Review: Fascinating Topic . . . a Bit Long in the Tooth
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 08 7, 2013
Penny & Mona go to college together, as well as sharing an apartment as roommates. They are really close, knowing each others quirks and foibles. Mona is a bubbly blond who is constantly falling in and out of love, so Penny isn't at all surprised when Mona bounces over to her table in the coffee shop and announces she is in live and has met "the one."Hunter lives with Lucas in the dorms, even though they grew up about ten minutes away from the college. Mona is wearing a huge, uncontainable grin when she first introduces Penny to Hunter. Hunter also has the same grin on his face that Mona does, so may e she has found her "one," or so Penny hopes for Mona's sake.Penny, being beyond shy, has only one friend in the world and that's Mona. So when she meets the stunningly beautiful Lucas and they slowly develop a friendship, Penny is stunned. At first she doesn't trust that it is real, but eventually she allows herself to believe that he wants to be her friend, even though she is ugly inside and out.This story deals with some tough topics, including BDD (Body Dysmorphic Disorder). When people think of BDD they tend to think of anorexia or bulimia first, but there are other forms for BDD to be expressed. For Penny it is believing what her Father has been telling her since she was three - that she is ugly from the inside out, and no one will ever love her. Now she is so messed up that she can't accept a simple compliment - she knows how ugly she is, so she knows the person is lying to her, either to be cruel or out of pity.And Lucas is dealing with all of his anger surrounding his family situation. His Mom is a junkie, and his Dad keeps taking her back. Lucas is done with his mom, and though he lives his dad he can't stand watching him keep trying to save a woman who doesn't want saving.Bring these two twisted lives together and watch things get interesting. Particularly since neither knows about the others issues in the beginning. Penny does learn about Lucas' situation, but keeps hers hidden. It is the dynamics between all four characters that are so interesting, and educational while being part of a bigger story.The story was good, though it was longer than it needed to be in places, and in others the amount of changes made didn't match up with the amount of time gone by. Otherwise it was a sweet story about real issues - both good and bad.