Publishers Weekly
Eighteen-year-old narrator Kate Kelly begins the summer after high school in a state of prolonged moral distress. Although firmly believing premarital sex and abortion to be sins, Kate nevertheless provides financial and practical help when her best friend chooses to end a pregnancy. Guilt plagues Kate, undermining the girls' friendship, and clouding her experience as a summer camp counselor, as she observes her peers' behavior through a lens of judgment and disapproval. A budding romantic interest awakens Kate's awareness of the power of sexual urges, while an unexpected friendship with a fellow churchgoer, whom she had shunned in a time of need, causes Kate to question the moral guidance of her church and examine the "Christian" nature of her own actions. Throughout the novel, Kenneally (Catching Jordan) uses a light touch, addressing teenage pregnancy, sexuality, and alcohol use without being pedantic. Wisdom from Kate's father, "Your truth isn't everybody else's truth," provides unanticipated guidance in this compassionate and nuanced exploration of friendship, love, and maturing religious understanding. Ages 13–up. Agent: Sara Megibow, Nelson Literary Agency. (Mar.)
Things I Can't Forget (Hundred Oaks Series #3)
by Miranda KenneallyView All Available Formats & Editions
She may arrive as the perfect Christian camp counselor but will she leave with the same reputation in tact?
Kate Kelly couldn't wait for the summer. But when her best friend, Emily, is disinvited to be a counselor at the Christian camp they've attended since they were little, Kate is forced to go alone. Distraught over her trampled summer plans,
… See more details belowOverview
She may arrive as the perfect Christian camp counselor but will she leave with the same reputation in tact?
Kate Kelly couldn't wait for the summer. But when her best friend, Emily, is disinvited to be a counselor at the Christian camp they've attended since they were little, Kate is forced to go alone. Distraught over her trampled summer plans, Kate doesn't notice that Matt's back at camp this year—the same Matt who gave her her first kiss—only now he's hotter and looking for more.
Kate wishes she could let go and have a summer fling, but it's tough with all the questions flooding her mind...What if she ends up like Emily? What would her church say? What would God say? And more importantly, does she care?
Editorial Reviews
From the Publisher
"Kenneally's books have quickly become must—reads," - VOYA"Miranda Kenneally's best book yet. " - Shelf Awareness for Readers
"Like Diane Court in Say Anything, when sheltered, high-achieving junior Kate dives into a social life for the first time, she experiences the conflict and messiness of life at the same time she experiences her first love." - Justine magazine
"Talented Kenneally is unafraid to tackle challenging topics. Her heroine this go-round is a devout Christian struggling with her faith. Kate is an interesting blend of sweet, confused and judgmental, which doesn't always make her likable. However, she's incredibly realistic. A worthy read with a dreamy male lead." - RT Book Reviews
"An up-and-coming young-adult novelist." - The Washington Post
"Kate's sheltered worldview is well-drawn, and the hesitant first steps on her spiritual journey are handled sensitively . . . Kate's growth will keep readers, Christian or otherwise, reading." - Kirkus
"Kenneally's spare, straightforward prose, combined with a heavy dose of romance, makes it an accessible novel that should appeal even to reluctant readers. . .Teenagers will find this coming-of-age story both entertaining and poignant." - School Library Journal
"Throughout the novel, Kenneally uses a light touch, addressing teenage pregnancy, sexuality, and alcohol use without being pedantic. Wisdom from Kate's father, "Your truth isn't everybody else's truth," provides unanticipated guidance in this compassionate and nuanced exploration of friendship, love, and maturing religious understanding." - Publishers Weekly
"Simply put, if you love contemporary YA romance that has a mix serious issues, drama and steamy scenes then you are going to devour Things I Can't Forget. It is a great addition to the Hundred Oaks series." - Michelle and Leslie's Book Picks
VOYA - Jennifer Rummel
Kate is questioning her life and the role of God in it. Ever since she helped her best friend, Emily, get an abortion, she is not sure what to believe. She feels so guilty and so disconnected from the world. She and Emily were supposed to be camp counselors together, but now she is going alone. Kate is responsible for the arts and crafts tent. She is surprised to find she knows some of the other counselors—Parker, Will, and Jordan from her school, and Matt from her own camping days. Matt has changed, and Kate finds herself drawn to him. She never expected her attraction to make her feel so reckless and happy. Kate is a complex character. On one hand, she believes that her actions are wrong, yet has a hard time stopping herself from those actions. Her inner struggle is fascinating as she starts questioning the world around her more and more. She realizes that life is layered, and what she previously thought was a black-and-white situation might not be the case at all. Kate also struggles through the meaning of friendship by analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of her own actions. These moments blend perfectly with the summer at camp, her new friendships, and the romance with Matt. Kenneally's books have quickly become must—reads. Reviewer: Jennifer RummelSchool Library Journal
