Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 14 and up
# of Pages: 280 p.
Eva, Debbie, Kai, and Mandy are all really good friends who in their own way need a way to help pay for college. When a new scholarship comes up offering enough for any of them to go wherever they want to go for four years, they all jump at the chance to apply. The only catch is that a stipulation of the scholarship is for the recipient to be “pure.”
Eva considers herself a perfect candidate since she has only even daydreamed about kissing a boy. Mandy and long time boyfriend Eric have discussed taking the relationship further, but haven’t yet. Debbie is shocked to learn that everyone assumes she has shared many sexual partners when in fact she hasn’t. Kai, the new girl, seems mysterious about the entire discussion of purity. As each girl struggles with her own personal battles they start to drift apart and get overly competitive for this scholarship money. The question is not whether or not their virginity is in tact, but whether their friendship will be after all of the drama that ensues.
The idea of purity to a high school student can vary depending on the student. This open, honest book about four realistic high school students and their many struggles with relationships, parents, and even college planning will resonate with many high school girls. It is not preachy in the direction of abstinence or sexual activity, but just tries to show the variety of reasons why high school students do or do not choose to stay virgins. An interesting, realistic read about a very important but often ignored topic.
I was curious about this but have read other books by this author and they always juuust manage to disappoint.
I enjoyed “Megan Meade’s Guide to the McGowen Boys” by this author, but even after the romance seemed to resolve, the book ended on a weird note where the main character reopened her romantic choices — and that just threw me. Why resolve the romance if you’re just going to open it back up again in the conclusion?
I suppose some might consider it more realistic that way, but it makes the main character seem like a flake, and it came on so unexpectedly that I don’t think it works as a plot device even just to make a point.
I also read “The Princess and the Pauper,” which wasn’t bad but also wasn’t memorable, and “Sweet 16,” which was memorable and good though I tend to prefer more romantic stories.