I Love You, I Love You, I Love You By Laura Dockrill

‘I Love You, I Love You, I Love You’ is an absolutely stunning story by Laura Dockrill with a cover that is as vibrant and fun as the book itself.

Ella and Lowe are teenagers when they first meet in summer 2000. For her, it’s love at first sight. But it’s safest to love from afar, where the friendship zone is her safety net and she can’t get hurt. Certain that the most beautiful boy she’s ever seen couldn’t possibly feel the same, Ella counts herself lucky to have him as her best friend. Over the next fifteen years they share everything: bottles of cider and cigarettes in the rain, gossip and laughter, grief and fear. But every time Lowe kisses another girl, Ella feels her heart break just that little bit more. She’ll have to choose whether it’s enough to be just friends with the love of her life, or if she’s prepared to let the terrifying, beautiful, all-consuming truth come to light.

The story is seen from the narrative of Ella. A self-deprecating character who’s been in love with Lowe (what a name) since the moment that she set eyes on him, but she flies the flag for friendship and they become the best of friends. Whilst Lowe becomes a rockstar with legions of women running after him, Ella aspires of being a poet whilst brushing up hair and making tea in the hairdressers. The story spans over the years long friendships and moves between the past and present as Ella tries to settle down with Jackson, her boyfriend, she often wonders of the best friend who got away.

This story swept me away from the first page, the characters, the writing, the dialogue, it was all so lovely. I loved the characters and the innocent relationship between Ella and Lowe, their sweetness and how they downplay their relationship even though it’s obvious that the love for each other is strong.

As the story flows over the years, between the past and present, we see the pair be there for each other during loss, separation and grief. It’s hard reading the narrative from Ella’s as she watches the love of her life, blossom and carry on with his life to bigger and better things whilst hers has grown to a standstill. The characters are a great blend of personalities from the vibrant and outspoken Bianca to Ella’s mother, a far from traditional mother. Ellla’s situation is complex as she tries to find her path in life along with a man who will never be Lowe.

For some reason, ‘I Love You, I Love You, I Love You’ reminds me of the popular Young Adult book, ‘Angus, Throngs and Full Frontal Snogging’ by Louise Rennison, the teenager in love with a rockstar and I think this connection made me love the book even more.

A story brimming with energy, heart and charm, ‘I Love You, I Love You, I Love You’, is a captivating book that was impossible to put down. Fun from the first page, a book that makes you laugh out and cry in equal measure, it explores the innocence of first love and heartache of the one who got away.

You can buy ‘I Love You, I Love You, I Love You’ from Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshops.