Review Shop - Quotev And Wattpad (CLOSED)

KAYLA ROSE - Detailed Feedback

Intro:

Kayla Rose was written by Abigailk8. It follows a young woman named Kayla, hence the title, on her journey through senior year. On the surface, it seems like senior year should be fun and relaxing, but Kayla's journey quickly turns to chaos when bullies throw arrogant remarks her way, her mom pushes herself too hard at the hospital, and a new student Kayla keeps bumping into becomes her partner in a major project. What does this mean for Kayla, and where will her journey take her next?

~~~

Detailed Feedback

What Worked:

Something that stood out to me right away was the banter between Luca and Lila. It's very realistic banter that would definitely happen in high school. While it's been a few years since I've been in high school, I can imagine high schoolers saying these things. Like bantering over whether or not a hot dog is a sandwich. Heck, I'd probably join in on that banter and I'm in my twenties. It may seem like a small thing to praise, but these kinds of things are what make characters more unique and engaging. If we don't see what the characters like to talk about/how they interact with one another, it's far more difficult to get attached to them, so good job with Luca and Lila.

In general, I like Lila. I might even like her the most. And no, it's not just because she watches k-dramas. She's given clear character traits right off the bat, and as the story continues, she gets more depth and intrigue. The way she cares about Kayla is heartwarming and fun to see, and her relationship with Luca was well done.

The same applies to Luca, and I think him and Kayla are very cute together, and I really liked that dancing scene where he eased her into it and was super respectful of her boundaries. Maybe I'm just a simp, but I love it whenever he stands up for her and isn't scared to get his hands dirty to help her. Luca, like Lila, has a distinct personality, and in a way, he's almost like the opposite of Lila in how he responds to situations. Lila is more passive but comforting while Luca is more active and aggressive, making for an interesting contrast between the two.

Along with that, I like the way you give them a chance to be kids, like they watch Disney together and sing the songs. It's cute to see that innocence since, well, they're kids. They may be seniors in high school, but they're still high schoolers with a child-like heart. They're still very young, and I'm glad you embraced that instead of making them like super serious or more like adults. They have chances to show their inner children, and I liked that. I also liked how music bonded Fiona and Kayla together, and music is like Kayla's comfort place.

Speaking of, another thing you do well is Kayla's character, and you give her more personality and traits than I was expecting. She already started off as someone with an intriguing personality, but you took it beyond that and added more layers, like her dissociating during conversations and falling into her thoughts too often. Those kinds of things made her more engaging since she really acted like a high schooler, and I mean that in a good way. I also like how she doesn't like being touched and flinches when people touch her who aren't the few specific people she's okay with touching her. At the same time, she communicates and isn't frustrating in that sense. Miscommunication is one of my biggest pet peeves where main characters tend to withhold information for no reason, but, for one, when Kayla withholds information, it's because she has a good reason, and two, she explains to her friends that she needed alone time and is upfront with them about it.

That may seem like a small thing, but it's actually so good and it makes me beyond happy to see a protagonist that has reasons for withholding information, and also a protagonist that isn't scared to say when she needs to be alone. She communicates with her friends and makes it known what she needs so they can better help her. This is so rare on Wattpad these days, so this makes Kayla a refreshing protagonist not only because of her clear personality and interesting traits, but also because of her openness to communication and the way she has clear motivations behind her decisions if she chooses to withhold information from others.