Book Review: ‘Screwed’ by Laurie Plissner

Thrilled by the attentions of the cutest boy in school, math whiz and honor student GRACE gets pregnant the night she loses her virginity. NICK wants no part of being a daddy; and when she follows her deeply pious parents teachings and opts for adoption over abortion, they throw her out. Taken in by an elderly neighbor, GRACE falls in love with the old woman’s nephew, who stands by her through the pregnancy and birth. GRACE proves herself more honest and faithful than her family, giving up her baby girl, attending a wilderness camp on scholarship and enrolling in college – confronting her parents with the ways they abandoned her, confessing her love for CHARLIE, who welcomes her home.

Firstly, to be honest, I chose to read Screwed based mainly on the fact that I liked the cover and especially the name. It’s said that you should “never judge a book by its cover” but that just so happens to be one of the ways in which I decipher if a book is worth the read or not and a book titled “Screwed” definitely peaked my interest.

Regardless of the title and design of the cover, Laurie Plissner took me through the life of 17-year-old Grace Warren whose life got turned upside down when she got pregnant on her first and last sexual encounter with the most popular and handsome guy in school. Having read so many stories like this already, I prepared myself for an all-too-known plot that’d just been reworded. Yet, Screwed was the exact opposite of any teen pregnancy story I’ve ever read. The teens in the story didn’t have me screaming “Why did she do such a stupid thing?” or “I can’t stand that character”. I empathized with everyone – including Grace’s pious parent.

Grace also has her fair share of supporters amongst the many people who glare and look down on her on a daily basis. Even so, I think I liked her best friend, Jennifer, the most since she reminded me a lot of my own best friend who is just as perverted and constantly sarcastic.

Yet, what I particularly liked about Screwed was Grace’s values and decisions that proved to be far better ones compared to her parents’ own. I also admired the fact that she rationalized every situation she found herself in during and after her pregnancy so as to not end up in a similar situation again. However, she holds herself back from opportunities this way and misses out on a lot of life changing possibilities. She also holds herself back from these chances due to her low self esteem. Thankfully, she tries to work on it along with who she really is after the baby is gone, ofcourse.

All in all, Screwed was more than just a motivational read and even had me crying in the very last pages.

Rating: 9/10

Book Info:

Publisher:  Merit Press (May 18, 2013)
Length: 304 pages (Hardcover)
Series: N/A
Source: ARC (Provided by publisher)
Genre: Young Adult, Teen Issues, Romance
Completed: May 2013

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