Girls in Trouble

by Caroline Leavitt

In this heart-wrenching story of an open adoption gone wrong, Caroline Leavitt reveals the astonishing power of family bonds and maternal love. Sara, sixteen, is in denial about her pregnancy and too far along for an abortion. Her once-devoted boyfriend has disappeared so Sara decides her only option is an open adoption with George and Eva, a couple desperate for a child. After the birth it's clear Sara has a bond with the child that Eva can't duplicate and Eva and George make a drastic decision, with devastating consequences for them all.

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, Adoption, Contemporary, Adult, Book Club, Drama

368 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 19, 2004

About the author

Caroline Leavitt is the New York Times bestselling author of Cruel Beautiful World, Is This Tomorrow, With or Without You, Pictures of You (Algonquin Books), which. Pictures of You was on the Best Books of the Year lists from the San Francisco Chronicle, The Providence Journal, Bookmarks and Kirkus Reviews. It was also a Costco Pennie's Pick. Is This Tomorrow was long listed for the Main Readers Prize, a WNBA Reading group Choice, A San Francisco Chronicle Lit Pick/Editor's Choice, a Jewish Book Club Pic and the winner of an Audiofile Earphones Award.

Her 13th novel DAYS OF WONDER will be published by Algonquin/Hatchette in the spring of 2024.

The winner of a New York Foundation of the Arts Grant, a second prize winner in Goldenberg Fiction Prize, A Sundance Screenwriting Lab Finalist, a Nickelodeon Screenwriting Fellowship Finalist and a National Magazine Award Nominee, Leavitt is a senior writing instructor at UCLA and Stanford online and a freelance manuscript consultant. Her work has appeared in New York Magazine, Psychology Today, Salon,More, and more.
She has been featured on The Today Show and profiled in the New York Times.

You can reach her through www.carolineleavitt.com. On twitter @leavittnovelist. On Instagram @carolineleavitt and FB https://www.facebook.com/carolineleav... @carowriter99

Reviews

[BookNightOwl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Girls in trouble deals with a 16 year old girl who becomes pregnant and deals with the hard issue of giving the baby up for adoption. This book is told from multiple points of views you have the adoptive mother and father. Then you have the 16 year old girl and then you even have the child when she gets older. I felt the book was good for it's time talking about adoption and the struggles the mother who is giving up her child goes through. Overall a well told story.

[Stephanie "Jedigal" · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great adoption story from multiple viewpoints: birth mother, adoptive mother, adoptive father, the child, and finally the birth father. The book reveals the characters at their weakest, but I found the characters very sympathetic - although with true-to-life flaws. After all, this is what it is to be human, striving to do right by other people while also protecting ourselves. And a great thing about the book is that the author seems to take an objective view and let you make your decisions about how you feel about the characters and their actions. I might see if this author has any other titles...

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

A reluctant three stars - I'm not really sure how to tackle this one. INitially I thought it was because I read this right after 'Center of everything' that this book seemed weaker - first, the stories are similar so it could just be overkill, and second, specific strengths in the former were distinct areas of weakness in the latter - COE, for one ting, had a supremely likeable narrator who I was rooting for and whose personality was clear - whereas in this book theheroine is for the mostpart not knowable - we are given some facts butbeyond that she is a plot device - the other thing that was interesting was that that book was not at all plot heavy - I couldnt tell you what COE was about, even, as much as it was so enjoyably writen - but this one kept me interested because the plot was so engaging whereas the characters were under developed - anyway as the book went on it went from lots of potential to adequate to too long and drawn out. The concept - the dangers of an open adoption between a 16 yr old 'in trouble' and the older couple she is helping out - is very interesting, but the friendship between the 16 yr old and the 43 yr old prospective adopter seems a little unrealistic - and again, we are never given a real sense of either character in order to understand why they are so connected. The book picks up in pace as this idyllic picture begins to fall apart, but then things continue to unravbel and you sense that even the author tires of the plot - things keep happening at a rapid pace, sentences no longer connect, she begins to talk at you. My feeling was that this book would have been much more climactic if it had ended at a particular point of high drama - and then had a sequel since Leavitt seemed so darned determined to have us know every stupid detail of what happened to the adopted baby years down the line (arguable if necessary at all; but at the very least, not needed all in one book) - in a way this reminded me of memory keepers daughter, tho slightly better written, at least, but in that fatalistic sense of one mistake setting things in motion, the argument that a person can sense unfinished business and always suffer without knowing why, yet at the same time the potential not matching the actual book, the events dragging on too long, and the characters seeming very flat and one dimensional. I recommend it as a nice read as something light and page turning, a good beach read or whatnot, but disappointing in its literary deficiencies, and certainly compared to COE it falls quite short.

[Bonna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a simply told and modestly written book, yet underneath runs a current of such authentic and brave moral vision. The bond between a too-young mother's birth child and the ideals which make her want to believe her child can belong to someone else play out in complex, human terms which deepen, rather than gloss over the conflict. It opens us the debate about adoption with sensitivity and without any preachiness. But, more importantly, it is a brilliantly crafted story. By one of our finest writers. A writer who isn't afraid to go into darker places and emerge not with simple answers but with the questions we so desperately need. The writing is so good, so expert, one lives inside the people. I couldn't put it down!

[Susan]

I love books that expand my understanding and empathy to others' experiences. A lovingly written book with much wisdom about the journey of a woman who gave up her child for adoption at age 16. What makes this good is to see how the heartbreak affects her and the others in the situation (the adoptive parents,the child, the girls' parents, the father), how all are transformed and the ultimate resolution. I cared about every character because they were so real. I found I couldn't put it down as I traveled throught a gamut of emotions, crying or smiling, reluctant to lose contact with the characters. I hope it makes me a better mother.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I read by author Caroline Leavitt and it certainly won't be my last. Girls in Trouble is a complex, multilayered, unsentimental tale of longing, greed, selfishness, compassion, and absolute overwhelming love in reference to the Open Adoption process. Wrap up a little too neatly at the end, but still very much worth the read.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author's books are for fans of Jodi Picoult, Diane Chamberlain, and Kristin Hannah. However, once reading Caroline Leavitt's writing, you will wonder where she has been all your reading life and become a devoted fan. In my opinion she truly stands alone in her powerful writing style. I ordered 3 of her books from a bookstore but finally found the rest of her books through Amazon's used bookstores (and look forward to their arrival any day now! I THINK I have tracked all of her books down!!!).

Leavitt has an incredible ability to make her characters and their decisions REAL. I LOVED this book and it has stayed with me several days after reading. I wanted so badly to rally behind just one character and put all my sympathies toward that character. There are no "bad" guys in this book - just characters with deep emotions and difficult situations. Leavitt's characters are extremely complex and you find yourself empathazing with every single character. When reading from the perspective of Sara, you feel her anguish as a teen mother and the poignant loss of her first loves (her baby and her boyfriend). She also makes Eve and George such likeable characters and you can relate Eve's difficulties as a new mother and her efforts to deal with the open adoption and Sara's increasing presence.

It is amazing to me that an author can make a reader either like or RELATE to every character!!!! It was a refreshing outlook on open adoptions as well. I particularly like how Leavitt doesn't let her characters dwell in their situation.....they ALL find a way to pick themselves up and move on. They DEAL with what life has dealt them - a good lesson for all of us. She also doesn't let them succumb to what would be a fairytale, unrealistic ending. It is obvious Leavitt respects her characters and in turn allows them to be human, but make choices that are TRUE to their characters (and not play to what the reader may want to see happen). The chemistry and drama between Danny, his wife Charlotte (another likeable character) and Sara is touching and realistic but does not cross any unnecessary boundaries. The reader is left respecting Danny for his maturity and commitment - how many times does that happen in the fiction world??!!!

Leavitt allows her characters to GROW and MATURE. Loved how she brought the characters full circle. Thought the ending of how Sara and Eve introduced themselves to the guests at Anne's graduation was the perfect conclusion. Honestly, my words are at a loss to describe this novel and her characters. Just trust me, this is a REFRESHING novel that has raised the standards for all other authors that I read. I appreciate and admire the characters' choices (in major and minor decisions). Because of Leavitt's writing style (at least in the two books that I have read), she doesn't let you hanging.....she allows these characters to develop and provides you with the answers to a satisfactory conclusion. This is a book that I became totally lost in and I truly miss the characters. HIGHLY recommend but you won't ever find my copy for sale! After I loan it to my mom and friends, it will find a permanent spot on my bookcase.

[Gabby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really love this book. I've always been a huge fan of Caroline Leavitt, and she does not disappoint with this book. I didn't know who I felt more sympathy for, Sara or Eva. I mean I felt so much empathy for both of them at different times and I did not expect the intensity and the deep problems that surfaced in this book. It was surprising and I love to be surprised because I hate predictable storylines. I also really loved Sara's relationship with Danny, even though sometimes it wasn't so great. I guess it's cause I'm a sucker for young love, but it was sweet how much they cared for each other. I also loved Eva and George's relationship and I felt like I related to a lot of their ideas and the way they handled certain situations. It was just a really good read, and I consider it to be one of my favorites.

[hayley · Rating 3 out of 5]

i loved this. idk. it was so easy to read. it made me emotional, too. by the end, i grew to love all the characters (except for anne's TERRIBLE teacher).

this book reminded me why i love realistic fiction even if some people find it boring. i love getting lost in other peoples' lives--and out of the hellhole that is my head--and it can be nice to just read something simple and touching. i needed the reminder that i don't ALWAYS have to read some book about society collapsing or people facing some sort of oppression. sometimes, it's nice to just let myself relax into a book and forget about the world for a while.

there were some typos, unfortunately. :(

[Dori Ostermiller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book opens with a bang and held me deeply in its clutches for the first 150 pages--so much so, I had trouble putting it down to go to bed at night. Leavitt is a master story teller who understands pacing and narrative tension like nobody's business. But even better, she has a deep psychological grip on her characters, who are portrayed as multifaceted, flawed and sympathetic human beings, all achingly vulnerable, all wracked by fear and need and guilt. They do things the will regret. Often, they overcome their worst impulses, too, and despite the painful, riveting twists and turns of this story about an open adoption gone wrong, what Leaviitt leaves us with is a sense that love does prevail, despite the regret and pain of paths not taken, that there is room for second (and third) chances, and that families indeed do come in every shape and size. Although the prose in this book isn't at all showy or lyrical--it's quite spare--Leavitt's poetry is in her deep understanding of human nature and the profound ways our colliding paths reverberate through time and space. I look forward to reading more books by this author.

[Selen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anne bitti. Hayatımda okuduğum en güzel kitaptı. İnternette okuduğum yorumlara bakarak almıştım ve iyikide almışım. Hayata bakıs acımın değiştiğini gördüm. Sevginin insanları nelere sürükleyeceğini , hataların nelere mâl olacağını anladım. Keşkeler ve eğerlerle hayat geçirmektense büyümenin yollarını g��rdüm. Kendimi Sara'nın yeri koydum. Hayatının 16 yaşında nasıl değiştiğini bebeği için neler yapabileceğini ve duygularını çok iyi anlatmıştı. Okurken ağladığım bölümler bile oldu. Kitabın etkisinde o kadar kaldım ki üzerine kitap okuyamayacağımı düşünüyorum. Kitap gerçekten harika.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really thought I would like this book and it ended up just being eh to me. The timeline for this book was a complete mess. It is supposed to start out in 1987 but so much of what happened is not what would happen back then but written as if it were for nowadays time. There also wasn't a whole lot that happened in the book that seemed believable at all. I agree with other reviews that there was just too much crammed into the book that was unnecessary and really dragged it out.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tells the story of a teenage girl who gets pregnant and then gives the baby up for an open adoption. The interesting part is that it tells the story from different perspectives...hers, her parent's, the adoptive family, and her boyfriend. It reminded me of just how many people and lives are affected, more than you typically think of.

[Darla Lomax · Rating 4 out of 5]

A childless couple and a pregnant 16 year old enter into an open adoption agreement. The author does a good job of revealing the points of view of both. I was surprised the book covered a 16 year time span - it follows both the birth mother and adoptive parents lives and brings everyone back together when the adopted child is 16.

