The V Club

by Kate Brian

When Victoria A. Treemont, the most revered and reclusive woman in Ardsmore, Pennsylvania, passes away, she leaves behind a $160,000 scholarship fund that rocks the worlds of the students at Ardsmore High School.

The successful candidate must "exemplify purity of soul, spirit, and body." Everyone agrees that this caveat can mean only one thing: The recipient of the scholarship must still be holding on to the big V.Welcome to the V Club -- where members embrace abstinence, get off on civic duties, and heat up their chances to clinch the Treemont scholarship. What better way to prove purity than to pledge allegiance to the virginity flag? Besides, chastity belts are sooo 1300s.

Kai, Mandy, Debbie, and Eva have put their futures on the line. But will their deepest insecurities and darkest secrets ruin their chances at the scholarship, or worse, their relationships? Or will they discover the true meaning behind Mrs. Treemont's famous last words?

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Chick Lit, Romance, Contemporary, Teen, Young Adult Contemporary

280 pages, Paperback

First published April 6, 2004

About the author

Kate Brian is the author of the SHADOWLANDS TRILOGY (SHADOWLANDS, HEREAFTER & ENDLESS), as well as the New York Times bestselling PRIVATE and PRIVILEGE series, and the wildly popular MEGAN MEADE'S GUIDE TO THE MCGOWAN BOYS. She also writes teen fiction under the name Kieran Scott.

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's really... not my favourite thing when YA novels revolve around the topic of sex and virginity. I'm a firm believer in teaching teenagers that "virginity" doesn't define you. It is not a tangible substance. There is no flower, and it cannot be given away or taken from you. It does not make you more or less of a person. It is not something to be proud or ashamed of. As long as you're ready and you're safe, it doesn't matter when you do it or who you do it with.

In the end, I think that's what this book was trying to say. But it didn't say it loud enough. And now that I think about it, the book ended with all four girls being in positions where it was acknowledged they wouldn't be engaging in sex (whether they had already or not) for a while. So. Hmm. HMMMMMMMM.

I also think it's a TERRIBLE IDEA FOR TWO EIGHTEEN YEAR-OLDS TO GET ENGAGED. ARGH ARGH ARGH. THIS IS MY OPINION AND NOBODY HAS TO AGREE WITH ME BUT IT MAKES ME RAGE.

Anyway, the book was cute enough for a teen, but the writing wasn't great or terribly engaging. I also found one of the male characters REALLY QUITE RAPE-Y, and in the end he was forgiven and promised friendship and I was like no, no, no, please remove yourself forever, no.

[Theresa Miller · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was crap-tastic. It was so poorly written that I can't even believe it. The only thing about it I can believe less (is that a sentence?) is that one of the characters is CLEARLY GAY and I don't think THE AUTHOR EVEN KNOWS IT. Moral of this book: Sex is bad; if you have sex than you won't go to college, or you won't end up engaged to the hottest guy in the school. This book was ridiculous.

[Readersaurus · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was embarassing to carry around, especially for reading in the waiting room while getting a punctured tire replaced! But what a cool premise: 4 high school girls who really want to go to college. I liked this book a lot. It's YA literature that doesn't leave a film of ick on you as you read it. The girls are individuals, they have real thoughts and genuine friendship. There's a little bit of fairy tale romance in there for those who need it, and a "suspend-your-disbelief" ugly duckling to swan transformation, but it's okay. And it has a sexy title, so middle- and high school girls might actually pick it up!

[Janelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I tried reading this book about a year ago, and I stopped by the end of the first chapter because I just could not get into it! So I decided to try it again, and I had to say that I thought it was great! I've never read any other book with this plot, and I loved it. I really enjoyed reading about four different girls with four very different personalities. And the ending was such a surprise; I never expected them to get married! Kate Brian is one of my favorite authors, and I have yet to be disappointed with one of her books.

[Marian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I made it about a third of the way through the book before caving and flipping ahead to the end. I know, I know, I suck. Thing is, unlike most other books where I cheat, I finished the book within a day anyway. Usually knowing the end slows me down considerably, not so much for The V Club.

The best part of the V Club is that none of the girls is exactly what you'd expect them to be. You can't truly manage to shove each one under a neat little label and have it be a perfect representation of them, and really, the book could have easily gone that way. I love that the seemingly easiest of them isn't, particularly.

It might not change your life, but it's an awfully fun read.

[Cary · Rating 2 out of 5]

It does not actually help to read this book back-to-back with Elizabeth Elliot's Passion and Purity.
I just don't agree with the author's take on virginity and sexual relationship although I understand that the setting is American so what else should I expect?
I like some of the characters though, especially Riley.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me believe that you dont have to sleep your way through high school. There is so much more out there than sex. Girls, start respecting yourselves. JEEZE!

