User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
I just sat in a bubble bath and read this entire book and I feel pretty content with my life choices.
Rating: really liked it
Awful and sad, it’s telling young girls that in order to move on with an education you must get an abortion. Very anti women mind set. We don’t have to kill our babies to succeed in life. This book makes women look weak. I’m not surprised a man did help write it.
Rating: really liked it
First things first: a big fuck off to the gross pro-lifers who decided to spew their nasty shit onto this book in the reviews. Imagine thinking a book about a teenage girl and the right to her own body and life choices is anti-women. Can't relate to that level of stupid.I still stand for what this book is about but the writing and tone just dragged this book down. It doesn't help that I read Girls on the Verge a couple months ago and that book did slap so hard. Highly recommend that one!
Unpregnant is about a seventeen-year-old girl named Veronica who ends up pregnant when her boyfriend pokes holes in their condoms. It's her senior year of high school and Veronica has big dreams- but staying in her home town with her boyfriend raising a baby isn't one of them. So she makes a decision to have an abortion, only the closest one is over 900 miles away. Too ashamed to ask her friends or family for help, Veronica ends up getting her ex-best friend Bailey to drive her. But the trip is full of more than they bargained for.
Why did a man co-write this? I don't think anyone ever needs a man writing an abortion story, sorry. Second off, this writing just ruined everything. The tone of this book tries to be funny and wacky as they go on wild shenanigans on their roadtrip but things just go BEYOND ridiculous to the point where it wasn't even realistic. Veronica's boyfriend literally tracks them the entire way screaming babe, they do something to slow him down and then he finds them again and it was just so weird??? Everything he did and said was weird???
Then of course they ends up with some screaming crazy stripper who also happens to be a jesus freak and chases them screaming about god's baby or something and it was bizarre and so cringy. Meanwhile a lot of the actual roadtrip traveling was just put into short paragraphs as the miles went by. I didn't feel any emotional impact or bonding from the girls either because they get in such stupid fights at the worst time. And Bailey was a caricature of a person. The writing was truly adults writing teenagers badly and it hurt. Also that lesbian rep? A big yikes from me.
But please read Girls on the Verge, it hits on everything this book didn't.
Rating: really liked it
❧
ARC provided by Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review Hilarious, poignant and beautiful, Unpregnant tells the story of Veronica, a seemingly perfect high school student. She’s in the run to be valedictorian, has the “perfect” boyfriend, “perfect” friends and everything that goes with it… Until her “perfect” boyfriend pokes holes in his condom to get Veronica pregnant and stop her from moving away
(I KNOW RIGHT ? WHO DOES THAT ?). With the help of Bailey Butler, her ex-best friend, Veronica goes on the road to get to an abortion… in a clinic 994 miles away in Albuquerque, NM.
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#1 Unique Unpregnant is unique. It manages to tackle serious topics (teenage pregnancy, abortion, abandonment) while being absolutely hilarious and delightful. This book’s main theme is abortion. Although it’s far from being a light-hearted topic, Unpregnant does not shy away from that (I mean, look at ALL THE TROUBLE Veronica has to go through). The moral judgment, the misogyny and control over women’s bodies is very real and the authors made sure to portray that. This is a beautiful commentary on women’s rights and how far we have to go to claim what’s rightfully ours.
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#2 Friendship Bailey Butler gave off
some serious Janis Ian vibes and I was here for it. Not only did I adore the two MCs, the story also centers around friendship and appearances. It’s about trying to have this “perfect” image and losing yourself in the process. Can you really call your “friends” friends if they only care about you when you’re happy and bubbly but MIA when you really need them ? (view spoiler)
[Are they willing to drive you to Albuquerque, destroy your ex-boyfriend’s car with candy and hold your hand while singing some Kelly Clarkson tunes when you’re on your way to get an abortion ? Are they willing to hold a ferret as hostage in order to escape being kidnapped by a stripper ? (hide spoiler)] If not, I would reconsider what I call “friends”. Bailey Butler is a fierce lioness and gave true meaning to what a real friend is. I think she’s probably made it to one of my favorite characters of all time.
