Follow Penelope around her first year in Collage and witness the struggle every young girl goes through in order to fit in.
This book is by far one of favorites, I first read it back in 2013. I can´t remember how I found it or what made me pick it up in the bookstore (not a fan of the cover art).But I enjoy reading it every time. A fun and relatable read.Penelope, a rather awkward girl, starts collage with the hope that it is as it is in the movies. Making friends for life in the blink of an eye. However, this is not the case. Her roommates show no interest in befriending her, she spends evenings alone in her room, waiting for someone to magically appear and start the imagined collage experience.She struggles making friends, because she thinks that in order to fit in and be liked she has to be someone that she is not: a characterless shy girl.I read some reviews on this book. And the people that actually read this book gave it a low rating due to Penelope being dull. I personally believe that these people did not understand the story. Yes, she is dull and boring but only because she thinks/was though by her mother that saying “cool”, “yes” and “sounds good” to almost everything someone else says is the only way to be accepted.
After being in Collage for some time and seeing friendships blossom all around her, she wonders when and how that happened. I do ask myself this question quite often myself: What did I miss?
And this is why I like this book so much, it is real.
Also, there is some romance involved, which I did enjoy. Shy little Penelope having a crush on Harvard’s most eligible bachelor, which evolves into something more.