I’m going to start by saying that there is no way (ever), that I would have picked up such a book like this.
I find these types of books extremely dull and unrealistic. I will always prefer fantasy over this.
I can imagine preteen and teenage girls picking up the book and reading this at the back;
Amy (a.k.a. Bird) seems to have the perfect life: loving parents, a hot boyfriend, the best friend ever. She even writes an online advice column, full of Top Tips, to help other teens take control of their lives. But after a new guy shows up at school, Bird can’t seem to follow her own wisdom.
Pete is the consummate bad boy. He’s everything Bird is not: wild, unambitious and more than a little dangerous. Although she knows he’s trouble, Bird can’t stay away. And the more drawn she is to Pete, the more cracks are revealed in her relationship with Griffin, her doting boyfriend. Meanwhile, her parents’ marriage is also fracturing, possibly for good.
Bird is way out of her comfort zone. All it takes is one mistake, one momentary loss of control, for her entire future to be blown away . . .
And drooling all over it because it is something they could only hope for. Amy is a very relatable character to these young girls who wish to get into university and get the perfect boyfriend no matter if it’s the boy next door or the badass new kid. This is what gives these girls unrealistic fantasies. At least when you’re reading about vampires, witches, or werewolves you know they’re not true.
So how did I get this book and why did I read it?
Well, my friend was a fan of these types of books and then she grew out of it. During the summer she was getting rid of her books because she no longer reads and that’s where I came in and took her books. HAHA Never say no to free books!
Anyways, this book has been sitting on my shelf for quite a while and it finally caught my attention.
I read a book two weeks ago and it reminded me how much I love reading so I decided I wanted to try to read more often.
Obviously, I have better things to read than another YA novel especially in a genre I don’t like. But the cover captured my attention and I thought why not, it’ll do.
I started reading and could stop laughing or rolling my eyes how annoyingly predictable it was.
I know, I know how so many people say such great things about this book and how it isn’t predictable, blah, blah, blah. But I did find it predictable at first!
Now I can’t keep on writing without any spoilers so SPOILER ALERT!!
I did not like the Amy’s character at all. Her advice column wasn’t that great, it was the typical advice you see everywhere. She was that typical girl until this new guy came and la la la. In fact I really don’t think the new guy influenced her a lot. It’s not like they spend time together or got to know one another. They shared a kiss and had sex and that was it. The guy tried getting to know Amy better but she kept pushing him away. He never had the chance because she believed all the rumours about him. Now the fact that she has sex with this guy is very scandalous since she still doesn’t want to break up with her boyfriend who is waiting for their first time together. Also it is evident that Amy thinks very highly of herself and how she is better than most people. Amy is the perfect example of a teenager who thinks they have their life figured out until she gets a shocking surprise. So what happens when you decide to have sex with a guy you barely know at the park one fall night? Well, you get pregnant, surprise! Now we were not told if Amy and the guy used protection at the time of this occasion because that would have given away the big surprise. This is where the book gets interesting. There are not many books written about teen pregnancies and I didn’t think this book would take that turn. I was expecting something in the lines of Amy breaking up with her boyfriend to get with the badass guy but then getting in some kind of trouble and finally realizing she is in fact in love with her now ex-boyfriend, who obviously forgives her and they have their happily ever after. With teen pregnancy this book becomes very realistic. Amy’s whole world turns around. Not only is she pregnant but her parents separate, she starts having difficulties with school, her boyfriend breaks up with her, and everybody starts to hate her. The guy she had sex with doesn’t even know it’s his baby since she refused to tell him, he finds out when her boyfriend confesses that he never had sex with her. At the same time, Amy’s dad kicks her out of the house because she is a “very stupid girl”. Amy has no one and I’m sure many other teenage pregnant girls feel the same. Amy struggles with the decision if she wants to keep the baby or get abortion. If she gets an abortion obviously everything could go back to normal and she would have her future but she decides to keep the baby. I am actually happy she kept the baby but I don’t know why she decided that once she has it, she cannot pursue her dreams. Amy’s father forgives her and lets her move in again.
This is a great story that exhibits that life does not go the way you plan.
I love how once the baby is born, the book is addressed to the baby and how she wrote 40 rules for him to live by. When authors do this, i find it very creative since it engages the readers more.
The book was not the best but it was surprisingly good.
I give it 3/5
P.S. I always have a tendency to apologize for my writing and my opinion since I feel like I shouldn’t be judging someone’s work when I haven’t done anything myself. I like writing these reviews because it gives me a way to express my feelings and that’s what blogs are for.
Love, Maryana
reading&living 