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#3 Relevant (and soooo damn important) It’s with sadness and bitterness that I call this book relevant today. I don’t live in the United States but the fight over women’s control on their own bodies doesn’t know any borders in my eyes. Georgia Governor signed the “Fetal Heartbeat” Abortion Law, banning abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, when doctors can usually start detecting a fetal heartbeat (if you wanna know more, read this article) Most women aren’t even aware they’re pregnant until the sixth week and it’s disgusting that men like Brian Kemp still feel entitled to the opinion that THEY KNOW BETTER WHAT IS GOOD FOR A WOMAN THAN A WOMAN HERSELF. However, the debate over abortion is worldwide and again, incredibly relevant. I think this book is a perfect way to tackle these issues and I applaud Ted Kaplan and Jenni Hendriks for the way they handled it.
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Keep up with me on my blog! 💫
Rating: really liked it
No. This book is problematic, does not have an accurate view or understanding of teenagers, and isn’t written well either. The necessity of a young girl needing to travel hundreds of miles to get an abortion is a horrifically real situation, and this book tries to make it comedic. This isn’t dark humor, it’s tone deaf. Just no.
Rating: really liked it
Wtf is wrong with these authors? This is a horrible concept that glorifies ending human life. No matter the circumstances, a fetus is alive and deserves to continue to be alive. Lots of loving couples waiting to adopt a baby
Rating: really liked it
extremely hard to decide if this is a book worth reading when half the ratings are by angry pro lifers
Rating: really liked it
I loved this book! It is essentially Super Bad with female main characters, but instead of trying to get to a party, they’re on a road trip to an abortion. Even though the topics discussed throughout the book are heavy and serious, there’s this amazing humor and report between these two female characters that you almost forget at times where they’re headed and just enjoy the ride. That being said, there’s open conversations about things such as religion, abortion, female rights and other Southern values, showing the multisided views to each and not painting anything as black and white, rather on what’s right for different people.
Rating: really liked it
“You have a license, right?” Bailey drove to school every day, but with Bailey one could hardly take that as proof.
“Please.” Bailey tossed her wallet at me.
I pulled out the license. “It says your name is Rhonda and you’re twenty-four.”
“Oh, sorry.” She grabbed the wallet back, looked through it, and handed me another ID. I held it up to the light, examining it closely.
“It looks real.”
“Uh, because it is. Can we go now?”
Things I loved about this book: • The normalization of abortion
• How it shows how awful state abortion laws are for minors. Not every minor can afford to travel 1000 miles to get one.
• It is funny with wildly absurd shenanigans that occur along the way. (And early reviewer compared it to
Superbad and it definitely has those type of outrageously funny WTF???? moments).
• How Veronica thinks back to how when she was just a CHILD people in her church encouraged them to make anti-abortion signs and how abortion is a “sin”. And how when she was TWELVE, and not old enough to fully understand what she was choosing, her father told her to get a purity ring. So it examines how young children (mostly girls) are taught that their bodies aren’t there’s. And how as Veronica got older she realized how wrong all of these things her church was saying about reproductive rights was wrong. It’s something a lot of people can relate to.
• The adorable friendship that kind of picks up where it left off.
• That when she thinks of getting an abortion her first thought is being relieved and ecstatic. Because some people who get abortions are sad and grieve over it and that is okay. And some people who get abortions feel immense relief and that is okay. Both reactions are valid.
• How the chapters are sectioned off my mile markers. It was cute.
Things I didn’t like: • All the ableist language. There were many lines using “blind”, “deaf”, “dumb”, and “stupid” in ableist ways.
• I think this would’ve worked better as a movie. The authors originally wrote it as a script. Couldn’t sell it. Decided to make it a book instead. Sold the book. HBO bought the movie rights. And now the authors are writing the script. So it will eventually become one. But the entire time I read this I was thinking how it would work better as a movie.
• The writing style wasn’t for me.
