Jumping Off Swings Review

Author: Jo Knowles

Pages: 230

Rating: 3 1/2 Waffles

Excerpt: Corinne said she would go with me to buy a test. To be sure. But I told her I am sure. She said she'll help me find a place to take care of it. That we can take a bus to the city if we have to. She says her sister will help us. Ava knows what to do. And she thinks Josh will pay. But I don't want Ava to know. I don't want Josh to know. No one can know.
I brush my teeth and go back to my room. I shut the door. Shut out the smells and my mother's happy breakfast noises as she gets ready to fill us up on scrambled eggs and whole-wheat toast with jam. All our lives, she's tried to stuff us with her goodness. So why do I feel so empty?

Summary: Ellie has had her fair share of hooking up. Each time she think he'll be different, that maybe they really do love her, but they're all the same; it's just a hit and run. When Josh sleeps with her and leaves, Ellie is devastated yet again, just like every other time. Yet this time, something's different. Ellie's pregnant.  Will Ellie keep the baby? Kill it? Give it up? Follow Ellie, Josh, and Ellie's two friends, Corinne and Caleb though the ups and downs.

What’s Up: Not too bad. I liked how the POV switched from Ellie, Corinne, Caleb and Josh, not necessarily in that order, but just when the character had something important to say. I liked yet didn't like how it was spaced out in chunks of three months. I'm not really sure what I have to say about this book. It wasn't really one way or the other. It didn't have me glued to the book and reading furiously, but I wasn't bored by it either. It was an emotional book, and maybe if I was a more emotional person, I might have shed a tear or two. Not the most in depth about the matter at hand, but definitely enough to get the point across and tell a good story. I don't regret reading it, the story, characters, and writing was all very lovely. It's just... there isn't a whole lot to comment on, I feel like. In the end, it was just a so-so book.

Do I recommend it? Sure. It wasn't anything you need to go out and buy right this minute, but if you're just strolling around the library, and you see it, yeah, you could pick it up for a nice read.