This book is an absolutely beautiful, heartbreaking, important novel. The characters are real and expertly and beautifully written. It’s a book for all young women to read, share, and discuss.

Caletti was one of my favorite authors when I was a teenager, so I was excited to pick up an e-ARC of her next novel. This book is quite controversial.

Overall, I enjoyed this read. However, there were several issues that I found. First, this novel is very lengthy, and a lot of that length is taken up by the road trip. At times, I just wanted to skip a couple chapters to get further along in the story. I get the importance of some of the stops, but at the same time, I was getting bored. Ivy also got on my nerves at times because she constantly compared everything to a movie. I just felt like it wasn't necessary.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an e-ARC of this novel.

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for ARC, in exchange for an honest review*
I love this author. Despite what her books do to my emotions at times, there is a reason that I have loved this author for years. Every time that I read a new book of hers, I wonder what she is going to write about next. I saw Plan A on Netgalley and I had to request it and was very happy when I got approved for early copy. I couldn’t wait to get started on this book, knowing that I was going fall in love again. I was right. Plan A is a hard book to not fall in love with, it’s real, it’s what happens in real life, and I’m sure a lot of women can relate to. I never had this experience or have deal with a traumatic experience like Ivy. However, while reading Ivy’s story, I felt as if I experienced everything that she experiences, her emotions were so vivid, i felt all the emotions that she experienced: anger, sadness, fear, hope.

Plan A was one of the most emotional books that I have read, I haven’t read a book like this in a while. The emotions that went through Ivy during her journey, they were real. I have a feeling that few teenagers would be able to relate to what Ivy was feeling, especially when others tried to stop her, try to convince her that abortion is not a way. I don’t think Ivy would been as strong as she was if it wasn’t for the support system that she had: her mother, her brother and Lorenzo. Besides her grandma, they understood, and they didn’t try talk to her out of it, they let her make the decision. I loved how close her and her brother were, not many books that I have read where there is close relationship between brother and sister. I loved the bond between the two of them.

Lorenzo. How can you not love him? He did so much for Ivy. If that’s not love, then what is? I loved the relationship between the two of them. Lorenzo was so supportive to Ivy through it all, even though I knew that it couldn’t be easy for him. I loved how he tried to make this ‘road trip’ fun even if that’s not what the road trip was about. I loved going on all the roadside attractions along with Ivy and Lorenzo, meeting all her relatives. There were times when this book had me crying because of all the emotions. Like Lorenzo and her family, all I wanted was for Ivy to be happy. My feeling are destroyed right now, and yet I can’t get the story out of my mind. Plan A is a story that needed to be told. A story that is worth reading.

#NetGalleyARC A super important story to tell, especially in the world we live in today. I thought this was really well written, the difficult topic was handled expertly, and the characters were relatable. A definite purchase for my HS library..

I can practically smell the book challenges coming for this book upon its publication, but I think it’s an important addition to the YA genre. I found Ivy to be an extremely believable and complicated character and the story itself wasn’t straightforward, making it that much more true to life. The narrative doesn’t glamorize (although I'm sure that argument will be made) but instead gives a glimpse into reality, as complicated and sometimes simple as life really can be.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the review copy.

Pub date: October 3, 2023

Thank you to Netgalley for providing the opportunity for me to read this book before it was released. I really liked all aspects of this book. At the core it is a book about a teen trying to handle a major issue, and the ups and downs that come along with it. I like the diversity that was represented with the main character's boyfriend. I like how supportive all the side characters are. I think this book will be great for a lot of teens to read. The way the actual abortion procedure in this book is discussed is something I think we should be doing more often. Ivy, the protagonist, didn't have a lot of wavering between decisions. She chose quickly. The procedure was simple. It's only after Ivy has the procedure, that it becomes a huge problem for her. I think this book will be very relatable for young women. Due to new laws in my state, I'm not sure if I can recommend this book to as many people as I want to. Overall, it handled politics and teen issues very well, without any "kid gloves."

This book is so NEEDED, especially in 2023. This perspective is just not one that you see often, if ever. Everything Ivy experiences is so real, and the stories of the women she meets along the way show how every woman's experience is unique. I loved how Ivy made her decision without fanfare, and not for once second doubted it.

