A love you would fight for, sacrifice for and do anything to keep. This, my friends, is an epic love story.
When Dillion Decker is just 12 years old, his entire life is changed forever. One moving truck next door. One glance at the girl his age wearing sunglasses and blowing bubbles. He’s a goner. This girl is something else. Her name is Penelope Finnel, and she is his new best friend.
As the years go by, Penelope and Dillion are together constantly. Dillion learns something about Penelope. She is often sad. Not just a little sad like everyone gets, her sadness is so strong that sometimes it’s debilitating. Sometimes, she can hardly get out of bed or function. Written in dual pov, you get to really see what’s going on with Pen. I thought that was so important. Going through her head when she’s going through this.
Dillion does anything and everything he can for his best friend. To make her smile. It’s his job to make her laugh, to keep her in the light and happy. He loves her, he’ll do anything for her, but as time goes on, Dillion realizes he can and will do anything for Pen, but he can’t save her.
Dillion is more than devoted to Penelope. There is something to say about this type of love and devotion. Something so special about someone, anyone, but especially someone so young who gives so much. His love for her will move you. Inspire you. Dillion is such a special character. This boy will steal your heart.
Penelope is ill. She has a disease that she struggles with and no matter the treatment, it seems that it will be a lifelong struggle. Dillion loves her regardless. I loved Penelope’s character. I felt her pain while reading. I can’t imagine going through something so crippling. She was strong, and when she couldn’t be, Dillion was strong for her.
I loved the love they had for each other. I loved watching it go from friendship, to first loves, to true love.
I fell in love with Mary Elizabeth’s poetic and lyrical writing style in Dusty. I love how this woman writes. Dillion and Penelope’s journey wasn’t always smooth sailing, but it was nowhere near as tumultuous or stressful as Dusty. There was a tad bit of angst, but it wasn’t long lasting or nearly as difficult to read. I think that this was a very smart move on the authors part. These characters have already been through so much.
I feel like I need to take a moment to shout out to Wayne, Penelope’s dad. He is just such a fantastic character. I love his candy payments and his relationship with Dillion. Dillion’s sister was also a fun character. She was a trip. I loved most all the characters in this book, but Dillion was by far my favorite. I love how he saw perfection in Penelope, flaws and all. He never gave up on her, no matter how difficult things got. He loves her completely and unconditionally.
True Love Way is so much more than a story about best friends and first loves. It’s not always an easy story to read. It’s real, it’s raw, it’s genuine and all consuming. This story touched my heart. It made me feel and stayed on my mind days after reading it. The ending, well, I only have one word for that ending. Perfection.
I think it’s so hard to cover a topic like this, and I feel like Mary Elizabeth did a perfect job or portraying extreme depression and what it’s like living with it day to day. The highs, the lows, the in-between. How it doesn’t just effect you, but everyone who loves you.
If your looking for a beautiful story that toes the line of YA/NA, with a hero that you will completely and utterly adore, a heroine with struggles- yet who works to overcome them, a story that will make you laugh, smile, cry and will move you, this is one I highly recommend.
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Reviews with images
4.5 “Happiness on Handlebars" Stars
”I’ve loved her since bubblegum bubbles and moving trucks. I love her for red heart-shaped glasses. I love her because of the way she looks flying on my handlebars.I love her.”Mary Elizabeth delivered an enjoyable read that takes a young friendship of Dillon and Pen through middle school, high school and beyond. They face Penelope’s mental illness together although as young boy Dillon just wants to make her smile.”Don’t you get it, Dillon?” she says, struggling to keep her head straight. “There’s a reason why you’re my only friend. Why haven’t you figured this out yet?”There are many days that Pen can’t even get out of bed and many nights of lost sleep and through it all Dillon helps her because she’s simply his girl.”For her, I will stay awake forever.”There is a bit of angst as the couple hits their late teens but nothing over the top or damaging to anyone’s enjoyment of the story.I must give a shout out to Penelope’s Father, Wayne. He was my favorite character of this book… with his “boy” and payments in M & Ms and his mustache he was very creative and unforgettable.Pen’s struggles were all emcompassing and I think that’s what took away from the final step of being epic. The fact that she didn’t have any likes and dreams of her own just being mentally ill and always fighting. I can't pin point it but I just felt like she was one dimensional. Still I really did enjoy this story and would recommend friends picking it up!“You’re perfect to me.”
