What do you think?
Rate this book
The Pact #1
The Anti-Virginity Pact
Preachers’ daughters aren’t supposed to be atheists. They’re also not supposed to make pacts to lose their virginity by the end of the year, but high school senior Meredith Beaumont is sick of letting other people tell her who to be.
Spending the last four years as Mute Mare, the girl so shy just thinking about boys could trigger panic attacks, Meredith knows exactly what it’s like to be invisible. But when a vindictive mean girl gets her manicured claws on the anti-virginity pact and spreads it around the school—with Mare’s signature at the bottom—Mare’s not so invisible anymore. She just wishes she was.
Now the girls mutter “slut” as they pass her in the hall, and the boys are lined up to help complete her checklist. When she meets a guy who knows nothing of the pact, their budding romance quickly transforms from a way to get her first time over with to a genuine connection. But when the pact threatens to destroy her new relationship and the fragile foundation of her seemingly perfect family, Mare has to decide what’s more important: fixing her reputation and pleasing her parents, or standing up for the person she wants to be.
Spending the last four years as Mute Mare, the girl so shy just thinking about boys could trigger panic attacks, Meredith knows exactly what it’s like to be invisible. But when a vindictive mean girl gets her manicured claws on the anti-virginity pact and spreads it around the school—with Mare’s signature at the bottom—Mare’s not so invisible anymore. She just wishes she was.
Now the girls mutter “slut” as they pass her in the hall, and the boys are lined up to help complete her checklist. When she meets a guy who knows nothing of the pact, their budding romance quickly transforms from a way to get her first time over with to a genuine connection. But when the pact threatens to destroy her new relationship and the fragile foundation of her seemingly perfect family, Mare has to decide what’s more important: fixing her reputation and pleasing her parents, or standing up for the person she wants to be.
334 pages, ebook
First published June 16, 2020
261 people are currently reading
3383 people want to read
About the author
Katie Wismer
13 books3,637 followersKatie Wismer writes books with a little blood and a little spice (sometimes contemporary, sometimes romantasy.)
Be the first to know about upcoming projects, exclusive content, and more by signing up for her newsletter at katiewismer.com. Signed books are also available on her website, and she posts monthly bonus content on her Patreon (including a Patreon-exclusive book!)
When she's not reading, writing, or wrangling her two perfect cats, you can find her on her YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok.
Be the first to know about upcoming projects, exclusive content, and more by signing up for her newsletter at katiewismer.com. Signed books are also available on her website, and she posts monthly bonus content on her Patreon (including a Patreon-exclusive book!)
When she's not reading, writing, or wrangling her two perfect cats, you can find her on her YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 296 reviews
January 29, 2021
I’m so SAD.
I wish I could praise this book and shout my love from the rooftops, but instead I find myself in the situation where I have to write a very difficult review. Some people say “you should try to write a book yourself, instead of hating on the work of other people more talented than you”, as if writing rant reviews is easy. I’m here to tell you, no it’s NOT easy. It’s not fun.
So. I didn’t like a single thing about this book, apart from the passable writing style. The rest was a literal mess.
From the start I knew something was off. I was very excited about this book, and I even changed my OWLs TBR to fit this book in as I wanted to read it immediately. However, from the first chapter I realized I wouldn’t like this book as much as I expected. The main character is a senior in high school, but the book would have worked better if she was actually 15 or 16. Not only the way she behaves is immature, but her monologues belong to a much younger girl. She makes a whole lot of poor decisions without thinking them through in a childlike way. Though this doesn’t mean that the occurrences she finds herself in are any different. Everything that happened made me more and more conscious of the fact that this book is like a very cheap teen movie written by someone who has no idea how teens really act, and mistakes them for slightly maturer children. The adult characters are not any better (her parents, for example. Or school staff. Where was the principal?). I guess it makes sense that the author started to write this book at the age of 14.
On top of the unrealistic plot, the book felt disjointed in its parts. The beginning was very slow, but after the halfway point everything happens at once. What happens in the second half, apart from the pact plot line, it’s just shoved there as there’s no space for it. I would have wanted the book to have focused more on the pact, instead of having the characters discuss about one societal problem for one chapter or two, and then toss it aside. To be completely honest, I really dislike when these issues are in a book but are not well explored. I don’t think that was the intention here, but it does look like they were thrown in for shock factor.
The most random of these plot lines was the dog fights one. It’s so inconsequential and inconsistent with the main plot that if you take it out you don’t miss anything.
There is also a student-teacher dynamic that maddened me. Meredith’s best friend Johanna is even more immature and stupid than her, and that’s saying something. Together they have countless arguments about how Johanna plans to have sex with their young teacher but Mare doesn’t think it’s a good idea. Johanna even stops talking to her because she’s not on board with it. But the worst is that after the thing backfires Mare says this:
HE’S A TEACHER. I understand she’s being supportive of her friend in a bad moment but are you freaking serious? There’s a reason why student-teacher relationships are illegal. Thank god he was a conscientious person or it would have gone in another direction which I don’t even want to talk about right now. If these characters were real people I would shove My Dark Vanessa into their hands and force them to read it.
On the other hand, I’m conflicted about the sexual assault plot line. It does make sense with the main plot line but the way it was handled... I don’t even know. A part of it is used as a plot twist and I’m not sure I’m on board with it.
Other issues mentioned and never really talked about are: homosexuality in school, religious camps, anxiety, an alcoholic parent. It was just too much.
Thinking about the synopsis makes me very angry as well. After reading it you go into the book and you expect something very different. I, for one, was expecting a raw and gritty novel, not a mix between a cute contemporary and a nonsense bully plot. The tone of the entire book doesn’t match with that plot at all. Plus, the synopsis and the TITLE talk clear, but the pact gets out at the 55% mark and I don’t know about you, but I’m super disappointed. I was promised something different. Chapter 15 is probably the only chapter that was similar to what I wanted from this book. If you want more proof, look at that synopsis and tell me it doesn’t look like Mare is going to meet the guy she’s going to be with AFTER the pact gets plastered all over school and she starts to get bullied.
I really like the author and I’m sad about not liking her book, but I seriously hope other people love it. I hope it’s just me.
I received an advanced reader copy through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
******
I’m always hungry for hard-hitting contemporaries and then turns out one of my favorite booktubers wrote one... it comes out in just a few months... it’s exactly MY TASTE... it checks all the boxes... I want it NOW.
I wish I could praise this book and shout my love from the rooftops, but instead I find myself in the situation where I have to write a very difficult review. Some people say “you should try to write a book yourself, instead of hating on the work of other people more talented than you”, as if writing rant reviews is easy. I’m here to tell you, no it’s NOT easy. It’s not fun.
So. I didn’t like a single thing about this book, apart from the passable writing style. The rest was a literal mess.
From the start I knew something was off. I was very excited about this book, and I even changed my OWLs TBR to fit this book in as I wanted to read it immediately. However, from the first chapter I realized I wouldn’t like this book as much as I expected. The main character is a senior in high school, but the book would have worked better if she was actually 15 or 16. Not only the way she behaves is immature, but her monologues belong to a much younger girl. She makes a whole lot of poor decisions without thinking them through in a childlike way. Though this doesn’t mean that the occurrences she finds herself in are any different. Everything that happened made me more and more conscious of the fact that this book is like a very cheap teen movie written by someone who has no idea how teens really act, and mistakes them for slightly maturer children. The adult characters are not any better (her parents, for example. Or school staff. Where was the principal?). I guess it makes sense that the author started to write this book at the age of 14.
On top of the unrealistic plot, the book felt disjointed in its parts. The beginning was very slow, but after the halfway point everything happens at once. What happens in the second half, apart from the pact plot line, it’s just shoved there as there’s no space for it. I would have wanted the book to have focused more on the pact, instead of having the characters discuss about one societal problem for one chapter or two, and then toss it aside. To be completely honest, I really dislike when these issues are in a book but are not well explored. I don’t think that was the intention here, but it does look like they were thrown in for shock factor.
The most random of these plot lines was the dog fights one. It’s so inconsequential and inconsistent with the main plot that if you take it out you don’t miss anything.
There is also a student-teacher dynamic that maddened me. Meredith’s best friend Johanna is even more immature and stupid than her, and that’s saying something. Together they have countless arguments about how Johanna plans to have sex with their young teacher but Mare doesn’t think it’s a good idea. Johanna even stops talking to her because she’s not on board with it. But the worst is that after the thing backfires Mare says this:
“Jo, I know this sucks, but are you really going to let one guy—no matter who he may be—get to you like this? You are Johanna fucking Palmer. If he wasn’t into you—and I’m guessing it was more about being afraid of getting in trouble than not being attracted to you—then screw him. Not literally, obviously.”
HE’S A TEACHER. I understand she’s being supportive of her friend in a bad moment but are you freaking serious? There’s a reason why student-teacher relationships are illegal. Thank god he was a conscientious person or it would have gone in another direction which I don’t even want to talk about right now. If these characters were real people I would shove My Dark Vanessa into their hands and force them to read it.
On the other hand, I’m conflicted about the sexual assault plot line. It does make sense with the main plot line but the way it was handled... I don’t even know. A part of it is used as a plot twist and I’m not sure I’m on board with it.
Other issues mentioned and never really talked about are: homosexuality in school, religious camps, anxiety, an alcoholic parent. It was just too much.
Thinking about the synopsis makes me very angry as well. After reading it you go into the book and you expect something very different. I, for one, was expecting a raw and gritty novel, not a mix between a cute contemporary and a nonsense bully plot. The tone of the entire book doesn’t match with that plot at all. Plus, the synopsis and the TITLE talk clear, but the pact gets out at the 55% mark and I don’t know about you, but I’m super disappointed. I was promised something different. Chapter 15 is probably the only chapter that was similar to what I wanted from this book. If you want more proof, look at that synopsis and tell me it doesn’t look like Mare is going to meet the guy she’s going to be with AFTER the pact gets plastered all over school and she starts to get bullied.
I really like the author and I’m sad about not liking her book, but I seriously hope other people love it. I hope it’s just me.
I received an advanced reader copy through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
******
I’m always hungry for hard-hitting contemporaries and then turns out one of my favorite booktubers wrote one... it comes out in just a few months... it’s exactly MY TASTE... it checks all the boxes... I want it NOW.
April 24, 2020
3.75 stars
**Many thanks to NetGalley, Kate Wismer, and Xpresso Book Tours for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I also never watched Kate Wismer's YouTube channel. Release date: June 16, 2020**
I have no clue how to review The Anti-Virginity Pact. There was a lot of good and a lot of bad but purely on enjoyment, I have to rank it higher. I think that if one doesn't overanalyse this, they will find it a pleasurable read, but when you stop and think about things, you'll realise there are somethings very wrong with it.
Some trigger warning that I must give for this book are sexual assault, bullying, animal abuse, and problems due to religion. All parts play a fairly large part in this novel, so if any of those trigger you, don't read this.
In the book, we follow Meredith Beaumont as she enters a pact with her best-friend Johanna that they plan on losing their virginities before the end of senior year. Little did they know, Mare especially, that their senior year will be filled with much much more than just studying in libraries. As they try to fulfil the pact other problems start to arise... how long it is before things get out of hand, how long before Mare's parents?
For this rating I am going purely off of my personal enjoyment. The book hooks you right in the beginning. As you go through the story you are enthralled by a lot of what is going on, but you very much stay for the story, not anything deeper. The character work isn't great. Ashley, one of the "villains" (but not really), is out to get Mare and Jo just because she is the "mean girl". There is even a rip off of the Plastics from Mean Girls, except they are called the Pretty Committee. If I was reading this critically, as I usually do, major no-no points for all of this. The prose was mediocre. Sometimes dialogues cut off in weird places, but you get used to it and overlook it pretty fast. There is a weird teacher-student kinda-romance going on for half the book, which is very awkward because Mare tells the student that it is wrong and then the student turns on Mare. The pact kinda stops mattering for a third of the book at some point, but this is fine. The other areas of the novel are enjoyable as well.
I do think that a large part of this novel does a wonderful job of turning your attention to animal abuse and sexual/religious assault. I think that this was all done in a way that no one will get offended by reading the book.
All in all, The Anti-Virginity Pact will be a quick and fun read for many, if you look past some of the more troubling aspects.
**Many thanks to NetGalley, Kate Wismer, and Xpresso Book Tours for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I also never watched Kate Wismer's YouTube channel. Release date: June 16, 2020**
I have no clue how to review The Anti-Virginity Pact. There was a lot of good and a lot of bad but purely on enjoyment, I have to rank it higher. I think that if one doesn't overanalyse this, they will find it a pleasurable read, but when you stop and think about things, you'll realise there are somethings very wrong with it.
Some trigger warning that I must give for this book are sexual assault, bullying, animal abuse, and problems due to religion. All parts play a fairly large part in this novel, so if any of those trigger you, don't read this.
In the book, we follow Meredith Beaumont as she enters a pact with her best-friend Johanna that they plan on losing their virginities before the end of senior year. Little did they know, Mare especially, that their senior year will be filled with much much more than just studying in libraries. As they try to fulfil the pact other problems start to arise... how long it is before things get out of hand, how long before Mare's parents?
For this rating I am going purely off of my personal enjoyment. The book hooks you right in the beginning. As you go through the story you are enthralled by a lot of what is going on, but you very much stay for the story, not anything deeper. The character work isn't great. Ashley, one of the "villains" (but not really), is out to get Mare and Jo just because she is the "mean girl". There is even a rip off of the Plastics from Mean Girls, except they are called the Pretty Committee. If I was reading this critically, as I usually do, major no-no points for all of this. The prose was mediocre. Sometimes dialogues cut off in weird places, but you get used to it and overlook it pretty fast. There is a weird teacher-student kinda-romance going on for half the book, which is very awkward because Mare tells the student that it is wrong and then the student turns on Mare. The pact kinda stops mattering for a third of the book at some point, but this is fine. The other areas of the novel are enjoyable as well.
I do think that a large part of this novel does a wonderful job of turning your attention to animal abuse and sexual/religious assault. I think that this was all done in a way that no one will get offended by reading the book.
All in all, The Anti-Virginity Pact will be a quick and fun read for many, if you look past some of the more troubling aspects.
June 14, 2020
this book had the potential to be a gritty, thought provoking and powerful story, but ultimately it felt diluted by the sheer amount of issues it attempted to cover, and an inconsistent tone.
what I liked
➽ the way religion was handled
This was initially the thing that made me want to read the book in the first place. I find discussions about religion really interesting largely due to its divisive nature. Religion tends to be a touchy subject, and I find that it is often neglected in young adult fiction, which is disappointing considering the valuable discussions that can come out it.
Our main character Mere is the daughter of a preacher and begins to feel stifled by the constant bible verses, restrictive teachings and inconsistent morals. I found this element really refreshing and was where the book came into its own and found its stride.
“I. Don’t. Believe. And I don’t want to. There’s nothing you can say that’ll change that. I’m not just having doubts. It’s not a phase, or me being rebellious. I don’t care what the Bible tells us because that book—and that’s really all it is, a book—has made me feel terrible about myself all my life. I can see that believing in it helps you and comforts you and is true for you, but it’s not true for me. I have the right to choose what I believe, and if you loved me half as much as you claim to, then you’d respect that.”
➽ the writing
I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the writing. While it wasn't necessarily the most beautiful prose I have ever read, it was polished and overall well done. I would definitely read more from this author in the future, as her writing- in particular for a debut- was very promising.
➽ the discussions on being introverted/quiet
this issue in particular felt really authentic and real. I found myself relating to quite a few lines throughout the book, and think it will definitely connect with the younger end of the YA audience.
“All my life, I’d been the quiet one. The one people teased about why I never talked, and when I did, they feigned shock that I had the capability to speak. I was the girl with a yearbook full of flippant have a good summer messages because no one had anything better to say. My shyness had always been a self-imposed cage that left me crippled to all that was high school."
what I didn't
➽ the plot
overall, I found the plot to be disjointed and jumpy. It felt like so many different elements were introduced that there was no consistent underlying storyline throughout the book. The main focus of the story went from the pact to the romance to the pact to sexual assault to religion to-inexplicably- dog fights. This meant the tone of the book was vastly different from chapter to chapter and became quite jarring.
