Dnf’d at 150 page mark. Wasn’t for me. I appreciate the novel itself just not the type I enjoy reading.

Thanks to netgalley for an early review of this book.
There are parts of this book that I really liked, so let’s talk about those first. I loved the growth of the friendship between Mare and Johanna. At the start of the book, when Johanna got mad at Mare for not supporting her crush on a teacher, I rolled my eyes. Thinking what an in mature thing to do on Johanna’s part. But after the friends got over that, because Mare apologized, their friendship grew stronger throughout the book. Every-time Mare got herself into another incident, she could always go to Johanna and she would be there for Mare to lean on. Johanna was a great listener and helped Mare whenever and however she could. Another thing I enjoyed about this book, was the relationship between the MC and her sister. Halfway through the book, Mare and her sister had a very rocky relationship. But, once we were reaching the end, Harper and Mare’s relationship really grew.
Other parts of the book that I didn’t enjoy were a couple of topics that were brought up in the book but we never got a conclusion. For example, Harper’s sexuality came up in the first part of the book. She was getting bullied at school over it. But other then that, was never brought up in the book again. Another example is when Mare and Harper’s dad started a petition to get sex Ed canceled at the girls school. That was never wrapped up either.
It felt to me that some of the issues brought up in the book, were put there to make the book more inclusive. But because of them not getting a conclusion or mentioned again, it didn’t work for me. Also the dog abuse in the book, I could of gone without that. It didn’t bring anything to the book at all. It was purely disgusting and not needed for the plot of this book.
All in all, I thought this book was ok.

3.5 stars

This is a book that will no doubt be controversial due to the array of topics that are included in the story. There were moments when I was reading that I thought that there may be a little TOO much controversial topics for one novel but I understand how it was all integrated and the novel was done well. I will say that it's a very unique and different story--one that definitely has not been written before.

I don't even know the genre in which this novel would be categorized. At first, I thought I was going to be reading a suspense/thriller, then I thought it was going to be a contemporary. Turns out it wasn't really any of the above.

I really enjoyed this author's writing style and look forward to reading more novels written by her in the future.

***Thank you to the author for supplying me with an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

I think this book tried to do too much and ended up doing too little. It had a lot of potential but didn't reach it.
It was hard to keep up with it. The storyline, the characters and the relationships between characters were not well developed.
However, I really enjoyed the writing style and it did hold my attention. I loved how it explored controversial topics but those topics should've deeply explored.
I really liked the concept of the book and I'm definitely readimg more of this author.

I was excited to read Katie’s first novel having seen her videos online for a little while now, but unfortunately, it turns out that YA is just not my genre anymore.

I truly did enjoy Katie’s writing style, however, I found myself not connecting with any of the characters because of their age—graduating seniors in high school. In addition to their age, I felt like they got themselves into some pretty unbelievably situations trying to get into almost too many hard-hitting topics (see book details for trigger words) to talk about in this book.

I decided on 3/5 stars because YA just isn’t my genre and I believe it heavily influenced my experience reading it.

🤢

*Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher for providing me with a copy of this book for review, all opinions are my own*

This book tried very hard to be current and talked about topics like sexuality, religion, friendship between girls, slut-shaming, harassment and dogs fights (trigger warning for everything I just mention) but in my opinion, it ended up being a book that failed to develop any of the topics proposed very well and it ended up sounding a lot with a book written in 2014, where the issues are interesting but handle or done very well.
And because the book tries to talk about so much at the same time, the plot got confused and with everything happening at the same time it gets to the point that you don't believe in anything that is happening because everything seems too unreal.
It’s a quick book to read but I hated it, I don't recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley for approving my request to review The Anti-Virginity Pact.

The Anti-Virginity Pact is a thoughtfully plotted young adult book that isn't afraid to tackle the controversial issues of religion, sex, sexuality, bullying, and animal abuse. Each subject was handled respectfully and with realistic thoughts, feelings, and emotions but if any of these are triggering for you, please do some research before reading to see if it is something you're able to read.
I felt this book was well written with relatable characters and a solid plot. I typically mimic the emotions of the characters if they are written effectively, and that was definitely not an exception for this book. If you are, or have been a teenager, you know that it can be an emotional time. Sitting between childhood and adulthood can leave you feeling lost and unsure. I felt the emotions of every character in this book as they navigated these tough issues. I felt protective when they were vulnerable; I felt cried when a heart broke; I felt happy when things worked out.
For me, the measure of an outstanding book is in the way it makes me feel. And I had a lot of feelings while reading this book. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the genre, but who is also seeking a well-written book that takes you on a journey.

