Hooked

By: Catherine Greenman
Publisher: Delacorte Press Book for Young Readers
Publication Date: August 2011
ISBN: 978-0-385-74008-1
Reviewed by: Amy Lignor 
Review Date: August 2011

Thea Galehouse is a young, happy girl with what most would say is a pretty good life. She has family that she loves and who love her; she has friends; and she is - by most accounts - a fairly normal teenager. What Thea doesn’t expect to enter her world is 'the one.' But when Will appears, Thea finds her whole world completely changing in seconds. As the veil of love falls around her, Thea has no idea that she will become so 'hooked' by this boy that her very future will change.

Will is one of those boys who your Mom warns you about. Not in the bad way, the handsome way. Will is one who appears on the doorstep and a mother can feel to her very core that the danger of romance and passion is about to take over her young girl’s life. And that is exactly what happens. It only takes Thea one moment of conversation, it seems, to completely fall head-over-heels for Will, and their future looks extremely bright.

Will goes off to college to build a future, and Thea is a bit heartbroken. But what really throws her is when her period is missed. Yes, there is a child on the way, and the world has just gone from light, airy, and completely romantic to a bit of a fear-fest.

Unlike everyone’s favorite, Juno, Thea Galehouse and Will decide to keep the baby. Will has to work, and their very concerned parents chip in a great deal, even offering a home to the kids in order to raise their child comfortably and with as much ease and peace as possible. But, as with every life, an accident occurs that forces Thea to turn to the one person she can barely speak to - a hard-edged, uncompromising father who has more than a few anger issues of his own regarding the decisions his daughter has made.

The author does a wonderful job of showing the challenges of life, and the harsh decisions that one must make along the way. The personal relationships and family relationship are shown in a caring, inspirational way that will, hopefully, NOT add on to the number of teenagers who want to bring a child into this world far before they’re ready to do it.

Quill Says: A good, solid story of family, love, and trying to get by when times turn dark.