[Heather St Louis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

[Julianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author is very good...good story.

[Elizabeth]

A deeply personal reading experience for me. Need some time to digest this before trying to review it. I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone!

[Neet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a surprisingly good novel. The novel is about Sara, 16 years old, pregnant and scared. Sara is in love for the first time with a fellow high school student named Danny. Sara is highly intelligent and her parents see her attending Yale or Harvard. Sara thinks that Danny will love her and they will live happily ever after. Danny gets scared and runs and Sara has no choice but to tell her parents. Sara who at the time is 5 months pregnant parents are disappointed and they insist on putting the baby up for adoption. Sara's mother also starts to tell her stories of when she was Sara's age and the home for "Troubled Girls" ( a house for pregnant teen aged girls) that she seems to have a lot of knowledge about for a mere spectator. Sara after talking to an adoption lawyer goes through the process of finding the right parents. On that end she meets Eva & George, a childless couple in their 40's who immediately take a liking to Sara. The three get along and want an open adoption and want Sara to be a part of their family. Sara's parents are cautious and try to warn Sara away from even considering this and this unusual friendship. Sara loves the couple and finds herself going to their home,taking part in activities, and deciding she wants them to adopt her baby. Let's just say George & Eva are too good to be true, Sara's parents though cold and harsh in someways, are more realistic in the whole situation, and Sara, although she's highly intelligent, is still a child. I won't say more, other than this is a well written book and a good read!

[Anne Green · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was "inspired" to read this book by a book I read on writing craft, about how to create compelling openings for novels, which used the opening of this one as an example. In that it depicts a woman in childbirth being raced to hospital in a car, it is indeed compelling and immediately engages your attention. From there, sadly it was all downhill, for me (and for the mother and child, also sadly). Not my cup of tea.

[Bindi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Weird book. Begins in the year 1987 and her dad has a mobile phone? I’ve red until page 56 but I’m done.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an adoptive mom and adoption professional, I really wanted a good fiction book that portrays the realities of adoption. Ms. Leavitt does an excellent job of considering all sides of the triad and writes a believable story that captures the fears and joys of adoption.

[Nihann~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dikkat bu review aralarda hafif spoiler, gereken ve hakedilen yerlerde küfür, bolca duygu ve duygu karmaşası içermektedir. Ha bir de emin olamasam da uzun olabiliritesi var. Ve bitirdkten sonra farkettim dizideki karakterlerle/olaylarla konuşan yaşlı teyze stayla da bi yazı olabilir Ben uyarımı yapiyim de hani...

Ağlamaktan ağzıma sıçan kitaplar vol.2 dur kendisi. vol.1 de The Sweet Gum Tree dir. Sağolsunlar varolsunlar. Eger kitabı okumayı düşünüyorsanız olmamanız gerekn durumlar hakkından bahsetmek istiyorum:
-Aile'den özellikle Anne'den uzaksanız veya yeni ayrılmışsanız hani (veya böyle olursanızda sizi etkilemez bilemeyceğim)
P.S:Zaten vol.1 olanını bie okuduktan sonra belli etkenlerle de birllikte Kıbrıs'a biletimi alıp hasret giderdiydim.
-Ayrılık dolayısıylabi hüzün bi özlem bi sıla vb. içindeyseniz(veya böyle olursanızda sizi etkilemez bilemeyceğim)
-"Yok arkadaş güllik gülistanlık mutlu son isterim okurum ben napıcam kötü değilde hüzünlü sonu" mantelitesindesiniz (veya böyle olursanızda sizi etkilemez bilemeyceğim)
-Tavsiye olarak da hanibölebiraz mutlu bi modda okuyunda en azından kitap sonunda nötre yakın bi modda bitirirsiniz bi ihtimal hani(veya böyle olursanızda sizi etkilemez bilemeyceğim)

