This is a quick-packed, easy-to-read, YA contemporary novel about a young girl who is abandoned by her boyfriend at Planned Parenthood while she has an abortion. While I did enjoy the novel and the emotional journey that Gen (our main character) goes through, I did not find the book as poignant as some of the novels that are in the same genre ("Eleanor & Park" or "I'll Give You the Sun").


What I liked:

1. I did enjoy the rawness and explicitness of the abortion aspect (before you get too worried, it's not extremely explicit by any means. It just goes a tad bit beyond "had an abortion," which I appreciated).

2. It was quite ambitious with the amount subjects that are covered (maybe too much so?). What I really admired was that none of these taboo subjects are really looked down upon by our narrator: drugs, religion, abortions, underage drinking. Really no one is painted out to be the one true bad guy (no matter how much I might have thought they should have been villainized!). Everyone in this book makes mistakes.

3. The formatting was fun. Each chapter set in current time is titled based on an "aftercare instruction" for an abortion, and each flashback is written as a script or screenplay.

4. I enjoyed the efficient writing. Pipkin didn't belabor various aspects of the plot. It's a very quick read, and if it had been much longer, it wouldn't have been as engaging.


What I didn't like:

1. There were a lot of things are packed into a very short amount of time. So much that it became quite unbelievable. I think the entire book spans about one week?

2. While I liked that the book seemed to take on a lot of heavy subjects, it almost seemed like too many?

3. Gen's family is downright awful. And while I get that they're supposed to be, I didn't feel like there was enough attention to that detail. It was painted out to be more of a fact-of-life (and maybe since it's told in Genesis' perspective that's how it was supposed to come across?), but I found myself cringing over and over and over at how atrocious her family was.

Final rating: 3/5 stars. I liked it!

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys controversial subjects in their contemporary reads. Just don't expect things to get too heavy or emotionally profound.

Aftercare Instructions tells the story of Genesis in the days following an abortion--after her boyfriend left her at the Planned Parenthood clinic. The interesting premise and format were promising, but the unrealistic timeline and rushed ending failed to deliver.

I really tried with this one, but there were several things about this book I didn't particularly like/subscribed to, and so, even with the promise of 'In the tradition of Jandy Nelson and Rainbow Rowell', I had to put this down.

To be quite frank, this annoyed me. I knew I was going in for some heavy shit with this book—teenage pregnancy, abortion, mental health, problematic relationships, but oh god, it had too many things going on. A bigger problem? I didn't find myself caring about/feeling for any of the characters at all. (Please read more in the link I've provided!)

I received this title as an ARC from NetGalley. The reason I requested it was because it was characterized as having to do with abortion and I believe that is a topic that gets little to no quality attention in YA, where it really needs to be. And, luckily, I was not disappointed.

With regard to the debate surrounding abortion, the author found a way to allow for and feature both sides without judging either of them...rather, the sides just existed side by side without judgment from her, allowing the characters to speak to their positions, I liked that. I think it's fair and I think it allows the reader to decide. Now, since an abortion happens, I suppose you could say that the author took a position. But, truly, I didn't feel that way.

I also enjoyed the theatre directions and other associated parts of the play that appeared throughout the book. It made the plot sail! I often find myself thinking of the characters in a book as those in a play, working through the scenes, so this worked well for me. The almost stream-of-consciousness writing style reminded me OF me, too, so I dug that!

