V is for Virgin by Kelly Oram is a fast-paced read about a girl’s convictions and how those convictions turn her world upside down. When Val Jensen gets tossed aside by her boyfriend after refusing to have sex because she wants to wait for marriage, the nasty confrontation in the school’s cafeteria goes viral making Val an instant online star. For some Val is an inspiration, others think she’s a prude, Val just wants her peaceful life back. But when she sees the reach one video has, Val decides to take her convictions and start a nation-wide movement. Only one problem, this year’s Sexiest Man Alive has his eyes set on Val and he won’t let up.

I adored this book! Val is a character that is easy to like. She’s straightforward in her convictions. Her birth mother became a pregnant teen after a drunken encounter at a party and couldn’t even name Val’s father. Adopted, Val vows to not be her birth mother. She will wait until she finds someone to spend her life with. You have to love that conviction! It isn’t to hurt anyone as her boyfriend at the beginning of the book believes. She just refuses to become another teen mom. Val is headstrong, a little shy, and knows what she wants in life. I admire that.

When the video of her confrontation with her ex goes viral, Val earns the nickname “Virgin Val” and she’s devastated. She isn’t sure if she should be embarrassed or wear the name proudly. It takes seeing the responses to the video from her peers for her to decide something should be done. My heart breaks for her though as she goes through the transformation. Her friends aren’t as good as she thought, the media is relentless in finding skeletons in the closet, and then enters Kyle Hamilton, the consummate playboy.

Kyle is perhaps my favorite character. He sees Val as a challenge, but I also believe that he was infatuated with her. He genuinely likes her simply because she isn’t intimidated by his fame and speaks her mind to him. I may have rooted for him just a tad.

Overall, this book is great! It’s heartbreaking and uplifting all at the same time. Val learns some hard truths about herself, the people she surrounds herself with, and how sometimes the heart wants what it can’t have. If you enjoy clean, romantic comedy, I highly recommend it!