I believe it's so important to have choices and the right to make them yourself. I enjoyed Caletti's Plan A and Ivy the MC. Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC for me. Five stars. The book is well written and timely.

I loved this. It handles the topic with such grace and Ivy is a great example to girls who might need this and see themselves in her. Timely and well done.

I am a pretty conservative, pro-life Christian, which is why I made the choice to read this book (you see what I did there). I'm not someone who will actively promote abortion, but I understand that it is a very personal decision that some women have to make for themselves. Ivy is a normal, well-spoken, and intelligent sixteen-year-old that has overwhelming decisions to make after she conceived a baby out of rape.

While I wish Ivy would have kept her baby, I understand why she couldn't. Even though this is a work of fiction, it is based on reality. Unfortunately, we don't live in a world where women (or young girls) are supported for conceiving outside of marriage. Even though people talk a good talk about being pro-life, there is overwhelming shame and stigmatism if you don't have children the "right way". The sad thing is that I personally know people who would treat Ivy the way she was treated and it makes me so sad. This is a very humanistic approach to a very serious topic. I don't think this book advocates for abortion but expresses the reality of thousands of women who have been in Ivy's shoes.

This book was even better than I expected! I loved how realistic the story was, and how they talked about it not being anything like the movies. I loved the message of the importance of standing up for yourself and what you believe in.

Very fitting title to read around the one year anniversary of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v Wade.

Ivy finds out she's pregnant. She lives in an incredibly small town in Texas, and because it's Texas, she has to travel all the way to her grandmother in Oregon to have the procedure. Her boyfriend (not the father. That story blew my little mind), plans a romanic "abortion love story roadtrip," so they can visit "exotic" places as they go.

I found it slightly annoying that literally everyone had an opinion on what she did, but I did appreciate how Ivy never faltered. She even affirmed to her boyfriend that even if he had gotten her pregnant, they would still be making this trip.

Overall, I liked it. It's not a book to read if you want an escape, but a good read nonetheless

Ivy, a sixteen year old living in Texas, finds herself unimaginably pregnant in a state that has banned abortions. She's not ready to be a mother and has been trying to earn enough money to go away to college and escape her claustrophobic small town. A cross-country trip with her boyfriend brings them closer together than ever and opens Ivy's eyes to just how not-alone she is in her predicament. Caletti successfully incorporates a lot of information about abortion into a touching and realistic story. She doesn't end the book when readers might expect, letting us see some of the consequences of Ivy's trip and showing readers that no matter your choice, things will never be the same. It's an excellent and important book and the best that Caletti has written since A Heart in a Body in the World. Review from e-galley.

3.5 stars rounded up. With all of the controversy over Roe vs. Wade in recent years, books like Deb Caletti's Plan A, a story about a teenage girl seeking an abortion in Texas where the procedure has been outlawed, are crucial in helping women of all ages not feel alone in their desire to have a choice, a voice about their own bodies. This novel highlights the struggles pregnant women face in seeking an abortion in states where Roe vs. Wade has been overturned, and shines a light on the stigma put on women in this position.

In Caletti's Plan A, we are introduced to Ivy, a sixteen-year-old pregnant girl living in Paris, TX, where abortions are illegal. Wishing to terminate, Ivy heads out on a road trip with her boyfriend Lorenzo to her grandmother's home in Oregon, where she should be able to procure an abortion with ease. But of course, like in any modern day abortion story, Ivy faces a slew of roadblocks on her journey west.

Plan A deftly shows how the actual abortion procedure is often the simplest part of termination for many women. For being such a lengthy novel (350+ pages), Ivy's procedure is handled within a few paragraphs of this book. The rest of this novel demonstrates the lengths women have to go to secure a termination in some states, and spotlights how these women are often chastised and ostracized for making a choice about what is best for themselves.

