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Screwed
Screwed
Screwed
Ebook316 pages6 hours

Screwed

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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Flattered by the attentions of Nick, the cutest guy in school, seventeen-year-old Grace Warren, captain of the math team, lets down her guard and gets pregnant the night she loses her virginity. Hopeful that Nick will drop to one knee and propose when she breaks the baby news to him, Grace is heartbroken - Nick wants nothing to do with her. Her best friend, Jennifer, thinks she should get an abortion, but Grace is certain that her morally upright parents will insist that she keep the baby. After she comes clean to her super-religious, strait-laced parents, they surprise her by insisting that she terminate the pregnancy to avoid humiliating the family. But when she sees the fetus on the ultrasound, she decides she can't get rid of it. Deciding to save the tiny life growing inside of her, Grace must face the consequences of being that girl - the good girl who got knocked up.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateApr 18, 2013
ISBN9781440557118
Screwed
Author

Laurie Plissner

Laurie Plissner is the author of Screwed, a Simon & Schuster book.

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Reviews for Screwed

Rating: 3.4285714285714284 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

7 ratings6 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    NOTE: I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

    I think this is the first book I've ever read that lacks a stable POV. As in, the narrator gets in the head of everybody, even miniature characters who only have a line or two to share. I know, I know, this looks like a huge mess, but despite everything it actually works quite well. Perhaps because every single character is given time to express their inner thoughts and observations, and we're actually allowed to witness how the cogs in their minds work. To tell you the truth, it was weird at first, but once I got used to it, I saw the advantage - you get to know what everyone's really thinking, and that's just brilliant!

    So, onto the story and characters we shall move. "Screwed" told the story of a very smart girl, Grace, who turned into goo in the hands of the school playboy Nick, and next thing she knew - she was pregnant. Then instead of going for abortion, she decided on adoption. Her super Christian parents turned hypocrites on her and kicked her out.

    That's a very very condensed short version of it. But. It's not really the storyline that matters much. I mean, it's basic, it's been written before. It's nothing new. What's new and realistic and fresh are Grace's thoughts. Her experiences. The life lessons that she learns along the way. Here are some of them:

    - One can be a genius in school and still be pretty stupid in real life.
    - Condoms aren't 100% pregnancy-proof.
    - Friends can try to help, but they can never take the place of a parent. Ever.
    - A girl should never ever, ever put herself at the mercy of some guy who doesn't give a crap about her.
    - A girl should always always, always think about the consequences of having sex.

    And one more, and I always end up thinking about this when I read about teens having sex. Have you read "Anna and the French Kiss"? If you haven't, go read it NOW. If you have, you must remember this one passage where Anna explains why she hasn't broken the seal yet. It goes something like this: I will wait until I know that the man I am with is the man I want to be the father of my children. You know, in case something goes wrong. It's not the exact words, but it's the exact meaning. So. Think about that.

    I know many girls won't take this book seriously and would discard it as irrelevant. It won't happen to them, right? But it does happen, unfortunately. And I think you should just sit down and for a day give a crap about Grace and her huge problem, so that it would never turn into your problem.

    Anyway, I want to say that Grace, with her decision and behavior, won me over completely. She stood her ground and was so astonishingly brave the whole time. Yes, she was bothered by the stares and whispers at school. But she never give up on what was right. She thought things through and made up her mind based on rational analysis, not based upon people's opinions. For that, I'd like to high-five her.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    17 year old Straight A Student, Virgin Grace Warren from a very religous and well to do family who are very community and church invovled including a group that her mother runs for teens about absitenance until married. Goes and makes the ulitmate mistake and gets pregnant on her first time.Grace is terrified now but also knows what she has been taught morally all her life by her parents to tell the truth and that she must do the right thing with this baby. However, when Grace makes the "right" decision her parents kick her out thinking that she will change her mind in a matter of a few hours. Along comes elderly neighbor Helen, whom has lived next door in a "Fancy" house and takes Grace in. Grace and Helen form quite the bond as well as Helen's great nephew Charlie she is caring for this school year as well. Grace and Charlie become fast friends and both secretly have hopes for more. However Grace is going through quite the trying time and needs to figure herself out first before she starts a new relationship. As for the father of the baby he is pushing to be out of Graces life and wants nothing to do with the baby. This was an uplifting story of a young teenage girl who feels her life is completly and utterly "Screwed" because she gave away her virinity to a boy who really didn't care about her and became pregant but finds kindness, love and compassion in the places she least expected them to come from.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Screwed ByLaurie PlissnerMy " in a nutshell" summary...Good girl has sex once and gets pregnant.My thoughts after reading this book...Loved this book...loved Grace, loved Charlie, and loved Aunt Helen. This was a sweet book about what happens to a good girl who hooks up with a bad boy and winds up pregnant. It's a story of growth and a story of discovery. It was a fun book to read while it seemed to give a singular message to other girls about what might happen if they made the same decisions Grace made. Grace was tossed out by her parents, totally rejected by the baby daddy and scorned at school. But she survived and grew and learned what life was all about!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    It could never happen to me. It is the famous last words. I mean, it is like cancer, teenage pregnancy. You know people it has happened to, and with head knowledge, you know it can happen to you. But at that age, we think we are invincible really, and I remember thinking that it would never actually happen to me. That is on the first page of this book. This shouldn't have happened to *me.* And I think that is why books like these are important, to show that it can and does happen. No matter how smart, no matter if you are a virgin, and sometimes even if you use birth control. And yes, if you haven't noticed from my reading patterns, I am obsessed with books like these. The issue books are right up my alley. This is the 2nd book in a row that is written in 3rd person, but this one is done better than the other. I got lost in Grace's head, and when it switched to Jennifer it jarred me for a second, and then I was into her line of thought. One issue I had though was that Grace's parents are involved, but extreme. They lectured her for getting a B and said they would be wasting money if she went to a second tier school. And that is just the beginning. The way that they pushed her around, tried to make decisions for her and force them on her, and were generally mean people, did not sit well with me at all. As a parent to two girls, I can imagine that it's a huge shock, but no amount of shock justifies how they treated her. The neighbor Helen though, is an amazing addition to the plot. She is a survivor of the concentration camps, so she knows suffering but she had chosen to do good things as a result. She wanted to help others, and every interaction with Grace really just shines. She helps to balance the negativity and bad treatment from Grace's parents and really just laces hope and kindness into the story. Charlie, Helen's nephew, is awesome. He is kind, gentle and patient. He doesn't judge her and is a great friend, and along with Jennifer, helps keep Grace sane. I loved his character, he is everything a guy should be, and I def have a book crush. The ending is perfect for the book and left me with this feeling of hope and peace, that Grace had learned so much and developed so much as a character. She made the best decisions for her, and was working on loving herself so that her other relationships would fall into place. While not everything was 100% neatly tied up, it was the best ending for the book, and it held hope and promise showed the most likely course for the characters. Bottom Line: Screwed tugs at your heart, and examines teenage pregnancy with a fresh voice.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I loved this book! I really liked how there were little vignettes on the more major characters. It really gave you a good glimpse into everyone and their reasoning for doing the things they do. The characters were wonderful; flawed, rich, full of life. I loved Grace for standing by her convictions, come what may. She was strong and vibrant. Great writing that sped along keeping me turning the pages. I’m giving this one 5 expectant kisses!
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    It’s very rare that I completely dislike a book so much I don’t recommend it at all. The majority of my one and two star reads are books that I realize are not for me, but will have appeal for several readers. Unfortunately, Screwed falls in that unfortunate small category of books that I actively dislike.