➽ too many issues, too little time
similarly to the previous point, I felt like the myriad of issues that were introduced was excessive and as such became watered down. I appreciated their merit, and the importance of them being discussed in a young adult setting but there simply wasn't enough page time devoted for them to be meaningful or reach a resolution. If we just focused on a few of these issues I believe they could have been much more impactful. I fully trust that the author could do justice to these issues, especially considering how religion was handled. If that amount of care and time went into some of the other societal problems, I think the book would have been overall more poignant and cohesive.
➽ the characters
this isn't necessarily a dislike, but a less-like if that makes sense. There was nothing wrong with the characters per se, they just fell a little flat for me. Some of them just felt like caricatures with no personality apart from one or two defining characteristics. For example, I didn't love the way the 'mean girl' Ashley was done. I hate when characters are mean or evil just for the sake of it or when they make complete 180's without reason.
overall
I found this book to be well written and overall entertaining. This book held great potential, I just found it to be stretched too thin and overly ambitious with the amount of elements and issues it introduced. I would definitely read more by this author in the future, and I cannot wait to see how her writing develops.
Thank you to the author and netgalley for this ARC!
Release Date: 16 June 2020
what I liked
➽ the way religion was handled
This was initially the thing that made me want to read the book in the first place. I find discussions about religion really interesting largely due to its divisive nature. Religion tends to be a touchy subject, and I find that it is often neglected in young adult fiction, which is disappointing considering the valuable discussions that can come out it.
Our main character Mere is the daughter of a preacher and begins to feel stifled by the constant bible verses, restrictive teachings and inconsistent morals. I found this element really refreshing and was where the book came into its own and found its stride.
“I. Don’t. Believe. And I don’t want to. There’s nothing you can say that’ll change that. I’m not just having doubts. It’s not a phase, or me being rebellious. I don’t care what the Bible tells us because that book—and that’s really all it is, a book—has made me feel terrible about myself all my life. I can see that believing in it helps you and comforts you and is true for you, but it’s not true for me. I have the right to choose what I believe, and if you loved me half as much as you claim to, then you’d respect that.”
➽ the writing
I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the writing. While it wasn't necessarily the most beautiful prose I have ever read, it was polished and overall well done. I would definitely read more from this author in the future, as her writing- in particular for a debut- was very promising.
➽ the discussions on being introverted/quiet
this issue in particular felt really authentic and real. I found myself relating to quite a few lines throughout the book, and think it will definitely connect with the younger end of the YA audience.
“All my life, I’d been the quiet one. The one people teased about why I never talked, and when I did, they feigned shock that I had the capability to speak. I was the girl with a yearbook full of flippant have a good summer messages because no one had anything better to say. My shyness had always been a self-imposed cage that left me crippled to all that was high school."
what I didn't
➽ the plot
overall, I found the plot to be disjointed and jumpy. It felt like so many different elements were introduced that there was no consistent underlying storyline throughout the book. The main focus of the story went from the pact to the romance to the pact to sexual assault to religion to-inexplicably- dog fights. This meant the tone of the book was vastly different from chapter to chapter and became quite jarring.
➽ too many issues, too little time
similarly to the previous point, I felt like the myriad of issues that were introduced was excessive and as such became watered down. I appreciated their merit, and the importance of them being discussed in a young adult setting but there simply wasn't enough page time devoted for them to be meaningful or reach a resolution. If we just focused on a few of these issues I believe they could have been much more impactful. I fully trust that the author could do justice to these issues, especially considering how religion was handled. If that amount of care and time went into some of the other societal problems, I think the book would have been overall more poignant and cohesive.
➽ the characters
this isn't necessarily a dislike, but a less-like if that makes sense. There was nothing wrong with the characters per se, they just fell a little flat for me. Some of them just felt like caricatures with no personality apart from one or two defining characteristics. For example, I didn't love the way the 'mean girl' Ashley was done. I hate when characters are mean or evil just for the sake of it or when they make complete 180's without reason.
overall
I found this book to be well written and overall entertaining. This book held great potential, I just found it to be stretched too thin and overly ambitious with the amount of elements and issues it introduced. I would definitely read more by this author in the future, and I cannot wait to see how her writing develops.
Thank you to the author and netgalley for this ARC!
Release Date: 16 June 2020
June 16, 2020
Actual Rating: 1.5 Stars
Disclaimer: This book was sent to me via Netgalley for an honest review.
Opinion:
“For the record, I don’t normally have a predisposition for making bad decisions.”
Cause girl,
yeah you do.
The Anti-Virginity Pact is a YA Contemporary about two senior girls who make a pact to lose their virginity before the end of high school. As the closet-atheist daughter of a preacher, Meredith’s anxiety has always made her shy and kept her in the shadows. Wanting to finally gain experiences, she and her best friend sign a contract to lose their virginity. But when the pact gets leaked and the entire school sees that Mute Mare signed it, she is suddenly descended upon by every guy in school who wants a turn.
This had so much potential to be an emotional, gut-wrenching, femi-empowering YA about familial expectations and self-exploration. It could have showcased the overwhelming guilt and obligation we feel to please our parents, and how our own wants and desires can be obliterated in doing so. Or put a blinding spotlight on rape culture, bullying and the endless double standards that exist in our society. Or the crippling fear and physical ailments that come with extreme anxiety. The panic, shortness of breath, feelings of drowning or being buried alive. The sheer peril that one experiences.
It had all the potential in the world to be deep, beautiful, raw and authentic.
But instead of my heartstrings being yanked and my tear ducts overflowing, I felt…
not much of anything.
The Anti-Virginity Pact has a fairly slow start that continues until about halfway, where it switches gears drastically and becomes a book with zero direction. The first 55% actually wasn’t bad, even though the banter between Meredith and her best friend was a little eye-roll inducing, I was enjoying the slow buildup.
Meredith is a senior in high school and the daughter of a preacher. But for years, Mare had began rejecting the idea of religion and now considers herself an atheist, unbeknownst to her family. Due to growing up in a highly religious family and also having severe anxiety, Mare has always kept to herself – blending into the wallpaper and speaking to few people. So when her best friend Jo suggests a pact to lose their virginity by the end of high school, as a means to experience everything they missed out on (sex, parties, sports) she signs her name on the dotted line. And then the girls go about picking the lucky guys, and of course…
one of them HAS to be a teacher.
Honestly, this angle didn’t bother me that much, probably because of the countless YA Thrillers I’ve binged. But the execution of this trope was odd. It’s a lot of Jo swooning over their teacher and expressing plans on how to seduce him, Mare telling Jo it’s a horrible idea, and then Jo stomping her foot because Mare isn’t jumping for joy and celebrating her wanting to SEDUCE A TEACHER.
But honestly, this and Mare’s anxiety are about the most and only emotional follow-through in this entire book. Every time a BIG moment happened (because yeah, there’s a lot of them shoved in here) Mare and Jo just brush over it and move onto the next tragedy. Moments that would cause a person to break down in sobs, scream at the sky and start shattering things are let go with a “this is shitty“ or “this sucks”, and thrown away. And it’s not like they are being brave or strong and can just handle what’s being thrown at them.
It’s that all that happens in this story are “hot topic“ explosions.
One explosion detonates, and before it can be dealt with or dissected, three more explosions go off, making it a ticking time-bomb of craziness that keeps falling from the sky in the most unrealistic way possible.
In a Middle Grade book, the story is set up to have the “and then, and then, and then” format to keep the young reader’s attention. That is exactly how this book is formatted. It’s a series of dramatic and controversial topics smashed together, without proper time and care being spent on each tragedy. Religion, bullying, sexuality, rape, anxiety, animal abuse, religious camps. It’s all here. But instead of each issue adding to the story or making an impact on the reader, it made it inauthentic and ridiculous. As if any detailed description and emotional focus would deter the author from checking off the mention of these “hot topic” issues.
I just couldn’t handle how Mare could experience crippling anxiety, and it being described in such a relatable and clear way, but then not having any strong reaction to the BIG situations that happen at the party, with Sam or with her parents. Mare’s life literally implodes, and instead of there being even a SINGLE moment of her having a reaction to it, her character is more concerned with talking to Sam about ignoring his phone calls.
[image error]
Am I in 7th grade again?
But the WORST moment for me in this story, was the allude to a rape that…wasn’t a rape? Or…was it? I’m still not even sure. But the fact that I don’t even know, leaves such a bad taste in my mouth for how this was even done.
Firstly, it was ONE paragraph. And it wasn’t even a long paragraph. But I reread it about 15 times trying to figure out what actually happened, and honestly, I still have no idea. And with how the incident is then brought up, with Mare’s reaction to it being the same as if she was talking about what kind of sandwich she would like to have for lunch…well.
I just don’t even have words.
But just like every other moment of trauma in this story, the main character brushes it under the rug because I guess she’s just a robot.
Bottom line, don’t waste your time with this.
Disclaimer: This book was sent to me via Netgalley for an honest review.
Opinion:
“For the record, I don’t normally have a predisposition for making bad decisions.”
Cause girl,
yeah you do.
The Anti-Virginity Pact is a YA Contemporary about two senior girls who make a pact to lose their virginity before the end of high school. As the closet-atheist daughter of a preacher, Meredith’s anxiety has always made her shy and kept her in the shadows. Wanting to finally gain experiences, she and her best friend sign a contract to lose their virginity. But when the pact gets leaked and the entire school sees that Mute Mare signed it, she is suddenly descended upon by every guy in school who wants a turn.
This had so much potential to be an emotional, gut-wrenching, femi-empowering YA about familial expectations and self-exploration. It could have showcased the overwhelming guilt and obligation we feel to please our parents, and how our own wants and desires can be obliterated in doing so. Or put a blinding spotlight on rape culture, bullying and the endless double standards that exist in our society. Or the crippling fear and physical ailments that come with extreme anxiety. The panic, shortness of breath, feelings of drowning or being buried alive. The sheer peril that one experiences.
It had all the potential in the world to be deep, beautiful, raw and authentic.
But instead of my heartstrings being yanked and my tear ducts overflowing, I felt…
not much of anything.
The Anti-Virginity Pact has a fairly slow start that continues until about halfway, where it switches gears drastically and becomes a book with zero direction. The first 55% actually wasn’t bad, even though the banter between Meredith and her best friend was a little eye-roll inducing, I was enjoying the slow buildup.
Meredith is a senior in high school and the daughter of a preacher. But for years, Mare had began rejecting the idea of religion and now considers herself an atheist, unbeknownst to her family. Due to growing up in a highly religious family and also having severe anxiety, Mare has always kept to herself – blending into the wallpaper and speaking to few people. So when her best friend Jo suggests a pact to lose their virginity by the end of high school, as a means to experience everything they missed out on (sex, parties, sports) she signs her name on the dotted line. And then the girls go about picking the lucky guys, and of course…
one of them HAS to be a teacher.
Honestly, this angle didn’t bother me that much, probably because of the countless YA Thrillers I’ve binged. But the execution of this trope was odd. It’s a lot of Jo swooning over their teacher and expressing plans on how to seduce him, Mare telling Jo it’s a horrible idea, and then Jo stomping her foot because Mare isn’t jumping for joy and celebrating her wanting to SEDUCE A TEACHER.
But honestly, this and Mare’s anxiety are about the most and only emotional follow-through in this entire book. Every time a BIG moment happened (because yeah, there’s a lot of them shoved in here) Mare and Jo just brush over it and move onto the next tragedy. Moments that would cause a person to break down in sobs, scream at the sky and start shattering things are let go with a “this is shitty“ or “this sucks”, and thrown away. And it’s not like they are being brave or strong and can just handle what’s being thrown at them.
It’s that all that happens in this story are “hot topic“ explosions.
One explosion detonates, and before it can be dealt with or dissected, three more explosions go off, making it a ticking time-bomb of craziness that keeps falling from the sky in the most unrealistic way possible.
In a Middle Grade book, the story is set up to have the “and then, and then, and then” format to keep the young reader’s attention. That is exactly how this book is formatted. It’s a series of dramatic and controversial topics smashed together, without proper time and care being spent on each tragedy. Religion, bullying, sexuality, rape, anxiety, animal abuse, religious camps. It’s all here. But instead of each issue adding to the story or making an impact on the reader, it made it inauthentic and ridiculous. As if any detailed description and emotional focus would deter the author from checking off the mention of these “hot topic” issues.
I just couldn’t handle how Mare could experience crippling anxiety, and it being described in such a relatable and clear way, but then not having any strong reaction to the BIG situations that happen at the party, with Sam or with her parents. Mare’s life literally implodes, and instead of there being even a SINGLE moment of her having a reaction to it, her character is more concerned with talking to Sam about ignoring his phone calls.
[image error]
Am I in 7th grade again?
But the WORST moment for me in this story, was the allude to a rape that…wasn’t a rape? Or…was it? I’m still not even sure. But the fact that I don’t even know, leaves such a bad taste in my mouth for how this was even done.
Firstly, it was ONE paragraph. And it wasn’t even a long paragraph. But I reread it about 15 times trying to figure out what actually happened, and honestly, I still have no idea. And with how the incident is then brought up, with Mare’s reaction to it being the same as if she was talking about what kind of sandwich she would like to have for lunch…well.
I just don’t even have words.
But just like every other moment of trauma in this story, the main character brushes it under the rug because I guess she’s just a robot.
Bottom line, don’t waste your time with this.
May 16, 2020
4 STARS ★★★★✩
⤐ DISCLAIMER. If you’re religious and struggle with the criticism towards it, this book and review might not be for you until you're able to be more open-minded. I know people who are religious without all of what comes below (at least to my personal experience with them) so, yeah, not all Christians. This book is a chance for those suffering from religious fanaticism and religious individuals who would like to fight it – BUT you have to be willing to face the nasty of that community.
⤐ Overall.
Despite the average rating of this book I read the synopsis and instantly knew I wanted to read it. The Anti-Virginity Pact brings forth a topic that religious communities love to keep under wraps and underestimate grossly: religious – in this case Christian – fanaticism. You can mean well with your love to your God up until the point you litter your social surrounding in Bible verses, force your ‘loved’ ones to attend service regularity and make them feel miserable about themselves because of the way you express and live your religious viewpoints so their only solution is to smother their identities to not rub against your spikes.
Katie manages to spin a well-written and important story about a teenage girl that struggles not only to live her identity as an atheist in a Christian family but is also a social outcast in her high school. She’s known as Mute Mare because she’s learned early on in Bible studies that expressing her own viewpoints can get her into trouble quite quickly.
That being said, I like how the The Anti-Virginity Pact deals with Jo and Mare’s attempt to finally making 'the best' of their high school experience. This story has so many ups and downs and I felt every single one of them in my heart.
The great message in this book was hurt by the rushed ending. There were too many things happening at once . It’s the dominant topic that gives this book it’s special something. As a YA alone, some of the YA characters seem a bit exaggerated, especially towards the end, the stereotypical mean girl changes course too abruptly. Together with the rushed ending, in particular, it left me a bit unsatisfied in the suspense department. That virginity is a construct didn't come up at all, which I found weird since the myth is in great part perpetuated by religion.
This book is a chance for those suffering from religious fanaticism and religious individuals who would like to fight it – BUT you have to be willing to face the nasty of that community.
⤐ What’s happening.
Imagine even having to have this conversation with your own parents. Imagine this being your greatest fear. Imagine your parents’ belief causing you so much misery you smother your own identity into silence. Now decorate this with an (un)healthy portion of social awkwardness. Needless to say, your teenager self wants to make up for it – or your best friend actually does and because you only have that one and there’s actually some truth in said dilemma, you decide to go along with the pact. Because, in truth, you would love to feel emotionally and physically close to a boy, one boy in particular, but you’ve never found the guts to do so before.
_____________________
writing quality + easy of reading = 4*
pace = 3*
plot/story in general = 4*
plot development = 3.5*
characters = 4*
enjoyability = 4*
insightfulness = 5*
_____________________
Many thanks to the author Katie Wismer, Xpresso Book Tours and NetGalley for providing me with an eArc in exchange for an honest review.
