Belly Up

Apr. 29th, 2019 01:49 pm
asphaltcowgrrl: (Default)
[personal profile] asphaltcowgrrl
While Troy's recuperating, I've been trying to get through some of my Netgalley books. Good news: I only have one left that publishes in April (tomorrow, actually, oops) and then the next doesn't publish until May 21st. Score! I'm almost caught up.

Anyway, what I've been reading is this:

cover150128-medium

I don't read too much YA, but this appealed to me because something like 75% of my female friends in high school had babies. I was not one of them, but even so, the subject hit close to home. (Side note: a party for a pregnant friend is what actually got Troy and I together in the first place so...)

Blurb:


There’s a first time for everything.

First time playing quarters.

First time spinning the bottle.

First totally hot consensual truck hookup with a superhot boy whose digits I forgot to get.

First time getting pregnant.

Surprised you with that one, didn’t I?

Surprised me, too. I’d planned to spend senior year with my bestie-slash-wifey, Devi Abrams, graduating at the top of my class and getting into an Ivy League college. Instead, Mom and I are moving in with my battle-ax of a grandmother and I’m about to start a new school and a whole new life.

Know what’s more fun than being the new girl for your senior year? Being the pregnant new girl. It isn’t awesome. There is one upside, though—a boy named Leaf Leon. He’s cute, an amazing cook and he’s flirting me up, hard-core. Too bad I’m knocked up with a stranger’s baby. I should probably mention that to him at some point.

But how?

It seems I’ve got a lot more firsts to go.


The best part about this book is that it's written in a very light-hearted style, even when Sara is dealing with heavy issues. Things like telling her mom she's pregnant and whether she wants to keep the baby or not. I love Sara's voice and her whole attitude. She's scared, she's freaking out, but she knows her family has her back, so it'll be okay in the end.

Now, the reason why I'm even here right now is Leaf. Sara is half Swedish, half Spanish, and feels like the poster child for diversity living in the suburbs of Connecticut. So, when she meets Leaf that first time, she's drawn to him - his dark hair, his dark skin, his big smile. But even better? He's not what you'd think - he's not Hispanic.

HE'S FREAKING ROMANI.

Screenshot_20190429-132845

I about tossed my Kindle when I read that, I kid you not. Even better is that when he introduced himself, he said "Leaf, like a leaf on the wind" and Sara immediately responded with, LIKE ON FIREFLY? Hah. Total geek out right now.

(And now I desperately want to finish this so I can read The Princess and the Fangirl - the sequel to Geekerella. But I digress. Rapidly and often.)

Okay, okay, I'm going back to my book now. BUT I HAD TO SHARE THAT. I don't often run into Roma in any of the novels I read (and I read across most genres), so this was a pleasant surprise. Leaf's nothing like Andy but I LOVE HIM ALREADY.

Oh - and if you like dark fiction with a mystery mixed in, you have got to read Little Darlings by Melanie Golding. SO DAMN GOOD GUYS. I can't even express myself right now. And I don't generally get this worked up over something I've read. Hahaha.

Um, as you were?

Date: 2019-05-12 03:16 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] shanachie-quill.livejournal.com
It really does.

My mom was a big proponant of reading. It didn't matter WHAT we were reading as long as we WERE reading. That works (on the comic shop). And yeah, my shop in Jersey was great, I used to go in and the one guy was like "I've got a great one for you!" Personally I think he just wanted me to spend more money. The comic store here is horrible... the owner won't talk to you if you're female. So I don't even bother going in.

Yeah. Well, I haven't been reading between work and class... so it just slipped my mind. Library opens at 1 though so hopefully I can run over and get it.

Date: 2019-05-12 03:22 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] asphaltcowgrrl.livejournal.com
My mom wanted us to read, but for some reason, comics weren't good enough. I'm not like that with my kids though. ROFL @ spending more money. The guys at ours would take requests like... if you wanted Captain America, they'd set aside a copy every time a new one came in for you. Plus, whatever they thought you'd enjoy. I have some weird ass shit because they thought I'd enjoy it (and I usually did). They are how I wound up with my deck of tarot cards based off Vertigo comics (Sandman and the like).

Totally understand that. Ours are closed on Sundays, but they're very close to my house, so I can stop on my way home usually. Plus, they have a cafe with amazing coffee drinks, so it's not a hardship to stop. LOL

Date: 2019-05-12 03:46 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] shanachie-quill.livejournal.com
I don't think it's reasonable to dictate what kids read. Just be glad they're reading. Mom just loaned me money to buy new books for my classroom. LOL yeah I had a pull list at my comic shop and then when I'd go in to buy them... the guys would say "Oh, we got these... see if you'd like them." *nods* I REALLY want a Marvel tarot set.

The main branch is open on Sunday, but it's the only one. It's about 10 minutes from my house. And even though its not the most convient, I go over there cuz my friends work there.

Date: 2019-05-13 10:02 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] asphaltcowgrrl.livejournal.com
I don't either, but my mom is small town, Midwest, from a very strict family. Although she wasn't too hard on us, she did have some weird hangups. And reading REAL BOOKS was one of them.

Makes sense to me. :)

Date: 2019-05-14 08:33 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] shanachie-quill.livejournal.com
Weidly so is my mom. Not the Midwest part, but the rest of it. I think books are about the only way she bucked that system. She just wanted me to be independent. (Although she swears I came out of the womb saying "I do it MYSELF!")

Yes.

So I read it... I loved it! Mom's reading it now... because I laughed over it so much. She's not loving it so much.

Date: 2019-05-14 10:50 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] asphaltcowgrrl.livejournal.com
It's probably a lot more relocatable to us because sooooo many people when we were in high school were having babies. I actually had a friend who had a baby in middle school then another before she graduated. Probably still a bit of a taboo thing for your mom. I know my mom wouldn't find the humor in any of it.

Date: 2019-05-19 04:10 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] shanachie-quill.livejournal.com
Makes sense. Yeah I had a few friends in high school who had babies. And a few right out of high school. Mom finished it or at least returned it. She hasn't said anything. I loved what she named the baby in the book!

Date: 2019-05-19 04:13 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] asphaltcowgrrl.livejournal.com
I love how the name came out of nowhere, too. Made me think of my older girl - we couldn't agree on a middle name and, while I'm in labor, my husband shouts out my sister's name - Ann. It stuck and we have Taylor Ann. LOL

Date: 2019-05-19 04:52 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] shanachie-quill.livejournal.com
LOL it really did. *giggles* My sister was all set to name my nephew Henry (their dog is Indiana), but then they chose something else.

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