I have just finished reading Glow Up Lara Bloom by Dee Benson and must note that I am middle aged adult reviewing this YA book. The book is based around 14 year old Lara (Omolara), her friends, family and her secret ‘crush’ on new boy Caiden. There are themes of Lara journaling her secret thoughts, her desires and fears, the dynamics and insecurities within the friendship group and and female football to name a few. I thought the female football thread was timely and topical after the success of the England team in 2022 and I liked, and found interesting, the subject of Lara’s hair type as this is not something I had considered before.
Serious topics of self image, self esteem, bullying and cyber crime run throughout the book. Whilst related in this context to Lara and her friends, these are of course universal to gender, age and ethnicity with messages of body confidence and image. In that respect it is a great book for any age!
Serious topics of self image, self esteem, bullying and cyber crime run throughout the book. Whilst related in this context to Lara and her friends, these are of course universal to gender, age and ethnicity with messages of body confidence and image. In that respect it is a great book for any age!