Gr 9 Up—Though devoutly religious, Kate recently compromised her deeply held beliefs to help her best friend, Emily, obtain an abortion-a decision that has strained the girls' friendship and sent Kate reeling. When the teen becomes a camp counselor the summer before starting college, she questions her identity even further. Romance blossoms between Kate and a fellow counselor, Matt, and she befriends Parker, a girl whom Kate used to look down upon for her wild and promiscuous lifestyle. Subsequently, she begins to reevaluate her judgmental attitudes. Though it's primarily her relationships with others that result in Kate's growth from an uptight, narrow-minded wallflower to a self-assured young woman, characterization is sketchy, and characters are largely one-note (the gorgeous, confident love interest; her lost and confused best friend; her strict, unsympathetic boss). Still, Kenneally's spare, straightforward prose, combined with a heavy dose of romance, makes it an accessible novel that should appeal even to reluctant readers. Kate's habit of questions to herself as she encounters conflicts ("But what if I would rather have a relationship with God than friendships with people who don't believe in him like I do?") imbues her with an uncertainty that will resonate with teens. Adolescents will also relate to her simultaneous feelings of longing and guilt as she copes with her burgeoning sexuality. Despite the flaws, teenagers will find this coming-of-age story both entertaining and poignant.—Mahnaz Dar, Library JournalKirkus Reviews
A struggle for self-identity forms the core of this crowded novel, the latest entry in Kenneally's Hundred Oaks series. Kate is spending her summer working as a counselor at a church-run camp. She's still reeling from her decision to help her best friend Emily get an abortion and hopes that in the mountains of Tennessee, she will get a sign that God forgives her. With a camp director who singles her out unfairly, counselors who don't act very Christian in Kate's judgmental opinion and the end of her friendship with Emily, there's only one thing that's going right: Kate's blossoming relationship with Matt, the boy who gave Kate her first kiss years ago at camp. Matt is charming, sweet and clearly crazy about her. But the way Matt makes Kate feel contradicts everything she's learned in church. If Kate wants to have friends and love, she'll have to decide what she believes. Kate's sheltered worldview is well-drawn, and the hesitant first steps on her spiritual journey are handled sensitively. There are more characters than necessary, especially with characters from Kenneally's other books making appearances, as well as too many issues, such as abortion, parental abuse and gay relationships, giving the story a kitchen-sink feel. That said, Kate's growth will keep readers, Christian or otherwise, reading. (Fiction. 14 & up)Product Details
- ISBN-13:
- 9781402271908
- Publisher:
- Sourcebooks
- Publication date:
- 03/05/2013
- Series:
- Hundred Oaks Series, #3
- Pages:
- 320
- Sales rank:
- 118,853
- Product dimensions:
- 5.50(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.90(d)
- Lexile:
- HL680L (what's this?)
- Age Range:
- 13 - 17 Years
Read an Excerpt
sketch #323
what happened on april 6
Girls like me do not buy pregnancy tests.
I drag my pencil down the paper, drawing tears rolling from her eyes.
Girls like me sing in the church choir. Every spring break, I go on mission trips to Honduras, where we renovate houses for the underprivileged. I do all my homework every night, and before I go to bed, I kiss Daddy's cheek and tell him I wish he'd go to the doctor about his blood pressure and start getting more exercise than walking Fritz and scooping his poop.
I've only kissed one boy my entire life.
Emily called that day, crying. "Kate," she said between sobs. "You can't tell anyone. Not even your mom."
I drove to Walmart two towns away, over in Green Hills, so no one would see me buying the test. I trembled as I carried the box to the self-checkout lane. I scanned, bagged, and paid, and bit back tears, because my best friend of fifteen years-since we were three years old-might have accidentally gotten pregnant by her long-time boyfriend.
I didn't even know they had had sex. It's not something they would tell. If anyone found out that Jacob, son of Brother Michael-our preacher at church-got a girl pregnant out of wedlock? Chaos.
It wouldn't look good for Emily either. She's like me. Always wears clean T-shirts and none of her jeans have holes or loose strings. She would never even think about smoking a cigarette. She doesn't go over the speed limit. She plays the violin and has a scholarship lined up to attend Belmont University in Nashville.
But Emily made a mistake.
I use my black coloring pencil to shade her hair. My red pencil fills in her lips, turned upside down in a frown.
And then I made an even bigger mistake: I helped her.
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