Ask Me How I Got Here

 Book 64 of my 2023 Reading Challenge

read from July 7 - 8

Ask Me How I Got Here

by Christine Heppermann

Summary (via the book jacket)

Addie has always been running.

Running to beat the clock.

Running toward a college scholarship.

Running with her best friend, Claire.

Running into her boyfriend, Nick.

Until she gets pregnant.

Until she makes a choice.

Now is she running away?

Or is she simply standing still>

My Opinion

4 stars

I wavered between 3 and 4 stars on this one.  As I reflect on it it's more of a 3 star read but I rounded up because of how I felt as I was reading it.

I really like books told in verse form, especially for the YA or higher J Fic audience.  It leaves room for thought and doesn't tell the reader how to feel.  But it also makes the reading more subjective - if you don't have the life experience to read between the lines there isn't as much to get.  It's made for teens but almost should be read as an adult looking back on how it felt to be a teen, especially concerning faith and how things feel black or white at that age.

I liked that everyone felt realistic and 3D - nobody was all good or all bad.  I also liked that the pregnancy was dealt with quickly without hiding or extra drama.  But that also created some of the situations I didn't like - she could immediately be honest with her parents about getting pregnant but couldn't tell them she stopped running?

All in all, I was in it while I was reading and don't want to ruin it by overthinking it now.