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Indigo Summer #5
Step Up
Indigo Summer and her boyfriend, Marcus Carter, have stayed solid through plenty of drama. Now Marcus is a senior, and he's already received his acceptance letter from Harvard. Indigo knows how hard he's worked for this chance. But with his future looking so bright, Indigo suddenly has doubts about where she fits into his life—especially when Marcus meets a beautiful, brainy premed student during a campus visit. Indigo and Marcus have survived separation and temptation before. But this time, everything feels different, and Marcus needs to figure out where his heart lies.
But once he's made up his mind, will Indigo still be waiting for him?
But once he's made up his mind, will Indigo still be waiting for him?
- GenresAfrican American
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
31 people are currently reading
541 people want to read
About the author
Monica McKayhan
15 books100 followersMonica McKayhan started writing when she was twelve years old, always dreaming of becoming a published author. Finally her dream came true when her fi rst novel, As Real As It Gets, was published in January 2005. Since then Monica has written several adult and young adult novels.
She attended public schools in Kansas City, Kansas, where she played basketball, was a member of the pep squad and was on the debate team. She was vice president of the French club and was also one of four speakers at her high school graduation.
Monica now lives in the Dallas–Fort Worth area with her family. She enjoys writing, reading, hanging out at Starbucks, shopping and being with family.
She attended public schools in Kansas City, Kansas, where she played basketball, was a member of the pep squad and was on the debate team. She was vice president of the French club and was also one of four speakers at her high school graduation.
Monica now lives in the Dallas–Fort Worth area with her family. She enjoys writing, reading, hanging out at Starbucks, shopping and being with family.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
July 31, 2010
Tymeka is pregnant and the baby daddy is off to college. Can he stay faithful?
August 24, 2010
this book was really good. it was real life situations in it.!
May 14, 2018
Step Up
PLOT: Two different teenage guys. Two same situations. Vance and Marcus are headed off to college. (Well in Marcus's case it's a summer program). Both have girlfriends. (Vance's girl is pregnant). Both get swayed by girls at their college (Daria and Lexi). Then they cheat. Both girlfriend's find out (Indigo and Tameka). And both boyfriend's get kicked to the curb. Both apologize. One stays with the new woman and one decides where he wants to be is where he's always been.
MY THOUGHTS:
*Right from Chapter 2 before I even get into this I can tell that Vance doesn't love Tamika. It's usually a bad thing when you have to say it first. Then you just never know if they said it because they meant it or because they felt like they should say it. And if you have to question what love means with the person you're with or you feel like you *should* love them because they're having a kid for you then you don't really love them. Not in a romantic sense. Sounds more like an obligation. But sometimes men are such excellent pretenders you can't really tell the difference. But it should have been an indicator when he won't even discuss your future together and up front tells you that's not my priority right now. To men who love you no matter what they do your future together SHOULD be at the top of their list. It's pretty tell (tell) here where this will lead.
*(Side note) Since this book is a shelf book for me (meaning one of the ones I favor enough to keep on the shelves in my bedroom) (and usually those are many many years old) I was surprised to see the mention of President Obama as someone Marcus admires and see that this book really isn't that old and was published in 2010. Only 7 years ago.
*I LOVE Marcus! Not only does he like Favorite Girl and think of Indigo when he hears it and sings it, he's having a sausage, egg, and cheese croissant from Burger King. I mean does this guy have TASTE or what? Just another reason why this guy just makes me love him more every single Indigo book.
*Yeah know that feeling well. Dead silence when people around you don't want to touch something.
*Awww! Indi's a really good friend! This is maybe one of the most shining character moments I've read of her since this series began. Her being there and supportive of Tameka during her pregnancy. Then going with her to her exercise classes.
*Do I feel bad for Tameka? YES, I DO! I feel bad for Tameka BECAUSE it's the same pregnant or non-pregnant with men. Younger. Older. It doesn't matter all of a sudden you look up and they are MIA. And then come the excuses. "I've been too busy. I just come in and pass out." This must be line 1 in the male BS excuse book. And not only am I sad that while she may be a buzz kill to Vance, (SHES PREGNANT) I have never been pregnant, but even had I been yeah your gonna not feel great about how you look and talk a lot about baby stuff. Even where things stand (if you're not already married.) Which I guess is why they preach you shouldn't have kids out of wedlock. But that's SO old school that no one listens to that. I AM ANGRY! Men just seem not to give a ish that they can do this and be cool about not thinking about how much it hurts us not knowing what's going on and they claim "we're they're girls." All the while they have someone else they're giving their attention to. And he's not "too busy" I see for next chick, but to the one who's having his baby, he can't be found. VERY FOUL! When I read this book at first I took up for Vance. Now I'm changing my mind. Wrong period in my life to be reading this I guess.
