Exposed

Exposed
Susan Vaught
Bloomsbury
$16.99
November 2008
FTC: I received this book from the publisher with the understanding that I would provide an honest review for no compensation.

Characters 12/20
Plot 16/20
Setting 15/20
Cover 18/20
Ending 15/20
Total grade: 76% C

Sexual content: 18/20
Violence: 0/20
Drugs: 4/20
Underage drinking: 4/20
Swearing: 10/20
Total rating: 16+ in cleanliness and connections.

Summary: (Barnes and Noble)
Chan Shealy’s got most things going right in her life—straight A’s, a shot at the regional majorette championships in baton twirling, and the best best friend a girl could wish for. But after the football quarterback spreads a vicious lie about her, and the whole school decides she’s too trashy for words, Chan begins to wonder if the only place she’ll find love is online.

She’s careful. She follows all her parents’ rules, mostly anyway. A girl’s got to trust herself at a certain point, right? But what if your gut is telling you something that you’re just not hearing… until it’s too late?

From the moment Chan logs on and meets Paul, until the truth begins to show through, Susan Vaught sends readers on a fast-paced and gripping ride. Even when you know something bad will happen, you still might not see it coming…

My Thoughts:
When I received this book in the mail I was super excited. It seemed like the kind of book I would love. To be honest it wasn’t anywhere near as good as I expected. I felt that the story took way to long to take off. Nobody likes a book that has 100 pages of nothingness.

I felt that some characters were extremely well developed and some were left up to the imagination. You need to develop all clearly in order to have a GREAT book.

I would recommend this book to older teens who don’t mind a long start to the plot.

Quotes:
Here is a random quote I found from opening to a random page:

“It’s not like you did anything illegal.”

It Happened to Nancy

Title: It Happened to Nancy
Author: Anonymous, edited by Beatrice Sparks
Publisher: Avon Books
Price: $6.99 USD PB
Release: 1994, republished with new info in 2004
FTC: This is my own book that I purchased. I did not receive it from a publisher or author.

Grade: Because this was a girl’s real life story I feel wrong judging the plot and such. There for I will give this an A because it taught me so much new stuff.

Sexual content: 10/20
Violence: 5/20
Drugs: 1/20
Underage drinking: 10/20
Swearing: 5 /20
Total rating: 13+

Summary: (Amazon)
Fourteen-year-old Nancy, an asthmatic, meets 18-year-old Collin, a gentle, caring young man who appears to be the answer to her dreams--until he rapes her, leaving her HIV-infected. In spite of her rapid decline, explained in a note at the beginning of the book, as the result of her weakened immune system, Nancy leads a full, poignantly happy life because of the loving support of both friends and family.

My Thoughts:
I felt that this was an important book to read from the second I saw it. There has always been controversy around wither the books of Beatrice Sparks were in fact real teen diaries or simply her imagination. After reading this I conclude that they were real. There were too many big holes that were left unfilled; any “author” would have filled them. It was written in the over dramatic tone of a teenage girl. I am not by any means saying AIDS should be taken lightly, I’m saying that the smaller aspects in this book were over dramatized.

I liked how the main plot started off right away; we weren’t left to read many pages of pointless diary entries. I do think all teens should read this and not just girls. We all think we are invincible, that we won’t get AIDS but you don’t know that. The chances of getting raped and contracting AIDS from the person who raped you are very slim but wouldn’t it be better to be aware if you were that one in a million? I learned so much from this book. I consider myself pretty wise when it comes to teen’s health but I realized AIDS was not something I stopped to think about, ever. I wasn’t planning on getting it so why waste my time? Chances are you know someone who has HIV/AIDS or will have HIV/AIDS. Get educated!

Quotes:
“I don’t even love or want myself.” -Nancy