{Review} Tilt by Ellen Hopkins

ISBN #: 978-1416983309

Page Count: 602

Copyright: September 11, 2012

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Book Summary:

(Taken from Amazon)

Three teens, three stories - all interconnected through their parents' family relationships. As the adults pull away, caught up in their own dilemmas, the lives of the teens begin to tilt ...

Mikayla, almost eighteen, is over-the-top in love with Dylan, who loves her back jealously. But what happens to that love when Mikayla gets pregnant the summer before their senior year - and decides to keep the baby?

Shane turns sixteen that same summer and falls hard in love with his first boyfriend, Alex, who happens to be HIV positive. Shane has lived for four years with his little sister's impending death. Can he accept Alex's love, knowing that his life, too, will be shortened?

Harley is fourteen - a good girl searching for new experiences, especially love from an older boy. She never expects to hurdle toward self-destructive extremes in order to define who she is and who she wants to be.

Love, in all its forms, has crucial consequences in this standalone novel.

Mandy's Review:

I've seen Ellen Hopkins' novels in stores. I've glanced through them, intimidated by the sheer volume of each one. I was intrigued by what I saw, though: the chapters being written poetry-style with stanzas and rhythm. Yet my intimidation over how thick the novels were kept me from buying them.

Then came my chance. I received Tilt in the mail for review. My first Ellen Hopkins novel. I was finally able to see what all the hype was about.

I began to read.

Before I knew it, I was over 100 pages into the novel. I just couldn't put it down. The way it's written makes it so easy to read. I especially loved the black pages; how she had a standalone word for each stanza that, when you read the standalone words from top to bottom, created their own sentence or thought. Very cool.

The characters are extremely realistic. Mikayla, blinded by love, allows her boyfriend to have sex with her without a condom ... twice. That's all it took. She became pregnant. Dylan, freaked out by the thought of being a father, wants her to abort it. Mikayla, being eighteen and pregnant, is so freaked out herself that she doesn't know what to do. Pardon my language, people, but Dylan is such a dick that he makes Mikayla choose between him and the baby.

Shane is so lonely that he has pretty much given up on finding love. His dad is religious to the point of believing Shane will go to hell for being gay. Shane pretty much stays in his room, looking at porno and getting high. One day, he meets Alex online and they get to know each other and fall in love. Shelby's death pushes Shane over the edge and he attempts suicide. He calls Alex to say 'goodbye.'

Harley is something else. She's fourteen and naive. Thinking she can handle anything, she gets into a relationship with an older guy. All he's interested in is popping her cherry. Being with him, wanting his attention and approval, Harley begins smoking weed and drinking. Any girl knows not to send a naked pic to a guy she barely knows, because what is he going to do? Yep! Show it to every guy he knows and probably some he doesn't know. Harley, honey, doesn't know any better. She thinks she's grown because Lucas wants her to send him a naked pic, so she does it. *Sigh* She learns her lesson, though, when Lucas proves exactly who he is.

This may have been my first Ellen Hopkins novel, but it will not be my last. I loved Tilt; the emotions, the drama, the realism, the uniqueness of the writing. This book definitely receives 5 out of 5 stars from me.


*A physical copy of this novel was provided by Goldberg McDuffie Communications in exchange for an honest review.