[maria martinez · Rating 2 out of 5]

i don't remember why i even read this book

[Jenn (Booksessed) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked up this book because of the title and the bright pink color. Matt always says that I have such serious reading material that I thought I should branch out and read something less serious. Maybe even a touch chick-lit like. I read the synopsis on the back cover and I decided that this would be a fun book to take home. The back of the book read “Previously published as “The V Club,” Brian’s novel introduces four best friends who, while vying for a college scholarship, form a philanthropic organization for students who have taken a vow of abstinence.Everyone’s (not) doin’ it.Mandy, Kai, Debbie, and Eva have one thing they must do before graduation…win the prestigious Treemont scholarship. It’s a free pass to the college of their choice. But the award has one very bizarre requirement; “Purity of soul and body.”In an effort to proclaim their “purity” to the whole school, Mandy starts the Virginity Club. The friends agree that a social service club is a great idea, but agreeing to keep the big V until graduation is another story. Because Mandy, Kai, Debbie, and Eva are each hiding something from the others. Something important.Their secrets may cost them a whole lot more than just a scholarship.
I hate to say it, but I was very disappointed. The characters were kind of flat and they also tend to blend together. It was hard to keep all the characters straight. Plus, the actual plot had very little to do with the virginity club, it was more about the “secrets” that everyone was keeping. It’s very predictable as well. Even the guy that half the girls wanted wasn’t really mentioned much in the entire novel. But the girls fight over him. I was hoping that the novel was one of those that kind of starts out slow but picks up the pace part way through and then leaves you wanting more. The Virginity Club left me wanting more but not nearly in the same way.
I also disliked the format. The point of view shifts without any transition, time elapses without any indication, (aren’t *** indicative of time change?) it was just a little overwhelming. I found myself easily frustrated. I’m really hoping that all this was just a fluke. I’d like to read another novel by Kate Brian, if only to find out if the fault lies with me. I think that it’s a kind of cute

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

As much as I don't want to admit this, the book was actually really good. I only read it because i wanted to read a light hearted book before getting into something a bit more emotional, but there was actually a great moral to the story. It was about these girls who were all friends who were applying for a scholarship that said you had to be 'pure' to win, meaning that you needed to be a virgin. Secrets come out about the girls, and it puts a lot of pressure on them.

It sounds like the story probably wouldn't have much depth, but the characters were very in depth. Everyone can relate to at least one of the girls: Mandy, Kai, Debra, or Eva. I mostly related to Eva (just thought I would put that in my review, haha.) I think it shows how hard it really is to be a teenager and have pressure from your parents on you and also pressure from boys who show interest in you to do things that you don't wanna do. It also shows how emotional it can be if you get yourself involved in sexual activity before you're ready. It also talks about the importance of college, and all of the girls were extremely dedicated to going to college and getting good grades. The book wasn't graphic at all, as I expected it probably would be with a title like that.

I really enjoyed reading about all the characters. There wasn't a character that bored me. One thing that I didn't understand was why Eva forgave Riley right after he had just made out with her best friend. That never made any sense to me. But I think the two are adorable together, and I'm glad about the ending. I thought it was an adorable ending. I give the book four stars, and it was a great transition book, for lack of a better word. I do recommend it to really anybody.

[Anna · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read the first chapter and couldn't stand it. The writing mimicked my own in seventh grade when I didn't know how to say what I wanted to say without explicitly stating it.

I suppose it's a good thing I didn't want to read this one. I can get it back to the library on time...

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a bit hard to keep the 4 girls straight in my mind which made the story a little confusing at times. The ending was really cheesy, but I loved Riley. He was really sweet. 2.5 stars

[Constantina ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mor, aveam doar așteptări negative și mi-a plăcut mult.

[Logan Shallow]

Horrendous, but in a spectacular way

[Leah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has been on my TBR for forever... sitting on my bookshelf dusty so I decided to give it a go.

The beginning was okay, it reminded me of highschool life. But as soon as I learned the plot I got apprehensive lol.. There's a scholarship and one of the requirements is "he or she must exemplify purity of soul and body." Which they take to mean, you have to be a virgin... which absolutely boggles my mind that a university/college would care about that for even a second.

The close knit group of girls did not seem like real friends at all. Debbie and Eva not talking about how they’re crushing on the same guy. Everything is a secret which is not normal among friends, you always talk about who you like. And Kai stealing the V Club presidency from Mandy.. I mean whyyyyyy? Why would you do that to your friend I don’t get it. And Mandy not telling anyone over her dad possibly going to jail for tax fraud...

This book was more about how girls usually loose their virginity rather than stay virgins lol... The book was very hollow and one dimensional. It was strictly just a plain story of 4 girls in highschool trying to refrain from having sex, boys, and applying for college.