*I guess I don't fault that he found someone else THERE BUT when I think about this situation I think back to my college days and something similar that happened personally, it does prove that while a guy can be tempted he really can be faithful to his girl and baby on the way back home. It's a tough call to make because while I wanna say that Vance should absolutely tell Tameka about him and Lexi, he's probably thinking he doesn't want her to miscarry. But he still should have told Lexi his situation instead of avoiding her. Why do men think that just avoiding to talk to women in a difficult situation is more ideal than just talking to them? It's SELFISH. And it's SELFISH of Vance to not be honest with either of these girls.
*WTH is up with all these sorry behind men? Other than one these women are pretty much on their own in this pregnancy class. Even the one whose married husband isn't excited at all that she's pregnant. And NONE of them are there. Not even the "supposedly" good one. It's sad when even "fictional" black men are this pathetic.
*What's interesting to me is how in teen books like this one, they can meet someone, not know them that long, and then invite them to their houses to stay for a significant period of time. Do you know how long it took me to have a boyfriend that went out of town with me and actually STAYED over-night with me? Separate rooms yeah but still.
*IKR Tamika. It's like when it's a family gathering and the older generation are controlling the music IT’S A WRAP! I've often wondered the same thing myself why they can't mix the music up.
*(Sighing) Just not only what's wrong with the men in this book, what's wrong with the females. Lexi, a guy that does not commit to you on his OWN that you practically have to give him an ultimatum to get him to ask him to be with you is NOT the guy for you. Lexi is no better than Tamika. I believe Vance does have more feelings for Lexi than Tamika, but (and this is by no means an excuse or a justification). He's 19. He JUST got on campus. He NEEDS to get all that lust out his system before he's ready to commit to anyone (clearly). But then some guys never get it out their system. I don't know if it'll last with Lexi and Vance.
*Darla I don't really like because she definitely should have backed off when Marcus told her he had a girl. I HATE women like this! But NONE of these woman act like they have any kind of ounce of self-respect.
RATING: 8 This book made me MAD! Other than Sean, the guys in this weren't ish. Even my hero Marcus let me down. Now I will say the reality is (and I had to learn) even the best guys screw up. Sad as it is, it's true. Just like in Marcus case. And while guys like Marcus can get forgiveness, maybe I don't understand this because I'm a female. And one of the good ones at that (that) when she finds a guy that holds worth and value there is NO TEMPTATION you can throw up in my path to make me change what I have. And I REALLY don't understand male hormones. I can call BS all day long on that, but according to them, it's VERY REAL. Yet I think your MEN. Should you not be so WEAK MINDED to be so easily swayed with nice body parts come into view. I'm not saying ALL men are like that BUT the majority seem to fall into the trap of having a GREAT girlfriend and then along comes a new kitty kat and then your hearing "Baby I never meant to hurt you." Like just because initially they didn't mean to hurt you that makes everything SO much better! I just do not understand! Will NEVER understand! And then half the time unless they're caught we might not EVER find out. We are ALL flawed individuals (and we as women do this too, because I sure can't front and say I haven't hurt a good person that cared about me. Luckily they forgive me). But just why do we mess up like this over something "easy" and new and convenient? Why aren't we better than this? This is what I think in conclusion 1 Indigo and Marcus will end up together. He'll go to Harvard. He'll learn his lesson and I see him in about a year or so making it official and asking Indigo to marry him. 2. Indigo, of course, will say yes. Her pride was hurt. But she's not stupid. Can't say she's wrong for making him hurt a little bit. And where did he get off trying to rush her forgiveness? 3. Vance won't stay true to Lexi. In about a year or a couple of years, he'll be "in love" with someone else at Grambling. It'll be the what goes around comes around thing & maybe Lexi will dump him for someone back home. 4 As for Vance and Tameka. I don't see them getting back together. I see Tameka though always having feelings for Vance & being the kind of female whose quick to get in the face of whatever new chick he's with because he's her baby daddy and throwing shade. I don't know if I see Sean and Tameka together. I think they might date a minute, but I see him as that guy that really likes her, but he's always gonna come 2nd to Vance. And I think she's gonna use the baby as a way to get him to spend time with her as well as the baby. She might not do it vindictively, but yeah in her head she'll still be thinking that if he spends enough time with her and the baby he'll see that's where he belongs or something. Which is kinda sad but that's just what I see. Tameka isn't over Vance and I don't think she will be anytime soon!
