hiltzmoore's review against another edition
3.0
I started off thinking this was a 2 star book, since the characters seemed pretty cliche to me, but it grew on me a bit. I didn't feel like this had the same voice as some of the better young adult fiction that I've read recently, so it read a lot like an adult writing down to young people. For me, the sign of a good YA book these days is that I feel like it is told from the voice of a young person and forget that it was written by an adult. That being said, I think the author did a good job with the subject matter and I liked that it dealt with how a teen pregnancy doesn't just effect the teen & immediate family, but their circle of friends, too.
blakehalsey's review against another edition
4.0
Jo Knowles JUMPING OFF SWINGS is just a beautiful book. I was really impressed with the way se handled four different POV's and each one came off with a unique voice. The book dealt with the difficult topic of teen pregnancy and the way in which Knowles approached it, with an honest and poetic hand, made the topic feel fresh. An emotionally charged read, I definitely shed some tears at the end. I can't wait to see what happens to Josh (who was probably my favorite character in the book. I just wanted to hug him) in LIVING WITH JACKIE CHAN.
kricketa's review against another edition
3.0
josh & ellie have sex once and ellie gets pregnant. knowles uses four different narrators to illustrate how the pregnancy affects not only ellie and josh, but their friends caleb & corrinne. i would recommend it for a reluctant reader because the plot is engaging and it's a quick & easy read. because it's so short, however, you don't get a lot of background info on some of the characters.
kaylakaotik's review against another edition
2.0
The blurb for Jumping Off Swings oversells the book, in my opinion. I expected so much more than what I got. To say it was disappointing is a bit of an understatement.
There were multiple things I didn't like about this book. The characters weren't interesting. We never really get to know our characters or why they behave the way they do. I didn't connect or feel anything towards any of them. The fact that the book is so short combined with four (yes, FOUR) different points of view probably aid in the lack of character development. I feel like four POVs in such a short book spreads everything too thin, especially for the topics touched on in the books. Speaking of topics in the book, everything felt very glossed over. There were no deep, real moments. I was definitely let down.
Overall, a short read that wasn't really worth the time. I don't think I can recommend Jumping Off Swings to anyone.
There were multiple things I didn't like about this book. The characters weren't interesting. We never really get to know our characters or why they behave the way they do. I didn't connect or feel anything towards any of them. The fact that the book is so short combined with four (yes, FOUR) different points of view probably aid in the lack of character development. I feel like four POVs in such a short book spreads everything too thin, especially for the topics touched on in the books. Speaking of topics in the book, everything felt very glossed over. There were no deep, real moments. I was definitely let down.
Overall, a short read that wasn't really worth the time. I don't think I can recommend Jumping Off Swings to anyone.
kshea1's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sc104906's review against another edition
3.0
This story is told from the perspective of four teens; the mother, the mother's best friend, the father, and the father's best friend. Sex can have consequences and this novel discusses those consequences.
This book is not very detailed and doesn't really unpack the story. It felt like the summary of Ellie's life. Also, there appears to be very little growth, some but not much.
This book is not very detailed and doesn't really unpack the story. It felt like the summary of Ellie's life. Also, there appears to be very little growth, some but not much.
beccalarose's review against another edition
4.0
The different perspectives was a great take on this. Knowing how teen pregnancies can change more than just the two people that started it all is a very powerful things.