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A review by jamesbickers97
Unpregnant by Ted Caplan, Jenni Hendriks
5.0
WOW THIS BOOK! I will admit two things!
1. I read this book based solely on the trailer for the HBO MAX adaptation.
2. I had some reservations because usually I don't tend to fare well with YA.
But I just fell head over heels in love with this book. It has one of my favourite niche narrative's aka 2 Girls/Women/Queer road trip. I blame being allowed to watch films like Thelma. & Louise and Pricilla Queen of the Dessert, when I was young but I digress. Unpregant a book I would recommend to any young pro choice person. It is truly a new, fresh take on teenage pregnancy and does something so effortlessly that most books/shows/movies struggle with, it normalises abortion!
I saw some people critique this book for not taking the subject 'seriously' enough. But I would disagree, the actual scenes which feature the abortion, are handled with such delicacy and its done with so much respect for anyone who has ever made the decision to have one. But what it does well, is that it normalises it, the road trip isn't all doom and gloom, its two friends trying to make some happy memories to take away from their own darkness.
ALSO before I close this review, to anyone who says that abortion isn't justified, or specifically within the context of this book they felt as if Ronnie should have kept her baby NAH! Because whilst it's not explicitly said (and it should be) her boyfriend sexually assaulted her. He purposely poked holes in the condom without her knowledge... That is ASSAULT! And I do wish the writers would have called it out more, but I felt as if that's not the story they wanted to tell, which is completely fair. Whilst I did rate this book 5 stars, because I genuinely really enjoyed it, I just wished that they stressed how abusive the boyfriends behaviour is, for the sake of the younger readers, who may need things explained to them in a more consice way.
Overall, I really did enjoy this book. It was a really fast read, and one of the more interesting YA reads of the year!
1. I read this book based solely on the trailer for the HBO MAX adaptation.
2. I had some reservations because usually I don't tend to fare well with YA.
But I just fell head over heels in love with this book. It has one of my favourite niche narrative's aka 2 Girls/Women/Queer road trip. I blame being allowed to watch films like Thelma. & Louise and Pricilla Queen of the Dessert, when I was young but I digress. Unpregant a book I would recommend to any young pro choice person. It is truly a new, fresh take on teenage pregnancy and does something so effortlessly that most books/shows/movies struggle with, it normalises abortion!
I saw some people critique this book for not taking the subject 'seriously' enough. But I would disagree, the actual scenes which feature the abortion, are handled with such delicacy and its done with so much respect for anyone who has ever made the decision to have one. But what it does well, is that it normalises it, the road trip isn't all doom and gloom, its two friends trying to make some happy memories to take away from their own darkness.
ALSO before I close this review, to anyone who says that abortion isn't justified, or specifically within the context of this book they felt as if Ronnie should have kept her baby NAH! Because whilst it's not explicitly said (and it should be) her boyfriend sexually assaulted her. He purposely poked holes in the condom without her knowledge... That is ASSAULT! And I do wish the writers would have called it out more, but I felt as if that's not the story they wanted to tell, which is completely fair. Whilst I did rate this book 5 stars, because I genuinely really enjoyed it, I just wished that they stressed how abusive the boyfriends behaviour is, for the sake of the younger readers, who may need things explained to them in a more consice way.
Overall, I really did enjoy this book. It was a really fast read, and one of the more interesting YA reads of the year!