This book is for you … especially if you’re struggling in a social surrounding that is so religious their belief and behaviour in relation to it makes you miserable. Those who would like to experience a hushed part of religious practice will also enjoy this book. TW: Christian fanaticism, bullying, sexual assault, violence.
⤐ DISCLAIMER. If you’re religious and struggle with the criticism towards it, this book and review might not be for you until you're able to be more open-minded. I know people who are religious without all of what comes below (at least to my personal experience with them) so, yeah, not all Christians. This book is a chance for those suffering from religious fanaticism and religious individuals who would like to fight it – BUT you have to be willing to face the nasty of that community.
⤐ Overall.
Despite the average rating of this book I read the synopsis and instantly knew I wanted to read it. The Anti-Virginity Pact brings forth a topic that religious communities love to keep under wraps and underestimate grossly: religious – in this case Christian – fanaticism. You can mean well with your love to your God up until the point you litter your social surrounding in Bible verses, force your ‘loved’ ones to attend service regularity and make them feel miserable about themselves because of the way you express and live your religious viewpoints so their only solution is to smother their identities to not rub against your spikes.
Katie manages to spin a well-written and important story about a teenage girl that struggles not only to live her identity as an atheist in a Christian family but is also a social outcast in her high school. She’s known as Mute Mare because she’s learned early on in Bible studies that expressing her own viewpoints can get her into trouble quite quickly.
That being said, I like how the The Anti-Virginity Pact deals with Jo and Mare’s attempt to finally making 'the best' of their high school experience. This story has so many ups and downs and I felt every single one of them in my heart.
The great message in this book was hurt by the rushed ending. There were too many things happening at once . It’s the dominant topic that gives this book it’s special something. As a YA alone, some of the YA characters seem a bit exaggerated, especially towards the end, the stereotypical mean girl changes course too abruptly. Together with the rushed ending, in particular, it left me a bit unsatisfied in the suspense department. That virginity is a construct didn't come up at all, which I found weird since the myth is in great part perpetuated by religion.
This book is a chance for those suffering from religious fanaticism and religious individuals who would like to fight it – BUT you have to be willing to face the nasty of that community.
⤐ What’s happening.
‘I don’t care what the Bible tells us because that book – and that’s really all it is, a book – has made me feel terrible about myself all my life. I can see that believing in it helps you and comforts you and is true for you, but it’s not true for me. I have the right to choose what I believe, and if you loved me half as much as you claim to, then you’d respect that.’
Imagine even having to have this conversation with your own parents. Imagine this being your greatest fear. Imagine your parents’ belief causing you so much misery you smother your own identity into silence. Now decorate this with an (un)healthy portion of social awkwardness. Needless to say, your teenager self wants to make up for it – or your best friend actually does and because you only have that one and there’s actually some truth in said dilemma, you decide to go along with the pact. Because, in truth, you would love to feel emotionally and physically close to a boy, one boy in particular, but you’ve never found the guts to do so before.
_____________________
writing quality + easy of reading = 4*
pace = 3*
plot/story in general = 4*
plot development = 3.5*
characters = 4*
enjoyability = 4*
insightfulness = 5*
_____________________
Many thanks to the author Katie Wismer, Xpresso Book Tours and NetGalley for providing me with an eArc in exchange for an honest review.
April 9, 2020
*I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
**There may be some spoilers.
I absolutely love Katie's Youtube channel. She is so dedicated to all of her projects and often inspires me to work harder. When she announced The Anti-Virginity Pact, I couldn't wait. I was even more excited when I was chosen for an ARC. All of those things are what makes this review so hard to write...
I did not like this book at all. I expected a gritty, YA drama but that just isn't what this is. If I had to choose one word to describe the entire thing, it would be bland. There was truly nothing I enjoyed. The main character, Meredith, is 18 years old but thinks and acts like a 15 year old, at max. Meredith makes one stupid decision after another. It would be one thing if she was supposed to be a stupid person but she's not. It was obvious that the decisions she made were to create drama in the story but those decisions just didn't fit with an 18 year old who's smart enough to go to college to be a vet.
However, Meredith's best friend, Johanna, was truly the worst. I'm not sure if it would be considered a trope but I am so sick of, in YA, there being two female friends and one of them having to be the feisty/wild one while the other is quiet/responsible. Johanna is our wild and reckless one in this story. To put it mildly, she's cringy. She's the kind of person that gets on my nerves in real life AND in books.
Meredith also has a ridiculous pair of parents and annoying younger sister. Her sister, Harper, is supposed to be around 15 but again, acts very immature. The parents are religious zealots. Religion plays a big part in this book and that's fine. It's totally normal for people to question and even change their religious beliefs. However, I've been a Christian my whole life. I live in Alabama, the belt buckle of the Bible belt. I have NEVER, not even once, seen Christians act like the ones in this book. The dad literally loses his mind because his daughter has to take a health class... They try to kidnap Meredith and ship her off to a Christian reform camp... That's not how this works. That's not how any of this works. It was so over the top to the point that it wasn't believable or even enjoyable as just pure drama.
Speaking of drama, there was none. Sure, there were moments like what I mentioned above and there was a weird, random dog fighting ring plot point that was just tossed in but actual, interesting drama was nowhere to be found. With a name like The Anti-Virginity Pact, I excepted some sex or sexual tension but there wasn't any of that. Meredith's relationship with her kind of boyfriend, Sam, was as spicy as water. There was, however, a lot of bullying that made no sense. Meredith is so anxious and shy that she can barely string two sentences together but for some reason the whole school hates her. There's even a scene where some of the kids throw ketchup packets at her windshield until it "looks like a crime scene." Think about how many ketchup packets you would have to throw and the force with which you'd have to throw them to cover a windshield... but yet, this is supposed to have happened in a matter of minutes. That's the level of drama in this book, simply childish.
As I stated above, I really enjoy Katie's channel. This is NOT a review of her. I wish her all the best and I'm sure others out there will enjoy this book. The 14-16 age range would probably get the most out of it.
For other reviews, go to https://thebookandbeautyblog.com/
**There may be some spoilers.
I absolutely love Katie's Youtube channel. She is so dedicated to all of her projects and often inspires me to work harder. When she announced The Anti-Virginity Pact, I couldn't wait. I was even more excited when I was chosen for an ARC. All of those things are what makes this review so hard to write...
I did not like this book at all. I expected a gritty, YA drama but that just isn't what this is. If I had to choose one word to describe the entire thing, it would be bland. There was truly nothing I enjoyed. The main character, Meredith, is 18 years old but thinks and acts like a 15 year old, at max. Meredith makes one stupid decision after another. It would be one thing if she was supposed to be a stupid person but she's not. It was obvious that the decisions she made were to create drama in the story but those decisions just didn't fit with an 18 year old who's smart enough to go to college to be a vet.
However, Meredith's best friend, Johanna, was truly the worst. I'm not sure if it would be considered a trope but I am so sick of, in YA, there being two female friends and one of them having to be the feisty/wild one while the other is quiet/responsible. Johanna is our wild and reckless one in this story. To put it mildly, she's cringy. She's the kind of person that gets on my nerves in real life AND in books.
Meredith also has a ridiculous pair of parents and annoying younger sister. Her sister, Harper, is supposed to be around 15 but again, acts very immature. The parents are religious zealots. Religion plays a big part in this book and that's fine. It's totally normal for people to question and even change their religious beliefs. However, I've been a Christian my whole life. I live in Alabama, the belt buckle of the Bible belt. I have NEVER, not even once, seen Christians act like the ones in this book. The dad literally loses his mind because his daughter has to take a health class... They try to kidnap Meredith and ship her off to a Christian reform camp... That's not how this works. That's not how any of this works. It was so over the top to the point that it wasn't believable or even enjoyable as just pure drama.
Speaking of drama, there was none. Sure, there were moments like what I mentioned above and there was a weird, random dog fighting ring plot point that was just tossed in but actual, interesting drama was nowhere to be found. With a name like The Anti-Virginity Pact, I excepted some sex or sexual tension but there wasn't any of that. Meredith's relationship with her kind of boyfriend, Sam, was as spicy as water. There was, however, a lot of bullying that made no sense. Meredith is so anxious and shy that she can barely string two sentences together but for some reason the whole school hates her. There's even a scene where some of the kids throw ketchup packets at her windshield until it "looks like a crime scene." Think about how many ketchup packets you would have to throw and the force with which you'd have to throw them to cover a windshield... but yet, this is supposed to have happened in a matter of minutes. That's the level of drama in this book, simply childish.
As I stated above, I really enjoy Katie's channel. This is NOT a review of her. I wish her all the best and I'm sure others out there will enjoy this book. The 14-16 age range would probably get the most out of it.
For other reviews, go to https://thebookandbeautyblog.com/
May 15, 2020
Okay I have many thoughts.
Okay I want to first start by saying that I don’t want anyone to think that I didn’t enjoy this book. I did. I inhale read it in less than 24 hours and overall did enjoy my time. Let's start with some of the things I did like about the book. First of all, the writing is great. I constantly wanted to keep reading and I was engaged throughout the entire story. I will definitely be reading the next book this author puts out because it was very entertaining. That being said, I just think there are a lot of things that this book needed to tighten up a bit in terms of plot and pacing.
All that being said, this book is wayyy overdramatic in both the plot and the writing style. In terms of the plot it kind of reads like a teen high school movie, you know the ones where everyone has awful or absent parents, people do things like throw food on each other, and popular kids rule the school. Also, the writing style itself is also really melodramatic. For example, there is a MINOR detail at the beginning of the book where the main character says that she needs to park in the second row of parking spots because the first row is for popular kids and if she were to park there someone would key her car. Now, this is a bit much if you ask me. Keying a car is vandalism. Vandalism is a crime. If this is an actual threat at this school, then this town has some major problems and it didn't really seem like a crime-ridden neighborhood. At this point in the story the main character is the quiet girl who no one has an issue with, so it is surprising to me that she actually fears getting targeted and having her car keyed. So next I thought that she was being hyperbolic, but it didn’t feel super genuine to have her tell this so dramatically, because then I'm not sure when to trust her. Again, this is like one of the smallest details in the book and I’m not sure why this one, in particular, bothered me so much, but this is just one instance where the writing is super melodramatic, and it carries over into much bigger aspects of the story.
My other critique of this book is that I think it tries to handle way too many things. It covers teacher-student relationships, bullying, harassment, sexual assault, animal abuse, religion, slut-shaming, anxiety, LGBT related bullying, religious reform schools, and many other heavy topics. These are all important issues, don’t get me wrong, and I’m happy that there are people out there shining a light on these issues, however, I wish she had taken a few of them out and delved way deeper into each one. Like for example, it is mentioned at the beginning of the book that the main character is on mediation for anxiety, but that was about the extent to which it was talked about. There is no mention of therapy or her journey with her mental health that would make me believe that this is something that she deals with daily. I feel like this could have packed a bigger punch had it been more prevalent thematically throughout the story.
Finally, the events of the synopsis happen about 50% of the way through the book, which left the pacing a little clunky. That's not to say that I didn’t enjoy the beginning of the book, but it left me wondering how much more they could have dove into those issues had they happened earlier.
I feel like the experience reading this book is kinda like watching a TV show like Pretty Little Liars or Riverdale. There is a lot to critique about those shows, but there is a reason that so many people watch. Those shows are so overdramatic and have quite a few eye-roll moments, but did I watch and eat up every second? Yes. I rate my books mostly out of enjoyment, which is why this got 3 stars from me. It was definitely enjoyable, but this was just a wilddddd ride.
ARC provided by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Okay I want to first start by saying that I don’t want anyone to think that I didn’t enjoy this book. I did. I inhale read it in less than 24 hours and overall did enjoy my time. Let's start with some of the things I did like about the book. First of all, the writing is great. I constantly wanted to keep reading and I was engaged throughout the entire story. I will definitely be reading the next book this author puts out because it was very entertaining. That being said, I just think there are a lot of things that this book needed to tighten up a bit in terms of plot and pacing.
All that being said, this book is wayyy overdramatic in both the plot and the writing style. In terms of the plot it kind of reads like a teen high school movie, you know the ones where everyone has awful or absent parents, people do things like throw food on each other, and popular kids rule the school. Also, the writing style itself is also really melodramatic. For example, there is a MINOR detail at the beginning of the book where the main character says that she needs to park in the second row of parking spots because the first row is for popular kids and if she were to park there someone would key her car. Now, this is a bit much if you ask me. Keying a car is vandalism. Vandalism is a crime. If this is an actual threat at this school, then this town has some major problems and it didn't really seem like a crime-ridden neighborhood. At this point in the story the main character is the quiet girl who no one has an issue with, so it is surprising to me that she actually fears getting targeted and having her car keyed. So next I thought that she was being hyperbolic, but it didn’t feel super genuine to have her tell this so dramatically, because then I'm not sure when to trust her. Again, this is like one of the smallest details in the book and I’m not sure why this one, in particular, bothered me so much, but this is just one instance where the writing is super melodramatic, and it carries over into much bigger aspects of the story.
My other critique of this book is that I think it tries to handle way too many things. It covers teacher-student relationships, bullying, harassment, sexual assault, animal abuse, religion, slut-shaming, anxiety, LGBT related bullying, religious reform schools, and many other heavy topics. These are all important issues, don’t get me wrong, and I’m happy that there are people out there shining a light on these issues, however, I wish she had taken a few of them out and delved way deeper into each one. Like for example, it is mentioned at the beginning of the book that the main character is on mediation for anxiety, but that was about the extent to which it was talked about. There is no mention of therapy or her journey with her mental health that would make me believe that this is something that she deals with daily. I feel like this could have packed a bigger punch had it been more prevalent thematically throughout the story.
Finally, the events of the synopsis happen about 50% of the way through the book, which left the pacing a little clunky. That's not to say that I didn’t enjoy the beginning of the book, but it left me wondering how much more they could have dove into those issues had they happened earlier.
I feel like the experience reading this book is kinda like watching a TV show like Pretty Little Liars or Riverdale. There is a lot to critique about those shows, but there is a reason that so many people watch. Those shows are so overdramatic and have quite a few eye-roll moments, but did I watch and eat up every second? Yes. I rate my books mostly out of enjoyment, which is why this got 3 stars from me. It was definitely enjoyable, but this was just a wilddddd ride.
ARC provided by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
May 2, 2020
My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This debut author has a bright future ahead of her. The writing is snappy, youthful and real.
I was expecting light and frothy. Wrong.
Religious fervour - or, in this case, fanaticsm - takes the spotlight in this story. Some parents are willing to beat the fear (if they can't put the love) of God into their wayward, sinning children. Christian Camps, organized d0g fighting and teen slut-shaming are some of the many themes running through this story.
This author is going for authenticity, so waive goodbye to any standard HEA. In the movies, comedies never win Oscars. Serious authors, likewise, have a great contempt for any form of a happy ending. Sometimes, we have to settle for hopeful. So, although you may have THOUGHT this was a young adult high school romance trope filled novel, you did get some standard tropes, but with a twist on it.
The clever dialogue was not always natural. The scene where Meredith tells her parents off after they try to abduct her was a bit out of character for a shy girl "who never talks". Also, the parents were hell-bent on sending her to Christian Camp, but the next day they are all remorseful - just because a cop slaps them on the wrists? The sudden transition and capitulation was not working for me.
But this is a debut novel written by someone fresh out of college. She will learn soon enough that people rarely let go of their fanatical beliefs after one stern "talking to". I look forward to this author's future novels. I'm giving this a 3.8 out of 5.
This debut author has a bright future ahead of her. The writing is snappy, youthful and real.
I was expecting light and frothy. Wrong.
Religious fervour - or, in this case, fanaticsm - takes the spotlight in this story. Some parents are willing to beat the fear (if they can't put the love) of God into their wayward, sinning children. Christian Camps, organized d0g fighting and teen slut-shaming are some of the many themes running through this story.