2.5 stars rounded up - this fell a little short for me. I struggled to like the characters, friendships, and central romance and the conflict felt overall a bit weak.

i found myself liking this more than i was expecting to for some reason, but i think it's a really solid debut. there are some aspects that i really liked, but then there are others that i didn't like.

firstly, i think the two biggest things i liked in this novel was the discussion surrounding religion, and seeing Mare's struggle with anxiety and being labeled "the quiet girl". religion is obviously such a huge part of this book, as Mare's father is a preacher, and i think it was done really well. Mare's reasons for not believing in the Christian faith were so relatable, and I loved the discussion of how she felt suffocated by her parent's faith. i also really related to Mare's struggle with anxiety. how it seemed like every little thing made her anxious, and how she misses out on a lot of things because of it. i think these two things are what really allowed me to connect with Mare, and i saw a lot of my teenage self in her.

i think the biggest flaw of this book is the fact that it tried to deal with so many different dark topics. some were dealt with well, but then quite a couple were brushed aside and dealt with in just a few paragraphs. to name some, the homophobia, the animal abuse, the substance abuse, and the having sex with a teacher. the homophobia and animal abuse plot lines were really unnecessary, i think, and just acted as filler. i get wanting to address homophobia while dealing with religion, but it was covered in one chapter and then forgotten about. the animal abuse was also such an unnecessary part of the book, and it covered the last 20% or so. substance abuse was mentioned in like a sentence or two and that was that. the "wanting to have sex with a teacher" was a complicated plot line. it was addressed as being bad by Mare, but it wasn't really explained why it was bad other than he might lose his job. i might be wrong, but i don't think it addressed how it could affect Jo too, such as her being suspended or affecting her future at college, and things along that nature.

overall, again, i think this was a solid debut. i've loved Katie's poetry and now her debut novel, so i'm very interested in what she will put out in the future!

Not exactly my thing, but I see who the target audience is! I just didn't really connect to the MC, but if you're in HS you may enjoy this....

This wasn’t what I was expecting at all. I thought it would be serious and made of substance, but it just felt like a daytime drama, too light and fluffy. It was unrealistic and I wanted to feel for these characters, but I just felt, well nothing at all. This had so much potential to discuss so many serious issues , but it chose not to.
Unfortunately this wasn’t for me at all

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Katie is one of my favorite booktubers, so I really wanted to love The Anti-Virginity Pact. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case. The plot was unrealistic and ridiculous, the characters had no personality, were way too immature for their age, and made some very silly decisions, and the pacing was totally off, too slow at the beginning and then everything was happening at once.

The thing that bothered me the most, though, was the plot. Ah, I expected something dark and gritty but, instead, I got a teen soap opera with a stereotypical 'bad girl' character as our main antagonist. Also, the pact becomes public information around halfway through the book while, from the synopsis, you get the idea that this was supposed to be the main plot point.

I won’t get started with the characters because I want to keep this review short, but let me tell you that some of their decisions infuriated me because they made no sense whatsoever. I could put up with the characters’ generic YA personalities but I couldn’t deal with their poor decision-making that was used as a device to move the plot forward.

On a positive note, the writing was promising, and the topic about religion was handled with care and honesty which I really appreciated.

I received this arc from NetGalley for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

This hurt in the best way

The Anti-Virginity pact is a hard-hitting novel that covers a handful of really difficult topics. Be mindful of the content warnings which include Bullying, sexual assault, religion and sexuality, animal abuse, substance abuse (mentioned), religion, anxiety, and trauma.

I really enjoyed this book, and a special thank you for the ARC. This book is about Meredith Beaumont, a very shy high school senior who is the daughter of a local adored preacher. Meredith and her friend make a pact to lose their virginities by the time they graduate high school, and as the pact gets out, Meredith’s mostly comfortable life starts to fall apart. This book deals with some really important things.

