Screwed

Screwed - Laurie Plissner Initial reaction: No, just no. If you're looking for a book that properly deals with teenage pregnancy and the options available for teens as well as treating the matter with sensitivity and coming to terms, I'd recommend [b:Me, Him, Them, & It|12439950|Me, Him, Them, & It|Caela Carter|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1366909469s/12439950.jpg|17422764] by a long shot over this book. This book just completely mishandled the issue and milked it for drama. It was a terrible read.Full review:I think the one good thing that I can say coming out of this read was that this was quick to go through, because I wasn't really invested in the journey taken by the characters in any capacity. I've only read less than a handful of novels that focused on teen pregnancy specifically (usually in the stories I've read, they were either a specific focus or a side story on the part of one of the characters), but among the ones I've read, this was probably the worst. It takes a story of a young woman (Grace Warren) and glorifies her pregnancy for the sake of the drama. It does not contain an ounce of realism. Granted, it shows Grace first discovering that she's pregnant after seven positive tests, a frantic call to her best friend, her parents pretty much shaming her and kicking her out of the house (only to be picked up by the wealthy neighbor - saving grace, anyone?), and shows her following a relationship with a guy while debating on whether to carry her pregancy to term. It was one of the most irresponsible, unrealistic, insufferable portrayals of this subject matter that I've ever read. I didn't like any of the characters in this book at all. Grace, the main character, is so dull you can't see any kind of apt reflection in her as a teen pregnant mother, the parents are purported to be strict Christians who shame their daughter (I think the mother even calls the daughter a "skank", and don't even get me started on the father). Yet the same parents are forcing her to have an abortion and when she says no, they kick her out of the house to "teach her a lesson." Nick, Grace's "baby daddy," really didn't feel like much of a character other than a massive jerk who it was hard to see why Grace went with him in the first place. I loathed Jennifer, Grace's best friend. Jennifer's voice was so annoying and the attempts at sexual humor on her part just made me rage more than anything else. Charlie was a Gary Stu...enough said.This really wasn't worth the time and I wish I had the time I had back from reading it, especially considering it is nowhere near the gritty read promised from the book's cover, nor is it realistic or sensitive to apply to teens who become mothers at a young age and face a myriad of difficult decisions along the way.Overall score: 0.5/5Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher F+W/Adams Media.