by Deb Caletti
First published 2025
Ivy stares at the plus sign on the pregnancy test, barely believing what she sees. The sixteen-year-old didn't think pregnancy was possible from what happened to her, but now she faces an unexpected reality. Instead of spending her summer at the local drugstore job and dating her boyfriend Lorenzo, Ivy must travel from her small Texas town to her grandmother's house on the West Coast, where she can legally terminate the pregnancy. Lorenzo joins her on the cross-country drive, turning their journey into a tour of quirky attractions from Paris, Texas to Rome, Oregon. They stop at roadside diners and tourist traps while Ivy grapples with the judgment from her community and her own fears. Along the way, she meets women who share their reproductive experiences, helping her break through the silence and stigma she has internalized. These encounters guide Ivy toward understanding her own choices and finding her voice about bodily autonomy.
Genres: coming-of-age, contemporary, social-issues, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, unexpected-pregnancy
Setting: Texas, West Coast, Paris, Rome
Period: Summer
432 pages · Paperback · Ember