Here are the main girls stores:
- A girl whose Dad is going through tax fraud
- A girl that everyone believes is a slut but is still a virgin
- A girl that likes a boy but is too shy (this was the character I most related to)
- A girl that her dad wants to be just like and do sciences and math but she just wants to design clothes


- Riley is a sweet guy and all but he really friend zoned Debbie lol which is unusual for guys in highschool, they usually take what they can get.
- I was wondering how Debbie was going to prove to everyone she was still a virgin, the showing of the tattoo on her hip was actually kinda creative
- the girl everyone thought was a slut is actually the last one to have sex ironiccccc
- wtf Eva and Riley engaged?! So young and so abrupt ugh why did they have to add this in. I literally had to reread the page twice because I couldn’t believe it

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Name: Danielle Autumn Shur
Brian, K. (2005). The Virginity Club. New York, NY: Simon Pulse.
Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction
Format: Print
Selection Process: NoveList
Review:
Eva is quiet and shy. Mandy is rich and has everything going for her. Debbie is a genius when it comes to math and science. Kai is an athlete who has lived all over the world. These four friends thought that nothing could come between them but it all changed when a local wealthy woman passed away. Mrs. Treemont has provided in her will a scholarship opportunity but in addition to the standard scholarship qualifications she has stipulated that the winner must possess purity of soul and body.
Being proactive with the scholarship requirements Mandy starts The V Club, a club that promotes virginity among its members. Animosity between friends quickly develops. Kai runs for president of the club irritating Mandy. Debbie sets her claws on Riley in hopes of adding him to her collection of she’s kissed not realizing that Eva has had a crush on him since he enrolled at their school.
Each girl has their own reason for applying for the scholarship. Eva and Kai’s parents can’t afford to send them to college. Debbie wants to go to school for fashion design and not where her parents want her to go. Mandy’s father is being investigated by the IRS. Secrets are being kept and lies are being told. We have everything on the line, who will win the scholarship?

Recommendation: Recommended

[Zev · Rating 1 out of 5]

One star. I remembered this from when I read it as a tween. I remembered broad strokes as an adult, but all the details were off. The purity club the kids start, begins on page seventy-five of the edition I read. A rich woman died and had the kids of the town compete to earn a college scholarship that would give them forty thousand dollars per year if they remained virgins and wrote essays of two thousand words about it, among other things. This book has four girls in it, all of whom have boyfriends and varying levels of experience. They go to an old folks' home for some reason to talk about the purity club, which all residents find hilarious.

This book was melodramatic, boring, had abrupt POV switches with no labeling, and had tropes I hate. The girls were all jealous of one another. The writing was boring. I skimmed a bunch, I'll admit. There was both slut-shaming AND virgin-shaming. There was casual homophobia ("he hasn't gone for me so he MUST be gay"); and casual racism towards Andres, the one Latinx character who is also a walking, talking predatory frat boy stereotype. At least one girls' parents are controlling, but others are overly permissive. Andres' presence was just stupid and the way he was treated was gross. Make him a foreign exchange student, not family friend who ~just so happens~ to t~E~m~P~t the girl when some eccentric dead rich lady wants her to be a virgin. Make them make bad decisions -on the page-, not two years prior. The boring writing of this book even makes the consequences for Mandy's dad's tax evasion uninteresting.

I haaaate love triangles. Guess what this book has as a massive plot point? UGH. "I have a crush on him but never told my friends because they'd have encouraged me to give it a shot, and now I'm devastated that one of my BFFs is going for him." AAAGH. This seems to happen a lot in teen stories. You do not -own- your crushes. They are people. They will date who they want. Yeah, it absolutely is crushing to have a friend of yours go out with your crush. Doesn't mean you can do what you're doing.

The creepy dead rich lady wasn't called out for her creepiness about teen sex until page 268 of the edition I read. Too little, too late. And on page 278, ten pages later, one of the girls gets engaged? I knew several girls in my high school who did this, and were even given rings. One girl's boyfriend turned her down when she asked, even. So it does exist. In this book it's soooo melodramatic. There were tons more cliches, especially about college acceptance. The ending was fucking stupid. This would fit better if it took place in the 1950s and was considered a soap opera in book form, but it was written and took place fifty years later. Eugh.

THERE WAS SO MUCH ROOM FOR GENUINE DRAMA IN THIS BOOK THAT THE AUTHOR DID NOT PULL OFF. The effort was there, it really was. It just fell massively, massively flat.