PLOT: Two different teenage guys. Two same situations. Vance and Marcus are headed off to college. (Well in Marcus's case it's a summer program). Both have girlfriends. (Vance's girl is pregnant). Both get swayed by girls at their college (Daria and Lexi). Then they cheat. Both girlfriend's find out (Indigo and Tameka). And both boyfriend's get kicked to the curb. Both apologize. One stays with the new woman and one decides where he wants to be is where he's always been.
MY THOUGHTS:
*Right from Chapter 2 before I even get into this I can tell that Vance doesn't love Tamika. It's usually a bad thing when you have to say it first. Then you just never know if they said it because they meant it or because they felt like they should say it. And if you have to question what love means with the person you're with or you feel like you *should* love them because they're having a kid for you then you don't really love them. Not in a romantic sense. Sounds more like an obligation. But sometimes men are such excellent pretenders you can't really tell the difference. But it should have been an indicator when he won't even discuss your future together and up front tells you that's not my priority right now. To men who love you no matter what they do your future together SHOULD be at the top of their list. It's pretty tell (tell) here where this will lead.
*(Side note) Since this book is a shelf book for me (meaning one of the ones I favor enough to keep on the shelves in my bedroom) (and usually those are many many years old) I was surprised to see the mention of President Obama as someone Marcus admires and see that this book really isn't that old and was published in 2010. Only 7 years ago.
*I LOVE Marcus! Not only does he like Favorite Girl and think of Indigo when he hears it and sings it, he's having a sausage, egg, and cheese croissant from Burger King. I mean does this guy have TASTE or what? Just another reason why this guy just makes me love him more every single Indigo book.
*Yeah know that feeling well. Dead silence when people around you don't want to touch something.
*Awww! Indi's a really good friend! This is maybe one of the most shining character moments I've read of her since this series began. Her being there and supportive of Tameka during her pregnancy. Then going with her to her exercise classes.
*Do I feel bad for Tameka? YES, I DO! I feel bad for Tameka BECAUSE it's the same pregnant or non-pregnant with men. Younger. Older. It doesn't matter all of a sudden you look up and they are MIA. And then come the excuses. "I've been too busy. I just come in and pass out." This must be line 1 in the male BS excuse book. And not only am I sad that while she may be a buzz kill to Vance, (SHES PREGNANT) I have never been pregnant, but even had I been yeah your gonna not feel great about how you look and talk a lot about baby stuff. Even where things stand (if you're not already married.) Which I guess is why they preach you shouldn't have kids out of wedlock. But that's SO old school that no one listens to that. I AM ANGRY! Men just seem not to give a ish that they can do this and be cool about not thinking about how much it hurts us not knowing what's going on and they claim "we're they're girls." All the while they have someone else they're giving their attention to. And he's not "too busy" I see for next chick, but to the one who's having his baby, he can't be found. VERY FOUL! When I read this book at first I took up for Vance. Now I'm changing my mind. Wrong period in my life to be reading this I guess.
*I guess I don't fault that he found someone else THERE BUT when I think about this situation I think back to my college days and something similar that happened personally, it does prove that while a guy can be tempted he really can be faithful to his girl and baby on the way back home. It's a tough call to make because while I wanna say that Vance should absolutely tell Tameka about him and Lexi, he's probably thinking he doesn't want her to miscarry. But he still should have told Lexi his situation instead of avoiding her. Why do men think that just avoiding to talk to women in a difficult situation is more ideal than just talking to them? It's SELFISH. And it's SELFISH of Vance to not be honest with either of these girls.
*WTH is up with all these sorry behind men? Other than one these women are pretty much on their own in this pregnancy class. Even the one whose married husband isn't excited at all that she's pregnant. And NONE of them are there. Not even the "supposedly" good one. It's sad when even "fictional" black men are this pathetic.
*What's interesting to me is how in teen books like this one, they can meet someone, not know them that long, and then invite them to their houses to stay for a significant period of time. Do you know how long it took me to have a boyfriend that went out of town with me and actually STAYED over-night with me? Separate rooms yeah but still.
*IKR Tamika. It's like when it's a family gathering and the older generation are controlling the music IT’S A WRAP! I've often wondered the same thing myself why they can't mix the music up.
