One relationship ends, another begins. Shortly before he leaves to spend Christmas with his father, Nick’s ex appears on his lawn to announce she’s pregnant. While Sasha ponders her options, 16-year-old Nick relives the rocky course of their relationship. He remembers their encounters in the hall, their rules for dating and their gradual detachment from one another. Martin’s freshman prose, whether depicting the parent-child bond, pressing decisions or sexual encounters, balances the heartwarming and the humorous elements that form the pillars for any relationship. In its focus on Nick’s connections, whether with Sasha, gay best friend Nathan or his father, the tale rises above the typical teen-pregnancy melodrama. Whether encouraging Nathan as he comes out, supporting his parents’ divorce or talking with Sasha, Nick worries about the personal impact of these situations in classic adolescent fashion, simultaneously self-absorbed and self-sacrificing. Authentic and sophisticated, the teen banter appeals to both casual readers and literary enthusiasts. Rich characters and honest interactions set Martin’s debut novel apart, and readers will look forward to whatever gestates next.

— Kirkus Reviews, Starred review

Just as he is leaving his mother's house to spend Christmas with his dad, 16-year-old Nick receives a surprise visit from his ex-girlfriend, Sasha: she's pregnant. Still hurt from their recent breakup, Nick has no idea how to respond. Debut novelist Martin displays uncanny insight, replacing the issue-driven engine common to most pregnant-teen stories with an emotionally complex and disarmingly frank coming-of-age tale. As narrator, Nick reviews his relationships, and confronts his drives and how he controls them—and how his friends and his father control, or fail to control, theirs. Martin is especially good at writing about sex: Nick is believably awkward, Sasha more mature (especially as viewed by Nick), and it takes the couple more than one try to get it right (“You'd think sex would make you feel less innocent. It didn't work that way for me,” Nick ruminates. “I felt new”). In describing Nick's struggle to do the right thing by Sasha, the author defines each feeling, coloring in Nick's momentary failures as well as the full pain of his realization, as Sasha recuperates from an abortion: “We're at the very end.... All I have to do is walk out the door.”

— Publishers Weekly, Starred review

Nick's world doesn't come to an end when Sasha breaks up with him; that happens three weeks later when she tells him she's pregnant. Even though he knows it's over between them, and even though he knows that what she does about the pregnancy is ultimately up to her, he still feels that there is unfinished business between them that is both tied to and more than the pregnancy. Before Sasha, he had a perfectly uncomplicated relationship with a girl that was going to end up getting him laid eventually; that simplicity was what he wanted as he worked through his parents' fresh divorce and his best friend's coming out, but then Sasha touched his heart and made everything complicated. Without a trace of hysteria or overwrought sensibility, Nick's layers are peeled back with unstinting honesty as he works through the seldom-explored guy's side of first (embarrassing, fumbling) sex, a wounding breakup, and teen pregnancy. What is perhaps most poignant is the way Sasha never seems to let her guard completely down; even as she goes all the way with Nick physically, there is never the sense that she has given him her heart in the same way he has given his. Indeed, Nick's sensitivity, newly emergent in the wake of first love, stands in bold relief against Sasha's practical approach to their relationship; with so much to discuss, this measured but heartbreaking rendering of an all too common situation would be a great choice for mixed-gender book groups.

— The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

This full-throttle novel totally nails teenage romance — the dizzying depths of infatuation and the inevitable heartbreak. It's told largely in flashbacks from the boy's point of view. We already know his girlfriend is unhappily pregnant — by the narrator — before he unspools the tale of how they met and fell in love.

Can two teenagers wrangle their adult- sized relationship by themselves? No, and bringing their parents into the heartache is as awful as it sounds — no chirpy political sentiments here, just the emotionally and physically seismic events that leave permanent scars.

— Denver Post

Nick’s summer holidays begin as they should. He’s starting to get over his parents’ divorce, and his relationship with girlfriend Dani is heating up. But then he meets Sasha and everything changes. Nick knows her vaguely from school, but now Sasha is definitely keen to know him better. However by October, when they begin having sex, Sasha tells Nick she needs a little space, needs to be sure of what they’re doing. Nick tries to accept the break up but then is shocked again when Sasha comes to tell him just before Christmas that she’s pregnant.

C.K. Kelly Martin’s first young adult novel is frank to the point of almost being brutal and yet so sincere that readers are totally immersed in the main characters and suffer the highs and lows of their relationship right along with them. We are swept up in their roller coaster emotions.

Sixteen-year-old Nick is the narrator, and having the story told from the male point of view is compelling. Nick is a likeable teen who loves to play hockey, party with friends and chase girls. Two minor characters mirror the sides of Nick that we see. Keelor is his macho, hockey-playing friend. Nathan is another close hockey friend who is gay. Nick’s role is somewhere between the stereotypes – typically male in many ways, and yet surprised by his emotional reactions and uncertain how to deal with them. Nick is mature and sensitive, wanting to support Sasha and yet unsure of his role since she has declared that their relationship is over.

