My review of Purity

Purity by Jackson Pearce
Release Date: March 6, 2014
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Before her mother died, Shelby promised three things: listen to her father, love as much as possible, and live without restraint. Those Promises become hard to keep when Shelby's dad joins the committee for the Princess Ball, where girls must take a vow of purity - no "bad behaviour", no breaking the rules, and definitely no sex.

Torn between Promises, Shelby makes a decision - to exploit a loophole and lose her virginity before taking the vow. But somewhere between failed hookup attempts and helping her dad plan the ball, Shelby begins to understand what her mother really meant, what her father really needs, and who really has the right to her purity.

Purity is a contemporary which challenges us to think whether it is important to keep our promises and the loopholes we take to avoid breaking them. Shelby is our protagonist, and she has promised her mother three things: listen to her father, love as much as possible, and live without restraint. Shelby promises to do all those things as how could she refuse a dying woman? As Shelby becomes a teenager, her strained relationship with her father makes it harder and harder for her to keep the promises.

I liked the idea of the book, however I don't think it was as good as I thought it would be. The story line fell a bit flat and I couldn't relate to or understand Shelby no matter how hard I tried. The majority of the book is just Shelby trying to find someone to lose her viriginity to before the "Princess Ball" where she will have to make vows to her father about staying "pure". It simply felt bizarre.

The other characters also felt, to me, a bit one dimensional. I wish each had more depth. The ending is satisfying and will leave you smiling. However, it didn't leave any kind of impact on me like books normally do. I am deeply disappointed  that I didn't love this book as I enjoy Pearce's fairytale retelling series. 

Overall, I wouldn't put Purity on my YA contemporary favourites list as I felt it lacked quite a bit from the plot and characters. I will continue reading Pearce's books even though this book felt like a flop. However, it is a cute contemporary that will occupy you for a few hours if you are simply looking for a light and mildly engaging read.

Rating

A review was provided by the publisher