*(Sighing) Just not only what's wrong with the men in this book, what's wrong with the females. Lexi, a guy that does not commit to you on his OWN that you practically have to give him an ultimatum to get him to ask him to be with you is NOT the guy for you. Lexi is no better than Tamika. I believe Vance does have more feelings for Lexi than Tamika, but (and this is by no means an excuse or a justification). He's 19. He JUST got on campus. He NEEDS to get all that lust out his system before he's ready to commit to anyone (clearly). But then some guys never get it out their system. I don't know if it'll last with Lexi and Vance.
*Darla I don't really like because she definitely should have backed off when Marcus told her he had a girl. I HATE women like this! But NONE of these woman act like they have any kind of ounce of self-respect.
RATING: 8 This book made me MAD! Other than Sean, the guys in this weren't ish. Even my hero Marcus let me down. Now I will say the reality is (and I had to learn) even the best guys screw up. Sad as it is, it's true. Just like in Marcus case. And while guys like Marcus can get forgiveness, maybe I don't understand this because I'm a female. And one of the good ones at that (that) when she finds a guy that holds worth and value there is NO TEMPTATION you can throw up in my path to make me change what I have. And I REALLY don't understand male hormones. I can call BS all day long on that, but according to them, it's VERY REAL. Yet I think your MEN. Should you not be so WEAK MINDED to be so easily swayed with nice body parts come into view. I'm not saying ALL men are like that BUT the majority seem to fall into the trap of having a GREAT girlfriend and then along comes a new kitty kat and then your hearing "Baby I never meant to hurt you." Like just because initially they didn't mean to hurt you that makes everything SO much better! I just do not understand! Will NEVER understand! And then half the time unless they're caught we might not EVER find out. We are ALL flawed individuals (and we as women do this too, because I sure can't front and say I haven't hurt a good person that cared about me. Luckily they forgive me). But just why do we mess up like this over something "easy" and new and convenient? Why aren't we better than this? This is what I think in conclusion 1 Indigo and Marcus will end up together. He'll go to Harvard. He'll learn his lesson and I see him in about a year or so making it official and asking Indigo to marry him. 2. Indigo, of course, will say yes. Her pride was hurt. But she's not stupid. Can't say she's wrong for making him hurt a little bit. And where did he get off trying to rush her forgiveness? 3. Vance won't stay true to Lexi. In about a year or a couple of years, he'll be "in love" with someone else at Grambling. It'll be the what goes around comes around thing & maybe Lexi will dump him for someone back home. 4 As for Vance and Tameka. I don't see them getting back together. I see Tameka though always having feelings for Vance & being the kind of female whose quick to get in the face of whatever new chick he's with because he's her baby daddy and throwing shade. I don't know if I see Sean and Tameka together. I think they might date a minute, but I see him as that guy that really likes her, but he's always gonna come 2nd to Vance. And I think she's gonna use the baby as a way to get him to spend time with her as well as the baby. She might not do it vindictively, but yeah in her head she'll still be thinking that if he spends enough time with her and the baby he'll see that's where he belongs or something. Which is kinda sad but that's just what I see. Tameka isn't over Vance and I don't think she will be anytime soon!
Read
August 25, 2011I was kinda put off at first by the fact that the first couple chapters in the book are narrated by two of the main characters, Vance and Tameka. The reason this bothered me was because these two are not mentioned anywhere in the synopsis on the back of the book. Now I know all stories have subplots, but in this story it seemed more like this was Vance/Tameka's story, and Marcus/Indigo were the subplot and I would've liked for that to be mentioned in the book summary.But I did get over that. Tameka is sixteen years old and pregnant with Vance's baby. Vance has gone off to Grambling State University for his freshman year at college. He makes all kinds of promises to Tameka before leaving, about how he loved her and would always be there for her and the baby. But you know what happens to folks once they get to college.I really liked both characters of Vance and Tameka. Neither is perfect, and they were presented in a realistic manner and I didn't feel like either of them was wrong in this situation, just that they were both young and at the peak of their lives and made a mistake. I'm glad the story ended with both of them in a good place. The only thing I would've liked to know was if Tameka and Sean ever got together. He was a really sweet boy also, and I liked how nice he was to Tameka during their situation.Then there was Marcus and Indigo's story, which mirrored Vance/Tameka's in that Marcus was going away during the summer for a program at Harvard University and leaving Indigo at home. Even though he wasn't a college student yet, he also got caught up in the new girls he met on campus.
August 8, 2012
I liked this book alot.I liked the book because it was a great book.It had meaning and it was very suspenseful.Pg.190 and 191.It was many lessons in this book to learn.