This author is going for authenticity, so waive goodbye to any standard HEA. In the movies, comedies never win Oscars. Serious authors, likewise, have a great contempt for any form of a happy ending. Sometimes, we have to settle for hopeful. So, although you may have THOUGHT this was a young adult high school romance trope filled novel, you did get some standard tropes, but with a twist on it.
The clever dialogue was not always natural. The scene where Meredith tells her parents off after they try to abduct her was a bit out of character for a shy girl "who never talks". Also, the parents were hell-bent on sending her to Christian Camp, but the next day they are all remorseful - just because a cop slaps them on the wrists? The sudden transition and capitulation was not working for me.
But this is a debut novel written by someone fresh out of college. She will learn soon enough that people rarely let go of their fanatical beliefs after one stern "talking to". I look forward to this author's future novels. I'm giving this a 3.8 out of 5.
June 18, 2020
3.5 stars
This is a book that will no doubt be controversial due to the array of topics that are included in the story. There were moments when I was reading that I thought that there may be a little TOO much controversial topics for one novel but I understand how it was all integrated and the novel was done well. I will say that it's a very unique and different story--one that definitely has not been written before.
I don't even know the genre in which this novel would be categorized. At first, I thought I was going to be reading a suspense/thriller, then I thought it was going to be a contemporary. Turns out it wasn't really any of the above.
I really enjoyed this author's writing style and look forward to reading more novels written by her in the future.
***Thank you to the author for supplying me with an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***
This is a book that will no doubt be controversial due to the array of topics that are included in the story. There were moments when I was reading that I thought that there may be a little TOO much controversial topics for one novel but I understand how it was all integrated and the novel was done well. I will say that it's a very unique and different story--one that definitely has not been written before.
I don't even know the genre in which this novel would be categorized. At first, I thought I was going to be reading a suspense/thriller, then I thought it was going to be a contemporary. Turns out it wasn't really any of the above.
I really enjoyed this author's writing style and look forward to reading more novels written by her in the future.
***Thank you to the author for supplying me with an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***
April 12, 2020
I read this ARC via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own!
Before I even say anything about this book, I must first make it abundantly clear how much I respect and admire its author. Katie's YouTube channel is one of my favorites, and when she announced that she had written a novel I immediately went to NetGalley and requested an ARC. You can only imagine how excited I was to get approved for one, and how disappointed I was in the fact that I really did not enjoy this book as I thought and hoped I would. While I dislike this book, I wish nothing but the best for its author. Although it is really hard for me to do so, I am going to be honest in this review and hope that my separation of the author and her work is apparent. This review might be a little mean, but it's honest, and at the end of the day that's all that really matters. Please don’t let my review stop you from reading this book and forming your own opinions!
18-year-old Meredith Beaumont has had a quiet and unremarkable four years in high school. In order to salvage her senior year and make some good memories (or something like that), she is forced by her best friend Johanna into signing an "Anti-Virginity Pact", promising that she will be deflowered before graduation. This isn't typical Preacher's Daughter behavior, but Meredith thinks the Bible is a load of crap anyways. Basically, the pact gets leaked and things don't go so great for good ol' Mare- both at school and at home.
there may be some slight spoilers ahead
Here's the thing- the synopsis of this book really misled me. I was thinking this would be dark and gritty, but it honestly was neither of those things. This book had a definite lack of any sort of angst. There was no real discussion about anything as it really felt like a one-sided narrative on how religion is just the worst. There is a definite lack of any sort of depth because no new ideas were really explored. There was no discovery made on behalf of any of the characters that really made any sort of impact.
The characters in this novel were not my favorite. We have Meredith- our MC who is too pretentious for my liking. Meredith also has a sister whose character is quite inconsistent and immature as well. Meredith's parents are Jesus Freaks who flip out over a penis in a Health book. Meredith's kinda boyfriend is very forgettable. She also has a "best friend" named Johanna who is the absolute worst. She is a very selfish and annoying person, in my opinion. I don’t want to possibly spoil anything, so I won’t give examples.
The plot of this book was also just not to my liking. It is about halfway through the book when the pact becomes public information, and there's a lot of dragging along until that point. The pact is distributed by a mean girl making copies of it and then taping them around school. The rampant bullying that ensues is quite unrealistic. We have posterboards with "slut" painted across them being put on Meredith's car, we have written notes calling her a "disgusting whore", and even a full-scale kidnapping where Meredith is dumped in the middle of nowhere.
As a high school student, this is just... not how this works. I'm not about to say that bullying doesn't happen, but this is just too much. Nobody cares that much about other people in high school. Authors and TV Show writers certainly have not figured it out yet, but kids really aren't as ruthless as they used to be. Yeah, they can be bitches, but this level of public humiliation is honestly kind of unfathomable.
Another huge part of the story was Meredith's religious beliefs- or lack thereof. It is 100% understandable to question the beliefs of your parents. It is 100% understandable to disagree with the beliefs of your parents. It is 100% okay to be an atheist! You do you!
But in the context of this book, the message that is meant to be conveyed is just ignorant. It's unfair to represent a real religion with only the worst side of it. These parents that have been created for this story are like Westboro Baptist Church level evil. If you want your book to have a meaningful discussion on religion and what it does then you need to have both sides of the spectrum. The people in this book serve only one purpose, and that is to prove Meredith's point about how religion is bad. She says,
Yes, religion can give people excuses to be assholes, but this is true of so many things. If this book is meant to offer a meaningful discussion, then there needs to be some sort of growth and understanding between both sides of this spectrum. It's fine for Meredith to not believe in God because that's her choice, but it's also problematic and ignorant for her to not even attempt to acknowledge that not all religious people are psychos like her parents. She also says,
Well, yes, people are going to believe that because that's what they believe! If Meredith was asked what the "right" thing to believe was, she would say it was that there is no God. If she asked her parents, they would say that there is. What is the difference between those two? The "right" answer is different for each person. Obviously your religious parents aren't going to agree with you on the existence of God. This is where her pretentiousness comes into play with her thinking that she is so morally and intellectually above it all
Because Meredith never grew or learned to understand anything about being Christian, how could this ever successfully comment on religion at all? It's just a one-sided rant about why Christianity sucks. If I wanted that, then I would have looked on Reddit.
Once again, my dislike of this book does not extend to the author. While this review certainly isn't the nicest one I have ever written, it is honest, and I care about that more than anything. I truly do wish Katie the best in her future and whatever she decides to write next. Hopefully in the future I can enjoy her works more, but I obviously can't say that I enjoyed this one.
---------------------------------------
Just got approved on NetGalley!! I’m so excited! :D
Before I even say anything about this book, I must first make it abundantly clear how much I respect and admire its author. Katie's YouTube channel is one of my favorites, and when she announced that she had written a novel I immediately went to NetGalley and requested an ARC. You can only imagine how excited I was to get approved for one, and how disappointed I was in the fact that I really did not enjoy this book as I thought and hoped I would. While I dislike this book, I wish nothing but the best for its author. Although it is really hard for me to do so, I am going to be honest in this review and hope that my separation of the author and her work is apparent. This review might be a little mean, but it's honest, and at the end of the day that's all that really matters. Please don’t let my review stop you from reading this book and forming your own opinions!
18-year-old Meredith Beaumont has had a quiet and unremarkable four years in high school. In order to salvage her senior year and make some good memories (or something like that), she is forced by her best friend Johanna into signing an "Anti-Virginity Pact", promising that she will be deflowered before graduation. This isn't typical Preacher's Daughter behavior, but Meredith thinks the Bible is a load of crap anyways. Basically, the pact gets leaked and things don't go so great for good ol' Mare- both at school and at home.
there may be some slight spoilers ahead
Here's the thing- the synopsis of this book really misled me. I was thinking this would be dark and gritty, but it honestly was neither of those things. This book had a definite lack of any sort of angst. There was no real discussion about anything as it really felt like a one-sided narrative on how religion is just the worst. There is a definite lack of any sort of depth because no new ideas were really explored. There was no discovery made on behalf of any of the characters that really made any sort of impact.
The characters in this novel were not my favorite. We have Meredith- our MC who is too pretentious for my liking. Meredith also has a sister whose character is quite inconsistent and immature as well. Meredith's parents are Jesus Freaks who flip out over a penis in a Health book. Meredith's kinda boyfriend is very forgettable. She also has a "best friend" named Johanna who is the absolute worst. She is a very selfish and annoying person, in my opinion. I don’t want to possibly spoil anything, so I won’t give examples.
The plot of this book was also just not to my liking. It is about halfway through the book when the pact becomes public information, and there's a lot of dragging along until that point. The pact is distributed by a mean girl making copies of it and then taping them around school. The rampant bullying that ensues is quite unrealistic. We have posterboards with "slut" painted across them being put on Meredith's car, we have written notes calling her a "disgusting whore", and even a full-scale kidnapping where Meredith is dumped in the middle of nowhere.
As a high school student, this is just... not how this works. I'm not about to say that bullying doesn't happen, but this is just too much. Nobody cares that much about other people in high school. Authors and TV Show writers certainly have not figured it out yet, but kids really aren't as ruthless as they used to be. Yeah, they can be bitches, but this level of public humiliation is honestly kind of unfathomable.
Another huge part of the story was Meredith's religious beliefs- or lack thereof. It is 100% understandable to question the beliefs of your parents. It is 100% understandable to disagree with the beliefs of your parents. It is 100% okay to be an atheist! You do you!
But in the context of this book, the message that is meant to be conveyed is just ignorant. It's unfair to represent a real religion with only the worst side of it. These parents that have been created for this story are like Westboro Baptist Church level evil. If you want your book to have a meaningful discussion on religion and what it does then you need to have both sides of the spectrum. The people in this book serve only one purpose, and that is to prove Meredith's point about how religion is bad. She says,
"'I've started to see religion in the context of the outside world, I just have more and more contempt for it. I hate how narrow-minded it can make people. How it breeds judgement and hatred and superiority complexes.'"
Yes, religion can give people excuses to be assholes, but this is true of so many things. If this book is meant to offer a meaningful discussion, then there needs to be some sort of growth and understanding between both sides of this spectrum. It's fine for Meredith to not believe in God because that's her choice, but it's also problematic and ignorant for her to not even attempt to acknowledge that not all religious people are psychos like her parents. She also says,
"'All my life, everyone had acted like what they believe is the only right thing to believe.'"
Well, yes, people are going to believe that because that's what they believe! If Meredith was asked what the "right" thing to believe was, she would say it was that there is no God. If she asked her parents, they would say that there is. What is the difference between those two? The "right" answer is different for each person. Obviously your religious parents aren't going to agree with you on the existence of God. This is where her pretentiousness comes into play with her thinking that she is so morally and intellectually above it all
Because Meredith never grew or learned to understand anything about being Christian, how could this ever successfully comment on religion at all? It's just a one-sided rant about why Christianity sucks. If I wanted that, then I would have looked on Reddit.
Once again, my dislike of this book does not extend to the author. While this review certainly isn't the nicest one I have ever written, it is honest, and I care about that more than anything. I truly do wish Katie the best in her future and whatever she decides to write next. Hopefully in the future I can enjoy her works more, but I obviously can't say that I enjoyed this one.
---------------------------------------
Just got approved on NetGalley!! I’m so excited! :D
April 20, 2020
I received an advance readers copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Disclaimer: I have no hate or negative feelings towards this author. I requested the ARC from NetGalley to support the author. I watch her YouTube channel and love her vlogs.
This book follows 18-year-old Meredith Beaumont. She's the daughter of a preacher in a super religious family while struggling with her own beliefs with God. With a push from her best friend, Johanna, they make a pact to lose their virginities before they graduate and head off to college. Things start to look up when Meredith starts dating Sam and coming out of her shell, but when the pact gets out Meredith is no longer invisible. Words are whispered behind her back and guys are offering to complete her pact.
Starting with Meredith as the main character. We are in her head the whole book but for being 'invisible' people really like to bully her. Everything she does goes against someone who has crippling anxiety and has to take medicine to help with it. I didn't really connect with Meredith.
Johana. She is Meredith's best friend. She is supposed to be the complete opposite of Meredith. She has no filter just blurting everything that comes to mind. She decides that she's going to lose her v-card to a TEACHER. Meredith warns her that it's a bad idea (because it is) and what does Johana do? She ignores her. For a whole day. Then who has to apologize? Meredith. For not supporting her friend in her dumb decision (which is stupid). Then (because everyone saw it coming) it didn't end well because he's a TEACHER.
Sam. Poor ol' Sam. He gets dragged into this whole Meredith thing because she decides (with a couple of swift pushes) that he is who she is going to lose her v-card too. Sam just likes Meredith. He likes that she's easy to talk to and understands his dreams (unlike his father). You find out that he's father is a drunk and they fight over Sam's decision to pursue writing and journalism in college. But that's it. He doesn't get any kind of wrap up for his story. He finds out about that pact and then breaks it off with Meredith and then that's the end of Sam
Ashley. She's just a big old bitch. She gets somewhat of a redemption arc and a wrap up to her story instead of Sam. I didn't think she deserved it. She kidnapped Meredith and left her for dead because her boyfriend was trying to find other means of getting laid since she wasn't ready to lose her v-card to him. JUST BREAK UP WITH HIM
Moving on to the plot. I feel like there were a lot of things that were put out there and they just hung out there. This could've been a great message about religion and families with blind belief but it wasn't that. The whole book just made everything about religion seem evil. I didn't like that. Meredith tells her parents in the end that she believes in science and not God. So their response is to try and send her off to a boot camp of religion. Black vans show up with FBI like guys trying to haul her away. Far more dramatic than anything that would really happen. (then after making a whole thing about it, calling the police, making they sign something saying they won't try something like that again. Meredith MOVES BACK HOME. um, wat)
There's also a part where her dad sees a penis in her sister's textbook for Health. He decides to band together with other parents at their church to try and remove that from being taught in the class. No. Just have them be removed from school. That was also never wrapped up. You don't find out what happened with that.
Now let's talk about dogfighting. I don't think this plotline was needed at all. The author talks about trigger warnings for this book and animal abuse is one of them. This plotline could be removed from that book and pretty much nothing would be affected by it. Sam just wouldn't have had a reason to come back and talk to Meredith about the pact. I think this was just a way to make the fact that Meredith volunteers at an animal shelter more than just that. She volunteers at an animal shelter. (also, there are moments in the book where she refers to it as a job and her having to work. you don't get paid to volunteer.)
Now the pact. Meredith ignores all of Sam's calls and texts because she just assumes that he heard about the pact. She doesn't want to face him. Makes sense except for the fact that he goes to a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SCHOOL than she does. Yes, there could be a chance for it to be passed by word of mouth but also not really.
You are also lead to believe by the synopsis that Meredith meets Sam after the pact comes out but she meets him like 7 percent of the way into the book and the pact doesn't come out until Chapter 15.
Ashley's brother is a rapist. She tries to stop Meredith from coming forward when he attacks Meredith at a party. He's done it to multiple girls. Ashely randomly decides to come forward to speak against him at the end of the book.
Meredith's sister may or may not be homosexual. It comes up after some girls decide to be terrible people and make things up (except it's true). It is only referred to as 'dyke' five times. That is the only way it is given a label in the book.
This review really got away from me.
Things that I've concluded from reading this book:
It doesn't have the same tone as what you get from reading the synopsis on Goodreads. I thought this book was going to be darker. All of the rigger warnings given by the Author are valid and in the book. I just don't think they are intense enough to be a trigger. Meredith's anxiety wasn't as intense as I thought it would be. The dog fight wasn't needed, I thought I was reading a different book when that plotline was wrapped up.
The only thing I really enjoy about this book was the writing (for the most part) and the small number of cute scenes between Meredith and Sam before everything goes downhill. I didn't completely hate this book but it really wasn't my favorite.
I had really high hopes for this book and maybe that was my first mistake. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.
Disclaimer: I have no hate or negative feelings towards this author. I requested the ARC from NetGalley to support the author. I watch her YouTube channel and love her vlogs.
