shannonmiz
Written on Apr 11, 2020
4.5*
Well. This is delightfully adorable! Make no mistake, this is a fluffier sort of book than I am wont to review, but I liked it regardless. Lulu and Alex are an unlikely but very charming couple, and we basically take a journey through their high school lives, via four specific school trips. Granted, we see glimpses into other important parts, but it's so fun that every time they go on a trip... something happens.
The author did a great job of showing how much these characters grow year by year, which is quite a feat honestly. To tell the story of these two people over four years in the span of a few hundred pages is impressive, to say the least. Because Lulu is so very well fleshed out, I felt like I knew her so well. She starts out.... well, like we all start out, especially as a freshman. She thinks she knows more than she does, and doesn't always think before she speaks. And she and Alex are a disaster waiting to happen, it's pretty clear. There's chemistry, no doubt, but goodness, people change so much in high school, and I love that the author showed that. She showed that it is okay to make mistakes and even to be kind of shitty sometimes, as long as we never stop learning and growing.
Both characters had a great group of friends and families, which I also loved. Because when, inevitably, their freshman year kiss didn't lead to happily ever after, they had such amazing support systems to help them through. And their friends were a big part of the reason that they were able to grow so much as characters.
And like I said, there is undoubtedly chemistry between these two. No. Question. I rooted for them the whole way, and really liked that they never ever gave up on each other as people, even when they weren't together romantically.
Bottom Line: A charming story about growing up and figuring out who you want to be, all while trying to navigate first loves.
