Purity [Hardcover]

I rarely do reviews, but I had to write one for this book. I am a fan of Jackson Pearce and have read all her work. Purity has become my favorite out of all four of her books - I am a huge contemporary novel fan more than supernatural, which could the reason why it's my favorite. It's witty. It's charming. But most importantly it's real. I found myself relating to the main character, Shelby, in so many ways and the pressure she placed on her self to lose her virginity. It's very tasteful, and there is nothing in there that anyone under the age of 15 shouldn't be allowed to read.

The book isn't that big, and I was able to finish the book within a day. I love the relationship between Shelby and her friends, but I especially love the relationship, or lack of, between her and her father. Throughout the novel it's painful to see how they lack a relationship and what the purity ball ends up meaning for the both of them at the end. It's a story of growth, love, understanding, and most importantly to me, it's a story of searching who you really are.

I highly recommend the book. And I know some people may be turned off because of the mention of God or Shelby's view of religion, but she is a character in a book and characters have different views just like real people do. And that is why I love this book. Pearce has the ability to create strong characters with flaws that resemble real people. They're not perfect, their not flat, but intricate with several elements contributing to their existence... even if they are fictional.

And if anything else, you should just get the book for how beautiful the cover is!

My Thoughts
This is a book that, while it does deliver on its promise of contemporary YA goodness, also leaves the reader with some pretty savory food for thought.
Purity is the story of a father and daughter set adrift on a sea of loss, miscommunication, and misunderstanding of themselves and each other, after the loss of the wife and mother that anchored them.

Let me be the first to say that though this book spends a great deal of its time on the topic of Shelby's "deflowering", and her aversion to the "purity ball"; I am fully confident that it was not the author's intention to glorify teen sex or disparage the message of the abstinence movement in any way. These happenings within this read have more to do with being points of "discovery" for Shelby; about her power to plot her own course to happiness and love rather than having those things dictated to her by the predefined parameters of a promise or expectation.

Thank you Jackson for writing a story full of truly "good guys". It is so nice to see an exception to the "one prince per story rule." The princes in this book: Shelby's dad, Jeffrey, and Jonas. This book really explores the male/female relationship in three of its most important aspects. The relationship that girls have with the men in their lives as: fathers (Shelby's dad), sexual partners (Jeffery), and friends/love interests (Jonas). What this book does in true "girl power" fashion, is to show young women that they have the power to actively choose their role in these relationships and not simply let the male take the lead.

As the mother of three daughters, I will be the first to make this book required reading in my home.
It is my hope that this book will serve as a bridge between parents and the teens that we are trying so hard to love, guide, and UNDERSTAND.
*This review is a cross-post from my blog*

First Impressions: Jackson Pearce is one of my favorite authors, but I have to admit something. I was very nervous about this book. I am so use to her fairytale retelling stories and that is kind of what I have come to expect from her writing. Purity has nothing to do with fairy tales in any way. However, the synopsis intrigued me and since I knew that the author is a good writer, I wanted to give this a fair shot. So I shoved all of my thoughts of Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella away and began this book with an open mind and crossed my fingers hoping not to be disappointed.

First 50 Pages: I'll admit that I don't think I have liked this book as much as Jackson's previous books, but Purity does have a lot of good in it. For starters, it is humorous. The narrator is so funny and she says certain things out of the blue that would just crack me up. I was a little bit put off by the religious stuff in this book at first, maybe because I didn't expect it, but at the heart of the story is a girl who is questioning not only about the existence of God, but about the type of person that she wants to be. Jackson handles it in a humorous manner though, so it never felt very heavy or took on a preachy tone. Her writing is wonderful as usual, but I did have a few issues with Purity.

Characters & Plot: If anyone asked me to go to a Purity/Princess Ball, I would probably laugh in their face. Not so much for poor Shelby, who is trying to keep the promises she made to her mother who has passes away. Three promises were made: Love as much as possible, listen to her father, and live without restraint. Shelby has found clever ways, or loopholes, of observing these promises to her late mother, but then her father drops a bomb on her.

Shelby's father wants her to attend a Purity/Princess Ball, an event where young girls promise to live a pure live. A pure life to them means no drugs, no breaking laws, no alcohol until they are of age, and no sex until marriage. The promises Shelby made to her mother are now conflicting. Does she break promise #2 or break promise #3? So Shelby tries to find a loophole so she doesn't technically break any of her promises.

This all seemed very silly to me, but there is a story hidden in there somewhere and there was a certain point in the book where I felt like everything came together. Shelby's decisions are sometimes irrational and careless, but she felt like she had to find a way to make good of her promises. The loophole that Shelby came up with wasn't the smartest choice for such a young girl, but I could see why she felt like she HAD to do IT. Literally!

The problem that I had with Purity, was that I think much of the conflict could have been resolved if Shelby would have just told her father from the beginning that she didn't want to make any vows of purity. The family dynamics were interesting enough that I wanted to keep reading, but I couldn't help but to feel bothered by the iron fist grasp of the promises Shelby made to her mother coupled with the unwillingness to come clean to her father. The ending of Purity I could see a mile away and it was rather predictable, but I did enjoy the way everything played out.

Final Thoughts: This book was definitely different from what I have come to expect from this author. While I enjoyed it, I don't think it is up to par with her other stories. If you are into more contemporary novels with a funny protagonist, I would recommend checking this one out, but don't expect any fairy tales.