Olivia's seventeenth birthday party is everything she wanted it to be: her best friends Nicola and Ben dancing around her; her weird younger sister, Alice, quietly confined to her bedroom; her boyfriend, Jonty, looming lovingly (if somewhat possessively) by her side. But when Olivia discovers Nicola in the bathroom giving birth to a baby she didn't even know she was having nty's baby e celebration comes to a crashing halt. Over the next few months, Olivia, Nicola, Jonty, Alice, and Ben adjust to life with Nicola's baby, Eliza. Olivia struggles to forgive her friend, while Alice attempts to make a new one; Nicola takes to motherhood with relative ease, leaning on Ben for his support and constant companionship; and Jonty initially resists his responsibilities as a father. While relevant issues like domestic violence and autism are woven gracefully across the narratives, the resulting conflicts are too neatly wrapped up. Written in alternating third-person voices, Drakeford's debut transforms the stark and grim realities of teen pregnancy into much fluffier fare, complete with a surprising, rom-com-worthy eleventh-hour twist.

The lives of Olivia, her best friend Nicola, younger sister Alice, boyfriend Jonty, and the girls- gay friend Ben are forever changed at Olivia-s 17th birthday party when Nicola unexpectedly gives birth to a baby girl. Set over five months with perspective shifting to each individual, Drakeford-s debut delves into the repercussions of that night as readers gain insight into the characters- backstories, insecurities, motivations, and personalities. Drakeford weaves a tightly-knit character study as the plot unspools to include Olivia discovering the betrayal that led to Eliza-s conception, Nicola finding the strength to be a single parent, Alice gaining a friend, Jonty making amends and taking responsibility, and Ben accepting big news. While the novel-s language reflects its British origins and setting (nappies, newsagent, sixth form), the struggles are universal (unplanned teen pregnancy, bullying/abusive behavior, discrimination), and Drakeford handles them with considerable sensitivity. Though -nothing will ever be the same- for these characters, and questions still remain at the close of the story, the open (and surprise) ending feels like a hopeful new beginning for all of them. Ages 14-up. (Oct.)

Gr 8 Up-Nicola gives birth to a baby girl on the bathroom floor at her best friend Olivia's 17th birthday party without even knowing she was pregnant. Nicola's life is changed, and she must abandon her fashion designer dreams, leaving school and embarking upon single parenthood. Rifts come between friends as the father of Eliza, Nicola's baby, is Olivia's boyfriend, Jonty. The only consistency in Nicola's life is her gay friend Ben, who attempts to reunite Nicola and Olivia. Olivia's younger, socially inept sister, Alice, is also a narrator and helps with Eliza but doesn't add much to the plot. Each section is told from the perspective of a different character for a month, providing nuance as well as confusion. The third-person near stream of consciousness narration can be insightful but also veers strongly toward incomplete sentences and muddled writing. Issues of teenage pregnancy, domestic abuse, and sex are skirted more than confronted, while the alcohol flows freely for all the teens throughout. An unnecessary twist at the end adds to the lack of realism and detracts from the overall story line. VERDICT A supplementary purchase for collections in need of realistic fiction that deals with teen pregnancy. Cyndi Hamann, Cook Memorial Public Library District, Libertyville, IL

Oliva has secretly planned her epic party to begin immediately after her parents' departure, but unexpected distractions keep her from being its star attraction. Her exasperating, whiny sister, Alice, unexpectedly remains home and needs appeasement; she and her bullying boyfriend, Jonty, have yet another fight, which means she must again defend him to disapproving Ben; and Nicola, her best friend, disappears in the riotous crowd. These frustrations vanish when her parents return to plastered partiers downstairs, and Nicola delivering a baby upstairs in the bathroom. This staggering event, unanticipated by even Nicola, will change this group in ways yet unforeseen.Chapters alternate by character, with each relaying his or her messily interrelated and problematic pasts leading up to Olivia's party, along with favorable changes for all, both in behavior and circumstance, directly caused by baby Eliza, unsurprisingly fathered by Jonty. These changes are essentially realistic, although Ben, Olivia, and Jonty's situations are more candid than Nicola's, whose drastically altered circumstances and future are somewhat breezily relayed, or Alice's, whose quirkiness appears more serious than immaturity. The twist at the end suddenly reveals that Ben is Eliza's father, which is perplexing, rather than exciting. As Ben is portrayed as a confident gay male throughout, his encounter with Nicola seems unnecessary. Further, Nicola's concealing Eliza's parentage from Jonty, who strives to become a loving father, creates a momentarily gratifyingrather than ethicalending. This remains a page-turner, however, with its convincing characters and their tangled relationship and friendship trials, and will appeal most to female readers.Lisa Hazlett.