I adored the characters. They all felt so realistic and relatable to me, and I was almost immediately invested in their lives and their stories. They are complex and make believable mistakes. I think that if I had read this as a teenager, it would have genuinely changed my life (because my own relationship with religion was very tumultuous). I also really enjoyed that this book did not shy away from the hard moments. The hardest moments hit and hurt because it is written so unabashedly which I have so much respect for.

The only thing I wasn’t sold on was one of the subplots that had to do with the dogs which just felt kind of strange against the backdrop of the rest of the story, but other than that, I really loved it.

Actual Rating: 1.5 Stars

Opinion:

“For the record, I don’t normally have a predisposition for making bad decisions.”

Girl, yeah you do.

The Anti-Virginity Pact is a YA Contemporary about two senior girls who make a pact to lose their virginity before the end of high school. As the closet-atheist daughter of a preacher, Meredith’s anxiety has always made her shy and kept her in the shadows. Wanting to finally gain experiences, she and her best friend sign a contract to lose their virginity. But when the pact gets leaked and the entire school sees that Mute Mare signed it, she is suddenly descended upon by every guy in school who wants a turn.

This had so much potential to be an emotional, gut-wrenching, femi-empowering YA about familial expectations and self-exploration. It could have showcased the overwhelming guilt and obligation we feel to please our parents, and how our own wants and desires can be obliterated in doing so. Or put a blinding spotlight on rape culture, bullying and the endless double standards that exist in our society. Or the crippling fear and physical ailments that come with extreme anxiety. The panic, shortness of breath, feelings of drowning or being buried alive. The sheer peril that one experiences.

It had all the potential in the world to be deep, beautiful, raw and authentic.

But instead of my heartstrings being yanked and my tear ducts overflowing, I felt…

not much of anything.

The Anti-Virginity Pact has a fairly slow start that continues until about halfway, where it switches gears drastically and becomes a book with zero direction. The first 55% actually wasn’t bad, even though the banter between Meredith and her best friend was a little eye-roll inducing, I was enjoying the slow buildup.

Meredith is a senior in high school and the daughter of a preacher. But for years, Mare had began rejecting the idea of religion and now considers herself an atheist, unbeknownst to her family. Due to growing up in a highly religious family and also having severe anxiety, Mare has always kept to herself – blending into the wallpaper and speaking to few people. So when her best friend Jo suggests a pact to lose their virginity by the end of high school, as a means to experience everything they missed out on (sex, parties, sports) she signs her name on the dotted line. And then the girls go about picking the lucky guys, and of course…

one of them HAS to be a teacher.

Honestly, this angle didn’t bother me that much, probably because of the countless YA Thrillers I’ve binged. But the execution of this trope was odd. It’s a lot of Jo swooning over their teacher and expressing plans on how to seduce him, Mare telling Jo it’s a horrible idea, and then Jo stomping her foot because Mare isn’t jumping for joy and celebrating her wanting to SEDUCE A TEACHER.

But honestly, this and Mare’s anxiety are about the most and only emotional follow-through in this entire book. Every time a BIG moment happened (because yeah, there’s a lot of them shoved in here) Mare and Jo just brush over it and move onto the next tragedy. Moments that would cause a person to break down in sobs, scream at the sky and start shattering things are let go with a “this is shitty“ or “this sucks”, and thrown away. And it’s not like they are being brave or strong and can just handle what’s being thrown at them.

It’s that all that happens in this story are “hot topic“ explosions.

One explosion detonates, and before it can be dealt with or dissected, three more explosions go off, making it a ticking time-bomb of craziness that keeps falling from the sky in the most unrealistic way possible.

In a Middle Grade book, the story is set up to have the “and then, and then, and then” format to keep the young reader’s attention. That is exactly how this book is formatted. It’s a series of dramatic and controversial topics smashed together, without proper time and care being spent on each tragedy. Religion, bullying, sexuality, rape, anxiety, animal abuse, religious camps. It’s all here. But instead of each issue adding to the story or making an impact on the reader, it made it inauthentic and ridiculous. As if any detailed description and emotional focus would deter the author from checking off the mention of these “hot topic” issues.

I just couldn’t handle how Mare could experience crippling anxiety, and it being described in such a relatable and clear way, but then not having any strong reaction to the BIG situations that happen at the party, with Sam or with her parents. Mare’s life literally implodes, and instead of there being even a SINGLE moment of her having a reaction to it, her character is more concerned with talking to Sam about ignoring his phone calls.