Sasha is also mature and a likeable character. She and Nick consider various choices when she finds out she is pregnant: the morning-after pill, keeping the baby, abortion. Both teens eventually confide in their parents, and here, too, Martin is realistic. The parents are initially shocked and saddened but also are willing to help however they can and willing to support Nick and Sasha regardless of what decision they make.

Despite the intense themes of teenage sexuality and pregnancy, Martin never preaches. Her characters discuss many options and many emotions, but one feels the choice is theirs and suited to their circumstances rather than being ‘scripted’ by the author. Some readers will agree with the final decision, others will not. Individual beliefs play a role for readers just as they do for Nick and Sasha.

The news of Sasha’s pregnancy is revealed in the first few paragraphs of the novel, as Nick’s mother and sister are returning home from Christmas shopping. Martin then takes readers back in time to June, just as summer holidays are starting, in order to help readers understand both Nick and Sasha and their developing relationship. By the end of the book, we are back in the present, and school is beginning in the new year. This structure works well and involves readers at every turn.

This young adult novel is candid and intense. One feels that Martin both understands and genuinely likes her characters. Her tone is never judgmental. Like Nick and Sasha, Martin takes a difficult situation and illustrates potential methods of dealing with it. She vividly describes the confusion, fright and devastation the teens feel without allowing them too much self-pity or, in Nick’s case, the opportunity to simply bow out when things get tough.

Wisely, Martin keeps her characters believable throughout, and, therefore, there is no magical ending to the book. The reality of the situation and its repercussions don’t simply evaporate to allow Nick and Sasha to be ‘happy ever after.’ Life and love are too complex to be ‘solved’ on the last few pages.

Some critics may find this novel too gritty and detailed for teen readers, but I applaud Martin for her intelligent characters and her sensitive portrayal of their honest reactions and emotions. Relationships, love and sex are important parts of teens’ lives, and this book deals openly and honestly with them as well as with an unplanned teen pregnancy. This is a worthwhile and perhaps even necessary novel for all teens and might well enlighten their parents and teachers also. I Know It’s Over should be widely available, and I would encourage all teens to take the time to read it.
Highly Recommended.

— Canadian Review of Materials (Ann Ketcheson), **** /4

Nick tells a story about his love for Sasha, their break-up, discovering she is pregnant with his child, and then, the abortion. The two of them are good students, popular, well adjusted, and too young to drive. The emotional details of Nick's story are as important as any of the physical ones. Nick tells not just of his love affair with Sasha, but about his parents after their divorce, his younger sister, and his closest friends, one of whom is revealing he is gay. He describes school in detail, a party where the teenagers are smoking weed and drinking and having sex, hockey games, and so much more. This is a first novel for Martin, and she is a very good writer. Even though she has used a male protagonist, and told about the affair and the abortion from his point of view, probably this will end up being read primarily by YA girls. Every one of the readers will wish they could find someone like Nick to fall in love with.

As YA novels go, this one is frank about sex--desire, control, contraception, and the pain when love doesn't work out between two people who truly care for one another. The details of the pregnancy, telling parents and close friends, the decision to have an abortion, the abortion itself and the aftermath--Martin doesn't shy away from anything, especially the emotional costs of it all. Sasha's parents are especially protective, which is enough to make anyone realize parents cannot will their children to stay away from sex; what is good parenting is a parent's love and support no matter what. Nick and Sasha knew very well they should be more careful about contraception, they knew the facts, and yet the pregnancy happened. Certainly their lives have been changed forever by the sadness and loss they have experienced, and readers will be wiser and more understanding of themselves and their friends.

— Kliatt (Claire Rosser)

The book begins when 16-year-old Nick learns that Sasha, the girl who recently broke up with him, is pregnant. Then the story moves back and forward in time as Nick, in a true-to-life first-person narrative, describes what it was like to meet Sasha, fall in love with her, and then have to deal with an all-too familiar
situation. What lifts this from a run-of-the-mill problem novel is the honesty that Nick displays. A regular kid with a part-time job at a sports store, divorced parents who don’t speak, and a best friend who’s struggling with being gay, Nick runs a range of emotions. He can be sweet, he can be snotty, or oddly detached. His relationship with Sasha gives him vulnerability that Martin writes so well. The intensity of those feelings is raw, a counterpoint to the almost banal sexuality, except for their first time, when their painful dissatisfaction is spot-on. Kids will recognize themselves here, and though this is a morality tale, its lessons resonate.