This book follows 18-year-old Meredith Beaumont. She's the daughter of a preacher in a super religious family while struggling with her own beliefs with God. With a push from her best friend, Johanna, they make a pact to lose their virginities before they graduate and head off to college. Things start to look up when Meredith starts dating Sam and coming out of her shell, but when the pact gets out Meredith is no longer invisible. Words are whispered behind her back and guys are offering to complete her pact.
Starting with Meredith as the main character. We are in her head the whole book but for being 'invisible' people really like to bully her. Everything she does goes against someone who has crippling anxiety and has to take medicine to help with it. I didn't really connect with Meredith.
Johana. She is Meredith's best friend. She is supposed to be the complete opposite of Meredith. She has no filter just blurting everything that comes to mind. She decides that she's going to lose her v-card to a TEACHER. Meredith warns her that it's a bad idea (because it is) and what does Johana do? She ignores her. For a whole day. Then who has to apologize? Meredith. For not supporting her friend in her dumb decision (which is stupid). Then (because everyone saw it coming) it didn't end well because he's a TEACHER.
Sam. Poor ol' Sam. He gets dragged into this whole Meredith thing because she decides (with a couple of swift pushes) that he is who she is going to lose her v-card too. Sam just likes Meredith. He likes that she's easy to talk to and understands his dreams (unlike his father). You find out that he's father is a drunk and they fight over Sam's decision to pursue writing and journalism in college. But that's it. He doesn't get any kind of wrap up for his story. He finds out about that pact and then breaks it off with Meredith and then that's the end of Sam
Ashley. She's just a big old bitch. She gets somewhat of a redemption arc and a wrap up to her story instead of Sam. I didn't think she deserved it. She kidnapped Meredith and left her for dead because her boyfriend was trying to find other means of getting laid since she wasn't ready to lose her v-card to him. JUST BREAK UP WITH HIM
Moving on to the plot. I feel like there were a lot of things that were put out there and they just hung out there. This could've been a great message about religion and families with blind belief but it wasn't that. The whole book just made everything about religion seem evil. I didn't like that. Meredith tells her parents in the end that she believes in science and not God. So their response is to try and send her off to a boot camp of religion. Black vans show up with FBI like guys trying to haul her away. Far more dramatic than anything that would really happen. (then after making a whole thing about it, calling the police, making they sign something saying they won't try something like that again. Meredith MOVES BACK HOME. um, wat)
There's also a part where her dad sees a penis in her sister's textbook for Health. He decides to band together with other parents at their church to try and remove that from being taught in the class. No. Just have them be removed from school. That was also never wrapped up. You don't find out what happened with that.
Now let's talk about dogfighting. I don't think this plotline was needed at all. The author talks about trigger warnings for this book and animal abuse is one of them. This plotline could be removed from that book and pretty much nothing would be affected by it. Sam just wouldn't have had a reason to come back and talk to Meredith about the pact. I think this was just a way to make the fact that Meredith volunteers at an animal shelter more than just that. She volunteers at an animal shelter. (also, there are moments in the book where she refers to it as a job and her having to work. you don't get paid to volunteer.)
Now the pact. Meredith ignores all of Sam's calls and texts because she just assumes that he heard about the pact. She doesn't want to face him. Makes sense except for the fact that he goes to a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SCHOOL than she does. Yes, there could be a chance for it to be passed by word of mouth but also not really.
You are also lead to believe by the synopsis that Meredith meets Sam after the pact comes out but she meets him like 7 percent of the way into the book and the pact doesn't come out until Chapter 15.
Ashley's brother is a rapist. She tries to stop Meredith from coming forward when he attacks Meredith at a party. He's done it to multiple girls. Ashely randomly decides to come forward to speak against him at the end of the book.
Meredith's sister may or may not be homosexual. It comes up after some girls decide to be terrible people and make things up (except it's true). It is only referred to as 'dyke' five times. That is the only way it is given a label in the book.
This review really got away from me.
Things that I've concluded from reading this book:
It doesn't have the same tone as what you get from reading the synopsis on Goodreads. I thought this book was going to be darker. All of the rigger warnings given by the Author are valid and in the book. I just don't think they are intense enough to be a trigger. Meredith's anxiety wasn't as intense as I thought it would be. The dog fight wasn't needed, I thought I was reading a different book when that plotline was wrapped up.
The only thing I really enjoy about this book was the writing (for the most part) and the small number of cute scenes between Meredith and Sam before everything goes downhill. I didn't completely hate this book but it really wasn't my favorite.
I had really high hopes for this book and maybe that was my first mistake. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 15, 2020
⭐1 Star⭐
A story about juvenile inconsistent characters that is as exposition-heavy as it is declarative.
The desire to break away from your parent's ethics is universal and this could have been a very powerful novel about escapism within a religious household. But it was underwhelming and poorly paced. So many characters were introduced at once and the hyperbolic unrealistic dialogue made for a less than engaging read even in high stakes moments. I think Wismer tried to do too much here and if the plot were condensed this novel would have been more impactful.
For an insightful look into a Christian’s interpretation of this book CLICK HERE
As a lesbian, I could not write this review without mentioning the LGBT+ representation in this novel. A slur for lesbian was used five times. The words lesbian, gay, or queer are not used once. The slur becomes the identity of a character and I find this very problematic especially for younger queer readers. This is worsened by the protagonist's decision to go back to the parents at the end. If they were willing to send away one daughter to a conversion camp, then the queer-identifying child is in a lot of danger even if said parents 'promised' they wouldn't do it again. This is not a safe place for the protagonist or the queer child and should not be presented as such. The presumed homophobia of the parents is never explored and that plotline is left hanging in the air- illustrating my point about condensing the narrative for effectiveness. The queer representation feels like a second thought as the intricacies of Queer Christianity is not explored. All the reader sees is self-hatred, internalised homophobia and hate speech directed at the young person. Moreover, the slurs used are not mentioned in the Trigger Warnings section of the book, an oversight that may be telling of the writers intentions when writing this character.
As a long time viewer of this writer’s YouTube channel, I am greatly disappointed by this debut.
Below are Trigger Warnings if you choose to read this novel.
Trigger Warnings provided by the writer: bullying, religion, sexual assault, animal abuse, substance abuse, anxiety, and trauma.
Extra Trigger Warnings from me: homophobia, slurs, body shaming.
I received an advance review copy for free via NetGalley. I am leaving this review voluntarily 📚.
A story about juvenile inconsistent characters that is as exposition-heavy as it is declarative.
The desire to break away from your parent's ethics is universal and this could have been a very powerful novel about escapism within a religious household. But it was underwhelming and poorly paced. So many characters were introduced at once and the hyperbolic unrealistic dialogue made for a less than engaging read even in high stakes moments. I think Wismer tried to do too much here and if the plot were condensed this novel would have been more impactful.
For an insightful look into a Christian’s interpretation of this book CLICK HERE
As a lesbian, I could not write this review without mentioning the LGBT+ representation in this novel. A slur for lesbian was used five times. The words lesbian, gay, or queer are not used once. The slur becomes the identity of a character and I find this very problematic especially for younger queer readers. This is worsened by the protagonist's decision to go back to the parents at the end. If they were willing to send away one daughter to a conversion camp, then the queer-identifying child is in a lot of danger even if said parents 'promised' they wouldn't do it again. This is not a safe place for the protagonist or the queer child and should not be presented as such. The presumed homophobia of the parents is never explored and that plotline is left hanging in the air- illustrating my point about condensing the narrative for effectiveness. The queer representation feels like a second thought as the intricacies of Queer Christianity is not explored. All the reader sees is self-hatred, internalised homophobia and hate speech directed at the young person. Moreover, the slurs used are not mentioned in the Trigger Warnings section of the book, an oversight that may be telling of the writers intentions when writing this character.
As a long time viewer of this writer’s YouTube channel, I am greatly disappointed by this debut.
Below are Trigger Warnings if you choose to read this novel.
Trigger Warnings provided by the writer: bullying, religion, sexual assault, animal abuse, substance abuse, anxiety, and trauma.
Extra Trigger Warnings from me: homophobia, slurs, body shaming.
I received an advance review copy for free via NetGalley. I am leaving this review voluntarily 📚.
June 16, 2020
**ARC provided in exchange for an honest review**
First of all I love the cover, and that is what first caught my attention. After reading the blurb this sounded like a very interesting book full of teen angst, which I love by the way. I don't read a lot of coming of age/Young adult novels but I wanted to give this one a try. I was definitely intrigued and looked forward to what would happen. However, the second half/last quarter became a bit of a mess. It was very chaotic and a lot was going on, some of it felt a bit unrealistic in my opinion. Also I had a very hard time connecting to the main character Meredith. However, the author was able to keep me curious enough to finish the book, which isn't always easy. But at the end of the day this was just an okay read for me. I wasn't sucked into the story, and I was just on the outside looking in. I didn't feel anything for the characters, which is a big deal for me when I am reading a book. Maybe it is just me, so if you are intrigued by what you read in the blurb then I say give it a go.
First of all I love the cover, and that is what first caught my attention. After reading the blurb this sounded like a very interesting book full of teen angst, which I love by the way. I don't read a lot of coming of age/Young adult novels but I wanted to give this one a try. I was definitely intrigued and looked forward to what would happen. However, the second half/last quarter became a bit of a mess. It was very chaotic and a lot was going on, some of it felt a bit unrealistic in my opinion. Also I had a very hard time connecting to the main character Meredith. However, the author was able to keep me curious enough to finish the book, which isn't always easy. But at the end of the day this was just an okay read for me. I wasn't sucked into the story, and I was just on the outside looking in. I didn't feel anything for the characters, which is a big deal for me when I am reading a book. Maybe it is just me, so if you are intrigued by what you read in the blurb then I say give it a go.
April 20, 2020
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.
I really like Katie Wismer and her videos, so I was very excited to read this book. However, this book was kinda meh for me.
The characters felt like they were 14-15 years old, not 18. They made so many stupid decisions.
The pacing of the book was all over the place. The first half was slow and everything starts happening in the second half, and by "everything" I mean everything . The plot takes such ridiculous and unnecessary turns. Like what was even the point of the dog fights when her parents threw her out of her home?
It's not that I hate this book. It's just I feel indifferent about this which is even worse I suppose. The writing was fine but there was nothing special in the story, and I didn't like the characters.
I really like Katie Wismer and her videos, so I was very excited to read this book. However, this book was kinda meh for me.
The characters felt like they were 14-15 years old, not 18. They made so many stupid decisions.
The pacing of the book was all over the place. The first half was slow and everything starts happening in the second half, and by "everything" I mean everything . The plot takes such ridiculous and unnecessary turns. Like what was even the point of the dog fights when her parents threw her out of her home?
It's not that I hate this book. It's just I feel indifferent about this which is even worse I suppose. The writing was fine but there was nothing special in the story, and I didn't like the characters.
April 16, 2020
Emotional. Infuriating. Eye-opening.
What a powerful debut novel. I went into this book with zero expectations--so neither high nor low hopes--but I was still excited. The premise sounded promising, and I enjoy watching this author talk about her writing process so I knew I just had to try and get my hands on a copy. That being said, thank you so much to NetGalley for letting me review this book early in exchange for my honest thoughts.
The Anti-Virginity Pact had a very solid beginning, although I can already predict it may be a little too slow for some people's reading tastes. The real action and grit did not start to truly appear until half way through the novel, but for me that was not an issue. I enjoyed having the first couple of chapters to orientate myself with the characters and their dynamics with one another, and because of that I was easily able to empathize and fall for them later on. I felt for Mare and her hardships and her struggles as if she were a real person who was actually close to me, and for me that's a clear sign of some great characterization.
Sam was so incredibly endearing and I found very little fault with him. Jo, on the other hand, did infuriate me and although I admired her loyalty she was too stubborn and impulsive for me to fall in love with.
There were several scenes in the beginning where I simply could not stop myself from grinning, and that lighthearted start made a great contrast to the second half of the book.
As for that second half of the story, I could not put the book down. I devoured the last chapters in a single sitting, and I loved how the author did not shy away from talking about these very real issues. I will also note that the trigger warnings listed in the beginning of the book are very much real, and should be noted with care.
It was to little surprise on my part that I found myself shedding more than a few tears over several parts in the story, and I have so much appreciation for Katie Wismer for bringing these issues of rape, animal abuse, and oppressive religious households further into the light. These things are very real, and although I do not share many experiences with this main character, I believed every second of her pain because I myself know plenty of people who actually have had similar experiences. What happens in this book is fictional, of course, but it's the fact that it was believable without a second thought that is the most unnerving, and I wholeheartedly believe people need to understand that.
There is one main issue I had with this story, and it had less so to do with the book than the marketing. The fact that in the blurb itself it reveals that there is this main event pertaining to the pact being exposed took away from the actual scene a lot. Seeing as it didn't even happen until half way through the book, I think it could have been so much more impactful and climatic if it had come as a surprise.
All in all, a wonderful story that kept me guessing and screaming and crying. I look forward to purchasing this book when it comes out in print, and I do not hesitate to recommend it to anyone looking for a quick and thrilling read that is as important as it is fun.
What a powerful debut novel. I went into this book with zero expectations--so neither high nor low hopes--but I was still excited. The premise sounded promising, and I enjoy watching this author talk about her writing process so I knew I just had to try and get my hands on a copy. That being said, thank you so much to NetGalley for letting me review this book early in exchange for my honest thoughts.
The Anti-Virginity Pact had a very solid beginning, although I can already predict it may be a little too slow for some people's reading tastes. The real action and grit did not start to truly appear until half way through the novel, but for me that was not an issue. I enjoyed having the first couple of chapters to orientate myself with the characters and their dynamics with one another, and because of that I was easily able to empathize and fall for them later on. I felt for Mare and her hardships and her struggles as if she were a real person who was actually close to me, and for me that's a clear sign of some great characterization.
Sam was so incredibly endearing and I found very little fault with him. Jo, on the other hand, did infuriate me and although I admired her loyalty she was too stubborn and impulsive for me to fall in love with.
There were several scenes in the beginning where I simply could not stop myself from grinning, and that lighthearted start made a great contrast to the second half of the book.
As for that second half of the story, I could not put the book down. I devoured the last chapters in a single sitting, and I loved how the author did not shy away from talking about these very real issues. I will also note that the trigger warnings listed in the beginning of the book are very much real, and should be noted with care.
It was to little surprise on my part that I found myself shedding more than a few tears over several parts in the story, and I have so much appreciation for Katie Wismer for bringing these issues of rape, animal abuse, and oppressive religious households further into the light. These things are very real, and although I do not share many experiences with this main character, I believed every second of her pain because I myself know plenty of people who actually have had similar experiences. What happens in this book is fictional, of course, but it's the fact that it was believable without a second thought that is the most unnerving, and I wholeheartedly believe people need to understand that.
There is one main issue I had with this story, and it had less so to do with the book than the marketing. The fact that in the blurb itself it reveals that there is this main event pertaining to the pact being exposed took away from the actual scene a lot. Seeing as it didn't even happen until half way through the book, I think it could have been so much more impactful and climatic if it had come as a surprise.
All in all, a wonderful story that kept me guessing and screaming and crying. I look forward to purchasing this book when it comes out in print, and I do not hesitate to recommend it to anyone looking for a quick and thrilling read that is as important as it is fun.
April 8, 2020
Review to come
April 15, 2020
The Anti Virginity Pact ⭐️
Meredith And her best friend Jo sign a pact. A stupid pact, Meredith is the first to admit that its stupid and ridiculous but they sign a pact to lose their virginity before the end of senior year. Meredith is a preachers daughter which makes her the perfect candidate for this because everyone loves to break the rules as a pastors kid right?
After reading this much about it I didnt think I would enjoy this. I had heard of the author from youtube and wanted to show my support but really didnt like the concept. Pastors kid sleeps around. Boring. But I liked this one.
For starters she doesnt want to be a cliche. shes not perfect but she is also a normal teenage girl.
Jo sets her sight on a teacher (which is funny because I mean come on.) Jo is going to lose her virginity to a teacher. At least thats the plan. While Meredith sets her sights on a guy from her church, Sam.