I will be buying this one for my Library when it comes out.

i loved this book. in fact, i loved it so much that not only would it have been a book that i finished in one sitting had i not fallen asleep (contrary to popular belief i do actually sleep sometimes) but it also managed to completely tear me away from my most recent gilmore girls marathon (the fact that i marathon gilmore girls on a regular basis is beside the point). this was a book about love, heartbreak, friendship, loss, & everything in between.

this book starts off with the main character, genesis, discovering that her boyfriend, peter, has abandoned her at a planned parenthood clinic after she gets an abortion. both the abortion, and peter's decision to leave her stranded, leads genesis down a painful, yet eye-opening & ultimately fulfilling path of self discovery that she may not have gone down otherwise. this story takes place over the span of one week, & what a hell of a week it is. as you delve deeper into the story, it becomes apparent that there is even more going on in genesis' life than first meets the eye, & that both her abortion experience, as well as her breakup with peter, weren't her first experiences with grief & loss. this was such a heartbreaking book, but it was also brave & hopeful & inspiring. genesis went through so much for someone who was so young & i found myself rooting for her throughout the book. despite her painful circumstances, she still managed to have such a strong & capable head on her shoulders, & even when she thought she would never be okay again, she perservered, & i really admired her for it.

despite the bleak picture i may have painted, this was also a really fun book to read. i loved genesis's friendships with her best friend, rose, & her cousin delilah, & i really enjoyed watching (or reading, rather) the development of her friendship/relationship with seth, a boy she meets one night at a random party in new york city. speaking of new york city: i also loved how a good chunk of it took place in new york city! (i love NYC even though i haven't been there in a very long time) and that we got a glimpse into NYC's underground theatre life.

i really loved & connected with the author's writing style & it was easily one of my favorite things about this book. at first i wasn't so sure about the fact that the flashback scenes in the story are written in script format, but i actually didn't mind it, and the further i got into the story, the more i understood why it was written that way.

this was an absolutely stunning debut of a book, & i am SO glad i happened to stumble upon it on netgalley. i can't wait for it to be officially released this summer, and i will definitely be picking up a hard copy when it is!

before opening this book to read I thought that it sounded like a really easy book to read, however I would at times get quite lost and confused by the two different types of writing. In saying this however, I can see how it would appeal to the teenage reader. The content is very topical for that age group and the issues faced, especially teen pregnancy and abortion is very much something many teens have faced for decades.

I am inclined to suggest this book is for college aged teenagers, however I am a sure there are younger teens that would pick this book up and enjoy the read.

I would like to see what else Bonnie Pipkin writes as I believe without the confusion of the script type writing that her work could be quite appealing to me.

The subject matter of this book is sure to cause controversy, but I am very glad that author Bonnie Pipkin chose to write this book anyway. It shows that she is a strong woman and one of conviction. I assume that she will receive many letters, emails and social media comments once this book is officially released to the public, and possibly even before. Those letters will inevitably fall into two categories; hate mail and fan mail. I just hope that the quantity of the fan mail will far exceed the amount of hate mail she receives.

This is the story of a seventeen year old young woman who, despite using protection (the condom broke) finds herself pregnant. Her boyfriend comes from a very religious family and he convinces her to keep the pregnancy a secret, even from her best friend.

Ultimately, they decide to terminate the pregnancy and this is where the story really begins. It describes the weeks after the abortion as well as her rather tragic history and her difficult life leading up to the fateful day.

This book is important! I cannot think of any other young adult book that focuses on abortion. It seems that most authors are afraid to tackle such a difficult and emotionally charged topic. Kudos to Bonnie Pipkin.

I loved the way she chose the title for each section of the story - using the instructions for aftercare on the pamphlet she was given as she left the abortion clinic.

The story will pull you in and grab a piece of your heart. Readers will never forget this book. I rate it as 5 out of 5 stars and Bonnie Pipkin is my newest hero.

Bonnie Pipkin's Aftercare Instructions was a refreshing read and I've already recommended that more of my colleagues read it for consideration on our end-year best of YA list. The story tackles the never-easy topic of abortion and its aftermath, striking a very even tone. It doesn't minimize the challenges that Genesis faces in the wake of her procedure, both physical and emotional, but Pipkin refuses to judge her characters as well.

Pipkin's strength lies in her ability to play with format, presenting Genesis' story in straightforward novel form while flashbacks are structured in play format. Theater is a key element to the story and I think there's a lot of appeal here for teens with a variety of interests, with the typical caveat that goes along with controversial material and how parents might bristle at your recommendations.