Spoilers ahead ... although I wholeheartedly believe in the importance of this novel, there were several things about it that I took issue with. One, I found the novel to be entirely too long. I know that all of the details surrounding the road trip were likely there to add some levity to an otherwise serious book, but this part of the novel lasted much longer than I would have preferred. Lorenzo's behavior and dialogue was also questionable - he basically spoke in juvenile exclamations throughout the trip. I don't know if this was done to drive home the point that Ivy and Lorenzo are basically still kids making adult decisions. Furthermore, the book got a little preachy and propaganda-based at times from both sides. I also found Ivy's pregnancy story to be incredibly problematic. She basically becomes pregnant after being raped sans intercourse. She casts away any doubt that this could actually happen by stating that this extremely rare, but because she is young, it is possible. I honestly would have preferred that she made the choice to have sex, got pregnant, and is now taking ownership of her decisions and choosing abortion, as this is the situation most girls find themselves in. Instead, Ivy comes off as a victim, rising above the girls who actually decided to have sex and find themselves in this position - it just makes her less relatable in a book where being able to see yourself in the characters is key.
Lastly, it just about drove me crazy how Ivy constantly provided an alternate version of everything in her life dubbed, "If this were a movie ..." She then proceeds to explain how this scene would play out differently if this were the movie version of her life. This felt like a covert attempt to insert some excitement into the book.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I thought the premise was good and the topic is timely and important but the way it was written didn't completely work for me. There is mystery surrounding how Ivy became pregnant and I wish that it had been explained at the beginning of the book instead of being hinted at throughout. Also the "fun touristy road trip" aspect didn't work for me. I kind of wish that the book had been about Ivy and her mom instead of Ivy and Lorenzo.

Overall, I did like the story and I think it will be very relatable. The narrowminded and gossipy nature of Ivy's hometown felt accurate. I liked how the author incorporated the stories of the other women who'd need to seek abortions for various reasons and different circumstances.

It's funny. A few months ago I was discussing teen pregnancy books in a group chat after reading yet another book in which the teen in question went through with the pregnancy. I asked my group, where are the teen abortion books? We agreed there should be a book in which a teenager in a state with a heartbeat law has to procure an abortion. Maybe I'll write it, I joked. That's a book that teenagers need. Because let's face it, teen abortion is a lot more common than teen motherhood, and there's still a big stigma around it, whether you're in a Red state or not.

Then, lo and behold, a few months later Plan A showed up! Just the book I was looking for!

There is a lot to like about this book, and only a few small nitpicks. First, the good stuff:

Ivy, the main character, makes the decision to have an abortion quickly and with very little drama about the decision itself. Too often the decision to have an abortion or not is portrayed as something agonizing, when a lot of times it just isn't. A lot of times it's simply the sensible thing to do. Ivy doesn't even consider keeping the baby. There are times when she contemplates motherhood in an abstract way, thinking about the one day children she will have with someone she loves when she is ready to be a good mother.

The abortion itself is simple and easy, and finished in about fifteen minutes. Having had a first trimester abortion myself, I found the portrayal was very realistic. A big theme in this book is that abortion is commonplace and has always been commonplace. It seems like Ivy keeps running into people who have had abortions, but it's not unrealistic, it's simply the truth of the matter. More people have had abortions than you realize.

Ivy is a sympathetic character. A regular girl who has lived in small town Texas her whole live, although her mother comes from Oregon. Ivy imagines herself going to community college and then on to a modest state school because she doesn't think her family will be able to afford anything else. She is very much like a lot of my own students in small town Texas-- a nice kid with modest dreams but who also feels sometimes like an outsider in her small town. Due to her West Coast mother, Ivy has more liberal views than the rest of her family. Her boyfriend is a California transplant and neither of them quite fit into the Paris, TX culture. They aren't part of the old boys' network, of the church community, they haven't lived there for generations. When the town turns on Ivy, they are not turning on one of their own, they're turning on an outsider. It feels realistic, if a bit over the top (more on this in a moment). The love story with Ivys boyfriend, Lorenzo (who is not actually responsible for her pregnancy, but is nevertheless supportive) is sweet, even though its mostly eclipsed by the larger issue.