I really liked that Sam and Meredith got to know each other and we get to see their friendship/relationship really grow and when it came down to it. It read more naturally than most YA books where they just sleep with whom ever, whenever, and where ever. She did a good job developing both characters, so you are rooting for them to succeed at not just love but life.
But Because everything was going right in her world something had to go terribly terribly wrong. Meredith’s copy of the pact her and Jo made together was plastered all over school except Jo’s name wasn’t on it it was just Meredith’s name her reputation her humiliation.
So after the pact is released she thinks she should prove them right but nothing feels as right as it did with Sam. Shes not some slut. She is not the girl everyone now thinks she is. But she really only cares what Sam thinks of her.
There were lots of twists and turns that I didnt expect from what I thought i knew about the book.
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this.
Thank you to netgalley for sending me a copy of the anti virginity pact by Katie Wismer Available on June 16, 2020
All opinions are my own.
Meredith And her best friend Jo sign a pact. A stupid pact, Meredith is the first to admit that its stupid and ridiculous but they sign a pact to lose their virginity before the end of senior year. Meredith is a preachers daughter which makes her the perfect candidate for this because everyone loves to break the rules as a pastors kid right?
After reading this much about it I didnt think I would enjoy this. I had heard of the author from youtube and wanted to show my support but really didnt like the concept. Pastors kid sleeps around. Boring. But I liked this one.
For starters she doesnt want to be a cliche. shes not perfect but she is also a normal teenage girl.
Jo sets her sight on a teacher (which is funny because I mean come on.) Jo is going to lose her virginity to a teacher. At least thats the plan. While Meredith sets her sights on a guy from her church, Sam.
I really liked that Sam and Meredith got to know each other and we get to see their friendship/relationship really grow and when it came down to it. It read more naturally than most YA books where they just sleep with whom ever, whenever, and where ever. She did a good job developing both characters, so you are rooting for them to succeed at not just love but life.
But Because everything was going right in her world something had to go terribly terribly wrong. Meredith’s copy of the pact her and Jo made together was plastered all over school except Jo’s name wasn’t on it it was just Meredith’s name her reputation her humiliation.
So after the pact is released she thinks she should prove them right but nothing feels as right as it did with Sam. Shes not some slut. She is not the girl everyone now thinks she is. But she really only cares what Sam thinks of her.
There were lots of twists and turns that I didnt expect from what I thought i knew about the book.
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this.
Thank you to netgalley for sending me a copy of the anti virginity pact by Katie Wismer Available on June 16, 2020
All opinions are my own.
May 1, 2020
This is a book that sounded extremely promising on the outside, but a bit strange and disjointed once opened. While I do think there are positives to discuss (and I'll keep them at the end, yanno, ending on a positive note and all that!), there are quite a few problems I had with the book that took me out of the story and made me like it less than I could have.
The major problem I had with this book is that it tried to tackle too many topics. For reference, here is everything I pieced together during my read: questioning religion/extreme religion/zealots, conversion camps, LGBTQIA, immigration, sexual assault, student-teacher romances, animal abuse, mental health (specifically anxiety), school bullying, poor parenting/verbal and emotional abuse from parents, and animal fighting/animal abuse.
That's A LOT to unpack. And quite frankly, it's way too much for a standard contemporary novel. I think if paired down to only a few of those, this book would have been a four-star (maybe 5) read for me. And the other ideas could have easily been formed into other novels. Yet, we are left with fragments of these intense issues that never really get to the core. Because each other these issues are skimmed over, the intensity you are supposed to feel isn't there - I couldn't connect with one plotline because the next was already starting. It was hard to believe this was just one book because each time one plot seemed to end, another started, and then we somehow got back to one of the earlier plots. As such, this book read like a bad early 2000s teen drama instead of the emotional roller coaster it was intending to be.
The next major issue is because the plot is now shallow due to all it is trying to accomplish, it suffers from telling you how to feel rather than letting you feel that way on your own. The entire book is in the viewpoint of Meredith, an 18-year-old who is the religious zealots' daughter, doesn't believe in God, is the victim of mindless bullying and on and on; Meredith then gets angry and upset because of what is happening, but as the reader, we never actually see all that is happening. Meredith jumps to conclusions because of her gut feelings and history with the characters in the book, but we don't see this. We're told her preacher father is over the top with his religion; we're told that the kids at school are bullies and there's never any reason why the bullying is so bad; we're told everything, and the other characters never actually do anything to make us come to the conclusion that they're bad, or annoying, or sickeningly sweet. We just have to accept that this is how the world (book) is. And it's unfortunate because I think this is a direct by-product of having too many plotlines in one book. Thus, all of the characters are put into a caricature of who we are supposed to believe them to be, and there is never really any character development.
Here are some specific spoilers that made me confused:
That was a lot, and this is only meant to be critical, not negative because there were some positives about this book that will make me pick up something else by the author.
To start, I think the description of anxiety was solid. I felt that was real and true and very descriptive, which made me think the author has personal experience because it was very specific.
I like the sister relationship - I felt that this was pretty accurate, especially the back and forth nature (sometimes you love them, sometimes you hate them). I think this was the best relationship in the book and I wish it was focused on more.
The author is a good writer! It disheartens me to make this a two start review when the author has SO much potential. I can tell she put work into this book, and she writes well for the YA contemporary genre. There have been books that were a hot mess and the writing was so bad that I couldn't keep picking it up. The Anti-Virginity Pact was smooth enough that it kept me around until the end, and that's definitely a good thing (because I would have definitely DNF'd it if I hated the plot(s) AND the writing).
So, in the end, the author made choices with this book and it, unfortunately, did not agree with me. I hope she continues to write and publish and I think she'll make a lot of progress with her later works!
The major problem I had with this book is that it tried to tackle too many topics. For reference, here is everything I pieced together during my read: questioning religion/extreme religion/zealots, conversion camps, LGBTQIA, immigration, sexual assault, student-teacher romances, animal abuse, mental health (specifically anxiety), school bullying, poor parenting/verbal and emotional abuse from parents, and animal fighting/animal abuse.
That's A LOT to unpack. And quite frankly, it's way too much for a standard contemporary novel. I think if paired down to only a few of those, this book would have been a four-star (maybe 5) read for me. And the other ideas could have easily been formed into other novels. Yet, we are left with fragments of these intense issues that never really get to the core. Because each other these issues are skimmed over, the intensity you are supposed to feel isn't there - I couldn't connect with one plotline because the next was already starting. It was hard to believe this was just one book because each time one plot seemed to end, another started, and then we somehow got back to one of the earlier plots. As such, this book read like a bad early 2000s teen drama instead of the emotional roller coaster it was intending to be.
The next major issue is because the plot is now shallow due to all it is trying to accomplish, it suffers from telling you how to feel rather than letting you feel that way on your own. The entire book is in the viewpoint of Meredith, an 18-year-old who is the religious zealots' daughter, doesn't believe in God, is the victim of mindless bullying and on and on; Meredith then gets angry and upset because of what is happening, but as the reader, we never actually see all that is happening. Meredith jumps to conclusions because of her gut feelings and history with the characters in the book, but we don't see this. We're told her preacher father is over the top with his religion; we're told that the kids at school are bullies and there's never any reason why the bullying is so bad; we're told everything, and the other characters never actually do anything to make us come to the conclusion that they're bad, or annoying, or sickeningly sweet. We just have to accept that this is how the world (book) is. And it's unfortunate because I think this is a direct by-product of having too many plotlines in one book. Thus, all of the characters are put into a caricature of who we are supposed to believe them to be, and there is never really any character development.
Here are some specific spoilers that made me confused:
That was a lot, and this is only meant to be critical, not negative because there were some positives about this book that will make me pick up something else by the author.
To start, I think the description of anxiety was solid. I felt that was real and true and very descriptive, which made me think the author has personal experience because it was very specific.
I like the sister relationship - I felt that this was pretty accurate, especially the back and forth nature (sometimes you love them, sometimes you hate them). I think this was the best relationship in the book and I wish it was focused on more.
The author is a good writer! It disheartens me to make this a two start review when the author has SO much potential. I can tell she put work into this book, and she writes well for the YA contemporary genre. There have been books that were a hot mess and the writing was so bad that I couldn't keep picking it up. The Anti-Virginity Pact was smooth enough that it kept me around until the end, and that's definitely a good thing (because I would have definitely DNF'd it if I hated the plot(s) AND the writing).
So, in the end, the author made choices with this book and it, unfortunately, did not agree with me. I hope she continues to write and publish and I think she'll make a lot of progress with her later works!
May 13, 2020
*DISCLAIMER: I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley before it's release in exchange for a review. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher!
Picking up this book felt like watching a friend get up on stage and perform a talent for the first time. I wanted to fall in love with this book and for it to be a page-turner but it fell flat for me. Katie Wismer definitely held her own with The Anti-Virginity Pact but there are elements of her craft to work out before she becomes the excellent YA author she has the potential to be.
I follow Katie’s YouTube channel and watch her videos here and there. When she announced TAVP, the plot drew me in. Meredith Beaumont is the daughter of the star preacher in her hometown. For the sake of her family and her sanity, she agrees to dress up every Sunday and sit in the front pew but her family doesn’t know that she spends her free-time reading atheist forums and signing anti-virginity pacts with her best friend Johanna. She intends to keep it this way until a mean girl spreads her signed copy of the pact throughout the school, potentially ruining her relationship with her family and her new boyfriend.
Katie’s stated in her videos that she sometimes doesn’t know what’s going to happen in a story until it happens. At certain points in this story, I can see that showing through. There are unexplained time gaps between events, plot points are mentioned but not brought up again until much later, or there’s dissonance between what was said before and what actually happens. The end happens quickly while the first 100 pages or so are slow-paced. Jo and Mare sign the pact within the first few pages and it doesn’t become the main plot point again until the halfway point of the book. It feels like there wasn’t a clear outline established which confused me as a reader and created an incohesive story.
Meredith's internal dialogue was distracting to me. It came off as being omniscient while un-knowledgeable at the same time. Often, Meredith had monologues about social issues that felt overdone and preachy (ironic) and contrasted with her inexperience and lack of confidence in other areas of the book. It resulted in different controversial topics being glanced upon but not talked about in detail. It was trying to tackle too much at the same time.
I felt like there was a real opportunity to establish characters via dialogue and interaction with Meredith but we didn’t get much of that. Instead, there were heavy-handed descriptions and reliance on Meredith’s internal narrative to establish the world. Inter-character dialogue feels like a throwaway at some points. Meredith’s parents could’ve been fleshed out so much more as bible thumpers through their interactions with other people but we don’t see it outside of the health class debacle. Her parents’ actions towards the end feel so sudden because there wasn’t anything leading up to it. Maybe it’s just my personal experience with Christianity but there was so much that could’ve been established about her parents’ relationships with other characters. Her sister and Sam don’t feel like outstanding characters in the story either.
Lastly, there are plot points and character quirks that feel randomly inserted in. Characters speak French at her family, Meredith says "mon Dieu" several times throughout the book but we never get an explanation as to why other than that her mom is French? It just doesn’t seem like a plausible reason for it to be ingrained in her interactions. I would’ve loved Meredith to be a major French foodie or in love with her mom’s culture to explain this. There are other scenes that feel lifted from a CW TV show. For spoiler's sake, I won’t get into them but, they felt unrealistic and plot points of convenience.
Like I said before, the potential for a great writer is there. I loved the plot for the book and there are moments when Katie’s writing shines and I can see elements being carefully crafted, especially towards the end. I wish the whole book was written like that and there was room to let the plot breathe a little bit. I would love to see what Katie could do in her next novel or a couple of years from now.
Picking up this book felt like watching a friend get up on stage and perform a talent for the first time. I wanted to fall in love with this book and for it to be a page-turner but it fell flat for me. Katie Wismer definitely held her own with The Anti-Virginity Pact but there are elements of her craft to work out before she becomes the excellent YA author she has the potential to be.
I follow Katie’s YouTube channel and watch her videos here and there. When she announced TAVP, the plot drew me in. Meredith Beaumont is the daughter of the star preacher in her hometown. For the sake of her family and her sanity, she agrees to dress up every Sunday and sit in the front pew but her family doesn’t know that she spends her free-time reading atheist forums and signing anti-virginity pacts with her best friend Johanna. She intends to keep it this way until a mean girl spreads her signed copy of the pact throughout the school, potentially ruining her relationship with her family and her new boyfriend.
Katie’s stated in her videos that she sometimes doesn’t know what’s going to happen in a story until it happens. At certain points in this story, I can see that showing through. There are unexplained time gaps between events, plot points are mentioned but not brought up again until much later, or there’s dissonance between what was said before and what actually happens. The end happens quickly while the first 100 pages or so are slow-paced. Jo and Mare sign the pact within the first few pages and it doesn’t become the main plot point again until the halfway point of the book. It feels like there wasn’t a clear outline established which confused me as a reader and created an incohesive story.
Meredith's internal dialogue was distracting to me. It came off as being omniscient while un-knowledgeable at the same time. Often, Meredith had monologues about social issues that felt overdone and preachy (ironic) and contrasted with her inexperience and lack of confidence in other areas of the book. It resulted in different controversial topics being glanced upon but not talked about in detail. It was trying to tackle too much at the same time.
I felt like there was a real opportunity to establish characters via dialogue and interaction with Meredith but we didn’t get much of that. Instead, there were heavy-handed descriptions and reliance on Meredith’s internal narrative to establish the world. Inter-character dialogue feels like a throwaway at some points. Meredith’s parents could’ve been fleshed out so much more as bible thumpers through their interactions with other people but we don’t see it outside of the health class debacle. Her parents’ actions towards the end feel so sudden because there wasn’t anything leading up to it. Maybe it’s just my personal experience with Christianity but there was so much that could’ve been established about her parents’ relationships with other characters. Her sister and Sam don’t feel like outstanding characters in the story either.
Lastly, there are plot points and character quirks that feel randomly inserted in. Characters speak French at her family, Meredith says "mon Dieu" several times throughout the book but we never get an explanation as to why other than that her mom is French? It just doesn’t seem like a plausible reason for it to be ingrained in her interactions. I would’ve loved Meredith to be a major French foodie or in love with her mom’s culture to explain this. There are other scenes that feel lifted from a CW TV show. For spoiler's sake, I won’t get into them but, they felt unrealistic and plot points of convenience.
Like I said before, the potential for a great writer is there. I loved the plot for the book and there are moments when Katie’s writing shines and I can see elements being carefully crafted, especially towards the end. I wish the whole book was written like that and there was room to let the plot breathe a little bit. I would love to see what Katie could do in her next novel or a couple of years from now.
June 5, 2020
Before I started this book, I didn't realize that it would have a heavy Christianity focus in the book but as someone who doesn't mind reading Christian books, it didn't hinder me in enjoying this book. Our book introduces us to our two main characters Meredith and her best friend Johanna. Meredith and Johanna are in their final year of high school and have decided that this year they will lose their V-cards and together in a drunken haze - make an Anti-Virginity pact. Normally this wouldn't have been too bad but for Meredith - she is the eldest daughter of the local Preacher and they are quite strict in their learnings as we read one of the church member youth being sent to the Conversion Christian Camps and their Dad heading to stop Sex Ed at their high school. As the book goes along, we read as Meredith starts to date Sam - another guy from her Church and Johanna has her eye on their English teacher. Throughout the novel, both girls will start to open up as they decide to take the next steps. What will happen though when the contract gets out and the whole school knows and the bullying starts? Can Meredith keep it under wraps from her parents or will she find herself shipped off in the middle of the night to the Christian Conversion camp?
The Anti-Virginity Pact was a great Edgy Christian Fiction YA read and reading this did get me thinking as we do live in a world, where often 18 is the age where females if they haven't had sex earlier - will try to before that point as I remember being 18 - the first time I had sex as I wanted to wait till I was 18 years old and I too think it was strongly due to my Christian upbringing.
The Anti-Virginity Pact was a great Edgy Christian Fiction YA read and reading this did get me thinking as we do live in a world, where often 18 is the age where females if they haven't had sex earlier - will try to before that point as I remember being 18 - the first time I had sex as I wanted to wait till I was 18 years old and I too think it was strongly due to my Christian upbringing.