Overall, while it's not a perfect novel and the writing doesn't really leap off the page, I think there's a lot to recommend here and I'll definitely be featuring this book in my branch.

This novel with very deep and full of emotions. I liked the parallel meaning of title in dealing with Genesis’ abortion, relationship with Peter, the death of her father, and with her depressed mother. It is a lot to take in in such a short novel and takes on all of these issues at once. At times, it is a little hard to take it all in. Genesis’ voice is very real and true to a normal teenager. She is scared, brave, emotional, and realistic all at the same time. Even though the world is falling down around her, she is still trying to pick up the pieces as fast as she can. She is an admirable character in many ways. In others, she is not.
I did not like how Genesis tended to ignore many of the instructions, leading readers to believe that it would be ok to do so in certain situations. She is taking on an enormous amount of stress and needs to promote a better way of dealing with this stress. Her confusion with how to take on each new ordeal does help justify this slightly, yet creates moral issues that are not fully resolved.
In the end of the novel, I did not feel that Genesis’ story was summed up completely. It seemed to be a rushed ending that was meant to be meaningful, but was patched together too quickly to be the final ending. It was good to see her taking the first steps forward into a new life and accepting her past, but I would have liked to have known more about her recovery.
The secondary characters were described well, but not fully detailed. Being inside of Genesis’ mind was, at times, overwhelming and have used more interaction with those around her. Rose was an energetic character that could have been more defined. I felt the same way about Seth. He had a great attitude and was supposed to be helping Genesis turn her life around, yet was noticeable absent (right before the casting) when he would have had more emphasis by being there.
I would definitely recommend this novel to those dealing with these situations as it is a powerful book with great writing, but I do feel that it dealt with too much at once to fully go into any one of Genesis’ issues. This could be a great starting point that could be expanded on.

This book really jumped right into the drama! The life lesson about Genesis are good but way to much pressure on her shoulders.

3.5 stars! This is a very authentic book showcasing the aftermath of abortion. Even though it deals with heavy subject matter the book remains lighthearted and funny. It also had flashback scenes in script format which was VERY cool, I've never seen that before. The first half of this book was perfect whereas things sort of fell flat in the second half. I think too much was going on at times and it did stray away from the central story when it didn't have to.

I really like the idea of this book, except the fact that it deals with abortion, but I feel like the author could have dug a little deeper. I do not feel like the protagonist developed that much over the course of the novel and, when she did change, it was more like a drastic mood swing than a lesson learned over time. I did like the flashbacks as scenes in a play and think that, had there been a little more character development, it would have been a fantastic novel.

This was a really good debut novel! The framework of a play, along with actual abortion aftercare instructions, really set the scene for a captivating read. The characters were really believable in the situations that were presented, and I found myself rooting for Genesis. The ending was sweet and satisfying.

I would definitely read more by this author in the future!

In a single word this book is: bold

Why isn’t this book everywhere? It’s gorgeously written, real, and full of life. It discusses a topic that fills the masses with a charged energy on both sides of a story and is born from the burning embers of a movement that has caused a lot of debate, especially now. I could whisper the word abortion and pretty soon a whole room erupts into discussion and inevidibly arguments. I have no idea why, but the topic of abortion has latched onto me recently (as it may have for many of us) and hasn’t let go. I’ve thought myself to be on all sides of the spectrum pro-life, pro-choice, and somewhere in-between.

However, this is not only a book that tackles the hardships and choices of abortion (something that it does brilliantly I must say) it is also a story about family, relationships, and simply being human, mistakes and all. I loved that while abortion is a huge theme of this novel it is not the only one, and quite possibly, not even the most important.