    Almost every character in this book is a caricature of their stereotype. With one notable exception, almost all the characters are portrayed rather offensively. This book manages to stereotype:

    Conservative Christians
    Grace’s parents are shown to be polite, conservative, involved citizens of the community and the church who are only in it for a good reputation. They act hypocritical, illogical, and unbelievable for parents. At times Grace’s parents think that they actually hate their daughter a little bit. Now, I know there ARE parents out there who don’t love their kids, but it’s such a jump for them. They go from doting on Grace to actually using the word “hate” towards her, at least in their minds.

    Guys
    There’s two main boys in the book: Nick, the boy who Grace has a fling with, and Charlie. They’re meant to contrast each other, but . . . Nick’s goal is to get twenty girls to sleep with him, and it’s pretty obvious that Nick sees women and girls as nothing more than an means to an end for him. He goes into an adoption agency and almost all he thinks about is how attractive the owner of the agency is! Again, he’s an exaggerated stereotype. Charlie is suppose to be the “nice” guy but even though he has good intentions, his actions towards Grace still seemed a little. . . off to me. He thinks he has to protect her and protect her honor. Well-meaning, perhaps, but it still makes Grace seem like a fragile girl who can’t be trusted with her life and her choices.

    Teachers
    With one refreshing exception of the guidance counselor, the only other teacher and principal in this book is sadly characterized. The teacher tells an entire class of student that THEY ARE ANIMALS. She says this. To a room full of high school students who probably have insecurities and problems and you know, probably don’t enjoy being called animals. And who clearly aren’t animals. And then she claims it’s all because they’re playing video games. . . sorry, I just don’t follow the logic. Even if teachers would think those things, I don’t know a single teacher who would say it out loud. The principal can’t bother to care and is just looking forward to retirement.

    This will probably make my review ridiculously long, but it needs to be expanded more than what I just touched on underneath my impression of the characters– Charlie. Let’s get something straight, because this is a pet peeve of mine in YA. If you think you’re a “nice guy”, but if you can’t respect the fact that the girl you like is pregnant and is going through a lot of things, you are not a “nice guy”. If you think you’re a “nice guy” but also feel the need to defend said girl who is by no means defenseless(Grace may have made a bad choice, but she’s shown to be a smart character. She can handle her own), you are not a “nice guy”.

    The plot itself is quick-moving, if predictable. Even though I feel for Grace, I feel she had it pretty easy after getting kicked out of her house. She’s taken in by a wealthy benefactor and besides dealing with kids at school, doesn’t have to worry about much. I’m sure it would be really hard to be in her position, but overall things could have gone much worse after being kicked out of her house.

    Also, this book is written in third person unlimited omniscient, which is really not a good fit for the book. I don’t need to know what a jerk Nick is because I can see inside his head as well as the main character’s — show me instead(which, to be fair, is shown quite frequently with great intensity). I don’t need to know everyone’s innermost thoughts. I would have appreciated Screwed more if the point of view had stuck with Grace and Grace alone.

    I really didn’t follow the plot as well as I could have because I was so distracted by all the characters and their portrayals. Even Jennifer, Grace’s best friend who supports her for the most part, is an annoying character. She says whatever she’s thinking and does seem to harbor quite a bit of judgement towards Grace. All in all, I just didn’t feel this subject was handle with the nuance and care it so deserved. It read very much like an after school special, and I was just hoping for something deeper.

    Final Impression: A predictable plot filled with characters who’s only purpose seemed to be to embody a stereotype. Nobody is off the hook from this treatment, and it was just impossible to read past that. The most enjoyable part of the book was after Grace delivers her baby and has a few months without being surrounded by the other characters. It seems to be the only time any character growth really happened and overall, I just was hoping for more from this book. 1/5 stars.

Book preview

Screwed - Laurie Plissner

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