Kitap hankındaki görüşlerim
Konu zaten damar gözüküyor evet, şunu da söylemeliyim ne kadar fictionda olsa şu karakterlerin ayırmadan hepsinin başına gelenlerinin düşmanıma bile vermesin dedirtecek derecede üzüntü bıraktı bende, hani just imagine hali bile beni dağladı.
Kitapın uslubu çok güzeldi,duygu aktarımları o kadar güzeldi ki kitaptan realitye dönemedim zaten onun içinde ağzım gözüm yamuldu ağlamaktan(ama bunu okuduktan sonra da kitabı okursunuzdan beklentiyle okuyacagınızdan benim kadar yamulmazsınız diye düşünüyorum, sana iyilik yapıyorum okuyucu gülüm)
Çeviri de son zamanlarda okdugumun en iyisiydi.Tamam daha önce okuduklarımda iyidi okunmayacak bi halleri yoktu ama ben error verip ingilizcesi nasıl ki bunun da böyle olmuş hataları veriyordum.

Şimdi konuya giriyorum spoiler istemezsen zaten alacağını almışındır kaç gendini kurtar-----

Yazarın uslubu ii dedim, kurguya sinirler asablarr kanser öncesi evreler oldum. Yazarsın laaan baş karakterine niye bu kadar çektiriyorsun diğerlerine özelliklede esas çekmesi gerekenlere hayal bile edemeycekleri bir gelecek sunarken(devrik cümlenin dibi detected!)

Karakter nefret sıralamam:
Danny'nin annesi(leş kaltak,hakettin!) ve Danny(evet! ananla aynı yerde olmayı hakettin) > Charlotte(Yobaz Yellozzz!) > Scott > Sara'nın anne ve baba diye tanımlanan şahıslar > Eva

Nedenlerine girersem üyeliğimin iptaline kadar gidebilir işler..Neysee

Danny ile Sara çok güzeldi. Duygular,hissettikleri..Kitabın sonlarındaki halleri bile beni mahvetti.Ne olursu abisi ölüp tegeri geldikten karısıyla tanışmadan önce Sara'yı bulup beraber olsaydılar hee? Hele karısının DAnny'e birbirimize ait olduğumuzu kafamın omzuna uymasındna anlıyorumdediği yer..Dedim heralde yazar D ve S nin birbirlerine ait olmadığını imaetmeye çalışıyordedimkızın hayatının içine etti çok gördü aradığını. Danny kaçıp gitmiş, serseri, amaeşi var oğlu var evi var işi var her şeyi var. NOT FAIR
Ama yazarın amacı o olsa tekrar görüştürdüklerinde ikisininde aklı karışmaz dedim, Danny Sara'ya 15 yaşımdaki sana aşık olana çocuk hala içimde yaşıyor deditmez dedim, Sara ayrılırken Danny ağlamaz dedim. Sonra da Danny'i karısına seni seviyorumi beni bırakma falan dedirtmez dedim. Bu sahnelerde bıraktım ağladım koyverdim gitti yani. Kalbim acıyarak okudum(P.S:Normal hayatta böyle trajiler yaşayan veya maruz kalmışbirinsan değilim,anormal hayttada değilim,Allahda göstermesin).

Kitaba bayıldım da, nefrette ettim, üzüldüm de, ağladım da, genelde bunlardan sonra güldüm lafı gelirama güldüğümü htrlamıyorum neyseee.. Ama TheSweetGumTree gibi bu da beni günlerce kalbim buruk yaşatacak.

Bu kitaptan sonra BABA'yı okurum diyordum ama yoook üst üste kaldıramaycağım. Regency falan lazım bana Medieval bile komplike gelebilir.Temiz güzel bir Regency'e başlamalıyım. Elimde The American Heiress var ama bilemiyorum.
Galiba yazdıgım en uzun review oldu, biraz saçma da oldu arada sanırsam. Olsun...

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this story. Loved all the characters and the situations were so realistic. Everyone's feelings were so well expressed.

[Norabee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exploring the Perils of Open Adoption

This novel started out kind of like an “after-school special” showing the tragic results of teenage sex, but as I continued to read, the characters became more dimensional and I began to see that there is much more to this novel than I originally believed. The author takes the time to fully develop the characters so that you understood where their decisions are coming from.

This is the story of Sara, sixteen and pregnant and the novel opens on the drive to the hospital to have her baby. She is attended by her parents but her thoughts are only of the adoptive parents to whom she has promised her child. Sara feels as though no one understands her and the only person she thought she could truly trust was Danny, the baby’s teenaged father, but after telling him of the impending birth, Danny leaves town and abandons Sara. She would love to keep her baby and raise it, but she also wants her child to have the best – so she decides upon an open-adoption, in which she will be able to be a part of the child’s life.

She chooses Eva & George, a friendly older couple and instantly bonds with Eva, who has always wanted to become a mother. Sara feels she is more a part of her family than she is in her own. Her parents are disappointed in her and want Sara to put the baby up for adoption and just move on with her life, but Sara won’t listen and forges a strong bond with the adoptive family.

Then things get too close for comfort and the relationship becomes strained as Sara becomes too close to the family in an unhealthy way. Then Sara does something that ultimately breaks the strong connection with Eva & George and she feels the bond with her baby break, perhaps permanently.

I particularly enjoyed reading the story from the characters different perspectives and getting know the reason why Danny ran away. We even learn the story from the baby’s perspective. As she grows, Anne, like Sara, has never really felt connected to her adoptive parents and when she gets the chance to meet Sara, she thinks that her prayers have been answered by being reunited with her birth mother, but events happen that once again, tear Sara and her daughter apart.

Caroline Leavitt does an excellent job introducing each character and drawing you into their lives. The interaction between the characters is gripping and the story is well told – I will certainly look for more books by this author and I highly recommend this story.

[Bookmarks Magazine]

Girls in Trouble flaunts "all the ingredients for a Lifetime television drama" (The Pittsburgh Post Gazette). In this earnest but uneven work, that's a compliment. Reviewers agree that Leavitt's eighth novel skips over one decisive event too lightly, then unconvincingly leaps forward 15 years. Leavitt has mined this territory before--the slow maturation of a lovesick girl. It's not a very remarkable journey, but the author handles it with sensitivity. The Washington Post calls Girls "a canny portrait of the trouble perfectly ordinary people can get into while trying to satisfy their perfectly ordinary needs for love and security and happiness." It's sure to appeal to Jacquelyn Mitchard fans.

This is an excerpt from a review published in Bookmarks magazine.

[Clarissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read "Girls in Trouble" by Caroline Leavitt and absolutely fell in love with it. I just couldn't put it down. This is a very realistic book that attracted my attention with just the cover. It kept me coming back more throughout the whole book. Just when you think things are settling down the drama starts up again and you just get so anxious to see what's going to happen next. This book gets real and down to the truth about what really happens during young teenage pregnancies. It's not as easy as it may seem to let go of the one thing you love the most and you don't even have to know the person that well. Anyone who loves to be taken on a realistic adventure without all the bulls**t cover ups then this is the perfect book. This book is for anyone who enjoys a good book and I would absolutely read this book again.

[Marnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was good & well written. It's about a girl who places her baby for open adoption & then tries to kidnap her, so the adoptive parents move far away to get away from her & dont tell their daughter she's adopted. I felt bad for what the birth mother went through, but some of the things she did were really psycho. And the adoptive parents should have been honest about the fact that the daughter was adopted, because she found out when she was a teenager & didnt handle it well. It was good to read because you want to find out what'll happen next.

[Ginger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my gosh!! This book was so great!! This is the first book I have read by this author. If all of her books are as good as this one was, I will definietly be reading more by this author.
The book was a roller coaster ride of emotions. I couldn't put this book down ,no matter how hard I tried!! I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves books, even those that may not have the ending we all hope for.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished this book tonight, and I LOVED it. I read well over 100 pages tonight because I couldn't put it down. It's a great book about a 16 year old girl that gets pregnant and gives her baby up for adoption, but does an open adoption, and then things go downhill from there. Highly recommend it!

[Suzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty good book about a teenage girl who has a baby and then gives it up for adoption. After the baby is born she decides that she wants to have a bigger part in the babies life, yet the adopted parents don't want her in it as much. It is just about this teenage girls life and mainly the internal struggles she is having and the external with the adoptive parents.