Clipped by Sara V. Zook Review (Four out of Five stars!)

    Goodreads Synopsis: "I wish someone would’ve warned me that the world is sometimes a cruel place to live in. I wish someone would have said that guilt and regret may eat away at your mind until there is nothing left but a suffering that lingers. I wish someone would have taken the time to inform me of how difficult it is to dig yourself out of a decision gone bad. I wish to show the rest of those out there who didn’t know either, who are just like me …"
   
    Clipped is about a teen named Lauren Frank who finds out that she's pregnant. And understandingly, she's scared out of her mind. (I mean I know I would be!) And everyone she's "close" to, (and I use the word close very loosely), tells her to have an abortion. She hasn't heard any of the other options, nor does she want to. She thinks it's the right thing to do... at the time. So she goes with the abortion and the rest of the book is the aftermath. All the emotions that are eating away at her after she has the abortion. And while this book is one of those depressing reads and wasn't very long, it spoke volumes! It really opened my eyes, thinking stuff like this happens everyday! And let me tell you, I read this book all the way through in one sitting. And I bawled my eyes out. (I'm such a baby.)
    Okay, now on to the characters!

    I didn't really like the characters (except Lauren) because they were always so inconsiderate on how she felt and was always putting her down. They were abusing her emotionally and verbally. However... there was one character that I hated. I hated him so much that if he was a real person, I would kill him. (I promise you I'm a nice person.)  And his name was Paul.

    Paul was the biological father of the child. I hated Paul since page one. Some examples: When Lauren tells Paul she's pregnant, he gets mad and claims that she's lying to him! I hated how he thought she worshipped him, like he was some god. There were a few times where Lauren slapped him, and he deserved it. (I smiled when I read those parts.) But there was also a part where he hit her back.. Grrrr...   I don't want to say too much about him. (Read the book and then you'll understand!)

    Next is Ashley, Lauren's only "friend". Ashley would leave Lauren at parties, so she could go mess around with some hot guy. Ashley was also the kind of person to tell secrets... any kind of secret. (wink wink)

    Lauren's mom was also very unlikeable. She wanted Lauren to have an abortion and then expected her to be fine as soon as it was taken care of! She handled the situation wrong in every way possible. Although, at the very end I saw her mom's care for her through a certain act. (A spoiler-y act.) So that makes me think that she was concerned, but didn't know how to show it or handle it. And honestly, I don't think she really knew how to be a mother.

    And last, but not least, Lauren. I sympathized with her a lot. Especially after she had the abortion. There wasn't anyone close to her that was there for her or supported her. At one point I felt like I was having a panic attack just reading how she felt. "It was as if I had swallowed down every bad emotion known to man and they all now surged through my veins."- Lauren   
However there was one time where I just wanted to yell at Lauren. She's alone outside with this guy named Patrick, and he oh-so nonchalantly says, "... So, I need to go to my cooler in my truck. Want to come with?" And Lauren says yes! AHHH! At that point you're just asking for it! Smh...
But other than that, I felt everything she felt. And I felt so bad for her, I wanted to tell her that I was there for her, that I was listening.
    Now a few notes on the actual writing.

    At some points I felt like the story was going way too fast. It was one huge event after another. I felt like there could have been so much more in between. However, this made it seem much more realistic. In life we cant control how quickly or slowly problems arise. And the fact that everything was happening so quickly, made it feel like her life was literally spiraling out of control. Another thing that made it seem more realistic was the ending. The ending wasn't a happy one, but it was real.

    And something I wish was added, is a description of the characters. I felt so blind reading in Lauren's POV, not knowing what she looked like. It was strange trying to imagine each character. But it left room for imagination I guess.

    I gave a 4/5 stars to this book because even though it wasn't a very long book, it till brought a powerful message across that you cant easily forget. It was beautiful and tragic. (But mostly tragic)
And I just loved it! I will definitely re-read this book! I highly recommend.