Again, I don't normally blog about books but once again, I'm going to make an exception.
Here is a book where I have issues with, yes, a ton of them, but it also truly made me think and change my opinion.
Reena Montero (real name Serena) has loved Sawyer LeGrande for years, though I don't really know why. Her friend, Allie, tells her she won't be able to handle it and, in a way, Allie's right. The relationship does nearly destroy her and most certainly destroys all of her hard-earned plans for her future.
Then, just as quickly as he leaves, Sawyer comes back, each have their secrets. Reena's is no spoiler, it's revealed in the inside book jacket--she was pregnant before Sawyer took off and now she's struggling being a single mother to young Hannah, working as a waitress and taking classes at a local community college so her brain doesn't completely turn to mush.
She has also moved on, dating Aaron, the twin brother of her new best friend, Shelby, and he's a great guy, but he's safe and there is no passion, really, between the two. And now Sawyer's back. He may be a jerk (that's putting it mildly) but he wants to make amends. Will Reena give him a second chance? Should she give him a second chance?
I have tons of problems with the book, starting with the time line. Reena gets pregnant probably in April of her junior year of high school, but she graduates a year early, not that she can go away to college or anything, but then part of the book (told before and after he leaves) occurs during the summer, so Hannah must be more than fourteen months old, a major problem.
Now, this problem needs some background. Reena's father and stepmother, the sweet Soledad, are devote Catholics, so her pregnancy isn't celebrated, and when she finally snaps at her father, for treating her like a whore and only loving her when she was good, she is punished for it. He has another heart attack. That chapter just knocked me sideways. In high school, I could never understand why teachers would swap pregnancy stories with some of the students, happy for them. One of my parents' friends had something good to say about that and it certainly applies to this book. It was still a life and that should be celebrated, regardless of the circumstances. Which brings me back to the original point, Reena is being treated like a leper in her own home, yet, her father didn't kick her out and doesn't criticize her decision. Sawyer had no idea how bad she had it without him. His parents, good friends of Reena's parents, have nothing to do with the baby, and when Lydia (Sawyer's mother) offers to put the baby down to bed, Reena just snaps.
This also leads to another problem, without the baby shower and only working part-time as a waitress, how can Reena afford everything she has? She has her own car and never complains about not having stuff for Hannah, so she must really know how to budget or maybe her parents are helping her out more than it is revealed.
Another problem exists in how Reena got pregnant. She never discusses if they used condoms or anything like that. Sawyer leaves, nowhere to be found and then she starts getting sick in the morning.
And, then, comes the main problem of Sawyer. Now, I can't reveal too much or else I will spoil some secrets that the book keeps hidden. He is nice, his mother certainly at least attempted to raise a gentleman. But everything goes south when he decides not to go to college, and even though he claims he loves Reena, he still treats her horribly, but upon his return, he is actually, and truly great with Hannah.
Still, I can't help but root for the couple and Reena's a great character. When Sawyer returns, she tries to treat him badly, she really does, even going as far as telling him that everything worked out, but he knows what he did wrong.
Also, for the most part, the supporting characters are well-developed. Shelby is an amazing best friend, and Soledad is a great stepmom, though Sawyer's parents and Reena's brother, Cade, aren't that well developed but the book doesn't suffer much because of that. The dialogue is fantastic and the writer fully captures Reena's inner most thoughts.
This is a book, I'd recommend to all as it changed the way I view single teenage mothers. I wonder what it will do to you. Grade: A-
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