I Know It's Over

by C.K. Kelly Martin

Book Overview

PURE. UNPLANNED. PERFECT. Those were Nick's summer plans before Sasha stepped into the picture. With the collateral damage from his parents' divorce still settling and Dani (his girl of the moment) up... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0375845666
• ISBN13: 9780375845666
• Release Date: September 2008
• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
• Length: 244 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.4" x 8.5"
• Age Range: 14 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 9 and higher

Customer Reviews

I Know it's Awesome

On Christmas Eve, Nick's ex-girlfriend comes over unexpectedly to tell him something important To tell him that she's pregnant. We flashback to earlier that year, in the summer when all Nick wants is to have fun. That is, until Nick met Sasha. Soon enough, the two are together in an intense relationship and Nick doesn't even mind. In fact, he loves it. But then Sasha breaks up with him, saying that she needs to have a breather and get some space. Nick can't comprehend why she's broken up with him and he can' seem to get over her. And then that life-changing Christmas Eve happens.. The revelation confuses Nick, who wants to be part of Sasha's decision to keep or to abort the baby. Only, she doesn't want Nickto have much to do with it, especially because they've broken up. It is only through the support of their parents, friends and ultimately each other that the two can get through the crisis. When I picked up this novel, I had pretty high expectations since everyone seemed to love it. And luckily, I Know it Over met and even surpassed my expectatations... So much is compacted in this novel. Obviously the book deals with teen pregnancy and the decision to have an abortion or keep the baby but it also tackles the problems associated with divorce along with the obstacles faced by some concerning their sexuality. The commendable aspect of all this is how it never felt like the issues were tackled too quickly; everything was explored and emphasized the point that there are never any easy answers in life. The ways that the characters deal with all their problems were realistic; there were no miracles and everything was plausible. One of my favorite things about the novel was how it was done in Nick's POV. Usually novels about teen pregnancy take on the voice of the female dealing with the situation. Having the book in Nick's perspective really put a new spin on the topic. The characters themselves were very well-developed and easy to relate with. Each and every single one of them could have just leapt off the page and come to life. The cast is too much to get into in such a short space but let it be known that you'll pretty much care about each of them by the end of the novel. Overall? I Know It's Over is a book every teen should pick up. In fact, everyone can pretty much enjoy this novel. (However, let it be known that there are certain scenes that younger readers might not be prepared for.)

Really great debut

In a pregnancy story the scenarios I usually see are abortion, adoption, and keeping it, and aside from those three, there's not much room to get creative. Which is fine, it's all in the subject matter. But what I liked here--what I think makes this book different--is the fact most of the focus is not on the pregnancy itself, or on the pregnant girl, but on the relationship of the two, from genesis to disintegration. I'm not accustomed to getting this caught up with the characters in any book (even as a character person, most books don't offer so much depth), much less a book I expected to be about the pregnancy and how the guy's processing and dealing with it all. Make no mistake, the pregnancy thing is there (oooh, is it), but the flesh, the history, behind it is also so powerful. When I got down to it, I wasn't reading to figure out how they'd cope with a kid, or with adoption, or with abortion, but for the decision itself. (I'm guessing that last sentence also made no sense?) It made all the difference. Like, aside from what the consequences brought to the couple with each possible choice--dirty diapers, legal papers, or the abortion--it actually made a difference, to ME, as the reader, what Sasha chose. I was wrapped up in their relationship. I Know It's Over, for all its magic and spellbinding qualities and its interspersed stark wisdom, is heartbreaking. (Ahh, and ya know what? Let's do the heart- trifecta for this one: heartbreaking, heartfelt, and heartwarming.) It's also incredibly real, to a degree where it actually amazed me how much CK Kelly Martin knew her own characters and kept them contemporary and universal all at once. In fact, that's exactly what I'd describe this book as: Real. Definitely recommended.

From Reading Keeps You Sane

Title: I Know It's Over Author: C.K. Kelly Martin Publisher: Random House Reading Level: Young Adult Rating: 4.5/5 Summary (ckkellymartin.com): Pure. Unplanned. Perfect. Those were Nick's summer plans before Sasha stepped into the picture. With the collateral damage from his parent's divorce still settling and Dani (his girl of the moment) up for nearly anything, complications are the last thing he needs. All that changes, though, when Nick runs into Sasha at the beach in July. Suddenly he's neck-deep in a relationship and surprised to find he doesn't mind in the least. But Nick's world shifts again when Sasha breaks up with him. Then weeks later, while Nick's still reeling from the breakup, she turns up at his doorstep and tells him she's pregnant, and with his emotions and hopes crashing in around him, Nick finds himself struggling once more to understand the girl he can't stop caring for, the girl who insists that it's still over. Review: I Know It's Over starts out very exciting. The first chapter is in the present and the following dozen chapters are in the past leading up to what happened in the first chapter and then your in the present again. I thought that was a very nice touch to the novel, it pulls you in really quickly, then winds down for awhile and then quickly pulls you up again and keeps you there. When reading this novel, the emotions from the characters, especially Nick's, was so strong. Nick was pulls the reader in with his emotions and the reader just can't bear to let go. One thing I thought Martin did wonderfully was write Sasha out through Nick's eyes. Martin grabbed Sasha's emotions and feelings through Nick so magnificently. The characters were proven fully equipped and very copiously thought out and divinely crafted. Martin's writing was superbly done and the emotions she feeds from her characters and there thoughts were done so marvelously better then any books I have read recently. Hurrah! for you Miss Martin! Now, the only reason I gave .5 points off was because of the ending. Now don't get me wrong, the ending was great, but it just kind of let me down because I knew where it was headed and I guess I just had hope for a different direction, but like I said. The ending was still amazing. It was just me who got let down just a tad because I had hope for something else. Nonetheless, this book is excellent and one you should definitely read.

