Trigger warnings: Abortion, cheating
Score: Four points out of ten.

I don't get how this novel was even published since I like poetry, but I gave this one two stars. That was surprising. There were a lot of mature themes within the book, but I think it didn't have enough pages to delve into them. They weren't that explored, and the plot is disjointed and messy. The main character, Addie, wasn't great since she showed her recklessness when she hooked up with her boyfriend and got pregnant. She aborted her baby when she was six months pregnant, and later, she cheated on her boyfriend with another girl called Juliana. None of the characters were fleshed out or developed, and I don't know why the author made this a poetry novel since it didn't work out; maybe if it were written in prose, it would have been better, though I would dislike it. Sometimes, the themes were a bit too much, but without them, it is just Addie living her life with nothing much happening; the ending felt incomplete and fizzled out, leaving me so many unanswered questions. If you like verse novels, don't read this and pick another one. ( )

Teenage sexual content including pregnancy and abortion

Not the book I expected to read. But the one I needed to read. ( )

In the novel-in-verse Ask Me How I Got Here, Addie is a high school cross country runner at an all girls’ Catholic school who learns she is pregnant. She chooses to have an abortion. While her family and boyfriend are supportive throughout the process, Addie still deals with confusing emotions and changing relationships with her poetry. Heppermann uses poetry to set a frantic pace in the novel. The verses are all from Addie’s point-of-view and move from written notes and assignments to typed text messages. The novel deals with heavy themes for teens, including abortion, religion, sex and sexuality. Recommended for grades 10 and up. ( )

This is a look at how teenager Addie’s decision to have an abortion has affected her life. Told in prose, it is a compelling look at how difficult this decision is and how it impacts a person’s life forever. ( )