Someone who would like this book is someone who likes to read books about teen pregnancy and relationship problems.They would like this book because it mainly focuses on that.It was about a girl named Tameka who is 16 and pregnant and her best friend Indigo helps her through it all while both of their boyfriends are away at college cheating.
Their wasnt a challenge for me in this book.But a challenge for someone else might be keeping a track of who is the chapter about.This is a challenge because it is hard to keep track of 4 diffrent people lives.
A character from the book is Tameka.She is the pregnant one.Lifeb has been very hard for during the last few mont6hs. She has swollen ankles and a watermelon sized stomach.She is ashamed to be pregnant because she is afraid of the people reactions and what they might say.She was a beautiful young lady and she could dance but now she was huge and had a baby girl on the way. A lesson taught in this book was to always be faithful to the people you love even if it might hurt them.
Someone who would like this book is someone who likes to read books about teen pregnancy and relationship problems.They would like this book because it mainly focuses on that.It was about a girl named Tameka who is 16 and pregnant and her best friend Indigo helps her through it all while both of their boyfriends are away at college cheating.
Their wasnt a challenge for me in this book.But a challenge for someone else might be keeping a track of who is the chapter about.This is a challenge because it is hard to keep track of 4 diffrent people lives.
A character from the book is Tameka.She is the pregnant one.Lifeb has been very hard for during the last few mont6hs. She has swollen ankles and a watermelon sized stomach.She is ashamed to be pregnant because she is afraid of the people reactions and what they might say.She was a beautiful young lady and she could dance but now she was huge and had a baby girl on the way. A lesson taught in this book was to always be faithful to the people you love even if it might hurt them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 11, 2014
Where do I even begin?
I'm always offended by black authors that write books like these. The grammar was horrible. Here were things happening that you had to just guess happened in-between you turning pages, although they weren't mentioned. And everything was just so stereotypical.
Here you have two couples: Tameka/Vance and Indigo/Marcus. Tameka is pregnant and worried about her kinda boyfriend going off to college to play "basketball" while she has to bear the brunt of her pregnancy on her own. Tameka is naive and very annoying. Vance is an idiot and just isn't likable. That boy made more mistakes than he should be given second chances for.
Indigo is awaiting her real boyfriend, Marcus,to come home from a summer college program. she doesn't ever question his infidelity but that doesn't stop Marcus from cheating anyways. Marcus is an idiot also. He just sits like a bump on a log and ends up being manipulated by his roommate and a girl he starts to fall for.
I've read other books in this series and I never fail to be disappointed. They are so stereotypical black down to wanting to go to an HBCU and asking someone if they want to be be yo girl. Can't relate to this mess at all. Annoying characters and horrible syntax. Need I say more?
Why does this even have 4 stars????
I'm always offended by black authors that write books like these. The grammar was horrible. Here were things happening that you had to just guess happened in-between you turning pages, although they weren't mentioned. And everything was just so stereotypical.
Here you have two couples: Tameka/Vance and Indigo/Marcus. Tameka is pregnant and worried about her kinda boyfriend going off to college to play "basketball" while she has to bear the brunt of her pregnancy on her own. Tameka is naive and very annoying. Vance is an idiot and just isn't likable. That boy made more mistakes than he should be given second chances for.
Indigo is awaiting her real boyfriend, Marcus,to come home from a summer college program. she doesn't ever question his infidelity but that doesn't stop Marcus from cheating anyways. Marcus is an idiot also. He just sits like a bump on a log and ends up being manipulated by his roommate and a girl he starts to fall for.
I've read other books in this series and I never fail to be disappointed. They are so stereotypical black down to wanting to go to an HBCU and asking someone if they want to be be yo girl. Can't relate to this mess at all. Annoying characters and horrible syntax. Need I say more?
Why does this even have 4 stars????
June 27, 2014
Omg! I love Step up by Monica Mckayhan. I just wish it never end that way. I want to know does Tameka get Sean? Does Vance try to come back to Tameka so they can be a family , like he said. Is there gonna be another Indigo Summer book added to the series. But the book was awesome. Indigo and Marcus need to stay together they are really cute. And everybody make mistakes sometimes. Them going to visit Vance was good to because it's better for Tameka to know that he's cheating , than to think so has a perfect boyfriend.
August 16, 2018
This is one of the oldest books on my tbr and over the past 3 years, I've had a social tranformation that makes me view the book differently. My original purchase of this book was back when I was a general reader but I'm more of a critical reader now so there are some problems I see.