• (minor spoiler): they never actually went to roswell and i was hoping for some ET shenanigans. grrrr
• People definitely poke holes in condoms. That is a thing that has happens. I understand why they put this in the book. But I kind of wished they had chosen a “contraceptives aren’t 100% effective” route instead. Also don’t put two condoms on because that makes it less effective (which these characters did in the book). I know a couple who used the pill and condoms and still ended up pregnant. So being “safe” still doesn’t work 100% of them time. None of these contraceptives are 100% effective. So while I understand the authors’ choice of the condom tampering (which DOES happen and I could see people trapping their significant other in a relationship this way) I think it would have been more impactful for their first abortion book to go a different route: no matter how prepared you are, sometimes shit happens.
Overall I enjoyed the book. It’s a super quick read. And we need more books about abortion. It’s light hearted, and funny, and both Veronica and Bailey have their own story arcs even though the book is centered around Veronica and takes place mostly over three days. It addresses the stigma around abortion, condom tampering, coming out, coping with divorce, how shitty high schoolers are, pressure to be perfect, and how fun it can be to just let go. I enjoyed the book but would have rather watched the 98 minute comedy than read it.
Content Warnings and Trigger Warnings: condom tampering, mentions of underaged drinking, stalking, drug use (weed), mentions of drug use (acid), anti-abortion protesters, mentions of cheating, incest joke (cousin kissing), ableist language (‘are you blind’, ‘stricken deaf’, ‘stupid’, ‘dumb’), kidnapping,
Rating: really liked it
I just did not like this at all. I didn't like the charcters - and actually hated a few, the relationships felt underdeveloped, and the plot was just a run-on joke.
I appreciate that the authors were going for a light-hearted comedy, when dealing with a heavier topic, but literally nothing in the story made an impression or impact on me. It went from one outlandish adventure to the next - stolen cars, attempted cow tipping, stip clubs, and a little B&E. And yeah, it was kinda fun, but with no real emotional grounding if felt wasted and one dimensional. I do think the abortion plot is kinda glossed over and used as a plot device to really focuses on the reconnected friendship between Veronica and Bailey, and while I always love a friendship-focused story, there wasn't enough here to make me care for either of the characters. I still don't feel like I really know either of them or their history or their families. I could maybe give you a few bullet points about each, but not many.
It took me around 2 hours to read this and it's just a whole blur of bleh. I really thought I would love this - or at least enjoy it, but sadly that was not the case. I seem to be an outlier with this book, so if you think it's interesting or worth checking out make sure to check our some other reviews and read a preview if you can.
I received a copy of the book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: really liked it
**0.5 stars rounded up** TW: rape DISCLAIMER: I am pro-choice. Ladies, do whatever you want with your bodies. It's not my, or anyone else's, decision to make.
God, if I could rate this book 0 stars, I would.
This fucking monstrosity made me physically nauseous. It's not often that I get a physical reaction from a book, and usually, it's just tears or maybe a pang in my stomach because of anticipation. This one made me want to hurl my guts out.
Unpregnant is about Veronica Clarke, the perfect model student who gets accidentally pregnant and has to go on a road trip with her ex-best friend, Bailey, to an abortion clinic where her parents won't find out. That sounds like a pretty decent story, right?
Well, so did I. But, as you can tell by now, I was wrong.
The reason why Veronica accidentally got pregnant was because of her ex-boyfriend, Kevin, who poked holes in his condom because he didn't want Veronica to move away to college from Missouri to Rhode Island. On top of that, he even proposed to her to "trap" her, and he stalked Veronica and Bailey all the way to the clinic in New Mexico.
The reason why Veronica had to go all the way to New Mexico was that, in the state of Missouri, you need a parent's permission to get an abortion. That wasn't an option for Veronica, as her parents are very religious, very Catholic, and they believed that abortion was murder and a sin.
The reason why this book made me want to hurl was that Bailey and Veronica treated this road trip to New Mexico as a "girls' trip" and treated it as an adventure. Sure, you might want to make the victim feel a bit better, but this book was just absolutely ridiculous. They went to a strip club, had their car stolen, trespassed on private property to climb an elephant sculpture, went cow-tipping and much more ridiculous things like that. The authors played off this extremely traumatizing event as nothing and used it as a book version of the show
Just for Laughs: Gags. Bailey Butler also came out as a lesbian in this novel, which was used entirely for the furthering of Veronica's character. Everything that happens in the book is for the furthering of Veronica's character, and everything conveniently happens to help our Veronica and Bailey. They played off this whole event as nothing, and at one point, Bailey even called Veronica something along the lines of "whore" and "you should have kept your pants on and legs together." If Veronica was actually written like a real character instead of this, I don't know what to call it because it is just so so terrible, that would have been the tipping point for her. Veronica should have been dealing with trauma in a normal way, not going on a coming-of-age movie road trip.
