Book Review: What You Left Behind by Jessica Verdi

What You Left Behind by Jessica Verdi

What would you do if your girlfriend is dying of cancer and gets pregnant with your child?  Would you be able to raise this child on your own?  I received an electronic copy of What You Left Behind via NetGalley and I have already recommended it to our librarian.

Summary from Goodreads:

It’s all Ryden’s fault. If he hadn’t gotten Meg pregnant, she would have never stopped her chemo treatments and would still be alive. Instead, he’s failing fatherhood one dirty diaper at a time. And it’s not like he’s had time to grieve while struggling to care for their infant daughter, start his senior year, and earn the soccer scholarship he needs to go to college.

The one person who makes Ryden feel like his old self is Joni. She’s fun and energetic—and doesn’t know he has a baby. But the more time they spend together, the harder it becomes to keep his two worlds separate. Finding one of Meg’s journals only stirs up old emotions, and Ryden’s convinced Meg left other notebooks for him to find, some message to help his new life make sense. But how is he going to have a future if he can’t let go of the past?

My Thoughts:

I love how the main character, Ryden, is written in such a realistic manner.  Every decision he makes as a 17-year old single father are ones I see teen parents struggling with today. He faces difficulties trying to raise his daughter while still grappling with the death of his girlfriend in childbirth.  It is hard enough for teens to balance playing varsity soccer, school, and working, but adding being a father into the mix makes Ryden's life a lot more complicated.  Throughout the whole book, I pictured students connecting with some tough yet very realistic issues:

• Teenage cancer
• Teenage pregnancy
• Being a single parent
• Abortion
• Birth control
• Balancing school, sports, and work
• Parental responsibilities
• Involvement of grandparents
• Friendships
• New relationships
• Teenage drinking
• Lies

One can not read this book without want to discuss Ryden's decisions (whether right or wrong) with a friend.  This is one of those books I know students will fall in love with and I can't wait to share