Love Lessons by Jacqueline Wilson - Review (First post woohoo!)

Title: Love Lessons
Author: Jacqueline Wilson 
Illustrated by: Nick Sharatt
Genre: Teen Romance
Published by: Doubleday (in 2005)
Format: Hardback
Source:Bought
My Rating: ★★★★

Fourteen-year-old Prue and her sister Grace have been educated at home by their controlling, super-strict father all their lives. Forced to wear Mum's odd hand-made garments and forbidden from reading teenage magazines, they know they're very different to 'normal' girls - but when Dad has a stroke and ends up in hospital, unable to move or speak, Prue suddenly discovers what it's like to have a little freedom. Sent to a real school for the first time, Prue struggles to fit in. The only person she can talk to is her kindly, young - and handsome - art teacher, Rax. They quickly bond, and Prue feels more and more drawn to him. As her feelings grow stronger, she begins to realise that he might feel the same way about her. But nothing could ever happen between them - could it?

I read this book way back in 2008 when I first bought it. I was in the mood for books that have really girly, high school crush settings and the cover instantly caught my eye. I re-read this not long ago and have a review I'd like to write down.

Love Lessons is basically about a girl in her early teens named Prue being thrown into the "normal" school system after being homeschooled the whole of her life after her slightly (more like totally by my standards) dysfunctional dad experieces a severe stroke. But before I move on I would like to say this:

IT'S NOT A TYPICAL NEW GIRL TRYING TO FIT IN A NEW SCHOOL MEETS THE POPULAR GUY ROMANCE STORY.

Her family first of all, is definitely not average at all. They live these stagnant lives that rejects technology, buying clothes from actual stores, and sending your kids to school. The reason for this way of living is heavily influenced by Prue's father (which is a pretty interesting character himself), while her mother plays a very passive role, allowing her father's dysfunctional influence. Prue, being a teenager at the cusp of rebellion regularly questions her father's ridiculour rules, and together with her younger sister,Grace, fantasize and yearn about how it would be like to have privileges that other normal girls have.

And sometimes fantasies do become reality and her dad was sent to the hospital due to stroke after a hillarious falling out  [Highlight for spoilers: with Prue started by a sexy underwear purchased by Prue with tuition money] and the three remaining female members of the family are left to face and figure out the "Real World", even more so when it became mandatory for Prue and Grace to attend school. And the whole school experience is definitely an adventure. [Highlight for spoilers: Prue wears said sexy underwear to school and being discovered by everyone, gets arranged into a class of underdog misfits and gets bullied, caught the attention of the "popular guy", meets a handsome art teacher, falls for art teacher and fantasizes about him, ART TEACHER RECIPROCATES and so much more.] So, if you are into the controversial romance thing, there's something of sort in this book for you, but because this books seems to target a rather young audience, you would need to look back and think about WHY IT'S CONTROVERSIAL and read on with caution if you are around Prue's age or younger. And if you are looking for a light-hearted, exaggeratedly unconventional story that involves family, finding an unexpected friend in trouble times and includes [Highlight for spoilers: AN OPEN HAPPY ENDING], you might like this as well.

I give it 4/5 stars, because despite the weird plot, it was really fun to read because you just can't take the book seriously and sort of relatable, if you're a homeschooled kid with no access to the internet or brand new clothes.