Am I in 7th grade again?

But the WORST moment for me in this story, was the allude to a rape that…wasn’t a rape? Or…was it? I’m still not even sure. But the fact that I don’t even know, leaves such a bad taste in my mouth for how this was even done.

Firstly, it was ONE paragraph. And it wasn’t even a long paragraph. But I reread it about 15 times trying to figure out what actually happened, and honestly, I still have no idea. And with how the incident is then brought up, with Mare’s reaction to it being the same as if she was talking about what kind of sandwich she would like to have for lunch…well.

I just don’t even have words.

But just like every other moment of trauma in this story, the main character brushes it under the rug because I guess she’s just a robot.

Bottom line, don’t waste your time with this.

this book had the potential to be a gritty, thought provoking and powerful story, but ultimately it felt diluted by the sheer amount of issues it attempted to cover, and an inconsistent tone.

what I liked

➽ the way religion was handled
This was initially the thing that made me want to read the book in the first place. I find discussions about religion really interesting largely due to its divisive nature. Religion tends to be a touchy subject, and I find that it is often neglected in young adult fiction, which is disappointing considering the valuable discussions that can come out it.
Our main character Mere is the daughter of a preacher and begins to feel stifled by the constant bible verses, restrictive teachings and inconsistent morals. I found this element really refreshing and was where the book came into its own and found its stride.

“I. Don’t. Believe. And I don’t want to. There’s nothing you can say that’ll change that. I’m not just having doubts. It’s not a phase, or me being rebellious. I don’t care what the Bible tells us because that book—and that’s really all it is, a book—has made me feel terrible about myself all my life. I can see that believing in it helps you and comforts you and is true for you, but it’s not true for me. I have the right to choose what I believe, and if you loved me half as much as you claim to, then you’d respect that.”

➽ the writing
I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the writing. While it wasn't necessarily the most beautiful prose I have ever read, it was polished and overall well done. I would definitely read more from this author in the future, as her writing- in particular for a debut- was very promising.

➽ the discussions on being introverted/quiet
this issue in particular felt really authentic and real. I found myself relating to quite a few lines throughout the book, and think it will definitely connect with the younger end of the YA audience.

“All my life, I’d been the quiet one. The one people teased about why I never talked, and when I did, they feigned shock that I had the capability to speak. I was the girl with a yearbook full of flippant have a good summer messages because no one had anything better to say. My shyness had always been a self-imposed cage that left me crippled to all that was high school."

what I didn't

➽ the plot
overall, I found the plot to be disjointed and jumpy. It felt like so many different elements were introduced that there was no consistent underlying storyline throughout the book. The main focus of the story went from the pact to the romance to the pact to sexual assault to religion to-inexplicably- dog fights. This meant the tone of the book was vastly different from chapter to chapter and became quite jarring.

➽ too many issues, too little time
similarly to the previous point, I felt like the myriad of issues that were introduced was excessive and as such became watered down. I appreciated their merit, and the importance of them being discussed in a young adult setting but there simply wasn't enough page time devoted for them to be meaningful or reach a resolution. If we just focused on a few of these issues I believe they could have been much more impactful. I fully trust that the author could do justice to these issues, especially considering how religion was handled. If that amount of care and time went into some of the other societal problems, I think the book would have been overall more poignant and cohesive.

➽ the characters
this isn't necessarily a dislike, but a less-like if that makes sense. There was nothing wrong with the characters per se, they just fell a little flat for me. Some of them just felt like caricatures with no personality apart from one or two defining characteristics. For example, I didn't love the way the 'mean girl' Ashley was done. I hate when characters are mean or evil just for the sake of it or when they make complete 180's without reason.

overall
I found this book to be well written and overall entertaining. This book held great potential, I just found it to be stretched too thin and overly ambitious with the amount of elements and issues it introduced. I would definitely read more by this author in the future, and I cannot wait to see how her writing develops.

Thank you to the author and netgalley for this ARC!

Release Date: 16 June 2020

While this was an enjoyable read in general and kept my interest, it certainly was not a well-written book.

