Eleanor is stubborn. She makes decisions based on the opposite of what she'd been told to do. She's tired of being told what to do, but she's not sure what she wants. She's only 16, and she'd pregnant.

I only started this book because I am on the Gateway nominee committee. After 20 minutes of reading, I was hooked. Good thing it was a slow day in the library--every spare minute I had, I was reading. Before the end of the day I was more than halfway finished. Fortunately, I also teach reading and got to finish it this morning. I did cry, but didn't feel manipulated in to crying. After listening to me talk about it, there is now a long reserve list for it! ( )

Eleanor Crowe is 16, opinionated, and pregnant - very pregnant. She's been in trouble, in juvie twice, and isn't really open to suggestions from her parents, or anyone else. She marries her boyfriend, Lam, under pressure. She's confused, but not really ready to listen to anyone. Elly and Lam move into the weight loss camp her new in-laws run, while her parents return to their work with orphans in Kenya. On their wedding night, Lam leaves to party with his friends - something Elly can't do anymore, and isn't willing to do. As Elly is thrown into camp life, some aspects improve, and she proves to be better with campers than she ever thought. At the same time, her married life goes downhill.
Elly is cranky, defensive, and confused, but she is a fairly likable character. Her husband, not so much - but readers will see that right away.
Books about teen pregnancy have changed quite a bit over time, but this is a not a pretty little story with a happy ending. I had trouble putting it down, and ended up reading it in one sitting. Upper middle school and high school readers will enjoy this. And I need to find some other titles by this reader. ( )

Sixteen-year-old Eleanor has a great voice in this book, pure stubbonness and grumpy teen. Grumpy, pregnant teen to boot. The story of her pregnancy, her ambivalent feelings for her new husband, and the careening between hope and despair (especially the decision between adoption and keeping the baby) all feel authentic and realistic. And there are just great lines like: "Now I remember why I fell in love with Lam. When it's us against the world, he always makes sure we win." The happy ending is a bit too convenient and abrupt but from Eleanor's teenaged point of view, that's all she needs to know for the moment. ( )

I was first introduced to Han Nolan through her novel Crazy, a book that has stuck with me in spite of having read dozens upon dozens of books since. I remember being thoroughly impressed with the control she had throughout the book, giving each voice such a distinctive feel that they leaped off the page and grabbed my attention through dialogue and action. So, I was walking through my library the other day and Nolan's name jumped out at me from the bookshelf in the young adult section and I knew it was time to give her my attention again. Pregnant Pause, while not as smooth and polished a story as Crazy, was an entertaining read that had me flopping back and forth, much like the main character, between wanting to strangle her and cheer her on.

Read the rest of this review at The Lost Entwife on Dec. 23, 2013. ( )

Han Nolan is a brilliant writer and her talent is vividly on display in this completely engrossing, emotional story. The ending comes together a bit too neatly, but that's easy to overlook because the rest of the story is so beautifully told. ( )