First, the story is cute and the drama is what makes it interesting but can also be a downfall. The two male characters Marcus & Vance have the same storyline but Tameka's pregnancy is the only thing that separates her from Indigo. This was confusing as I would get caught up in a chapter about Vance then the following Marcus chapter takes me out but keeps me interested enough that it didn't ruin it for me.
Marcus & Vance
Both boys are swept up into temptation while at school and have this weird thing about going to a Historically Black college, Vance to be a lawyer like his mom, and Marcus wanting to follow in Obama's footsteps.
The differences lies in who they choose to be with in the end but even those were the same.
Marcus gets caught up with a freshman named Daria who sets up a situation with a Derrick who is jealous that she doesn't want him. Together they photograph her and Marcus kissing up against a tree and being close, these are then sent to Indigo who breaks up with him. The breakup plus the reveal of Daria's lie gives him a new perspective on life without Indigo and he doesn't want that so when he goes home he wins her back.
Vance, on the other hand, is a complete dog to every girl he's involved with. While Tameka is at home for the summer pregnant with his baby he's getting cozy with Lexi, a female basketball player whom he isn't the least bit faithful to either. He strikes up a relationship over time by spending whatever free time he has with her while ignoring Tameka's calls and text. Over fourth of July, he gets caught sneaking into her parent's room thinking it's hers(her little brother switched the purse to the parent's room) and gets a pep talk from Lexi's father about staying focused on his goals. During which he lied about the baby (the question was do you have any kids) and rationalized that it was okay as it's technically true. He continues to lie even after getting caught in bed with the other girl he was attracted to in Lexi's friend's apartment. It's here she makes him promise no more secrets and he does but still commits to her as his only girl. At dinner later that week he's finally making headway with Lexi's dad but is caught by Tameka who's here to surprise him but gets a surprise of her own. After some debate about who's his girlfriend and the lack of an explanation the family leaves and so does Tameka. Later after talking to his mom he's made up his mind that he wants lexi as his girl and to be a good father to his daughter. At the football field, he lets Tameka down again by ending things which are fucked up considering he's put her under immense stress the entire pregnancy by being flaky. Lexi takes him back and all is well for the asshole named Vance Armstrong.
Tameka & Indigo
Same as before the two female characters aren't really unique at all except for Tameka's pregnancy they're the same. The difference is once again in the way their relationship progress with Tameka being a single mom at 16 while Vance is off at school with Lexi and enjoying his relationship and Tameka has to both be a first-time parent and live with knowing what she thought was a meaningful relationship was expendable to Vance. In the end, she got dealt a shitty hand and Vance is an asshole who got everything he wanted despite not having earned it.
Side characters
Chris is a victim of sexual abuse along with(possibly) his two young sisters and his mom who's physically abused by the dad who's a judge so he gets away with a lot. His dad threatens to cut him off but as of yet hasn't so everyone helps him with essays for scholarships which would help him escape but not his siblings or mom.
Jae is Vance the Korean roommate who's the best part of Vance's chapters. Everything he says I can imagine hearing it and though it's not as prominent as I'd like his presence make me smile.
Paul isn't memorable enough to stand out he's just there.
Cons
The stereotypes are ridiculously annoying. The young black male who wants to be just like Obama who's accomplished a lot of 'first' as an African American which is beyond tired even for 2010.
The basketball thing is played out too like even though Vance is an asshole he at least had a goal to be more then a sports player and even his Obama obsession was based in having bug goals which are fine with me.
The pregnant 16-year-old black girl and the flaky baby father is just pitiful like come on, we can do better. However, I'm glad Tameka ill have something to distract her from the heartbreak caused by Vance.
The similarities were so confusing and I knew one of them got caught in person but for the life of me I couldn't figure out who. I kept going back and forth between the two as they're so similar except Marcus isn't a cheating asshole.
The ebonics is a general issue for me so this was just a nitpick but wasn't as annoying as it was in The Hate U Give so that's a plus.
Overall it is an okay story with some laughs and cringy moments but enjoyable none the less. However, I could use more of Jae he's the best thing about this book.
First, the story is cute and the drama is what makes it interesting but can also be a downfall. The two male characters Marcus & Vance have the same storyline but Tameka's pregnancy is the only thing that separates her from Indigo. This was confusing as I would get caught up in a chapter about Vance then the following Marcus chapter takes me out but keeps me interested enough that it didn't ruin it for me.
