Click for Source Image by Charlotte Dibley
Hannah’s smart and funny…she’s also fifteen and pregnant. Aaron is new at school and doesn’t want to attract attention. So why does he offer to be the pretend dad to Hannah’s unborn baby? Growing up can be trouble but that’s how you find out what really matters.
Trouble is an entertaining YA read about discovering your first real best friend through the somewhat complicated medium of unexpected pregnancy.
Hannah’s smart and funny…she’s also fifteen and pregnant. Aaron is new at school and doesn’t want to attract attention. So why does he offer to be the pretend dad to Hannah’s unborn baby? Growing up can be trouble but that’s how you find out what really matters.
Trouble is an entertaining YA read about discovering your first real best friend through the somewhat complicated medium of unexpected pregnancy.
Click for Source Image Through the dual narration we’re introduced to Hannah and Aaron, the “unlikely” friends. Hannah has a reputation as being relatively promiscuous and not particularly studious; Aaron is the new boy who’s been transferred from his old school under unknown circumstances. Is he cute? Check. Is he clever and slightly geeky? Check. Is he witty? Check. This sounds fairly formulaic, but there’s a twist. Hannah falls pregnant and Aaron offers his services as a fake father, intending to save them both from their demons.
Aaron is by far my favourite, though the two characters do have a lovely, complimentary tag-team narration going on. On the surface they are very different people, but essentially Hannah and Aaron are both lost and looking for something to give meaning to their lives.
I really liked the fact that Trouble swapped from Hannah to Aaron as an event was taking place, giving literal points of view as the action happened. Normally when multiple narration is used, we get a chapter in one character’s voice, then the next chapter becomes somebody else, generally talking on an alternative tangent. However, with Trouble, this fluid movement between the two mindsets really underscores the fact that both characters occupy the tale and both characters are equally important, creating that much-needed bond which carries the story.
The voices of Hannah and Aaron are suitably authentic. It’s basic, everyday language with no pretention and aggressively intellectual sentence structure. Simple thought processes, simple writing and simple to follow which would presumably appeal to a teenage reading audience. It’s very much aimed at them.
Whilst we’re on the theme of teenagers, I’ll make the point that Trouble doesn’t shy away from typical teenage behaviour: there’s swearing, sex, drinking, smoking and poor decisions alongside the struggles of school life and the social hierarchy which that entails. Non Pratt doesn’t patronise her readership, instead consistently portraying that this is a difficult yet intrinsically important period of life. Her writing displays a good level of understanding and empathy which really does boost the story.
Any problems? Some aspects of the plot definitely needed expanding upon. We’re given revelations (that seem to be expressed very quickly) and we finally get to truly understand the characters….right at the end. We aren’t given the option of seeing them embody their more mature viewpoints or truly address the issues that they have. In some respects, the final few pages of the book are slightly deflating because the story appears to finish right where it needed much more exploration. This is obviously an intentional yet fairly frustrating aspect of Trouble. I needed more (of Aaron in particular) as it didn’t feel like things were fully developed. Despite this, the ending is gloriously sweet and made my cold heart flutter with warmth. I’m fairly certain I said ‘awww!’ loudly.
Trouble places a really lovely emphasis on the importance of friendship, especially during bloody awful teenage years. The relationship between the narrators is genuinely touching and completely makes the story. It’s a fabulously easy read whilst simultaneously covering some pretty big themes. It isn’t perfect but on the whole, it’s a winner.
Aaron is by far my favourite, though the two characters do have a lovely, complimentary tag-team narration going on. On the surface they are very different people, but essentially Hannah and Aaron are both lost and looking for something to give meaning to their lives.
I really liked the fact that Trouble swapped from Hannah to Aaron as an event was taking place, giving literal points of view as the action happened. Normally when multiple narration is used, we get a chapter in one character’s voice, then the next chapter becomes somebody else, generally talking on an alternative tangent. However, with Trouble, this fluid movement between the two mindsets really underscores the fact that both characters occupy the tale and both characters are equally important, creating that much-needed bond which carries the story.
The voices of Hannah and Aaron are suitably authentic. It’s basic, everyday language with no pretention and aggressively intellectual sentence structure. Simple thought processes, simple writing and simple to follow which would presumably appeal to a teenage reading audience. It’s very much aimed at them.
Whilst we’re on the theme of teenagers, I’ll make the point that Trouble doesn’t shy away from typical teenage behaviour: there’s swearing, sex, drinking, smoking and poor decisions alongside the struggles of school life and the social hierarchy which that entails. Non Pratt doesn’t patronise her readership, instead consistently portraying that this is a difficult yet intrinsically important period of life. Her writing displays a good level of understanding and empathy which really does boost the story.
Any problems? Some aspects of the plot definitely needed expanding upon. We’re given revelations (that seem to be expressed very quickly) and we finally get to truly understand the characters….right at the end. We aren’t given the option of seeing them embody their more mature viewpoints or truly address the issues that they have. In some respects, the final few pages of the book are slightly deflating because the story appears to finish right where it needed much more exploration. This is obviously an intentional yet fairly frustrating aspect of Trouble. I needed more (of Aaron in particular) as it didn’t feel like things were fully developed. Despite this, the ending is gloriously sweet and made my cold heart flutter with warmth. I’m fairly certain I said ‘awww!’ loudly.
Trouble places a really lovely emphasis on the importance of friendship, especially during bloody awful teenage years. The relationship between the narrators is genuinely touching and completely makes the story. It’s a fabulously easy read whilst simultaneously covering some pretty big themes. It isn’t perfect but on the whole, it’s a winner.
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