Yesterday, I read The Love Report by BeKa & Maya. This romantic graphic novel is about Lola and Grace, best friends who have different viewpoints about love and romance. Living with her mom, Lola has a crush on Noah and wants to know why he's been avoiding her, while Grace's longest relationship lasted ten days and her parents have been fighting. Although they have their differences, they both have a lot of questions about love. After watching a romantic comedy, they decide to investigate love at their middle school and record their findings in a notebook as a report. Lola and Grace get started by asking a classmate, Charlie, about the different couples at their school, and over the course of a week, they learn why the most popular girl, Felicity, doesn't have a boyfriend, an eighth grade girl, Adele, has a reputation, and couples break up. Then, as the weeks go by, they experience love, new friendships, and heartbreak.
For the most part, I thought this graphic novel was adorable. Like Lola, I've always enjoyed romantic comedies, so I could relate to her fascination with romance and wanting to know more about why some relationships work out and others don't. I could also understand Grace's skepticism about romance because of what she was experiencing at home with her parents arguing. Furthermore, I appreciated getting to know their classmates better, especially Felicity and Adele. I thought it was so cool that Felicity was interested in space and becoming an astrophysicist because I love astronomy, too. It was easy to see why she didn't want to date anyone who just liked her for her looks and didn't know anything else about her. Additionally, I thought Adele's story was particularly moving because it broke my heart that the first boy she ever kissed took things too far and then started rumors about her. I liked how she didn't want Lola and Grace to make the same mistakes she did and wished that the adults in her life had cared enough to help. The only thing that disappointed me was the relationship between Lola and Noah. I didn't really like how it distracted Lola from what was going on with Grace and her parents and it showed how love can take over your life when you're young. While I had hoped that Lola and Noah would be a positive example of middle school romance, I think what actually happened was important to Lola's character growth and demonstrating the importance of friendship. I particularly enjoyed how Grace got closer to Adele in that time. As for the illustrations, they were absolutely gorgeous. The vivid colors were like a feast for my eyes, and I loved the details in the hair and outfits. I could definitely see Maya's inspiration from manga. Overall, The Love Report is a sweet choice for anyone who likes romance and friendship stories, and it's the first book of a series.
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