  12. You do love these type of books, I am always trying to escape or find I get too emotionally wrapped up in them. However I love dystopian, post-apocalyptic novels, romantic angst, suspense and ooh murder/thriller/mysteries..not sure what the heck that says about me..bwahahaha!

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  13. oh a difficult topic, just read a book about cancer too. It sounds really interesting, thanks for the discovery!

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  14. I really want to read this. it sounds so interesting. The part with the parents really catches my eye. i know a lot of parents that sound just like the ones in the book. Its hard to believe but there are people out there just like that. This family that I know is very hard on their kids and when one daughter ( though not in her teens) had a child before getting married her family felt like she had shamed them. They wanted her to keep the child and she did but they had a very hard time with it. and they had a very hard time getting over it.

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  15. This is a super fascinating review for me because I just read a DNF review of it. It's nice to see both sides of it. I'm not sure if it's something I'd like or not, to be honest, but I have to say that I am a little intrigued. Enough so that I may go look it up and see a few more reviews!

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  16. Unfortunately, this actually happens in the real world a lot. I had two friends back in high school that got pregnant. I get sick so often I KNOW I'm not immune to illness ;)

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  17. I'm an anxious person, and I was way worse when I was younger so I never felt "this couldn't happen to me." It's scary how a lot of people do though, especially teens, as you know something bad could easily come their way.

    Sounds like a great book.

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  18. Teenage pregnancy is such an important topic and I don't think there are enough books on it. This sounds like a great read. I hadn't heard of it before. I would like to check it out! Thanks for sharing.

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  19. Wow, this seems so heartfelt. Issue books usually make me sad, but this one sound empowering. Never read an accidental teen pregnancy book before. Thanks so much for sharing it.

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  20. This sounds like a super good book-- issues are right up my alley too! Helen and Charlie and Grace all sound amazing. Awesome review, Brandi!

    Erm, yes. Dumb, right?

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  21. Very important issue to be addressed. My biggest fear is getting pregnant so I always hounded all my friends to get to planned parenthood and get on the pill and use condoms. Only had one friend get pregnant. Not in high school but definitely too young. I think some just don't worry enough about it and do just think it won't happy to them.

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  22. This sounds like a great book! A topic that many people can relate to for sure. I had a friend get pregnant in high school and of course, I knew other girls who got pregnant too. A good reminder that it can and does happen. Thanks for sharing!
    ~Jess

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  23. Whoa! I'm surprised you loved it, Brandi haha. I never got into this book and it made me really really angry. I thought the heroine was very insensitive, wallowing the "loss of her flat stomach" and made too many uncanny dick sentences more than I could swallow (ugh....). But at least you had a waaaay more better experience than I had. I DNFed this one! >_<

    Faye @ The Social Potato

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  24. Issue books really aren't my cup of tea, but something about this one has been drawing my attention. I'm glad you liked it overall. Great review!

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  25. I'm always up for books that deal with tough issues like this, though I don't read them often. Grace's parents sound like real bitches, but her nephew makes up for them, I guess. Glad to hear you liked this, Brandi. I wasn't interested in Screwed before, but I'm certainly interested now. :)

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  26. I can definitely see why this one resonated so much with you, Brandi! I'm not usually into issue books, but there definitely are some out there that are so powerful that they can affect even me, and this one sounds like it might be one of them! Really nicely reviewed!!

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