It glosses over/attempts to tackle too many topics without actually delving into them in any real way which does these topics a serious disservice. It would have been better to select one or two. The characters were either annoying, childish or blah (all the characters, not just the main ones). The pacing was off and almost all aspects of the story were unrealistic.

I really enjoy watching Katie’s videos on YouTube and I was so excited for her first novel. We got to see all the hard work she put into it behind the scenes and I’m really grateful to have gotten an e-arc.
I liked this story. It wasn’t life changing or a new favorite but it was an interesting read. I feel like there aren’t many fiction books that deal with religion, much less in YA. This gave a different look into what it can be like growing up in a really religious household. I liked that Meredith, the main character, formed her own opinions and thoughts and didn’t just go with what was thrust upon her. Also, I thought it was a really relatable read with her depiction of anxiety and what it’s like being the ‘shy’ and ‘quiet’ one.
All and all, it was well written and easy to fly through. The only things I didn’t love were the random use of French words, I feel like it didn’t really add anything to the story. In addition, the exaggerated use of the word ‘Maman.’
I can’t wait to see what she does next with her upcoming novel

The Anti-Virginity Pact is a Young Adult debut contemporary novel by BookTuber Katie Wismer. The story follows Meredith Beaumont, a Preacher’s daughter who happens to be an atheists. When her best friend Johanna convinces her to sign a pact that states that they both won’t be virgins at the end of their senior year of high school things don’t go as planned and Mare must make the decision as whats more important her reputation and relationship with her parents or the person she wants to be.

The Anti-Virginity Pact is a story about relationship, religion, high school, and becoming the person you want to be. This hard hitting contemporary deals with many topics that some are afraid to tackle and sheds light on to aspects of toxic religions. The authors writing and characters sucked me in and made me root for Mare and what she stood for. Though fair warning this book does handled sensitive topics such as religion, rape, and animal abuse so its not for everyone. The emotions and events that Mare goes though not only speaks for her own situation but speaks to the emotions and even trauma that many high schoolers deal with every day.

Though young adult contemporary is not my favorite genre, Wismer’s writing accurately portrays the emotions and drama of high school so well that I brought back memories for me and I’ve been out of high school for ten years. This would be a great book for those who love young adult contemporary and young women in high school. I received an advanced copy to review through NetGalley.

*Thank you to the editor Ahimsa Press for providing an e-ARC copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Overall I enjoyed The Anti-Virginity Pact, but was expecting something more impactful. Trigger warnings for sexual assault, bullying and animal cruelty. I mus also note that religion and discussion of beliefs are a main topic of the story.

While there were important topics talked about in the story, it felt like there were too many topics but too little time to actually explore them properly. The plot was a bit broken and all over the place for me, with to many threads that didn't intertwined harmoniously. The pacing was off for me too, the first half was pretty slow and in the second part everything happens all at once with very fast resolutions.

As for the characters, I found them all a bit superficial, I didn't really connect with any of them and felt like they lacked development and depth, which in turn made me not understand at all some decisions and behaviours. I did like the discussion on religion and I think that that part of the plot was well done, with an interesting progress. I also liked and found important the ultimate decision of the main character of coming forward and reporting on something that happens to her.

The writing was average, wasn't amazing or terrible. It's very simple (a bit juvenile for me at times) , with some repetitive expressions, and while there were some good lines, nothing really stood out to me.

All in all, The Anti-Virginity Pact was an easy contemporary read, with good discussion on religion and sexuality/virginity in high school!

High school senior, pastor's daughter and secret atheist, Mare agrees to an Anti-Virginity Pack with her bestie. Rekindling a friendship with a boy from church seems like a good start for Mare, until a vengeful girl discovers the pact, and uses it to hurt Mare. Mare needs to decide who she is: an aspiring veterinarian in charge of her body and her choices, or the obedient Christian girl her family expects?

I so wanted to love the Anti-Virginity Pack (especially since I was raised in religious family very similar to Mare's), but I felt like it's many aspects just didn't gel. I was jarred by the animal cruelty, the insta-romance, the problematic seduction of a teacher by a student, and the poorly conceived, flat bullying plot. I felt like I was reading at least three different books at times? I expected something gritty, wise and thought-provoking like THE TRUTH ABOUT ALICE, but instead this felt at times fluffy and then horrific. I applaud the author for tackling tough issues, but I think many readers will be looking for more from this novel.