Pure

Pure

by Terra Elan McVoy

2009

336 pages

Summary: Tabitha and her 4 best friends all made a promise to each other when they were 12, to stay virgins until marriage and they all have purity rings to solidify their commitment. However, that was before high school and before boys. Now 15, the girls are still just as committed to each other and their vows. But when Tabitha gets a new boyfriend things start to change for the group. Morgan, Tab’s best friend is not supportive and secrets within the group begin to grow. When one of the girls does the unthinkable, Tabitha finds herself having to decide not only between her best friends but between what she thought was right and wrong.

Review: Pure is a mixture of a lot of things. To begin, it is a light-hearted novel about struggles between best friends and standing up for what you believe in. It is about coming of age and finding yourself. It is also about beliefs and religion. While I do not typically like novels that have religion as a central feature as I often find them preachy, the religion aspect did not overpower the story. The characters could have been a little bit more developed, and the plot was a little slow. However, I really enjoyed Tabitha’s struggle and found her to be a completely relatable character. It addressed real issues, and I appreciated the many viewpoints on premarital sex and an introduction to the idea of purity rings which is kind of popular right now. I am not sure how appealing this will be to a wide audience, but I enjoyed it.

You might like Pure if you enjoy books with: a light and uplifting feel, multiple main characters but with single person narration, a coming of age realistic feel.

Other books by Terra Elan McVoy: After the Kiss

If you enjoyed Pure you might also like: The V Club by Kate Brian, Peaches by Jodi Lynn Anderson and Lost it by Kristen Tracy.

For more information on purity rings click here.

Rating: 3Q 3P MJ