Marcus & Vance
Both boys are swept up into temptation while at school and have this weird thing about going to a Historically Black college, Vance to be a lawyer like his mom, and Marcus wanting to follow in Obama's footsteps.
The differences lies in who they choose to be with in the end but even those were the same.
Marcus gets caught up with a freshman named Daria who sets up a situation with a Derrick who is jealous that she doesn't want him. Together they photograph her and Marcus kissing up against a tree and being close, these are then sent to Indigo who breaks up with him. The breakup plus the reveal of Daria's lie gives him a new perspective on life without Indigo and he doesn't want that so when he goes home he wins her back.
Vance, on the other hand, is a complete dog to every girl he's involved with. While Tameka is at home for the summer pregnant with his baby he's getting cozy with Lexi, a female basketball player whom he isn't the least bit faithful to either. He strikes up a relationship over time by spending whatever free time he has with her while ignoring Tameka's calls and text. Over fourth of July, he gets caught sneaking into her parent's room thinking it's hers(her little brother switched the purse to the parent's room) and gets a pep talk from Lexi's father about staying focused on his goals. During which he lied about the baby (the question was do you have any kids) and rationalized that it was okay as it's technically true. He continues to lie even after getting caught in bed with the other girl he was attracted to in Lexi's friend's apartment. It's here she makes him promise no more secrets and he does but still commits to her as his only girl. At dinner later that week he's finally making headway with Lexi's dad but is caught by Tameka who's here to surprise him but gets a surprise of her own. After some debate about who's his girlfriend and the lack of an explanation the family leaves and so does Tameka. Later after talking to his mom he's made up his mind that he wants lexi as his girl and to be a good father to his daughter. At the football field, he lets Tameka down again by ending things which are fucked up considering he's put her under immense stress the entire pregnancy by being flaky. Lexi takes him back and all is well for the asshole named Vance Armstrong.
Tameka & Indigo
Same as before the two female characters aren't really unique at all except for Tameka's pregnancy they're the same. The difference is once again in the way their relationship progress with Tameka being a single mom at 16 while Vance is off at school with Lexi and enjoying his relationship and Tameka has to both be a first-time parent and live with knowing what she thought was a meaningful relationship was expendable to Vance. In the end, she got dealt a shitty hand and Vance is an asshole who got everything he wanted despite not having earned it.
Side characters
Chris is a victim of sexual abuse along with(possibly) his two young sisters and his mom who's physically abused by the dad who's a judge so he gets away with a lot. His dad threatens to cut him off but as of yet hasn't so everyone helps him with essays for scholarships which would help him escape but not his siblings or mom.
Jae is Vance the Korean roommate who's the best part of Vance's chapters. Everything he says I can imagine hearing it and though it's not as prominent as I'd like his presence make me smile.
Paul isn't memorable enough to stand out he's just there.
Cons
The stereotypes are ridiculously annoying. The young black male who wants to be just like Obama who's accomplished a lot of 'first' as an African American which is beyond tired even for 2010.
The basketball thing is played out too like even though Vance is an asshole he at least had a goal to be more then a sports player and even his Obama obsession was based in having bug goals which are fine with me.
The pregnant 16-year-old black girl and the flaky baby father is just pitiful like come on, we can do better. However, I'm glad Tameka ill have something to distract her from the heartbreak caused by Vance.
The similarities were so confusing and I knew one of them got caught in person but for the life of me I couldn't figure out who. I kept going back and forth between the two as they're so similar except Marcus isn't a cheating asshole.
The ebonics is a general issue for me so this was just a nitpick but wasn't as annoying as it was in The Hate U Give so that's a plus.
Overall it is an okay story with some laughs and cringy moments but enjoyable none the less. However, I could use more of Jae he's the best thing about this book.
Currently reading
October 24, 2011This is a GREAT book i read so far...
January 17, 2012
this boo k was really good. its the best in the whole indigo series
March 5, 2015
This book life lesson is the same as "The Test" dont have children young and choose somebody good and wise to have a child with.
Currently reading
March 13, 2017so far indigo is not sure what to do while her boyfriend is in college and while she is having a baby and she is not sure if her relationship is still going on because marcus met another girl
February 5, 2011
This was a really cute, YA novel. I was a little iffy on it at first, but it got more interesting as it went on.
I was kinda put off at first by the fact that the first couple chapters in the book are narrated by two of the main characters, Vance and Tameka. The reason this bothered me was because these two are not mentioned anywhere in the synopsis on the back of the book. Now I know all stories have subplots, but in this story it seemed more like this was Vance/Tameka's story, and Marcus/Indigo were the subplot and I would've liked for that to be mentioned in the book summary.
