Review: Me, Him, Them, and It by Caela Carter

By Jen On February 22, 2013 · 3 Comments · In Book Review

Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release Date: February 26, 2013
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher/NetGalley
Genre: YA, Contemporary
Buy: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Indiebound | iTunes

ME is Evelyn Jones, 16, a valedictorian hopeful who’s been playing bad girl to piss off THEM, her cold, distant parents.

HIM is Todd, Evelyn’s secret un-boyfriend, who she thought she was just using for sex – until she accidentally fell in love with him. But before Evelyn gets a chance to tell Todd how she feels, something much more important comes up. IT.

IT is a fetus. Evelyn is pregnant – and when Todd turns his back on her, Evelyn has no idea who to turn to. Can a cheating father, a stiff, cold mother, a pissed-off BFF, and a (thankfully!) loving aunt with adopted girls of her own help Evelyn make the heart-wrenching decisions that follow? (Goodreads)

Me, Him, Them, and It is one of the most honest and realistic books I’ve read that deals with teen pregnancy. It’s heart breaking yet beautiful. It’s about a girl; Evelyn who becomes “Bad Evelyn” in retaliation to her parents after her dad cheats, leaves, and then comes back. Then her parents pretend everything is fine, even though the house is silent, and loveless.

Though Evelyn is smart and has so much going for her, including potentially being valedictorian, she makes some stupid decisions in the name of “Bad Evelyn”. For this reason I had a hard time relating with Evelyn as a character even though I was rooting for her. I had a pretty crappy childhood, but all my decisions were focused on staying out of trouble so I could get out, versus purposely finding trouble for retaliation or to get attention. That said, I feel that Evelyn’s reactions were realistic and honest.

Evelyn doesn’t want anyone to know she’s pregnant, and she’s desperate to keep up her GPA in hopes that she’ll be able to get into an Ivy League school. Feeling like she can’t talk to anyone, she meets Mary through the Planned Parenthood Center, who talks her through things and is there for her until she’s out of time and she must tell her mother. Evelyn’s non-boyfriend/baby daddy Todd is useless, he’s just not capable of taking responsibility for his actions even though he obviously cares for her. This too, felt realistic.

Evelyn ends up staying with her Aunt Linda and her partner, and her adopted cousins in Chicago while deciding what to do about “It”. I loved how she becomes part of their family, and how the author incorporated a non-traditional family into the story. I felt the family dynamics, with Evelyn’s relationships with each of her parents, and her aunts, were so honest, and right on.

Me, Him, Them, and It is well written and gives insight into teen pregnancy, and the difficult heart-wrenching, life-changing decisions that must be made. I look forward to reading more by Caela Carter.