Review: Endearing, heartwarming story!!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 2, 2013
One never knows how they would deal with a life-changing situation until they are faced with it themselves, and teen pregnancy is by far one of the biggest.  The pressure, guilt, fear, excitement, and sudden change in life's path can be smothering, and when you add trials of the heart to the mix it can be downright horrifying.  In Choices, Annie Brewer confronts young Gracie's pregnancy at the young age of 17, and how it threw her life into an utter tailspin!Gracie was blessed with truly understanding and loving parents, but cursed with a boyfriend who was too self-absorbed to know how to deal with her revelation that she was pregnant with his child.  Young, confused, and in love, Nick's betrayal of her heart when he tells her he doesn't want to be a father truly shocked Gracie, and my heart broke for her!  He was too worried about his own path in life to care what she was going through, and I just wanted to give him a kick in the tail until he came to his senses!!But all of that changed when the sweet, charming hottie Carter came into the picture!  He was literally the refreshing breath of fresh air to Gracie's stagnant, smog-filled existence, and I loved him from the start! I was swept right off my feet along with her, and I couldn't help but hope for things to somehow work out for them even though the situation was so challenging for both of them.  Carter is just that one-of-a-kind gentleman who puts your needs above his own, thinks of you first, and takes you into consideration when he's envisioning his future...oh, and he's a romantic hottie!! He's the kind of man a girl in Gracie's situation would love to have come into her life, and Gracie definitely didn't think twice about appreciating this amazing guy!!As Gracie went through the aches and pains of her pregnancy, I felt everything she was going through.  Annie describes every moment with the detail to make you see it clearly from Gracie's perspective, and it really makes the reader understand how incredibly challenging it was.  I can say from experience since I was a teen mom myself, Choices gives an honest look into the dozens of obstacles that a teen will face.  Drama with family and friends, the fear of the unknown, body changes completely foreign to her, and even the thrill of parenthood; she's bombarded with all of these, and I think Gracie handled her situation as well as most would.  The pain she felt over her broken heart after Nick's reaction brought her to a screeching halt temporarily, but once she realized her life had to go on, Gracie was mature and responsible in her decisions.  It didn't hurt that Carter was an incredible support system for her as her pregnancy progressed, and her family and friends were amazing for her!There were some big twists that I wasn't expecting, and I was biting my nails hoping that nothing would come in between Gracie and Carter when all was said and done!! It made for some really tense moments and heartache that was pretty much unavoidable, and I was very anxious to see how everything was going to work out for these lovable characters!! I was very happy with the way Choices wrapped up, and I very much look forward to seeing more of Gracie and Carter down the road!! Loved this story and I can't wait for the sequel, Sacrifices!!