This year I have decided to branch out and read a variety of genres. Usually, I don’t read a whole lot of contemporary, but I was sent this book to review and decided this was to be my next read. Fast forward a day and I have finished it, and now I’m converted to YA contemporary!

This story follows Del, a teenager from a small town. All he’s ever wanted, is to be with Kiera, a girl he’s grown up with. The issue is, she doesn’t really notice him. His mum makes him join the church with her, as much as he’s not interested in the church, he realises this is a good opportunity to talk to Kiera, as her family are devout church goers. In a moment of madness, he also joins a Purity Pledge, because he followed Kiera’s lead, not realising what he was getting himself in for. Again, he uses this as an opportunity to get closer to Kiera, as surely, she’d fall for his charms once she hangs out with him. Now, this may seem a juvenile story to you, from this description, but just wait. The story goes into deep soul-searching territory, which put a lump in my throat. This book addresses some of the issues young people face daily, give it a read, it may surprise you, like it did me.

I found Not So Pure and Simple to be honest and wholesome. It reminded me that we can all make mistakes, it sometimes takes a while to admit we were wrong, and sometimes it takes an intervention to fully understand where you’ve been going wrong in the first place. What a wonderful YA contemporary, I will be reading more of this genre in the future.

Title: Not So Pure and Simple

Author: Lamar Giles

Publisher: Harper Teen