Blogger Talk, Novel Exposed: Discussion Post & a Giveaway for Purity By: Jackson Pearce (May)

Today Jessica (Confessions of a Bookaholic) and I have shared with you our interview with Purity author Jackson Pearce and some of our favorite quotes from the book. Now, we are doing an open discussion of the book where we share some of our thoughts and give readers a chance to join in and discuss Purity.

Discussion for Purity

I first became interested in Purity because I thought the idea of a Princess Ball was so unique. I have heard about these events before but knew it would be fun to see it through the eyes of a young girl getting ready to go to one. I know they have to be stressful and not everyone would be willing to make such an important pledge. Had you heard of this type of father/daughter event before this book?

Oh yeah, I have heard of the Princess Ball before and since then  I've wanted to learn more about them in, if only for how awkward they sound. Then when I heard about Purity, I couldn't wait to find out what would happen when a teen girl was faced with one. And Shelby's story has an interesting twist that made me even more intrigued because I knew her views would be somewhat skewed due to promises she made in the past. Speaking of those promises, how do you think Shelby handled them?

I'm not sure if I would have taken the promises so literal. I'm sure that if it came down to it, Shelby's mother would have rather her been more careful of her emotions (involving sex) than worrying about displeasing her father. I understood the deep connection she had with the promises to her mother, but I guess I just thought she would have been better off being honest with her dad. You?

I agree with you 100%. The promises put such a strain on her relationship with not only her father but everyone around her. It was sad to see how that happened and also I found that her views on sex were so... flippant, for lack of a better word. I didn't understand how anyone could read that far into the a promise and to be so relaxed about it all. I am glad about some of the choices she made, even it if took her awhile to get there in the end. The book deals with a huge subject matter - Sex - which is sometimes a taboo subject in YA. How do you think Jackson did?

I was happy to see such honestly for the subject. I know that some girls do have the attitude that they just want to get it over with. This really showed how sex can become the only thing a teen can think about once they hit a certain age. They feel pressure to do it from their friends, and not do it from their parents. It can really put a person in a bad place mentally because they are not really at the age to know what they want, or what the consequences may be. I was glad that Shelby had friends who supported her either way. Some people don't have that. What did you think of Shelby's dad?

I think that Jackson portrayed just how awkward and strained a a father daughter relationship can be. I'm not saying that they all are that way, but when the mom's gone I think there can be a huge disconnect. Especially when the mom's been gone since the child was young. It has to be hard on the dad for numerous reasons, but not having your wife (or husband) there to help raise a girl from such a young age has to be rough on both parent and child. What did you think of her dad?

I agree. I can only imagine how awkward those conversations would be between a father and daughter once she gets to a certain age. Especially when he has had no experience dealing with young girls and has no one to ask. I do think a lot of dads would just ignore the issues or hope that the girls friends would help her along the way. It can really break down the communication which is what we get to see between Shelby and her dad.

And it's sad that such a break down does happen with the, but I think it's honest. I know I never had any of these talks with my dad. I'm past my teen years and I'd still never have those kinds of talks with me. Or maybe it's just me and I'm really an awkward teen deep down inside?

What did you guys think? Please leave us (spoiler-free) comments and we invite others to reply and join in. If you haven't read the book yet, just tell us what really makes you want to read it. 
 

Prize: 

• 1 winner will receive a copy of Purity by Jackson Pearce. 

Rules:

• You must be at least 13 to enter. 
• Name and email must be provided and counts as 1 entry.
• Extra entries are possible and links must be provided.
• Contest is US Only and ends June 14th.
• Once contacted, the winner will have 48 hours to respond.
• The form must be filled out to enter.  

You will find this form on Confessions of a Bookaholic as well. PLEASE only fill it out ONCE!  

We wanted to do this feature as a way to promote a new release and get people involved in discussing the book. One of the best ways to find out about a book is to read the reviews. 

 

We would love you to join the discussion about the book. Leave comments, tell us what you thought, tell us why you want to read it, or ask questions. PLEASE DO NOT INCLUDE SPOILERS! We don't want to ruin it for others, but we'd love to see what everyone thought of the story.