Camille couldn't be having a better summer. But on the very night she learns she got into a prestigious theater program, she also finds out she’s pregnant. She definitely can’t tell her parents. And her best friend, Bea, doesn’t agree with the decision Camille has made.
Camille is forced to try to solve her problem alone . . . and the system is very much working against her. At her most vulnerable, Camille reaches out to Annabelle Ponsonby, a girl she only barely knows from the theater. Happily, Annabelle agrees to drive her wherever she needs to go. And in a last-minute change of heart, Bea decides to come with.
Girls on the Verge is an incredibly timely novel about a woman’s right to choose. Sharon Biggs Waller brings to life a narrative that has to continue to fight for its right to be told, and honored.
Initial thoughts: My gut reaction was to rate Girls on the Verge 5 stars. However, after reflecting a bit more on the book, I think that it's good but not perfect. Wanting to give it the highest rating stems from the recognition that this is an important book in humanising a very real problem that many women face today — the lack of control and power over their own bodies and health.
Plot-wise, this book is very straightforward with a definitive goal in mind right from the beginning. While it doesn't always move in a straight line, the subplots remain rather minor. The chemistry among this trio doesn't develop on a significantly deep level either, which is a shame. I did love the dynamic though, with Camille suffering through her unwanted pregnancy with the support of a liberal schoolmate who hadn't been her friend before, as well as her best friend Bea, who was very religious and had been raised to oppose abortion.
What was evident though, was the author had firsthand experience with the subject of Girls on the Verge, and that she felt very strongly about it all.
