This is one of the most ridiculous books that I have ever read.  It doesn't seem as if the author understood very much about the way the world works at all.  One of the main characters became a lawyer right after graduating college (it doesn't seem as if the author knows about the existence of law school) and another main character is given full scholarships and acceptance letters from two different colleges from a high school teacher without even applying to either college.  The mechanics of adoption are also presented really fuzzily.  There are open adoptions available -- it doesn't have to be the way the author presented it.  You also just can't terminate a father's parental rights without giving a child up for adoption -- but I guess a lawyer who didn't go to law school can't be expected to challenge that.

Aside from the facepalm-worthy factual errors, this book is just tedious to read.  Shawna is so thoughtless and dumb that she brings the vast majority of her problems upon herself.  The other characters are just like cardboard cutouts surrounding her.  Conrad and his mother are too evil to be believed and the various friends that Shawna makes along the way are just too good to be true while also inexplicably falling by the wayside when she actually needs help.

Nobody really talks or acts like a real person.  It was unclear why Conrad wanted a family so much and why he had to have a sixteen-year-old as his girlfriend.  It was also unclear why Shawna would go along with this when she love him so little that she fell for the first guy who asked her out on a lunch date.

Everything about this book is purely ridiculous.  Even if the editing issues were fixed, it isn't like reading a book set in the real world.  I would only recommend this for hardcore readers of woe-is-me fiction who will accept a massively unrealistic tacked-on happy ending.  Everyone else should avoid.
This is one of the most ridiculous books that I have ever read. It doesn't seem as if the author understood very much about the way the world works at all. One of the main characters became a lawyer right after graduating college (it doesn't seem as if the author knows about the existence of law school) and another main character is given full scholarships and acceptance letters from two different colleges from a high school teacher without even applying to either college. The mechanics of adoption are also presented really fuzzily. There are open adoptions available -- it doesn't have to be the way the author presented it. You also just can't terminate a father's parental rights without giving a child up for adoption -- but I guess a lawyer who didn't go to law school can't be expected to challenge that. Aside from the facepalm-worthy factual errors, this book is just tedious to read. Shawna is so thoughtless and dumb that she brings the vast majority of her problems upon herself. The other characters are just like cardboard cutouts surrounding her. Conrad and his mother are too evil to be believed and the various friends that Shawna makes along the way are just too good to be true while also inexplicably falling by the wayside when she actually needs help. Nobody really talks or acts like a real person. It was unclear why Conrad wanted a family so much and why he had to have a sixteen-year-old as his girlfriend. It was also unclear why Shawna would go along with this when she love him so little that she fell for the first guy who asked her out on a lunch date. Everything about this book is purely ridiculous. Even if the editing issues were fixed, it isn't like reading a book set in the real world. I would only recommend this for hardcore readers of woe-is-me fiction who will accept a massively unrealistic tacked-on happy ending. Everyone else should avoid.