But I did get over that. Tameka is sixteen years old and pregnant with Vance's baby. Vance has gone off to Grambling State University for his freshman year at college. He makes all kinds of promises to Tameka before leaving, about how he loved her and would always be there for her and the baby. But you know what happens to folks once they get to college.
I really liked both characters of Vance and Tameka. Neither is perfect, and they were presented in a realistic manner and I didn't feel like either of them was wrong in this situation, just that they were both young and at the peak of their lives and made a mistake. I'm glad the story ended with both of them in a good place. The only thing I would've liked to know was if Tameka and Sean ever got together. He was a really sweet boy also, and I liked how nice he was to Tameka during their situation.
Then there was Marcus and Indigo's story, which mirrored Vance/Tameka's in that Marcus was going away during the summer for a program at Harvard University and leaving Indigo at home. Even though he wasn't a college student yet, he also got caught up in the new girls he met on campus. Mostly I found their story a little boring, especially since at first it was going to exact same way as Vance and Tameka's (minus the pregnancy of course). I did like Marcus' Korean roommate, Jae, whom Marcus was teaching slang to. In fact, the plot with Marcus and his roommates (Jae, Paul, Chris, and Derrick) was even a bit more interesting than his relationship with Indigo.
Anyways, I thought this was a good, interesting story that's a good eye-opener to how things can change when people are separated and when young adults begin college. I would definitely read more by this author and would want to read more about what happens with these characters.
I was kinda put off at first by the fact that the first couple chapters in the book are narrated by two of the main characters, Vance and Tameka. The reason this bothered me was because these two are not mentioned anywhere in the synopsis on the back of the book. Now I know all stories have subplots, but in this story it seemed more like this was Vance/Tameka's story, and Marcus/Indigo were the subplot and I would've liked for that to be mentioned in the book summary.
But I did get over that. Tameka is sixteen years old and pregnant with Vance's baby. Vance has gone off to Grambling State University for his freshman year at college. He makes all kinds of promises to Tameka before leaving, about how he loved her and would always be there for her and the baby. But you know what happens to folks once they get to college.
I really liked both characters of Vance and Tameka. Neither is perfect, and they were presented in a realistic manner and I didn't feel like either of them was wrong in this situation, just that they were both young and at the peak of their lives and made a mistake. I'm glad the story ended with both of them in a good place. The only thing I would've liked to know was if Tameka and Sean ever got together. He was a really sweet boy also, and I liked how nice he was to Tameka during their situation.
Then there was Marcus and Indigo's story, which mirrored Vance/Tameka's in that Marcus was going away during the summer for a program at Harvard University and leaving Indigo at home. Even though he wasn't a college student yet, he also got caught up in the new girls he met on campus. Mostly I found their story a little boring, especially since at first it was going to exact same way as Vance and Tameka's (minus the pregnancy of course). I did like Marcus' Korean roommate, Jae, whom Marcus was teaching slang to. In fact, the plot with Marcus and his roommates (Jae, Paul, Chris, and Derrick) was even a bit more interesting than his relationship with Indigo.
Anyways, I thought this was a good, interesting story that's a good eye-opener to how things can change when people are separated and when young adults begin college. I would definitely read more by this author and would want to read more about what happens with these characters.
November 2, 2010
i think this is a good book i like this i want to read all of her books i think alot of people can connect to this book i really like the part when vance said that he will be there to take care of the baby but i think that he might keep his word on taking care of the baby but i think that he might date other girls why is out there in college and still be commited to his word
June 5, 2015
Step up or step off...
Although Goodreads lists this as book 5, following the storyline this should be book 6. Indigo, Marcus, Vance, and Tameka all had to face some harsh realities in this one. Relationships are tried and tested. College experiences burst the little high school bubble that once cradled them. Be prepared for a rollercoaster ride of emotions. Another good read.
Although Goodreads lists this as book 5, following the storyline this should be book 6. Indigo, Marcus, Vance, and Tameka all had to face some harsh realities in this one. Relationships are tried and tested. College experiences burst the little high school bubble that once cradled them. Be prepared for a rollercoaster ride of emotions. Another good read.
April 15, 2011
This was a GREAT book!
January 16, 2015
Great book! Would definitely recommend it. But you definitely have to read the other books before you read this one. Wish there was another after this one. Kind of want to know what happens next.
October 22, 2015
i really like this book
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