'89 Walls/Katie Pierson This is a take on the timeless idea of a privileged girl falling for a less-privileged boy.
 
The strongest point in my opinion was seeing Quinn and Sean's relationship with Quinn's dad and one of their teachers. Quinn develops a lot of her own political beliefs across the book and learns how to represent these with facts and with emotions. This felt very real.
 
Quinn and Seth's relationship was initially too cute, though the way she acted at the first party was kind of odd and jarring--I had to go back and double check that I hadn't missed anything.
 
I also found the setting delightful. Pierson threw in a lot of references to the time, including music as well as politics. (I instantly fell in love with Quinn's first boyfriend, Jason, for loving New Order and The Cure...) Though this may date some people, I found it really fascinating to imagine being a teenager around the time and experiencing life during the end of the Cold War.
 
And for that, the book loses merit. Purely based on the title and description, I expected more information about the USSR/US communism/capitalism details. I wanted to really get a feel for what it might be like living in those times. I was disappointed when the Berlin Wall came down and we only heard about it through a couple of paragraphs in a letter. The politics and time period are what sets this book apart from your run of the mill YA book, and they fall just short of their potential. Quinn also went through a challenging situation that was then rarely mentioned, though I thought it would have had a bigger emotional effect on her.
 
While I loved the first two thirds of this book, the ending felt a little forced to me. It may just be my having a problem with happily-ever-after endings, but I felt like there should be a bit more conflict or struggle. It just wasn't a very believable ending, having seen the characters as they grew up.
 
However, I did enjoy reading this and was amused by the characters. I enjoyed seeing Quinn mature and develop her own views on life, and I was never bored, reading this book straight through in one setting. I definitely recommend reading this book, especially if you're interested in politics.
 
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ( )

Seth spends his minimum wage on groceries and fakes happiness to distract his mom from the MS that’s killing her. It’s agony to carry around a frayed love note for a girl who’s both out of his league and beneath his dignity. College-bound Quinn is finishing high school on top. That cynical, liberal guy in her social studies class, though, makes her doubt herself and her old assumptions. When their passionate romance takes them both by surprise, they keep it a secret: it’s too early to make plans and too late not to care. But it’s 1989. As politics suddenly get personal, they find themselves fighting bare-fisted for their beliefs and each other—in the clear light of day.

This book dealt with heavy topics in a very surface level manner I found this to be annoying and did not actually finish the book because of it. ( )

This was a pretty good YA novel. It dealt with teen social issues and some pretty heavy family issues. I enjoyed the political parts and the 80s era history. The glossary at the end made me smile. ( )

'89 Walls was originally introduced to me as a book about abortion and the politics of 1989 that came with it. '89 Walls delves into abortion, but mostly it's the story of Quinn and Seth who are at opposing sides of political parties. They engage in intense, thought-provoking arguments about the world they live in their history class. I don't know about everybody else, but I loved history class in high school yet I don't remember reading about so much of the politics that was going on today or actively watching the news. Both Quinn and Seth have immersed themselves in politics and their own political views. They question those beliefs and where they stand in their lives. Quinn and Seth must balance the fine line of political views, economic status, and where they see their unexpected romance going in '89 Walls.

Politics is always a touchy subject. There were a lot of questioning and arguments that had to do with politics and the difference of economic status between our two main characters. Luckily, it wasn't difficult to follow along with what was going on in the world even with the history lessons I was receiving. History lessons that I've never really paid attention to in the past. '89 Walls made me think of our past and the way it's changed so much today with abortion, civil rights, and war. All very touchy subjects in everyday life, but real things that need to be discussed. There was something that Quinn mentioned and her teacher did too about how we try to be neutral, but we can never be. We can't believe in the right of equality and say we are neutral. We all have different lives and points of view. Seeing Quinn and Seth's POV really puts into perspective how involved some people are in politics and how others (like me) are laid back. It made me question whether I should do something more or at least educate myself with what is going on in the world and assessing my views on it.

The other side of the story was Quinn and Seth's sudden romance. I liked them together because they respected each other and their opinions. I think respect in a relationship is one of the best thing's you can have. I didn't enjoy reading about their sexual exploits. I didn't need the step by step coverage on that. Otherwise, I liked their relationship although, it didn't have me squealing with joy or anything. I liked their family dynamics more than anything actually. Quinn has affluent parents who are conservative and talk to her about politics. Seth has to take care of his mother who has MS. Seth and his mother hurt me inside. It's such a crappy situation to know that your body is failing you and that your son has to watch while putting his life on the backburner.

'89 Walls made me think about the world and how little I know about what brought us to this point in the US. It was a very enjoyable and thought provoking read. If you like politics, you will especially like '89 Walls, but even if you don't you still can get something from Quinn and Seth's story like I did. ( )