Pink Polka Dot Books: Jumping Off Swings By Jo Knowles

Jumping Off Swings

Ellie just wants someone to hold her and make her feel loved and complete. She thinks sex with boys is going to fix whatever is hurting inside of her, but things don't work out that way. Instead, she winds up pregnant, now what's she going to do?

With the help of some friends and the parent of a friend, she works through some big decisions

I liked this book a lot in some ways, but then...
Ok, I loved the story of how Ellie had low self-esteem and wanted to be loved, and slept around because she was hoping that this would be the guy to stick around and hold her... but it never was.

I loved that because I think a lot of girls don't understand this when they first become sexually active. Having sex isn't the same as FEELINGS and guys seem to be a lot better at separating being intimate sexy-times from forming relationships and having loving feelings for someone.

I loved the Caleb character, he really was a sweetheart! And Corrinne really was an awesome friend... but maybe a little too awesome-- are there really high school girls out there that are that selfless?? Josh also was a pretty great character. At first you think he's a total dick, but then you get to see that guys are nervous and self-conscious too when it comes to sex. It was a great POV to see!

Also I love when books are told in alternating POV's!! It's cool getting to see what all the characters are thinking.

I didn't like that the book was SO short... It was only 230 pages with large type and margins. I seriously read it in less than a day (and it was a busy day for me). I didn't think the Ellie character ever got any closure. She never dealt with any of her loneliness feelings and everyone was terrified to death to talk to her about ANYTHING.

I think Corrine and Liz should have been a little more pushy with Ellie. I get that they wanted to keep life normal for Ellie, but the girl needed to talk to someone!!!... and what's the deal with Josh and Ellie never even speaking about the baby?? Yes, they are extremely immature H.S. kids, but come on, you're having someone's baby can they get the heads up?? And the thing is, Josh ended up being a good guy.

OVERALL: I liked the theme of the book, but I think if it was longer, more of the issues could've been worked out.

Add it to your To-Read List!