Belly Up

by Eva Darrows Narrated by Almarie Guerra

Overview

There's a first time for everything. First time playing quarters. First time spinning the bottle. First totally hot consensual truck hookup with a superhot boy whose digits I forgot to get. First time getting pregnant. Surprised you with that one, didn't I? Surprised me, too. I'd planned to spend senior year with my bestie-slash-wifey, Devi Abrams, graduating at the top of my class and getting into an Ivy League college. Instead, Mom and I are moving in with my battle-ax of a grandmother and I'm about to start a new school and a whole new life. Know what's more fun than being the new girl for your senior year? Being the pregnant new girl. It isn't awesome. There is one upside, though-a boy named Leaf Leon. He's cute, an amazing cook and he's flirting me up, hard-core. Too bad I'm knocked up with a stranger's baby. I should probably mention that to him at some point. But how? It seems I've got a lot more firsts to go.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"Darrows deft hand at creating healthy, positive friendships and family, as well as snarky, delightful dialogue, really shine in Belly Up. Which is a fancy way of saying I loved this book so much I could only make inarticulate squeeing noises while I read it and I want to steal all of Serendipity's friends and family. Do yourself a favor and read it now!" -Lish McBride author of Hold Me Closer, Necromancer

"The macabre black humor is spot-on, while the subverted tropes rework edgy nihilism into a sniffle-inducing recognition of humanity. Another smart, savage winner from the author of The Awesome." -Kirkus Reviews (starred review) on Dead Little Mean Girl

"With precise language that rings with sincerity and wit....Darrows' new YA novel is a seriously smart, funny, and empathetic look at how someone's manufactured exterior might be hiding inner turmoil, and ultimately advocates for looking past labels and categories." -Booklist on Dead Little Mean Girl

"Laugh-out-loud humor, and an excellently diverse cast of characters....A must read." -Jaye Robin Brown, author of Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruiton Dead Little Mean Girl

Kirkus Reviews

2019-01-28

A surprise pregnancy shifts a teen's life in a new direction

When 17-year-old Serendipity "Sara" Rodriguez had her first-and-only rebound hookup at a classmate's party, she never anticipated getting pregnant. Soon enough, however, signs (and science) point to "yes," and, after much consideration, she decides to carry her pregnancy to term and raise the baby herself. Thankfully, she lives with her compassionate mom and tough-but-loving grandma—a dynamic support network enhanced by her white, Jewish lifelong best friend, Devi. Soon she meets Leaf, a sweet, outgoing Romani classmate who is a large, brown-skinned boy with black hair in a ponytail. Mutually smitten, they slowly start dating while Sara tries to figure out caring for someone new while balancing impending motherhood—and finishing high school. Sara's first-person narration is dynamic, with a vibe akin to (a much more diverse) Juno and Gilmore Girls, yet fully its own. While their identities are never made a plot point, queer characters are refreshingly abundant: Devi is gray ace, Leaf is demisexual, his friend Morgan is a trans girl dating another girl, and Sara herself is questioning and most likely bisexual. Racial and ethnic identities are approached with care, with Leaf's nuanced explanations of Romani cultural practices and Sara's thoughtful approach to her identity as a half-Spanish/half-Swedish girl.

Those looking for a "problem novel" should look elsewhere; this is quietly cheerful, surprisingly feel-good, and wholly endearing. (Fiction. 14-18)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170838073
Publisher:	Recorded Books, LLC
Publication date:	04/30/2019
Edition description:	Unabridged

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