Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Saunders
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Hilarious tale of teen sexual and romantic drama.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
When NOT SO PURE AND SIMPLE begins, high school junior Del has just signed up for the Purity Pledge group at his family's new church. Del was daydreaming during the sermon when the purpose of the club was explained; he walked to the altar to volunteer only because the girl he's been infatuated with did so. Everyone in Del's town, Green Hill, Virginia, is preoccupied with sex. There was a rash of pregnancies among girls in his school, rumored to have been driven by a pact. Then the girls who gave birth started releasing YouTube videos outing the boys who are the fathers. Because of this, the school reconsiders its abstinence-only sex ed curriculum and replaces it with a class called "Healthy Life." In response to that, a local pastor creates a "Purity Pledge" group, for teens who promise to stay virgins (or stop having sex, if they'd started). Meanwhile, Del's dad presses a condom on his son "just in case," subtly encouraging him to be a "ladies' man." His sister produces a feminist-themed YouTube channel. His mom is trying to fit in at the church. Del ends up being the secret conduit of information from the Healthy Living class to the Purity Pledge kids, who are curious about everything from nocturnal emissions to foot fetishes. The story gets complicated as Del escalates his role as go-between, all the while continuing to try to woo his crush, Kiera, under the false pretense that he's committed to celibacy.
Is It Any Good?
This is a hilarious, honest examination of the hysteria surrounding that stage of life when teens discover sexuality. Lamar Miles (Fake ID and Endangered) creates many realistic and sympathetic characters in Not So Pure and Simple, even lovable foils who never become two-dimensional villains. The book is most suitable for mature, older teens, due to a lot of sexual content and focus on sexual activity with mixed messages about consequences. Many of the kids are sexually active. One storyline is that nine girls in the school got pregnant because kids were bored at home during a storm. By naming the fathers, the girls fight back against the shaming leveled at them. However, this empowerment message downplays the magnitude of all these babies born to teens. In addition, some of the satire about the influence of the church on the school and the peer pressure by church members on one another may go over the head of some teen readers.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how sex ed is portrayed in Not So Pure and Simple. What do teens need to know about sex -- and when? What kind of instruction could have helped Green Hill avoid the rash of pregnancies, given that the efforts of the school, parents, and pastor all failed?
Teens, parents, and community leaders alike in Not So Pure and Simple are caught up in peer pressure. Which of the characters do you think could have, or should have, spoken up sooner about what they felt was right? Which kinds of peer pressure did the most harm?
The kids in the story turn to the internet both to get the information they need and to communicate without adult interference. What are the pros and cons of relying on the internet as a significant medium for communication in a community?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Coming of Age
- Topics : Family Stories ( Siblings ) , Friendship , School ( High School )
- Book type : Fiction
- Publication date : February 18, 2020
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 13 - 18
- Number of pages : 400
- Available on : Paperback, Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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