I wanted a chest, so when she said I could go to Planned Parenthood and get a prescription without even telling my parents -- and that it could move me up a full bra size -- I did. I was having sex with Todd anyway, so it seemed like a good idea. On the way home from the first day of school, I just drove myself over here, whistling out the window of my car like a freaking idiot while visions of C-cups bounced in my brain. When I got here, they made me take a blood test, and it said I was already pregnant. The thought had not even occurred to me. That's how much of a dumbass I am. 
 And so begins the candid story of Evelyn Jones, a sixteen year old high school student whose world is forever changed when she learns that she is pregnant. While her previous focus was on hanging out with her best friend, hooking up with her boyfriend, and working on getting the grades to keep her future valedictorian role in sight, now Evelyn is faced with something entirely new and foreign -- the decision as to whether she will abort, adopt, or parent the child growing inside of her. 
 I don't like the baby. I know it's not the baby's fault, but it showed up and everything sucks. Now, I can't drink; I can't smoke weed; I can't have sex... 
 Sent away by her parents to hide from the shame that unwed pregnancy would bring at her strict Catholic school, Evelyn moves in with her aunt and her wife until things are back to normal -- whatever that means now. Isolated from her friends and separated from her boyfriend, Evelyn realizes just how much she has to lose, no matter what she picks. Are there any options that will let her resume things exactly as they were before without feeling guilty? 
 Although Evelyn dreams of a future where she and Todd are blissfully in love, raising their child together as husband and wife, she soon comes to realize that her fantasies have nothing at all to do with her real life. Her best friend disowns her for keeping secrets and Todd decides he wants nothing to do with the baby, stating that he can't deal with things changing so drastically in his life and admitting he has no plans to pay child support in the future, either. 
 ME, HIM, THEM, AND IT is a heartbreaking, painstakingly honest look at one young woman's struggle with making one of the most important decisions that a woman may ever face -- that of what to do when facing an unplanned pregnancy. While popular media like Teen Mom often portray a glamorized vision of teenage pregnancy, Carter's novel gives a gritty portrayal of what things REALLY look like, from the perspective of a troubled young girl who is conflicted by the expectations of those around her -- as well as her own misguided hopes for her future. 
 I think the best thing about the novel is really that it's just SO brutally honest from start to finish. Evelyn makes no hint of the fact that she feels entirely unfit to be a mother, and she is quick to let us know that she'd much rather be drunk and high than spending her time at home with a baby. She dreamily describes her sexual encounters with her boyfriend while detailing her hops for a happily ever after for two teenagers who are clearly not headed for a long term adult relationship. Even as the story progresses, Evelyn maintains a blatant openness about her thoughts on each of her options, in such a way that feels realistic and relateable to young readers. 
 Another great thing about this novel is the wit and skill the author displays in crafting the inner dialogue of the main character. There are so many lines that are just SO magically quotable, like the following... 
 When we leave I am clad in hot pink and covered in sparkles, an unwed mother masquerading as a Disney Princess. 
 LOVE IT! 
 I would totally recommend this to anyone who loves realistic fiction dealing with sensitive issues, although I would definitely recommend this one more for adults and teens who are a little older and more mature. The story is fantastic, the writing is superb, and the novel definitely earns five fabulous stars from me, for sure!