April 17, 2020
-I received an ARC copy of this book thanks to NetGalley, all thoughts and opinions are my own-
I was very excited to receive this ARC. But I soon realized this was not at all what I thought the book was going to be. The synopsis is veryyyy misleading. I thought this was going to be heavily on the pact that was established, more sexy, less high school drama (that really didn't even make any sense).
~Let's talk characters:
Our main character Meredith is 18 but acts like she's 15. She's described as this really quiet girl, that not many people know, preachers daughter, goody-goody. Which none of that makes sense because she's the entire opposite in the story. I understand that it's to show that she changes because of the pact and because of another character sabotaging her but everything bad she does almost comes easy to her. It was very hard for me to connect to Meredith and even show any sympathy for her in some situations.
Johanna is Merediths best friend. She's portrayed as the complete opposite. She's loud and snarky, doesn't care for others opinions or others who cross her. Johanna is the one who comes up with the idea for the pact and the person she decides she wants to lose her virginity to is their teacher. Now don't get me wrong I live for taboo, age-gap relationships, but Johanna is a complete idiot who is attempting to seduce her teacher when it's so damn clear that's not his intentions and not at all a relationship he wants. That whole situation just made me cringe when I was reading. Johanna was also another character I could not connect with (spoiler alert- there was not ONE character I could actually connect with.)
Sam. This poor boy. Sam is Merediths childhood best friend and she just drags this kid into her mess of a life and I could only feel sympathy for him. They're relationship starts off really cute and was honestly the only this that had me continue reading, only to be let down in the end. I understand that he really cared for Meredith but she just continued to treat this guy like utter garbage when things in her life started getting bad- the time that she should be going to her boyfriend and explaining whats going on, not ignoring his calls and making him go on a wild goose chase for her. Only in the end for them to break up because she feels that she needs to focus on herself.
Merediths parents. In the beginning I liked them, until her dad went crazy over her younger sisters health class homework that had to do with sex education. I know that he is a preacher and loves God, but I think the way he reacted was SOOOO overdramatic. He even went to the school and through a fit! These adults easily turned into characters that just pissed me off, especially when they find out about the pact and what they try to do to Meredith. (I won't spoil to much but it was easily the most overdramatic and downright inhumane thing I've probably ever read from two parents who are supposed to love their daughter.)
Ashley is our villain and she was just an annoying bitch. Everything she did to Meredith was not only childish but completely psychotic. Like obviously we knew the pact would get out so thats not crazy, but was it necessary for her to kidnap Meredith, dump her in some deserted location, throw her keys and phone and leave her there all because HER BOYFRIEND left his number in Merediths locker? AND when Meredith was almost raped by Ashley's brother she showed no remorse and threatened her if she told anyone, then in the end admit that he had done the same to her and was on Merediths's side, like WTF?!
~Moving along to the story.
The writing is insanely slow. I felt that nothing interesting started happening until the halfway mark. (I was really close to DNF'ing if I'm being honest.) Like I said before I thought this book was going to be more sexy- SPOILER ALERT: there is no steam. At all. We're introduced to the pact in the first chapter and then after that Meredith and Johanna talk about it and who they want to lose their virginity to but thats really it. We get development with Johanna and Mr.Graham but not even really because he is not feeling it back and Johanna is just idiotically throwing herself at him, and Meredith chooses Sam and the only thing they do is make out- BORING!!
There's also this weird dog fight scenario thats thrown in that I think the story could have done without. It didn't add anything to the plot, it felt like an unnecessary filler that just honestly didn't make sense. The only reason it was added was to prove the person who bought Squirt was bad and for Sam to have an excuse to come back and talk to Meredith even if he said it wasn't for her. Honestly I think the character Ryan- who bought Squirt- could've been eliminated. Make the story a little more cute I guess and have Sam buy Squirt or something, but the entire part just was not needed.
Something else I'd like to point out was the amount of spelling and grammar errors. I know this is an ARC but before books are published I hope someone goes through and re-reads and fixes the errors because at times it was annoying to have to re-read and fix the error in my head to understand what was trying to be said.
Overall I gave this a two star rating. I was close to giving this a one star but I did feel that there was some parts in the story that were really well written even if they didn't add much to the story. There was not one character I liked and could relate to, the grammatical errors were really making the reading not fun and just slow me down, I also felt the relationship between Meredith and her parents wasn't cohesive and just didn't make sense. I am thankful for receiving this digital ARC copy from NetGalley and I encourage you to give the book a try and see if it's something that maybe you will enjoy.
I was very excited to receive this ARC. But I soon realized this was not at all what I thought the book was going to be. The synopsis is veryyyy misleading. I thought this was going to be heavily on the pact that was established, more sexy, less high school drama (that really didn't even make any sense).
~Let's talk characters:
Our main character Meredith is 18 but acts like she's 15. She's described as this really quiet girl, that not many people know, preachers daughter, goody-goody. Which none of that makes sense because she's the entire opposite in the story. I understand that it's to show that she changes because of the pact and because of another character sabotaging her but everything bad she does almost comes easy to her. It was very hard for me to connect to Meredith and even show any sympathy for her in some situations.
Johanna is Merediths best friend. She's portrayed as the complete opposite. She's loud and snarky, doesn't care for others opinions or others who cross her. Johanna is the one who comes up with the idea for the pact and the person she decides she wants to lose her virginity to is their teacher. Now don't get me wrong I live for taboo, age-gap relationships, but Johanna is a complete idiot who is attempting to seduce her teacher when it's so damn clear that's not his intentions and not at all a relationship he wants. That whole situation just made me cringe when I was reading. Johanna was also another character I could not connect with (spoiler alert- there was not ONE character I could actually connect with.)
Sam. This poor boy. Sam is Merediths childhood best friend and she just drags this kid into her mess of a life and I could only feel sympathy for him. They're relationship starts off really cute and was honestly the only this that had me continue reading, only to be let down in the end. I understand that he really cared for Meredith but she just continued to treat this guy like utter garbage when things in her life started getting bad- the time that she should be going to her boyfriend and explaining whats going on, not ignoring his calls and making him go on a wild goose chase for her. Only in the end for them to break up because she feels that she needs to focus on herself.
Merediths parents. In the beginning I liked them, until her dad went crazy over her younger sisters health class homework that had to do with sex education. I know that he is a preacher and loves God, but I think the way he reacted was SOOOO overdramatic. He even went to the school and through a fit! These adults easily turned into characters that just pissed me off, especially when they find out about the pact and what they try to do to Meredith. (I won't spoil to much but it was easily the most overdramatic and downright inhumane thing I've probably ever read from two parents who are supposed to love their daughter.)
Ashley is our villain and she was just an annoying bitch. Everything she did to Meredith was not only childish but completely psychotic. Like obviously we knew the pact would get out so thats not crazy, but was it necessary for her to kidnap Meredith, dump her in some deserted location, throw her keys and phone and leave her there all because HER BOYFRIEND left his number in Merediths locker? AND when Meredith was almost raped by Ashley's brother she showed no remorse and threatened her if she told anyone, then in the end admit that he had done the same to her and was on Merediths's side, like WTF?!
~Moving along to the story.
The writing is insanely slow. I felt that nothing interesting started happening until the halfway mark. (I was really close to DNF'ing if I'm being honest.) Like I said before I thought this book was going to be more sexy- SPOILER ALERT: there is no steam. At all. We're introduced to the pact in the first chapter and then after that Meredith and Johanna talk about it and who they want to lose their virginity to but thats really it. We get development with Johanna and Mr.Graham but not even really because he is not feeling it back and Johanna is just idiotically throwing herself at him, and Meredith chooses Sam and the only thing they do is make out- BORING!!
There's also this weird dog fight scenario thats thrown in that I think the story could have done without. It didn't add anything to the plot, it felt like an unnecessary filler that just honestly didn't make sense. The only reason it was added was to prove the person who bought Squirt was bad and for Sam to have an excuse to come back and talk to Meredith even if he said it wasn't for her. Honestly I think the character Ryan- who bought Squirt- could've been eliminated. Make the story a little more cute I guess and have Sam buy Squirt or something, but the entire part just was not needed.
Something else I'd like to point out was the amount of spelling and grammar errors. I know this is an ARC but before books are published I hope someone goes through and re-reads and fixes the errors because at times it was annoying to have to re-read and fix the error in my head to understand what was trying to be said.
Overall I gave this a two star rating. I was close to giving this a one star but I did feel that there was some parts in the story that were really well written even if they didn't add much to the story. There was not one character I liked and could relate to, the grammatical errors were really making the reading not fun and just slow me down, I also felt the relationship between Meredith and her parents wasn't cohesive and just didn't make sense. I am thankful for receiving this digital ARC copy from NetGalley and I encourage you to give the book a try and see if it's something that maybe you will enjoy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 16, 2024
I enjoyed some of the thematic ideas in the book more than the story overall. The plot of Meredith, the daughter of a preacher, hiding the fact that she’s an atheist and then having a pact about her wanting to lose her virginity spread around the school sounded really interesting. And I did enjoy the parts of the book that were focused on that aspect of the story, as well as her romance with an old childhood friend, and her sister’s struggles in their family.
The parts that I didn’t really enjoy that much were when it got super over the top. Like what some other girls at school do to the main character as a prank and the reveal about the man who adopts a dog from the shelter where Meredith works. Those parts of the book moved the story away from feeling more grounded into what felt like soap opera territory.
This is Katie Wismer’s first novel. I’ve read later books from her and I can definitely see improvements in her storytelling.
The parts that I didn’t really enjoy that much were when it got super over the top. Like what some other girls at school do to the main character as a prank and the reveal about the man who adopts a dog from the shelter where Meredith works. Those parts of the book moved the story away from feeling more grounded into what felt like soap opera territory.
This is Katie Wismer’s first novel. I’ve read later books from her and I can definitely see improvements in her storytelling.
June 9, 2020
Erm what the hell was this book 🙆
The title and the blurb both sounded so good but the story had nothing. Nope.
So it all starts with our goody-goody MC Meredith aka Mare and her best friend Johanna signing a pact to lose their virginity by the end of the senior year. Cool. Interesting. What harm could it do, eh?
Turns out - a lot 🙂😂
Filled to the brim with drama, this was a hot mess, not kidding. First, the characters were so underdeveloped. Our MC had serious anxiety, it turned out, but later this was completely left unaddressed. Well well. She was so bland and a typical 'im a good girl I can't take revenge or do anything bad' girl, if you know what I'm talking about. And there's nothing wrong with it but Mare was just - just.
Then was Harper who was nice and badass rebel sorts but her problems were completely anaccounted for later, giving us just one instance that would question her sexuality.
And her over religious parents. Damn son. Won't even go into this.
In case of characters, I think I only liked Squirt the dog and a bit of Sam. Johanna was a hit or miss.
Now, coming to the story, it was a mess. I know I've said it but I'm saying it again - it was a MESS. The author couldn't just deal elaborately with one important theme, no. The author had to deal with multiple unrelated (almost) themes that we're simply abrupt and just there in the story to add to the number of pages.
There was a lot of unnecessary drama and I cringed so bad. It was typical and cliche and a very overdone plotline, bring in some tense mean girl drama along with some dog drama and voila! There you go.
I guess I would've loved it a little more if the book solely focused on talks of sexuality and rape and abuse and the religious aspect. But it was so rushed, all of these important topics, one and another thing came out of nowhere and ended up nowhere. It was just a big mess I felt.
Thanks to Netgalley for the e-copy. All views expressed are fully mine.
The title and the blurb both sounded so good but the story had nothing. Nope.
So it all starts with our goody-goody MC Meredith aka Mare and her best friend Johanna signing a pact to lose their virginity by the end of the senior year. Cool. Interesting. What harm could it do, eh?
Turns out - a lot 🙂😂
Filled to the brim with drama, this was a hot mess, not kidding. First, the characters were so underdeveloped. Our MC had serious anxiety, it turned out, but later this was completely left unaddressed. Well well. She was so bland and a typical 'im a good girl I can't take revenge or do anything bad' girl, if you know what I'm talking about. And there's nothing wrong with it but Mare was just - just.
Then was Harper who was nice and badass rebel sorts but her problems were completely anaccounted for later, giving us just one instance that would question her sexuality.
And her over religious parents. Damn son. Won't even go into this.
In case of characters, I think I only liked Squirt the dog and a bit of Sam. Johanna was a hit or miss.
Now, coming to the story, it was a mess. I know I've said it but I'm saying it again - it was a MESS. The author couldn't just deal elaborately with one important theme, no. The author had to deal with multiple unrelated (almost) themes that we're simply abrupt and just there in the story to add to the number of pages.
There was a lot of unnecessary drama and I cringed so bad. It was typical and cliche and a very overdone plotline, bring in some tense mean girl drama along with some dog drama and voila! There you go.
I guess I would've loved it a little more if the book solely focused on talks of sexuality and rape and abuse and the religious aspect. But it was so rushed, all of these important topics, one and another thing came out of nowhere and ended up nowhere. It was just a big mess I felt.
Thanks to Netgalley for the e-copy. All views expressed are fully mine.
May 15, 2020
A fantastic first novel for Katie. Cannot wait to read more of her work, and recommend this to everyone I see. Even if they don't know me. Just yelling it from my apartment widow to the city below.
This book captures what many writers of YA fiction forget - that an 18 year old is going to act like a child one moment and a mature adult another. The characters show that diversity beautifully. I think it is easy to forget that everything that happens in your immediate environment feels like a big deal at 18, whereas long term consequences and the future still feel far off and inconsequential. It would be wise for people to go into this book remembering that the characters are in maturity limbo and that maybe that is the point.
This book captures what many writers of YA fiction forget - that an 18 year old is going to act like a child one moment and a mature adult another. The characters show that diversity beautifully. I think it is easy to forget that everything that happens in your immediate environment feels like a big deal at 18, whereas long term consequences and the future still feel far off and inconsequential. It would be wise for people to go into this book remembering that the characters are in maturity limbo and that maybe that is the point.
dnf
December 12, 2021dnf at 12%
June 15, 2020
*** E-arc kindly provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review***
“Preachers’ daughters aren’t supposed to be atheists. They’re also not supposed to make pacts to lose their virginity by the end of the year, but high school senior Meredith Beaumont is sick of letting other people tell her who to be.” The Anti-Virginity Pact is a coming-of-age story about religion, rock-solid friendships, first loves and finally standing up for who you want to be.
I have been a viewer of Katie’s YouTube channel for a while, and I was so excited when I was approved for this arc. This is probably the first book I’ve read written by a booktuber I’ve been following. Though, this does not impact my thoughts and opinions of this book.
Firstly, I enjoyed the writing. Given my bad streak with self-published books lately, I was pleasantly surprised and happy that I enjoyed the writing. It was quite easy to read and I loved that there were no confusing lines or weird jumps in the timeline. The story read smoothly and it was quick to get through (I haven’t read a book in 3 days in a long time). That said, given the premise in the synopsis, the actual inciting incident occurred way later in the story than I anticipated. Though when it did happen, the subsequent landslide of events definitely helped pick up the pace of the story.
In terms of the characters, I found Mare quite relatable in her difficulty in socialising (because that’s still me from time to time). Being a preacher’s daughter, Mare had certain restricting expectations placed on her by her parents, and being a closeted atheist also does nothing to lessen the pressure. Given that a lot of books use this type of environment to spur some rebellious moment, there were definitely moments that made me want to shake her into action or stop her from doing something stupid or stop other despicable characters from doing something harmful to her . And there were the moments when you cheered for her for finally speaking up. I liked the uplifting yet bittersweet ending because it was real and I appreciated that it wasn’t something cheesy.
I enjoyed her relationship with Sam albeit it felt quite insta-love since their past wasn’t entirely build-up as well as I would’ve liked to have that gradual relationship build-up. Honestly, a perspective from Sam would’ve probably given me that build-up, and frankly, I loved the guy so a perspective from him would’ve been great. Also, I just want to applaud the realistic depiction of a kiss scene because I’ve read some real metaphorical fireworks kiss scene and I cringe whenever I read something like that now.
