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Published Sep 2019
320 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
Perfect for fans of Juno and Jennifer E. Smith comes this hysterically funny and heartfelt YA novel about fierce friendship, reproductive rights, and the wild road to adulthood. This breakout teen debut is from authors Jenni Hendriks (writer for How I Met Your Mother) and Ted Caplan (music editor for The Hate U Give, The Greatest Showman).
Seventeen-year-old Veronica Clarke never thought she'd want to fail a test—that is, until she finds herself staring at a piece of plastic with two solid pink lines. With a promising college-bound future now disappearing before her eyes, Veronica considers a decision she never imagined she'd have to make: an abortion.
There's just one catch—the closest place to get one is over nine hundred miles away. With conservative parents, a...let's say less-than-optimal boyfriend, and no car, Veronica turns to the only person she believes won't judge her: Bailey Butler, a legendary misfit at Jefferson High—and Veronica's ex-best friend.
The plan is straightforward: a fourteen-hour drive to the clinic, three hours for the appointment, and a fourteen-hour drive home. What could go wrong?
Not much, apart from three days of stolen cars, shot guns, crazed ex-boyfriends, aliens, ferret napping, and the pain and betrayal of a broken friendship that can't be outrun.
Under the starlit skies of the American Southwest, Veronica and Bailey discover that sometimes the most important choice is who your friends are.
"The authors' background in television and film shows, with scene after hilarious scene normalizing the most serious of subjects: how far women must often go to exercise control over their own bodies...A stellar, timely debut." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Both entertaining and educational, the novel contains detailed descriptions of Veronica's abortion research, phone call to Planned Parenthood, and time at the clinic, which demystify abortion and build empathy for those who make that choice...Timely, hilarious, and heartfelt." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"A story that effortlessly delivers difficult topics through humor and adventure, without taking away from their serious nature. It is a must read for fans of Gaby Rodriguez's The Pregnancy Project and Diablo Cody's movie Juno. - Caitlin Wilson, School Library Journal
This information about Unpregnant was first featured
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Jenni Hendriks's mom often complained she was "a real smart**s," so she decided to make a career out of it. She moved to Hollywood and worked her way from coffee-fetcher to writer for the television series How I Met Your Mother. She is also a cartoonist whose feminist-inspired works have been published in Ms. magazine. A film school graduate, she knows how to rack focus and wrangle a cable and can tell you what a best boy does.
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