Unpregnant

read this in one sitting such a fun read

“You're making the right choice for you. That's what's important.....no one should be forced to be a parent if they don't want to be one.” -Bailey, Pg. 259

Liked the book but hate the tone and Bailey.

On one hand I appreciate the book for going with a more light hearted tone and normalizing abortion but on the other hand abortion is serious topic that shouldn't be taken lightly. On the other hand it was easy to read and a bit fast paced. I liked the reason behind her getting pregnant. What her boyfriend did was terrible, but it was different then just a them having sex.

My biggest problem with this book is Bailey. She just so childish and selfish and so annoying. Like she literally made up a song about Veronica predicament:

“Abortion friend, abortion friend. Wouldn't have to do this if you'd let him stick it in your end!”

Like it is the wrong time for that! Not only that but Bailey stops to climb a pink elephant in a no trespassing area, and then was some dogs we're after them and made somebody call the cops. She could have ruined everything for Veronica.

Then Veronica upset, rightfully so but Bailey just chalks it up to, “we had fun right?”

Although she wasn't my favorite character, I liked what happens near the end with her dad and Veronica and their blossoming friendship. I tolerated her just a little bit towards the end. I liked that we get to know how they felt and who they were and digged deep.

Speaking of, I hated Veronica's friends. They are too obsessed with her boyfriend and kept commenting how hot he is and asked for naked pics if him. Then at point kept pestering her and forced her to take a picture. I don't if it the way they were written or what but I just hated them.

The things that happened in this book was wild. I mean strippers, ferrets, car jacking, and they never seem to run out of money. They just always had enough money for anything. They never had to stop to find out how to earn more or if they needed. It was just always enough.

Overall the book was okay, but unrealistic but I did liked their friendship towards the end.

2,5.
Me había empezado este libro hace unos meses cuando quería salir de bloqueo lector y al final lo acabé abandonado no porque no me estuviera gustando sino porque no conseguía engancharme.
Me ha entretenido pero por alguna razón no he terminado de conectar con el personaje principal, muchas veces no la entendía y sigo sin entenderla muy bien; es un buen libro para leer entre libros yo tochos o densos

likes
- Ronnie's personal growth

dislikes
- the plot is utterly ridiculous & unrealistic. Ronnie & Bailey tip cows, have their car stolen, go to a strip club, get cornered/”kidnapped” by anti-abortionists, get constantly stalked by Ronnie's bf, TAZE BAILEY'S DAD FOR JUST BEING SHITTY??
- the abortion plot line/discussion of the abortion rights took a backseat and I would say this story is really about friendship
- Ronnie's friends constantly talking about wanting to fuck her bf was so strange
- none of this was funny & the parts that were meant to be were honestly just cringe-y
- I didn't like any of the characters & no one besides Ronnie and maybe Bailey are really well fleshed out
- 100% read like adults trying to write like teens
- didn't notice this was co-authored by a man, truly not interested in reading male authored stories about reproductive rights

Can a book about a teenager who has to drive thousands of miles to get an abortion, due to the restrictive and punitive laws in her home state, be funny? Should it be? I'm not sure how I feel about this book TBH. On the one hand, it sheds some needed light on the struggle to maintain women's reproductive rights over their own bodies, and it celebrates female friendship. Plus I have to give props to a YA book from a major publishing house that isn't afraid to include the main character saying “FUUUUCK YOU MISSOURI STATE LEGISLATURE.” Which I repeat so often it might as well be my ringtone.

On the other hand, the serious stuff is sometimes awkwardly interspersed with slapstick humor, especially as Veronica's boyfriend Kevin becomes more of a cartoon villain and less like a human being who did a terrible thing. I'm not opposed to using humor to illuminate a difficult topic, but I don't think this is a good story to almost literally drop an anvil on. And the entire book can be read in the course of about an hour (it started as a screenplay and still reads like one) so there isn't too much room for deep character development.

Given our current political climate, I'm just glad that Harper Teen wasn't afraid to publish Unpregnant. So I'll give it a qualified recommendation, if only to encourage them to consider other novels that portray women's issues in a slightly more nuanced way.