Katy's Reviews > Love Lessons
Love Lessons
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** spoiler alert **
This book was uncomfortable, not just the subject matter & relationship but also the constant talk about body image literally a character couldn’t be in a scene without them talking about their body or someone else’s. But it wouldn’t be a Jacqueline Wilson book without the constant fat shaming. That was exhausting. I don’t know how to feel about the rest, it was clear that the relationship was not meant to be seen as anything but wrong but at the same time Rax is painted (no pun intended) in a good light throughout, which I know is because we’re in Prue’s head, but it’s so sad that no one looks out for her and she ends up getting kicked out of the school and Rax is protected. But I don’t think Jacqueline Wilson is condoning this and it is unfortunately believable especially for the time it was written. So I actually thought that part was done well as an adult reader. None of the adults in her books actually look out for the children and they are always treated so badly but that does happen. So I just found this book very sad and I’m thinking that was its intention and Jacqueline Wilson wasn’t trying to write a wholesome romance for teenagers. But I would not recommend this to teenage readers because the ending seems happy and as if there is a resolution, when there isn’t at all, and I don’t know that younger readers would pick up that what happened to prue was so f ed up and that the romanticisation of the relationship was all in her own head and that no one else thinks that way about it. Also Rax should never be able to teach again. Saying this I’m sure teenagers would be able to see that it is very wrong and I know there’s a lot in place to protect children now, but I have so many other issues with her books that I wouldn’t want my children to read them regardless. Like any other Jacqueline Wilson book the characters go through incredibly traumatic things, no adult is responsible, they don’t get any help, in the end everything is ok because they get money but not the therapy that is desperately needed, sexism, ableism and fat shaming, body image and food obsession throughout. I think the talk about body image alone makes her books dangerous for young people it really is horrific. Besides this I hate the writing, I know I’m not the target audience but the way the characters say “ever so� and “dreadfully� every other sentence I don’t even think is realistic for the early 2000s so it isn’t even a product of its time, there are much better books out there for children and teenagers. And I’ve read her most recent Tracy beaker and I have the exact same issues, her writing and problematic elements haven’t changed at all. I think her books need to be left in the past. And that is my very serious review of this book
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Reading Progress
October 23, 2020
–
Started Reading
October 23, 2020
– Shelved
October 25, 2020
–
Finished Reading
November 2, 2020
– Shelved as:
read-library
November 6, 2021
– Shelved as:
2-stars
April 25, 2022
– Shelved as:
read-2020
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Elsie
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Nov 15, 2020 09:44PM

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