Review: Choices by Annie Brewer

Title: Choices

Author: Annie Brewer

Publisher: Self-published

Published: December 28, 2012

Purchase: Amazon

Gracie had everything planned when it came to her future. She was set to go to California with her scholarship-jock boyfriend, attend college, get a degree, and maybe sometime later when they were older and successful, they would get married and start a family. But all of that was taken away by the passion of one careless night. A night that changed everything.

After days of sickness it becomes apparent that she’s pregnant, and the choices she must make now will change her life forever. Her senior year will not be filled with making stupid mistakes such as, getting drunk at parties, or worrying about school events. But whether her doctor’s appointment is next week or how to eat and sleep for her baby’s well-being.

This story tells of the experiences an expectant teenage mother goes through as a part of her is shaped by the news of her pregnancy and how true love is not just words but actually being there for that person when they’re most in need, despite the circumstances.

Series: Choices Book 1

***Thanks goes to Annie Brewer for providing a review copy in exchange for a honest review.***

I imagine it’s always hard to write about a tough topic that requires the right emotions, the right details and even the right characters to make it as realistic as possible. Ms. Brewer handled this quite well, introducing teen pregnancy with all it’s horrors and challenges, yet having enough light moments to keep the story from getting overwhelming or insignificant. Choices was a fun and educating experience, one I easily got invested in right from the start.

Like I mentioned, in a story like this the plot plays a major role in developing the emotions and the characters. Here it was not an issue. Choices didn’t have an overly complicated plot, but it was detailed enough to keep the story interesting. Gracie is in her senior year and she never imagines it would pass with a baby on board. The pregnancy brings many changes into Gracie’s life and forces her to face harsh truths. It was a great story of overcoming. The addition of witty dialogue, sweet moments, heartbreaking moments and just enough swoon-scenes made the storyline very satisfying. 

As great as the plot was, however, there were several aspects regarding the prose of the story that could have been better handled. First, the language was very classy. Now, that may seem as a good thing, but the book is concerned with teenagers and I just didn’t find their way of speaking very realistic. That doesn’t mean the characters had to talk slang, just more their age. The other issue I had was the descriptions. I really wished Ms. Brewer had gone a little further in showing readers the full depth of the emotions of a pregnant teen, rather than just telling them. The execution of the story would have been much more effective had she done that.

The thing I enjoyed most about this book was getting to know the characters. Gracie and Carter are both likeable characters, and very easy to understand. Although, Gracie still hasn’t quite grown on me. She does learn from her experiences and it’s easy to feel sympathy for her, but her major fault is in that she needs to learn to stand up for herself and not rely on others to fight her battles. Carter, on the other hand, is a favourite of mine. He was sweet, sexy and full of understanding. At times, I got the impression that even he was annoyed with Gracie for the same reasons I was. He was a solid character, and I really enjoyed him. Not to mention, their relationship was sweet as well. They complimented one another, and their acceptance for each other was very touching. The romance definitely had no faults and I enjoyed it very much. 

The secondary characters were all great additions to the story. Nick is your typical jock, but I felt bad for him. I think his character could have been explored further, but I liked the few glimpses we got of him. We also have Meg and Mason. These two are great. I loved how they were always there for Gracie and how honest they were in confronting her as well. I really found their side relationship to be fun and I’m hoping they get their own book.

Overall, I truly enjoyed this. The book delivered on most of my expectations and now I am looking forward to reading the next installment! For a new author, you did a great job Annie!

My Rating: