Purity by Jackson Pearce
Jul. 23rd, 2014 11:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
quippeThe Blurb On The Back:
The promises are the most important thing to me.
I have to find a loophole.
I’ve got to find a way to keep both Promises, no matter what it costs me.
16-year-old Shelby Crewe made three promises to her mother before she died five years ago: (1) to love and listen to her father, (2) to love as much as possible and (3) to live without restraint. Ever since then, Shelby and her father have lived as virtual strangers. Her dad has thrown himself into community work while Shelby hangs out with her best friends Ruby and Jonas.
When her dad volunteers to organise the annual Princess Ball (at which girls pledge their chastity to their father), Shelby is horrified – especially as he wants her to not only help him but to attend it too. Shelby doesn’t want to swear to remain a virgin but promise number 1 means that she has to obey her father unless, that is, she can find a way to lose her virginity before the ball …
Jackson Pearce’s YA sex comedy is told in a breezy, light style and has some interesting points to make about grief and loss of faith. However, the central premise simply doesn’t work – specifically Shelby keeps insisting that she has to obey her father when the promise was actually to listen to him. I could have believed in that had there been at least an acknowledgement of the fact that listening to someone doesn’t mean having to obey them but this doesn’t come up, which is particularly irritating given that the whole plot revolves around her having to find a loophole to escape pledging her virginity. This is a shame because I actually liked the way Pearce writes about virginity and sex and the fact that girls are allowed to like it and want it without being slut-shamed and I liked the idea of a sex comedy from a girl’s perspective. However, the failure of the premise coupled with a predictable ending meant that while it’s an okay read, it is a deeply flawed one and it’s only due to Pearce’s easy writing style that I was able to finish it.
I did like the friendship between Shelby, Ruby and Jonas. Pearce depicts it with a lot of sweetness and I particularly liked the creative Ruby who doesn’t let her skin condition affect the way she deals with people. Jonas is such a sweet, supportive friend that it’s pretty obvious where the story is going to go and although I disliked that predictability, it is nonetheless nicely done.
The Verdict:
Jackson Pearce’s YA sex comedy is told in a breezy, light style and has some interesting points to make about grief and loss of faith. However, the central premise simply doesn’t work – specifically Shelby keeps insisting that she has to obey her father when the promise was actually to listen to him. I could have believed in that had there been at least an acknowledgement of the fact that listening to someone doesn’t mean having to obey them but this doesn’t come up, which is particularly irritating given that the whole plot revolves around her having to find a loophole to escape pledging her virginity. This is a shame because I actually liked the way Pearce writes about virginity and sex and the fact that girls are allowed to like it and want it without being slut-shamed and I liked the idea of a sex comedy from a girl’s perspective. However, the failure of the premise coupled with a predictable ending meant that while it’s an okay read, it is a deeply flawed one and it’s only due to Pearce’s easy writing style that I was able to finish it.
PURITY was released in the United Kingdom on 6th March 2014. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the free copy of this book.
The promises are the most important thing to me.
I have to find a loophole.
I’ve got to find a way to keep both Promises, no matter what it costs me.
16-year-old Shelby Crewe made three promises to her mother before she died five years ago: (1) to love and listen to her father, (2) to love as much as possible and (3) to live without restraint. Ever since then, Shelby and her father have lived as virtual strangers. Her dad has thrown himself into community work while Shelby hangs out with her best friends Ruby and Jonas.
When her dad volunteers to organise the annual Princess Ball (at which girls pledge their chastity to their father), Shelby is horrified – especially as he wants her to not only help him but to attend it too. Shelby doesn’t want to swear to remain a virgin but promise number 1 means that she has to obey her father unless, that is, she can find a way to lose her virginity before the ball …
Jackson Pearce’s YA sex comedy is told in a breezy, light style and has some interesting points to make about grief and loss of faith. However, the central premise simply doesn’t work – specifically Shelby keeps insisting that she has to obey her father when the promise was actually to listen to him. I could have believed in that had there been at least an acknowledgement of the fact that listening to someone doesn’t mean having to obey them but this doesn’t come up, which is particularly irritating given that the whole plot revolves around her having to find a loophole to escape pledging her virginity. This is a shame because I actually liked the way Pearce writes about virginity and sex and the fact that girls are allowed to like it and want it without being slut-shamed and I liked the idea of a sex comedy from a girl’s perspective. However, the failure of the premise coupled with a predictable ending meant that while it’s an okay read, it is a deeply flawed one and it’s only due to Pearce’s easy writing style that I was able to finish it.
I did like the friendship between Shelby, Ruby and Jonas. Pearce depicts it with a lot of sweetness and I particularly liked the creative Ruby who doesn’t let her skin condition affect the way she deals with people. Jonas is such a sweet, supportive friend that it’s pretty obvious where the story is going to go and although I disliked that predictability, it is nonetheless nicely done.
The Verdict:
Jackson Pearce’s YA sex comedy is told in a breezy, light style and has some interesting points to make about grief and loss of faith. However, the central premise simply doesn’t work – specifically Shelby keeps insisting that she has to obey her father when the promise was actually to listen to him. I could have believed in that had there been at least an acknowledgement of the fact that listening to someone doesn’t mean having to obey them but this doesn’t come up, which is particularly irritating given that the whole plot revolves around her having to find a loophole to escape pledging her virginity. This is a shame because I actually liked the way Pearce writes about virginity and sex and the fact that girls are allowed to like it and want it without being slut-shamed and I liked the idea of a sex comedy from a girl’s perspective. However, the failure of the premise coupled with a predictable ending meant that while it’s an okay read, it is a deeply flawed one and it’s only due to Pearce’s easy writing style that I was able to finish it.
PURITY was released in the United Kingdom on 6th March 2014. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the free copy of this book.
