I received this book in exchange
This was the first book I've read by author Holly Chamberlin.
I read the description of the book before requesting it from NetGalley
and thought it would be an interesting read.
The book takes place in a small coastal town in Maine
and follows two families: the Bauers and the Kanes.
The focus of the story is on smart, quiet, nature-loving
sixteen year old, Sarah Bauer and how her pregnancy affects
her family and her best friend Cordelia's family.
Sarah's boyfriend, Justin Morrow, is not supportive of Sarah's
decision to have the baby and neither is his family.
Sarah finds herself feeling guilty that not only will her life change,
but so will her parents and her sister Stevie's life once she has the baby.
The beginning of the book gives a lot of descriptive details
(sometimes way too much in my opinion) on the cast of characters.
Each chapter is in either Sarah, Cordelia, Cindy (Sarah's Mom)
or Adelaide's (Cordelia's Mom) voice. The story focuses on how each
woman feels about the pregnancy and how it relates to each of them.
I found myself wishing there were more dialogue
and less descriptive writing in this book.
One part of the book I found odd was when Sarah's Mom
was making an appointment for her at an OBGYN.
"We have an appointment tomorrow morning with an ob-gyn in Wells,"
Cindy said. "I found her online. She seems to be well regarded.
I just hope she doesn't judge Sarah."
Why wouldn't her Mom just take Sarah to her own ob-gyn?
Possibly because she wanted to keep the news confidential
so she decided to make an appointment in a different town?
Another notable part of the book I liked was this passage:
" Cordelia sighed, "My mother always says, 'don't be in a rush to grow up.
You'll be an adult soon enough and adulthood lasts a long time."
"She's right," Sarah said. "You're an adult a lot longer than you're a child.
If you're lucky." "
This is something I always try to relay to my own children, ages 11 and 7.
Kids always seem to be in such a hurry to grow up and this part
really spoke to me because I feel it is important to cherish childhood.
The author was showing here how Sarah was
thinking about how her childhood would be coming to an end
because she would be a mother soon.
I liked the storyline, I disliked that it felt slow-moving and that some descriptive
parts felt unecessary. I was also a bit shocked and disappointed by the ending.
I don't usually read books about teen pregnancy, but this book
portrayed how this young woman's choice would affect not only her, but
her family, best friend and unpleasant memories for her best friend's mother.
About the Author