— Booklist (Ilene Cooper)

With heartbreaking honesty, Martin's debut novel gets into the mind of 16-year-old Nick Severson. Still dealing with the effects of his parents' divorce, he plans to have a vacation with no commitments. However, the summer takes an interesting turn when Sasha Jasinski enters the picture. Nick is intrigued by the connection they seem to share but also put off by Sasha's initial disappointment with his behavior. To the shock of his friends, Nick stops seeing Dani to pursue Sasha. They grow closer both emotionally and physically. When things start to get too complicated for her, she breaks off the relationship only to discover a few weeks later that she is pregnant. What raises this novel above the many other teen titles dealing with sex and pregnancy is the authentic voice and emotion of the protagonist. Readers struggle with Nick as he deals with the loss of his first love and the decisions related to Sasha's pregnancy. His story challenges stereotypical notions of reckless teen sex and careless abortions; teen boys will especially applaud this portrayal of a devastated and conflicted young man who makes the right decisions, but still finds that his mistakes have repercussions. Sex, drugs, alcohol, and abortion are each portrayed realistically, and the novel gives invaluable insight into the adolescent mind and the world in which teens live.

— School Library Journal (Lynn Rashid)

Nick is distraught when his girlfriend, Sasha, dumps him. However, just weeks later, as Nick is still licking his wounds, Sasha shows up at his door to tell him she's pregnant.

In this rare book that plumbs a boy's emotional roller coaster when a relationship comes to an end, Martin succinctly captures Nick's ferocious sense of helplessness. Sasha doesn't know what she wants to do about the pregnancy, nor will she fully allow Nick back into her life. As he waits for Sasha's decision, Nick rehashes the course of his relationship, with her and with his other close friends over the years.

What emerges is an awkward boy who, despite some shortcomings, is on his way to becoming a man with a strong sense of compassion and empathy. When Sasha finally makes a choice, Nick shines—as does this debut.

— Chicago Tribune (Kristin Kloberdanz)

Nick has a summer of fun planned with no commitments to anything other than hockey and fun. He parties with the in-crowd which includes his two best friends, Keelor and Nathan, has a “friends with benefits” relationship with Dani, and is successful at school and on the ice. Despite his parents’ divorce, life is running smoothly, until he falls for Sasha Jasinski. Nick’s priorities change as his relationship with Sasha develops. However, Sasha feels like things are moving too quickly, so she retreats. At the same time, Nick must handle the fact that Nathan is gay and coming out. Nick feels his life spiraling out of control, when Sasha reveals she is pregnant.

In c.k. kelly martin’s first book, she holds no punches and confronts difficult coming-of- age issues head on. The story is fast-paced, true to life and well written. It will certainly appeal to a mature adolescent audience because of its honesty and frequent references to music, events, and language found in current popular culture.

— ALAN’s Picks (Marianne Rohr)

C.K. Kelly Martin's I KNOW IT'S OVER tells of Nick, who finds himself in a quick summer romance with Sasha that ends abruptly, then re-starts when she shows up pregnant. The complexities of love lost/regained make for an outstanding selection for older YA readers.

— Midwest Book Review

I'm not sure I've ever read a story as heartrendingly genuine as I Know It's Over. C.K. Kelly Martin captures flawlessly the passion, rhythm and confusion of a sixteen-year-old boy. Censors be damned; this novel should be read by every teen in North America, and every parent.

— Catherine Gilbert Murdock

This book is compelling and unswervingly honest. It takes on real, complex issues with a light, deft touch. The second half broke my heart a little every page or so.

— Jaclyn Moriarty

A powerful story, powerfully told. C.K. Kelly Martin has a laser eye for emotional detail.

— Jordan Sonnenblick

This is a trip not only into the heart and mind of a teenage boy devasted by an unplanned pregnancy, but also into the confounding collision between sexual impulse and sexual restraint. I shared Nick's confusion and sorrow to the end. I felt his sharp pain at having to accept harsh truths about sex, but I also felt the hope that comes when difficult experience leads to deeper understanding. A wrenching but utterly compelling read.

— Kathleen Jeffrie Johnson

It would be a real shame to dismiss I Know It's Over as just another book about teen pregnancy. C.K. Kelly Martin has crafted an exquisite tale of two teens falling in love for the first time, and what happens when that relationship implodes. One of the things that makes this book so special are the characters. Nick isn't the stereotypical jock boy, and Sasha isn't merely his bubble-headed girlfriend. There is no fairy tale romance here, either. Instead, you've got two realistically drawn teens who are messy, prickly, and imperfect - but somehow perfect for each other. As the two grow more and more intimate - first emotionally, then physically - you can't help but feel the rawness of what it means to open yourself up to another person for the very first time. The ending, while not exactly a happy one, rings true and, in a way, oddly hopeful. Nick and Sasha stayed with me long after I turned the last page, and that, to me, is a sign of a great read. This one will appeal to fans of Sarah Dessen and John Green.

— Lara M. Zeises

About I Know It's Over
Watch the book trailer
Read Chapter One

cover photograph © 2008 by Ali Smith