Week 48 Review: If Only

From Goodreads:
Before:

When Bridget imagined her life at sixteen, it didn't look like this. She didn't think that her boyfriend would dump her for another girl. And she certainly didn't think that she would be pregnant. With just a few months until she gives birth, Bridget must envision an entirely new future—one for her baby. But as she sifts through the many paths and the many people who want to parent her child, she can't help but feel that there is no right decision.

After:

Ivy doesn't know much about her birth mother. She knows that she is now the same age Bridget was when she placed Ivy for adoption. She knows that Bridget was the one who named her. And she knows that fifteen years ago Bridget disappeared from Ivy's and her adoptive moms' lives. Ivy wants to discover more about herself, but as she goes to find Bridget, she can't help but feel that the risks might far outweigh the benefits of knowing where she comes from and why her birth mother chose to walk away.

My Review:
I was a little bit anxious about reading this book. It's not my typical read, it's contemporary, but FOMO had me adding it to my TBR. I did enjoy it, but it's still not something that I gravitate towards. I've read other teenage pregnancy books with the story of the mother and of the daughter before, and this was a good addition to those! 

This book takes the title seriously. We had chapters of "if only" Bridget had made different choices, what would Ivy's life be like. It was a bit confusing at first, but once I knew what they were, they were an really interesting storytelling technique. 

I honestly felt pretty bad for Bridget, it sucked to have her boyfriend break up with her, and then find out that she was pregnant. Deciding what she was going to do with her baby, that was the question, and that we also got Ivy's story was really great as well! 

Ivy has the mystery of why her birth mother left her-she was a part of her adopted mother's lives and she could've stayed there. Finding out why, and where she went, are really big questions in Ivy's life. i really enjoyed watching things play out! 

I had a pretty decent time reading this, and it was a really great book!

Author: Jennifer Gilmore
Read: November 29th, 2022
Source: Edelweiss
Reason Why: Sounded really great, and it's a A-Z Reading Challenge Book and a SAC 2022 Book!
Publisher: Harper Teen
Published: July 31st 2018

5/5 Hearts

4/5 Books

4/5 Stars