The decision of abortion was also played down in this book as well. Bailey made fun of abortion and Veronica making the decision to have sex the entire book, and it was just harmful and adding to the stigma that there already is around abortion.
The ending was also terrible as well. Veronica and Bailey decided to get nachos after Veronica's abortion, and then they see Kevin at the same nacho place (because Kevin decided to show up at the abortion clinic and use it as another stupid excuse to keep Veronica and him together) and Bailey and Veronica steal his car. And their excuse when Kevin confronts them? "Well, you did all this, so the least you can do is let us borrow your car." No! You should have gone to the police like a normal person! He stalked you the entire time!
Having an abortion can also be a traumatizing experience depending on who you are, but not for Veronica! She went up to her ex-best friends at the end of the novel and went "yeah, I got an abortion, Kevin essentially raped me, no biggie lol" and went off to sit with Bailey. Um?????? Excuse me??
I might be able to understand that one may add comedy into a story of extremely traumatizing events, toxic people, and even self-discovery, but this? This is a fucking disgrace to books.
I have so much more to say, but if I said all of it you would be sitting here for a while reading my angry ramblings. But the TLDR is: don't read this fucking monstrosity.
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2020-08-11 EDIT: I seriously cannot believe that they're making this into a movie. I mean, come on! Read the room!
Rating: really liked it
A total romp of a story about a girl who needs to get an abortion after her boyfriend tampers with a condom (he didn't want her to leave for college) and when the scariest girl in school discovers her pregnancy, the two of them set off across state lines to get her the legal abortion for the weirdest and most uncomfortable road trip. Along the way, Veronica discovers she's allowed herself to become a person who believes she's better than everyone else, and Bailey allows her story to become better known and embrace vulnerability.
This book is very, very funny and it's clear that Hendriks and Caplan write for television, as it has that pacing and feel. It's a bit over-the-top, but the bigger point in the story is exceptionally well rendered. For a young person who is pregnant and seeking an abortion, it can become impossible for access to those services. In Veronica's case, she has to travel from Columbia, Missouri and her conservative, religious upbringing, all the way to Albuquerque, New Mexico to have the procedure.
What I really loved most was the friendship that blooms between Veronica and Bailey. They had been friends when they were younger, but they grew apart as Veronica kept climbing the "good girl" ladder. Bailey seems like she's all hard edges, but we discover how much hurt and pain is in her life, relating to her father, and why it is she agreed to take this trip with Veronica. Bailey's also lesbian, and this becomes both a point of pride and acceptance and a tool wielded against her -- until it's better understood how and where the girls' religious upbringing impacts their beliefs.
Highly recommended.
Rating: really liked it
THIS BOOK WAS SO FUNNY! I DIED. I never thought a book about a heavy topic could be SO FREAKING HILARIOUS. Yes, yes yes!!!!! Love love love. ALL THE STARS! :D
Rating: really liked it
I really enjoyed this book. It was a random check out from the library but I really enjoyed how the author captured the difficulties that the main character faces in getting an abortion. There’s humor, heartbreaking moments, and the realization that it’s okay not to be perfect. I’m glad that they are writing a companion novel to this book. I’ll definitely check it out. I’ll also be doing a full review soon!
Rating: really liked it
This was a quick, fun read. Somewhat unrealistic and bit over the top, but still enjoyable.
My biggest problem with the book was that it was too short. I didn't even get a chance to develop feelings for the characters, and the story was already over.
And when it comes to the whole abortion aspect, I think it was nicely done. I was never pro-life and strongly believe that if people who weren't ready to become parents were never forced to become one, this world wouldn't have so many unhappy children. But that's just me—others might feel differently.
All in all, a solid 3.5 star read.