There is, I think, a bit of an exaggeration to the town's reaction to Ivy getting an abortion. Paris, TX is a town with over 20,000 people which is, by small town Texas standards, a substantial number. It is an overwhelmingly Red town, but nevertheless, in 2020 there were about 5000 people who voted for Biden in Lamar Co. The small town in Texas where I live, by comparison, is about 1/3 of the seize of Paris, but I will admit that it's politically a lot more mixed. That said, the town seems incredibly invested in one teenager girl. After the abortion is done, when Ivy returns, she is hounded, bullied, and harassed for having had an abortion. She loses her job, CPS is called on her mother, her car is vandalized, and she loses all of her friends, even her best friend from childhood. In my experience, the pressure on individual women in Texas is usually much more subtle, and the idea is to stop the abortion from happening in the first place (even bounty laws are about this, fundementally-- taking away a woman's support system and scaring people out of helping). I'm not saying this sort of post-abortion harassment never happens, but the extremes that Ivy experiences seem to feed into a Blue State Doomerism about Red States that is then reinforced by Ivy's family's ultimate decision to flee Texas and move to Oregon.

And my main complaint comes back to this Blue State Doomerism about Red States. I am not sure, ultimately, if this book was written for small town Texas teenagers or Blue State kids raised in progressive bubbles. Small town Texas kids are the ones who need a book like this the most. Most teenagers who find themselves pregnant in small town Texas and end up needing an abortion do not have the option to travel to Oregon (abortion remains legal in our neighboring state, New Mexico, which is where most would go). Nor do they have the option to pack up and leave and flee to a Blue state. "Just leave" is what those of us in Texas are told time and time again, and it was a bit frustrating to see Ivy seem to make the "stay and fight" choice only for her to decide there was nothing to fight for. Ivy herself has a kind of protective attitude about Paris, TX, that I found very realistic. She likes the place, but it has become permanently marred for her, and yet I refuse to believe there's not another side to the town. Individually, I understand why Ivy's family leaves. Her mom is from Oregon. They have family there. Mom conveniently finds a job within a few months of looking. It all lines up perfectly, but what about the girls who cannot flee to Oregon? There are real life Ivys who have to stay in their small towns, so what do they do?

I kept waiting for Ivy to link up with local activists and find those people in Texas who are fighting for our state. They do exist! Grassroots abortion rights activist organizations in Texas are a huge part of the pro-choice movement and a massive and powerful force, and they exist everywhere, if you look. Young people in Texas are this state's hope for the future and they have to know that there are people here who are willing to fight with them. Where I live, even our local coffee shop has pamphlets about what to do if you need an abortion. This, in a town of 6000 people. La Frontera, the Texas Equal Access Fund, the Lilith Fund... there are so many! Ultimately, it would have been more satisfying to me if Ivy discovered not only how common abortion is, but how many people are fighting not just in Oregon and other Blue States, but right at home in Texas.

I thought this was a well written and engaging story. Ivy's voice was strong right off the bat, just like many of Caletti's previous works. This book's theme is important and I valued all the stories she and her boyfriend learned on their road trip. The reason I didn't give it 5 stars is that I never cared for Ivy's boyfriend (I can't even remember his name as I'm writing this review) and so I just didn't buy their continuing romance. All that said -- this book is going to get a lot of press.

How I wish this book had been around when I was a teenager. All the nonsense and scare-tactics my generation was raised with infuriates me now that I know better. Well written with believable characters and situations and if you were raised in the type of community Ivy was, they'll all sound too familiar. Well done.

This book is something that is absolutely needed in this political climate. I assume that people will have issues with this book, but I absolutely loved its message.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

This book is important. Despite its sometimes cheesy dialogue, the fact that I still don’t quite get the logistics of how the main character got pregnant, and the almost magical coincidence that literally everyone she came into contact with on her road trip had had an abortion, I will be rating this book 4 stars. It was well-written, gave a matter-of-fact description of an abortion as health care (because that’s what it is), and it will help many teens. Unfortunately, I fear that Caletti better prepare for the shit storm of bad reviews and book ban attempts coming her way once the far right finds out about a well-loved YA author publishing a book all about abortion. Thank you for writing this ❤️