Not My Daughter

This book was interesting, and "ripped from the headlines." The characters likeable and I blazed through the book until it was done.

However, I guess I just have some issues with the book that do not let me give it a higher rating. Mild spoilers ahead.

I just can't imagine that none of three girls would regret their decision to have a child so early. I know babies change lives and as a medical doctor myself, I've seen many of these girls-- even younger than these 17 years old. I've heard the excuse "I wanted a baby so that I'd have someone to love me and be all mine." And these children end up getting raised by a grandparent or god forbid a great-grandparent. I liked how Delinsky dealt with showing different sides to hard issues, but I show more never felt that Lily entirely realized how Susan, her mother, was feeling, and to what extent Susan was receiving backlash from her decisions. She saw some limited views on it and apologized in a very non-satisfying way-- just as you might imagine an immature selfish teenager may respond. And she thought it was a wonderful idea to have a child at 17 and had no conception of why this may get in the way of her life. I just wondered if she would always think the same, and educate her own child to have a child early. Being a good mother is more than just knowing how to change diapers and having someone to love. I just couldn't agree with the "happy ending" that Delinsky wrote. show less

I sure wish we could give half-stars. I'd give this a 4-1/2. I really enjoyed the book.....a quick read, and kept my interest the whole time. The basic story involves a group of girls at the local HS acting on a pact to become pregnant at the same time and raise their babies together. A complication is that these are the 'good girls' of the school that no one would expect this of. The daughter of the principal, the daughter of a CEO, etc. The girls are very naive at the beginning, centering only on their desire to have a child and not grasping how this affects other; their families who now have another child to raise, the kids around them, and the unsuspecting fathers, who apparently aren't to be included in their child's life. And show more then, there is the controversy created when some blame the principal for 'allowing' this and want her fired! More evidence of naivety.....all babies aren't born healthy?....you can't be sure you will all have daughters? It is an interesting story to watch as these girls grow up quick and watch as their parents and the town itself evolves and learns. show less

Although I am not a regular reader of Barbara Delinsky's books the topic of this book caught my eye & I was very pleasantly surprised how the varied responses of parents, teachers, classmates & the teen's themselves were explored and written in a realistic way.An easy light read that I would recommend.

This was good for a while. The idea of a group of teenaged girls forming a pact to get pregnant and raise their babies together was intriguing. But the novelty of the idea wore thin as it became a story of a small-town principal whose job is jeopardized by "allowing" the girls (one of whom is her daughter) to get pregnant. School board meetings the town coming together to defend the principal, with all the stereotypical characters and Harper Valley PTA shenanigans.

And the ending moved the book from a possible examination of peer pressure and life-altering decisions to three happy teenaged moms with their babies and tons of family support. Like this wasn't such a big deal after all.

"Not My Daughter" by Barbara Delinsky is a story dealing with teen pregnancy and the pact that is made between close friends to all become pregnant at the age of 17. Obviously there are many sensitive topics discussed including miscarriage, abortion, birth defects, fertility issues and obviously pre-marital teen sexual activity.
The writing was very intriguing and it drew me in quickly. However, I was disappointed in the ending. I felt as thought there was a lot of build up and a lot of good topics introduced but it felt like everything wrapped up too neat and nicely at the end. I would recommend this book as an interesting read and a book that causes the reader to think about these topics.

The story of three teenage girls who decide to get pregnant at the same time. The ramifications turn out to be much larger than they had ever anticipated. An interesting look at four sets of mothers and daughters and how the pregnancies affect all of their relationships. An easy but sometimes thought provoking read.

I just saw this book on the First Reads giveaway page and remembered what an awesome book it was. I read it about a year ago and I can still remember the story as if I had just finished the book this morning. I normally don't read anything like but I would definitely read more by this author. I have never been in the situation that either the mother or daughter in the book go through but through the author's words I could totally relate to what they were feeling. I wanted to be a good friend to the daughter that lost her friends when their plans didn't work out the way they expected. I wanted to be there for the mother and stand up for her when others wanted to distance themselves from her out of fear that they too would be accused of show more being bad parents just for associating themselves with the family. I also wanted to wring the girl's neck that started the whole ordeal out of what I felt was jealousy. The storyline was very strong. The reader is brought into the characters' lives in such a way that we know what is going on but we don't have to read every tiny detail about their day. I felt as though I was a part of their lives and that I could feel their emotions. I would love to read more by this author if all of her books are as well thought out and well written. show less