December 11, 2012

Review: V is for Virgin by Kelly Oram

eBook, 360 pages
Expected publication: December 11, 2012 by Bluefields
Goodreads


When Val Jensen gets dumped for her decision to stay a virgin until marriage, the nasty breakup goes viral on YouTube, making her the latest internet sensation.
After days of ridicule from her peers, Val starts a school-wide campaign to rally support for her cause. She meant to make a statement, but she never dreamed the entire nation would get caught up in the controversy.
As if becoming nationally recognized as “Virgin Val” isn’t enough, Val’s already hectic life starts to spin wildly out of control when bad boy Kyle Hamilton, lead singer for the hit rock band Tralse, decides to take her abstinence as a personal challenge.
How can a girl stay true to herself when this year’s Sexiest Man Alive is doing everything in his power to win her over?


V is for Virgin, quirky but inspirational, was both more and less than I was expecting.

The thing I love most about Oram’s writing is that she manages to create such likeable, believable characters, while still keeping it fun. There’s a softness to it that reminds me of the brat pack movies. V is for Virgin tackles some weighty issues when it comes to sex, but it’s still lighthearted in a way that makes it extremely entertaining.

Virgin Val is one of my favorite characters in quite some time. I love that she stays true to herself and really stands her ground. She doesn’t let anyone get in the way of what she wants, and she is fierce with determination. One of the things I loved most about her was that she wasn’t extremely judgmental. Her choices were her choices, but in general, she didn’t really judge people for theirs. I liked that about her.

That was actually something I loved about the story in general. Val has her personal beliefs and commitments, but this isn’t a preachy story. It doesn’t shove abstinence or celibacy down anyone’s throat. It promotes one’s right to choose for themselves, and not be ashamed of their choices.

I personally would have liked to see more romance, but this is all a matter of preference. Truth be told, if there was more romance, I may have liked it less because that may have taken away from Val’s character. I was expecting it to be a bit more steamy, so I will say the blurb mislead me a bit. It’s definitely more about Val and her personal commitment than it is about her brewing relationship with Kyle Hamilton.

I really liked V is for Virgin, and it’s definitely something I would recommend, especially to actual teenagers.

4/5 Stars!




24 comments:

  1. Great review! It's really good to know that there are authors who still write books about sex, and abstinence and how it is our choice if we want to do it or not. To succumb to peer pressure or not. And it's great to know that the protagonist wasn't "shoving her beliefs down your throats". :) Seems like a good book to read!

    Louisse @ The Soul Sisters

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  2. ooh great review. I have read a review before and she had similar thoughts to what you had. I'm not a fan of misleading synopsis but like you said, maybe adding in romance would take away a bit from who the main protagonist really is and this does seem like a topic many teenagers should understand.

    - Juhina @ Maji Bookshelf

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  3. I love books with serious issues that are still depicted using likable characters. And it's awesome how they're light in tone:)

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  4. I was expecting a lot of romance from this but glad to hear Val is a great character and not preachy. People have the right to their choices whether or not they want to sleep with a thousand people or never sleep with anyone. One of the reasons why I hold off on books like this is I don't want the preachy stuff I am happy it is more about her staying true to herself and not judging others.

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  5. I've seen this book around and wasn't sure about it. Thanks to your review I have added it to my tbr list. It seems like something I would enjoy reading. Thank you! =)

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  6. Loved the review. I'm definitely going to check this book out.

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  7. This sounds like a great book to read!! I wasn't sure about the title but your review has swayed me. I'll actually give this a chance :)

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  8. I am really interested to read this book! I have a feeling I'm going to love it!

    Xox
    Jaime

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  9. Great review, V is for Virgin sounds like an interesting book despite the title. I'll make sure to recommend it to my young nieces.

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  10. Hmm... I read Oram's other book, Serial Hottie, and while it didn't have any SUPER steamy scenes in it, it was very tease worthy. I was very happy to hear she was coming out with this novel, because the summary does hint at some steamy scenes, but I guess I'll just have to find out HOW steamy when I read it. Great review, thanks for sharing!

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  11. Actually I'm glad there's not too much romance in it. I'm looking forward to read this one just because it seems unique.

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  12. I don't think I would have picked it up based on the cover-- reminds me of a polar opposite of The Scarlet Letter:) I too would have expected more romance and maybe a little steaminess based on the blurb. Thanks for the review!

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  13. That's really an interesting idea for a book and I think it's quite original, at least I don't remember any other books about virginity. I'll try to find time to read it.

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  14. You had me at brat pack movies! I really like strong, well written, teen characters so I think I will have to add this to my TBR -- thanks for the review!!

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  15. Hmm, the title looks intresting and so does the story. I'll have to check this book out.

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  16. This sounds good. The issue/topic is relevant and it's interesting to read about.

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  17. Excellent review, thank you. Sounds like a great read.

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  18. Great review. I just saw a youtube video of a girl in her early twenties about her stand on choosing to be a virgin. There is opposing opinions/comments on her video. I think this book will help teenagers around the world in making responsible choices regarding this issue.

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  19. Thank you for the review! I am reading it now and it was interesting to see what you think!

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  20. Thanks for the review! I wasn't really interested in this before but now I think I might give it a try.

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  21. Sounds like a nice book,will give it a try.

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  22. I have had my eye on this book for a while. I can't wait to read it. Thanks for the great review

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  23. I have this book on my TBR and I can't wait to read it, thanks for the honest review :D

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