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Reviewed by Delene Vrey for Readers' Favorite
Her Name Was Lola by Karen Janowsky is a contemporary college love story. Lola has made the second big decision in her life. She is 22 and in the final year of her undergraduate studies at Jewett College; therefore, it is the grown-up thing to do to start acting as an adult. First on her list is to find someone to help her lose her virginity. Unfortunately, the experience does not end as she anticipated, and she is heartbroken when she starts her final year of library studies. When she meets the professor with whom she will be working to fulfill her major assignment to graduate, she is shocked that she already knows him. Intimately.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Her Name Was Lola by Karen Janowsky. It is relevant to young adult love and the ethics around teachers and students when the age difference becomes blurred at a university level. What I loved was the theme of fairytales woven throughout the story. From the first to the last page, it forms a full circle, and the theme is constantly woven into the thoughts and actions of the characters. The image of the Little Mermaid and how the symbolism of the fairytale is used to describe what measures someone would take to find love is powerful as it is applied to Lola. The fact that Vance is also a professor specializing in fairytales, especially Hans Christian Anderson, also adds to the fairytale theme. Although the book covers the events that unfold over a year, the plot develops at a good pace, slowing down to support the more dramatic scenes and building up tension toward the emotional scenes. The characters are authentic and act realistically. The supporting characters also balance the plot and add some levity that reflects real life. There is some cursing, but it supports the story in the same way that the sex does, and drives the plot forward.
