Review: Because I Love You by Tori Rigby

    I wanted to read Because I Love You because I am drawn to books about teenage pregnancy and I haven't read one lately, besides the one that was written in prose and I can't remember the name right now. 

    

    I feel for Andie of course, because we always think especially as teens that we are immune, that things like an unplanned pregnancy is something that happens to other people. What makes it worse for her is that the father is Carter, part of a three way best friendship. They had vowed to not ever date one another because they didn't want to mess things up. Andie lies to Heather, the third best friend because she doesn't want her to know that she slept with Carter, and things go downhill from there. Of course the truth comes out and Carter even denies sleeping with her much less being the father, and things become even tougher for Andie. 

    Luckily, an old friend- actually ex-boyfriend Neil is able to be there for her when Heather and Carter turn on her. I like Neil, he has depth, and he truly cares for Andie, and now has a second chance to prove it to her. They become close, and I enjoyed the evolution of that. Neil has a tough life too, and he opens up some to Andie about it, and that makes them closer. But he hides behind a bad boy reputation and his collection of wit, and humor. 

  

    Neil is so mature and accepting, I loved him hard. He is a spectacular book boyfriend. 

   I also liked the other friendship that formed in this one, with a quiet nerd named Jill, that Andie never really noticed before in the cheerleading glory and what she'd thought was a solid friendship with Heather and Carter. 

    Andie is part of a religious family, with part of them even in the missionary. She doesn't want to tell them and feels like getting pregnant is punishment for the sin of premarital sex. But this actually only plays a role at the beginning. There was a lot of talk between Andie and her mom, and I liked seeing that relationship strengthen as well after the initial shock. But Andie's mom hid a lot from her, and one thing I can understand but it did add a twist to the story. The other thing, I think was unfair to hide and once again, for me, it came out of nowhere and I think that at that point the plot was just going in too many directions. 

   I liked the ending, and the self realization and realizing that being a good parent can look a multitude of different ways.