Product details:
Publisher: Bloomsbury Spark.
ebook, 200 pages.
Release date: December 19th 2013.
Rating: 3½ out of 5.
Ages: New Adult
Source: Received from publisher for review.
It is four weeks into her freshman year of college, and Laurel’s first test was unexpected. Discovering she’s pregnant isn’t exactly what she had planned for her first semester, and while she intends to tell her emotionally-distant father, being away at school makes it all too easy to hide.
An imperfect heroine plagued by bad choices and isolated during what should be the best time of her life, readers are sure to identify with Laurel as she confronts teen pregnancy, in secret.
Most students start college life with a bang: they party non-stop, eat too much pizza, drink too much beer, and then cram a ton of work into late night study sessions. It’s all in the name of fun and freedom. For many, college is a first time away from home and parental control and of course from the rules and regulations of high school. That first year of college should be carefree and fun, while also getting all that coursework done. It should be a time without too many worries or responsibilities: a time of finding your feet, meeting new people and trying out new experiences. Laurel’s college experience is different than most. After all, I’m pretty sure that most people when embarking on the college experience don’t have motherhood in mind. But that’s exactly what’s on Laurel’s mind, because just four weeks into the first semester of her freshman term, Laurel finds out she’s pregnant.
This most definitely wasn’t in
the plan.
It’s worth thinking about what
you would do in the same situation. Where would you turn? Who would you tell?
Would you keep the baby? Laurel
is just eighteen years old; and these are all things she has to think about.
She doesn’t have a support network so to speak of – the people she’s met at
college are still just acquaintances and are not people she can really confide
in, there is no boyfriend in this picture, her mother is dead, and her
relationship with her father is distant at best. Also, Laurel’s father is a something of a high
achiever, the type who plans his life meticulously, right down to the last
detail, and he’d like the same for his daughter. Filling him in on the details
of her very unplanned pregnancy is not a prospect that fills Laurel with joy. So she decides to put that
unpleasant task on the backburner.
That’s right; Laurel doesn’t tell anybody about her
pregnancy. She decides to let it play out in secret.
Okay, so keeping her pregnancy a
secret is probably not Laurel’s
best idea – but she’s scared, isolated, worried about what people will think of
her. At the same time she’s never in denial
about the situation she finds herself in. In fact, she’s determined to provide the
best life she can for her baby and resolves to continue with her college
education once the baby is born. In all other aspects of her life, Laurel is responsible, level-headed and mature, but it
must be noted that Laurel’s
unplanned pregnancy isn’t due to a contraceptive failure; rather a total lack
of contraception is to blame. However, Christine Duval doesn’t judge, and Positively Mine isn’t a judgemental book,
rather it is factual and aims to inform. I can see it being a good resource for
girls who find themselves in Laurel’s
position. It might also prove useful for girls who never want to have to face
the choices Laurel
has to make.
If I have one gripe about Positively Mine, it’s that there’s not
enough to it. This book is a quick read,
and it’s made that much quicker by an absorbing storyline and Duval’s engaging
style. Still, I guess that wanting more of a story isn’t such a bad thing,
right? Also, while I understand why certain
characters fell by the wayside as Laurel’s pregnancy progressed and became her
main focus, I would love to have known more about Liz, a party girl who Laurel
bonds with in college, but who is prone to dark moods, drinking way too much
and hooking up with whatever guy is available, and Mike – a potential love
interest for Laurel. I hope these two return in Christine Duval’s next book.
Also, after that final page cliffhanger, I’m intrigued to know more about the
father of Laurel’s
baby.
Worth reading.
I read this one while it was self published and really enjoyed it. I found myself wishing the character would just let people in but understanding why she didn't. I like also that it didn't make light of the situation or introduce an unrealistic romance.
ReplyDeleteI liked that it was pretty realistic too, although it was too short for me - I wanted more and would have liked to see some of the secondary characters developed a little more. Looking forward to finding out what happens next!
ReplyDeletei read all three they were all divine, but, i liked the first one the best.
ReplyDeleteu have been missing out, u GOT TO READ HER BOOKS
ReplyDelete