[Tessa Nadir · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Clubul V" ne spune coperta, apoi ne intreaba: vrei sa te alaturi? Inainte sa raspundeti, trebuie sa va informez cu promptitudine ca "V" vine de la virginitate. Si e o cerinta obligatorie.
Coperta a IV-a ne releva ca acest roman este "Sex and the city" in editie de liceu. Apoi ne linisteste ca "toata lumea o face".
Un roman din categoria 'young-adult', destinat adolescentilor, destul de reusit si amuzant.
In ceea ce priveste actiunea: cand o baba bogata si pioasa a comunitatii Ardsmore din Pennsylvania decide sa-si lase averea unei burse si moare, 4 fete, Mandy, Eva, Kai si Debbie lupta pentru a o castiga.
Bursa ofera sanse excelente spre mult visatul colegiu. Are insa o cerinta neobisnuita: castigatoarea trebuie sa fie "un exemplu de puritate a sufletului si a trupului".
Fetele inteleg ca "trebuie sa tina iepurele afara din vizuina". Nu ar fi o problema asta insa fiecare dintre ele ascunde un secret. Iar pentru ca toata scoala sa fie la curent cu puritatea lor ele infiinteaza un club "V" - in care fiecare promite sa-si pastreze virginitatea pana la terminarea scolii. Insa...
Romanul m-a amuzat, m-a binedispus si am extras cateva reguli de tinut minte in viata pentru fete (glumesc, desigur):
- niciodata sa nu iesi la intalnire cu un boboc.
- fondul de ten nu trebuie sa fie cu 10 nuante mai inchis decat pielea de pe gat.
- daca tii protestul anti-ras parul de pe picioare va incepe sa se impleteasca de la sine.
- n-ai cum sa nu iubesti un tip cu un tricou cu "Mr. Bubbles" sau unul pe care scrie "Traiesc pentru ciocolata"!
- nu-ti daruiesti sutienul unui baiat niciodata, decat daca vrei sa faci o fapta buna si il dai ca sa "exerseze".
- baiatul ideal este cel care indura cu stoicism sa fie luat peste picior de catre ceilalti baieti pentru ca si-a manifestat afectiunea in public.
In final sa va spun si de ce am vrut sa dau 5 stele cartii - la pagina 277 avem urmatorul dialog:
"- ... stiti ca i-a vazut jucand, cu ochii lui, pe cei de la Manchester United? Asta-i, cum sa zic, dementa!
- Da. Sunt o e echipa buna. Nu la fel de buna ca Real Madrid." :)

[anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting premises, tbh. But some parts are executed horribly.
Of course the main has to end up with the guy but it was really unfair that she got angry at her friend for liking him too even though she didn't tell anyone that she's always liked him. And after paying the main no attention, suddenly he's in love with her and they're going to get married at the end of the book.
Overall this book is like a 6.7 over 10 which I'll round off to 3 stars here.
It was cliche but also a fun and cute read about 4 best friends trying to keep their virginities (even though one of them has already lost it)

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

The exploration of female friendships and how you can go through seasons and argue but still be there for each other and work through your problems is a total 5 star for me. The premise of the scholarship requiring "purity of mind and body" and the emphasis that put on sex... 2 stars. Having characters who want to wait until marriage without showing them to be stupid or goody two shoes? refreshing. I enjoy Kate Brian's characters. I knew what I was getting into with the title and description of the book. I liked more of it than I expected to, but it's not a book I'd read again.

[Crimelpoint · Rating 2 out of 5]

Książkę czytało się szybko i przyjemnie. Ciekawa fabuła sprawia, że nie sposób odłożyć tej powieści. Jednak nie wnosi ona nic nowego do naszego życia ani nie sprawia, że zapamiętujemy ją na długo. Ot zwykła, lecz wciągająca pozycja. Na pewno idealna dla nastolatek, które lubią czytać pozycje typowo o amerykańskich szkołach.

[Alexis Ramirez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mandy, Kai, Debbie, and Eva all want to win a scholarship before they graduate. The scholarship they are competing for has a bit of a weird requirement, the recipient must have “purity of the soul and body”. The book follows the consequences of sexuality amongst high school girls. Who will win the scholarship?

[Christina Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is old but I came out when the purity culture was BIG! I read it as a teen. I was not a big reader growing up but this book got me in to really reading so for that I give this book 4 star sometime I think we take books that are not for are age group and rate it so hard but it was not made for 30 - 50 year old women. It was for YA girls to start reading.

[Briana Hazzi · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5 it was a cute YA book that I found on an old bookshelf. The writing felt almost nostalgic of when I was in high school. I would have definitely loved it much more in high school than I did now.

[Katie Castillo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this at good will, and hate to say it but the cover caught my eye cause it was bright and cute. Its definitely a good young adult book. Easy and fast read. A little too young and cheesy for me, but it was still a cute book about friendship.

[Naomi · Rating 2 out of 5]

It took me long to get through this book. Why? Because I found it utterly ridiculous.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not great. I had a hard time remembering which character was which.

[Timothy · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 1/2 stars.

[Sabrina Davidson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story of 4 friends and the newly formed V Club (Virginity Club), prompted by a scholarship that requires purity. Good exploration of friendships and relationships. Not too graphic.

[Anjana · Rating 3 out of 5]

a decent fun light read