For Genesis, there is a whole lot that occurs in a single week, and family is a huge part of it. Years ago when Gen lost her father, her world broke apart, her mother broke down, and Gen took it upon herself to pick up the pieces, for better or worse. Having to be a stronghold for her mother is a huge part of this novel, a depiction of mental disparity caused by grief that added a depth to this story that continues to tug at my heart.

Gen’s father, who feels like the guiding voice of this novel, felt like a catalyst for healing and a constant source of strength. Even as he caused his wife’s greatest weakness in his death. Gen’s dad was a curiosity, his traits branded into Genesis’s own. His heart in hers, his hand guiding her towards his past, in a shining light. I felt his voice so much in this because of every flashback and rush toward the future surrounded itself in theatre the thing he loved to do most.

I love the aspect of theathre in this book. The parts written in acts. The idea of plays woven deep into the rhyrthm of this novel. It added a richness to the story that would never have existed. It’s importance unexpected, but completely right.

Peter the boy that Gen fell in love with that left her alone at Planned Parenthood. Religious, hurting, and confused Peter, who after all the emotions, I never ended up hating, though I really really wanted to.

This novel is driven by its characters. Driven by their conflicting desires and shared hopes. All tied up in a thing called aftercare, because you may not be able to be in control of how things happen, but you can work towards becoming healed.

I did not enjoy this title much. It moved quickly, but not in a good way. I felt little attachment to the characters and thought they lacked depth. Genesis seemed to be suffering from a series of events, but rarely influenced her own outcome. I found myself rushing to move through, hoping for a groundbreaking moment where I would be hooked in some way. I was really disappointed because I was so intrigued by the plot when I first heard of it, and I was looking forward to an interesting plot about abortion. My one thing I'd praise is that the abortion happened without fanfare and indecision. Genesis did not wallow over her action, and that was refreshing to read.

The first chapter of this book made me go "YES THIS IS GOING TO BE AMAZING" but it sadly did not quite live up to my own hype. This book had so much promise! But I feel like there were a couple of real issues with it that made my enjoyment dwindle steadily as each chapter went on. The first was that the voice was all over the place. One chapter it was your contemporary voice, the next it was almost stream of consciousness. I would imagine that the author wanted to tie this in with Genesis's mental state, but to me it just read as poorly edited.
The second, and probably bigger issue I had, was that this book tried to do way too much in way too short a time. It was a book about teen abortion (but only peripherally, only as the cause of action, and that was a major disappointment), it was a break-up book, it was a mental health book, it was a family dynamics book, it was a drug abuse book, it was a friendship book, a new romance book, a New York book, a theater book...I could seriously go on here. When it started I thought this book was going to delve very specifically into teen romance, teen pregnancy, into Genesis's autonomy with a boyfriend from a very religious family. That was a story I wanted to get into more. But this was just allllll over the map, so that we only got snippets of each story arc.
If the book had been more focused, had known the story it wanted to tell and really told it, I think it would have been infinitely more enjoyable and emotionally hard-hitting.

4.5 stars

I love the format of the book, as it carries you forward and still provides backstory. It handles the subject of abortion really well, and the main character is believable. This will definitely be added to my school library collection.

I was extremely impressed with "Aftercare Instructions." Pipkin brought me into the mind of a 17 year old girl going through a traumatic experience and made me want to stay until the end. It was not a childish understanding of unwanted pregnancies, it was a raw account of the process between realization and recovery. For a girl who had to do so much growing up already the curve ball of her pregnancy caused an unforeseen spiral, after having to do so much on her own this is just another test. Only this is like nothing she's went through before.

While she had taken on responsibility for her household, Genesis did not grow emotionally. Through "Aftercare Instructions" we see her grow and recognize that there isn't always a positive answer to the question, "Are you okay?"

The juxtaposition of the narrative and the play creates a very obvious divide between the before and after, giving the reader an insight into the strict parameters of Genesis' brain and what she has to do in order to get through the day. It is exceedingly clever way to tell an emotional story, Pipkin did a wonderful job and I hope to read more of her work in the future.