Mare’s outgoing best friend, Johanna, had a somewhat overly outgoing personality and I’m not gonna lie, she irritated me at the start with her stupid decisions and ideas. However, by the end, I grew to really appreciate her loyalty and her friendship with Mare. That said, she made the beginning quite tedious because you would just want to slap some sense into that girl sometimes and all other kids like her. Even though their friendship was cliché, I still loved how strong their bond was no matter the obstacle. What I didn’t particularly enjoy was the mean girl character, Ashley. I’m just so over this trope and I’m lucky that I have never really experienced that level of mean girl in my life because it makes me roll my eyes while reading.
In terms of the controversial topic of religion tackled in this story, as a Christian myself, it was handled respectfully. Honestly, Mare’s confrontation with her parents made me want to really shake some sense into those type of religious people. Like it’s not how you would go about spreading the Word. Mare’s father was the type of pastor I would stay clear from since all he seemed capable of doing was shoving the Word down other people’s throats which shouldn’t be what Christianity is about.
Overall, I enjoyed the story and I can’t wait to see what this author has in the future.
“Preachers’ daughters aren’t supposed to be atheists. They’re also not supposed to make pacts to lose their virginity by the end of the year, but high school senior Meredith Beaumont is sick of letting other people tell her who to be.” The Anti-Virginity Pact is a coming-of-age story about religion, rock-solid friendships, first loves and finally standing up for who you want to be.
I have been a viewer of Katie’s YouTube channel for a while, and I was so excited when I was approved for this arc. This is probably the first book I’ve read written by a booktuber I’ve been following. Though, this does not impact my thoughts and opinions of this book.
Firstly, I enjoyed the writing. Given my bad streak with self-published books lately, I was pleasantly surprised and happy that I enjoyed the writing. It was quite easy to read and I loved that there were no confusing lines or weird jumps in the timeline. The story read smoothly and it was quick to get through (I haven’t read a book in 3 days in a long time). That said, given the premise in the synopsis, the actual inciting incident occurred way later in the story than I anticipated. Though when it did happen, the subsequent landslide of events definitely helped pick up the pace of the story.
In terms of the characters, I found Mare quite relatable in her difficulty in socialising (because that’s still me from time to time). Being a preacher’s daughter, Mare had certain restricting expectations placed on her by her parents, and being a closeted atheist also does nothing to lessen the pressure. Given that a lot of books use this type of environment to spur some rebellious moment, there were definitely moments that made me want to shake her into action or stop her from doing something stupid or stop other despicable characters from doing something harmful to her . And there were the moments when you cheered for her for finally speaking up. I liked the uplifting yet bittersweet ending because it was real and I appreciated that it wasn’t something cheesy.
I enjoyed her relationship with Sam albeit it felt quite insta-love since their past wasn’t entirely build-up as well as I would’ve liked to have that gradual relationship build-up. Honestly, a perspective from Sam would’ve probably given me that build-up, and frankly, I loved the guy so a perspective from him would’ve been great. Also, I just want to applaud the realistic depiction of a kiss scene because I’ve read some real metaphorical fireworks kiss scene and I cringe whenever I read something like that now.
Mare’s outgoing best friend, Johanna, had a somewhat overly outgoing personality and I’m not gonna lie, she irritated me at the start with her stupid decisions and ideas. However, by the end, I grew to really appreciate her loyalty and her friendship with Mare. That said, she made the beginning quite tedious because you would just want to slap some sense into that girl sometimes and all other kids like her. Even though their friendship was cliché, I still loved how strong their bond was no matter the obstacle. What I didn’t particularly enjoy was the mean girl character, Ashley. I’m just so over this trope and I’m lucky that I have never really experienced that level of mean girl in my life because it makes me roll my eyes while reading.
In terms of the controversial topic of religion tackled in this story, as a Christian myself, it was handled respectfully. Honestly, Mare’s confrontation with her parents made me want to really shake some sense into those type of religious people. Like it’s not how you would go about spreading the Word. Mare’s father was the type of pastor I would stay clear from since all he seemed capable of doing was shoving the Word down other people’s throats which shouldn’t be what Christianity is about.
Overall, I enjoyed the story and I can’t wait to see what this author has in the future.
June 10, 2020
This book was so freaking fantastic! I started reading this during a reading slump so it took me a while to get through it (no fault of the book just my own issues) But I absolutely loved it! The writing was very simple and easily digestible! I loved the characters and I was able to relate to pretty much all of them in one way or another! The overall character arch and growth was done very well and I appreciate the fact that most of the issues the character was facing was put in the book for a reason and a learning lesson and not just to add useless drama! The friendship relationship in this book was done so beautifully and was one of the best things about this story! The last 35% of the book was so gripping and addictive that I just couldn't put it down until I KNEW how everything turned out! The hard hitting topic and approached and dealt with so well and this book really made me feel seen in so many way! The topics of Religion, Sexual Assault, Bullying are all really hard topics to write about and to do it well! I have experienced a lot of the thing this character has gone through, and I thought that it was represented very very well!
The only "bad" thing that I can even pinpoint it that toward the end it felt like there were just so many thing going wrong in the characters life that I didn't get to see them all flushed out and felt by the character! I just wanted a bit more time spent on each issues for the characters to learn all they could from the mistakes they made. But that is such am minor thing and didn't affect my overall enjoyment of this book!
I am so proud of Katie and all of the hard work that she has put into this book and I so extremely happy to have loved it as much as I did!
The only "bad" thing that I can even pinpoint it that toward the end it felt like there were just so many thing going wrong in the characters life that I didn't get to see them all flushed out and felt by the character! I just wanted a bit more time spent on each issues for the characters to learn all they could from the mistakes they made. But that is such am minor thing and didn't affect my overall enjoyment of this book!
I am so proud of Katie and all of the hard work that she has put into this book and I so extremely happy to have loved it as much as I did!
June 7, 2020
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in return for an honest review
I really wanted to like this book, but I didn't. The premise sounded interesting, a little outside of what I would usually read but i like to be surprised and usually will read any contemporary book. This book, however, missed the mark for me. The first half of this book was quite slow, and not much happened, which isn't a bad thing necessarily but it is when you compare it to how much happened in the second half. It almost feels as if the author was worried she was running out of time to fit the entire story in, but this book is only 240 pages and i think had it been longer, some of these issues could have been resolved.
Furthermore, I felt as if the actions and choices made by the characters were very young for their age, this story would have been better if Meredith and her friends were 16 and harper was maybe 13/14, although her being 15 is not unbelievable.
I thought the religion aspect of this story was interesting, and had the story focused more on Meredith and the pact she signed and how that contrasts the beliefs she was raised on, this could have been incredibly interesting. However, the inclusion of the dog fighting ring, her almost sleeping with Ashley's boyfriend even though she has a boyfriend, her getting assaulted by Derek; it felt as if the author was trying to do too much in a short book.
Finally, for a book called the anti-virginity pact, the actual pact felt very much like a sideplot, almost as if it was forgotten about until about halfway through, when suddenly everything started happening in Meredith's life.
I really wanted to like this book, but I didn't. The premise sounded interesting, a little outside of what I would usually read but i like to be surprised and usually will read any contemporary book. This book, however, missed the mark for me. The first half of this book was quite slow, and not much happened, which isn't a bad thing necessarily but it is when you compare it to how much happened in the second half. It almost feels as if the author was worried she was running out of time to fit the entire story in, but this book is only 240 pages and i think had it been longer, some of these issues could have been resolved.
Furthermore, I felt as if the actions and choices made by the characters were very young for their age, this story would have been better if Meredith and her friends were 16 and harper was maybe 13/14, although her being 15 is not unbelievable.
I thought the religion aspect of this story was interesting, and had the story focused more on Meredith and the pact she signed and how that contrasts the beliefs she was raised on, this could have been incredibly interesting. However, the inclusion of the dog fighting ring, her almost sleeping with Ashley's boyfriend even though she has a boyfriend, her getting assaulted by Derek; it felt as if the author was trying to do too much in a short book.
Finally, for a book called the anti-virginity pact, the actual pact felt very much like a sideplot, almost as if it was forgotten about until about halfway through, when suddenly everything started happening in Meredith's life.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 3, 2020
I thought I was going to read a book about a girl taking control of her body I didn't think the biggest plot point would be about a Maltese at a pound that gets taken and used in dog fights, calling for a ridiculous escapade for the main character, her toxic best friend and the boyfriend she cheated on to sneak into a sketchy warehouse to save the dog.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
⭐1 Star
-Really upset how the Pact wasn't really any part of the story. In the synopsis, it really sounded like a girl was going to reclaim the right to choose what to do with her body and it was so far from that.
1.) She was peer pressured to sign the pact
2.) pressured UNDER the influence of alcohol
3.) it is clear after the whole getting mad at her toxic AF BFF for trying to sleep with a teacher the pact was completely forgotten about till the 50% and then completely thrown away after that.
4.) and I guess it was never a serious thing in the 1st place
-This book tried to touch on A LOT of topics and never went in-depth or explored on any of them. Honestly was just using heavy/traumatic topics for shock value, and I found it extremely offensive and in poor taste. Here is a list of trigger warnings: Homophobic slurs, threats of conversion therapy, animal abuse, substance abuse, Bullying, toxic relationship, sexual assault/ harassment, cheating
So many of these trigger warnings didn't need to be a thing and they were all used to make the story feel more high stakes/overdramatic. The dark themes felt very mismatched for the main character's inner dialogue and the young teen movie feel of this book.
The more disrespectful aspect of this book was how Meredith's sister, Harper, identity was handled.
I felt this character only purpose/identity was only used to add drama to Meredith's life. Because Meredith was so against her parents then a week later was completely fine even though the threat towards Harper still stood.
-Meredith herself was a bland main character her anxiety, being an atheist, and an alcoholic was her only personality traits. She was the inner monologue of a middle school even though she is a senior in college.
- I dont understand the best friend. Jordan is the worst best friend I have ever read about. I hope I NEVER have a friend that is as toxic and as passive-aggressive as her. Because Mere didn't agree with a choice she made, she PURPOSELY IGNORES HER UNTIL SHE NEEDED SOMETHING OR HER CHOICE BLEW UP IN HER FACE.
-So many teen movie cliches, from a girl with the crappy car, mean girls "Pretty committee squad", mean girls hate me the most, strict parents, my parents don't support my dreams until they do. it was so annoying and even though this book was overdramatic it was so over the top and predictable.
-The dialogue was so painful chessy and one of the worst aspects of the book, it made me question why these characters even bother to associate with one another, and it made the romance feel so forced.
1.) it was awkward the couple would LITERALLY laugh at every single thing said even though there was no joke?
2.) Then random it goes from dumb to all john green like
3.) Most of the relationship was talking about a (what felt like an unimportant) Maltese dog.
LETS TALK ABOUT THE FUCKING DOG SHALL WE?
The bullying seemed unrealistic and overdramatic. I understand the verbal abuse and the hitting but the...
Yea everything in the book was made to be used once then thrown away, nothing was ever solved or address. Yea, this was a disaster and if it wasn't on how poorly the LGBT aspect was handled I would have maybe given this author another try. But nope, its too gross, and it sad that the author couldn't even market her own book correctly because the synopsis doesn't reflect the book at all.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
⭐1 Star
-Really upset how the Pact wasn't really any part of the story. In the synopsis, it really sounded like a girl was going to reclaim the right to choose what to do with her body and it was so far from that.
1.) She was peer pressured to sign the pact
2.) pressured UNDER the influence of alcohol
3.) it is clear after the whole getting mad at her toxic AF BFF for trying to sleep with a teacher the pact was completely forgotten about till the 50% and then completely thrown away after that.
4.) and I guess it was never a serious thing in the 1st place
"It was just this stupid joke Johanna and I made a while ago. It isn’t real. It’s nothing to take seriously or worry about, I promise you.”
-This book tried to touch on A LOT of topics and never went in-depth or explored on any of them. Honestly was just using heavy/traumatic topics for shock value, and I found it extremely offensive and in poor taste. Here is a list of trigger warnings: Homophobic slurs, threats of conversion therapy, animal abuse, substance abuse, Bullying, toxic relationship, sexual assault/ harassment, cheating
So many of these trigger warnings didn't need to be a thing and they were all used to make the story feel more high stakes/overdramatic. The dark themes felt very mismatched for the main character's inner dialogue and the young teen movie feel of this book.
The more disrespectful aspect of this book was how Meredith's sister, Harper, identity was handled.
I felt this character only purpose/identity was only used to add drama to Meredith's life. Because Meredith was so against her parents then a week later was completely fine even though the threat towards Harper still stood.
-Meredith herself was a bland main character her anxiety, being an atheist, and an alcoholic was her only personality traits. She was the inner monologue of a middle school even though she is a senior in college.
- I dont understand the best friend. Jordan is the worst best friend I have ever read about. I hope I NEVER have a friend that is as toxic and as passive-aggressive as her. Because Mere didn't agree with a choice she made, she PURPOSELY IGNORES HER UNTIL SHE NEEDED SOMETHING OR HER CHOICE BLEW UP IN HER FACE.
-So many teen movie cliches, from a girl with the crappy car, mean girls "Pretty committee squad", mean girls hate me the most, strict parents, my parents don't support my dreams until they do. it was so annoying and even though this book was overdramatic it was so over the top and predictable.
-The dialogue was so painful chessy and one of the worst aspects of the book, it made me question why these characters even bother to associate with one another, and it made the romance feel so forced.
1.) it was awkward the couple would LITERALLY laugh at every single thing said even though there was no joke?
“I hope you’re hungry.” He wedges the picnic basket between us and pulls out a bag of tortilla chips and a container of queso. “I believe someone here said she likes nachos.” I laugh and cover my face with my hands. “I can’t believe you remembered that.”
2.) Then random it goes from dumb to all john green like
“The problem is, I’ve been trying to dissect and recreate magic, and you just can’t. You can’t make magic. It’s like when you’re looking for magic, it disappears. I don’t know. It just feels like I could be a good writer, but exactly what I want to say is out of reach.” “Do you know anything about physics?” I ask. “Physics?” “Yeah.” I shrug, suddenly self-conscious. “What you’re describing sounds like this energy principle—that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed. And there’s this other one, where if you try to observe electrons, their behavior changes. The very act of trying to observe it changes what you’re looking for.”
3.) Most of the relationship was talking about a (what felt like an unimportant) Maltese dog.
LETS TALK ABOUT THE FUCKING DOG SHALL WE?
The bullying seemed unrealistic and overdramatic. I understand the verbal abuse and the hitting but the...
Yea everything in the book was made to be used once then thrown away, nothing was ever solved or address. Yea, this was a disaster and if it wasn't on how poorly the LGBT aspect was handled I would have maybe given this author another try. But nope, its too gross, and it sad that the author couldn't even market her own book correctly because the synopsis doesn't reflect the book at all.
April 17, 2020
*Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC copy, all opinions are my own
I’ve enjoyed Anti-Virginity Pact immensely. The book was well written, the pacing was good and I’ve grown to really care about the characters. I think each character was well developed and had a good sense of self. The book discussed some important topics very tactfully and got me really invested. My one complaint would be that it tried doing a little too much. There were so many threads and sub plots, all encompassing important topics but it felt like too much crammed into a relatively short book, so that the last 80% felt incredibly packed with threads which needed a conclusion.
It got me out of my contemporary slump and I would highly recommend it to anyone who feels like they’re ‘the quiet ones’ and is looking for their place in the world.
I’ve enjoyed Anti-Virginity Pact immensely. The book was well written, the pacing was good and I’ve grown to really care about the characters. I think each character was well developed and had a good sense of self. The book discussed some important topics very tactfully and got me really invested. My one complaint would be that it tried doing a little too much. There were so many threads and sub plots, all encompassing important topics but it felt like too much crammed into a relatively short book, so that the last 80% felt incredibly packed with threads which needed a conclusion.
It got me out of my contemporary slump and I would highly recommend it to anyone who feels like they’re ‘the quiet ones’ and is looking for their place in the world.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 296 reviews