totally heartbreaking, totally worth it

I read another review that said I Know It's OVer was going to break my heart, so I picked it up and was prepared to be totally heartbroken. I might have even been looking forward to it, because I like a good heartbreaking story (it's usually the happy ones that freak me out). But as much as I thought I was prepared for this book, I totally wasn't. It doesn't just break your heart--that's putting it too mildly--this book will rip your heart out of your chest, break it a thousand times over and then direct you to the cupboard where the glue is so you can begin the process of pasting the pieces of your old heart into a NEW heart. The good news: it's so worth it. I Know It's Over is a book about a guy named Nick and his intense, all-consuming relationship with a girl named Sasha. The two are so full of each other they can hardly breathe. When they break up, Sasha citing a need for space, Nick is devastated. It's not what he wants and he struggles to understand how it's something she could. And then Sasha comes back--not to tell Nick she wants to get back together... but to tell him she's pregnant. Together--but not--they must figure out what to do, how to cope and how to continue after the decision is made. This is one YA novel that really impressed me. It tackles some big issues--teen pregnancy, sex, sexuality--but never once feels like an Issue Book. Martin never once goes for a melodramatic or heavy-handed approach, nor does she have an agenda, which is sure to make people on either side of the fence mad. Nick is one of the most memorable male protagonists I've read in a long time. His observations are candid and devastating. He's a frustrated, 16-year-old guy, struggling with his own perceptions of himself and other people's perceptions of him. Martin drives home the fact that it's tough just to be a teenager, let alone one who is about to go through the things that Nick goes through. Martin is also excellent at taking down walls between characters and the reader. If you don't know these people, you will know them. I think that familiarity is especially important when considering the book's subject matter. The writing is frank, brutal, beautiful and emotionally confrontational. I'm sure it'll force people to ask questions they don't want to ask. After reading I Know It's Over, I'm convinced there's nothing Martin won't say and that's good. That's what I want on my YA shelf. That's what I want on EVERY YA shelf...

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

Nick plans on having a long, carefree summer with no distractions and no problems. What with his parents' divorce and his father's new girlfriend, Nick needs all the downtime he can get. Even the girl he's seeing (Dani) is starting to get to him. The girl is up for anything, but for some reason Nick just doesn't seem that in to it anymore. But Nick's summer plans of carefree go out the window when Sasha shows up. She's been going to school with him for as long as he can remember. They've just never really talked to each other. One day they do, and suddenly something starts. Sasha is totally different than Dani and isn't about to do anything sexual quite so fast. But Nick and Sasha start getting hot and heavy by the time fall rolls around. And then Sasha breaks it off, saying that she wants to be able to concentrate on school and getting into the best college. Nick is crushed, but there's not much he can do. Then, on Christmas Eve, Sasha shows up out of nowhere and tells Nick that she's pregnant. Sure, they were always careful and used protection, but one time something happened. Neither one of them thought much about it at the time, but now they're over-analyzing the night. Sasha is hesitant about her decision regarding the baby. After she tells her parents, she decides on an abortion, and doesn't really let Nick have much say. Nick, being so mixed up about the whole situation, really wishes Sasha would talk to him more and let him be involved. But the truth is that they could never really have a relationship again, even with the baby. With the help of his gay best friend (Nathan) and his other best friend (Keelor), Nick manages to make it through this whole fiasco. But will he ever have another chance with Sasha? And what will Sasha's final choice about the baby be? First off, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone under the age of seventeen due to the sexual scenes and the topic of pregnancy and all. That said, though, this was such a great read. I loved how it was told from the guy's point of view, which we hardly ever get to see. I felt so bad for Nick from the very beginning. Of course, my heart went out to Sasha, as well. C.K. Kelly Martin is such a strong writer and this was an amazing book. Her words just jumped off the page to me. I loved Nick's attitude and actions, along with Sasha's. And Nick's younger 14-going-on-30 sister was great. Basically, I loved everything about this book except for the ending. It was okay; I just kind of wanted it to end differently! But anyway, definitely pick up a copy of this book when it's released. I'm sure you won't be disappointed. And I really hope the author writes another book soon! Reviewed by: Breanna F.