City News

The book Lila and Hadley is a fictional book that shows the friendship of two introverts, a dog and a human. It is written by Kody Keplinger who is a New York Times bestselling author.

            A girl named Hadley grew up with her mom ever since her dad died in a car accident when she was six years old. Since her dad died, her family had to face poverty and every stressful situation. She also had a sister named Beth who left home after having a big argument with her mom. 

To fight poverty, Hadley’s mom had to steal money from her employer, Dr. Parker. However, Hadley was unaware of the situation she was in. Suddenly, her mom got caught stealing money, and she had to go to jail. Hadley was left confused and angry, and she had no choice but to move in with her sister, Beth, whom she hardly knew. During this difficult time, Hadley also had to deal with an eyesight problem called retinitis pigmentosa, making it harder for her to see. Due to the circumstances, Hadley was unhappy with the situation she was in.

            Hadley’s sister, Beth, had to take Hadley to where she worked, Right Choice Rescue, a dog shelter. One day, while Beth looks for Vanessa, her employer, Hadley goes to explore the dog cages. There, Hadley met with Lila, a dog that usually avoids being around people and hides from others. Normally, Lila would not let anyone touch her, but surprisingly, she was ok with Hadley petting her. Since Hadley was able to connect with Lila right away, Vanessa asks Hadley to take Lila as a foster dog and train her to be a people dog so that she can get adopted someday. 

Training Lila did not come easy though. At times, Lila seemed too stubborn to be trained. At the same time, to help support her failing vision, Hadley had to go through mobility training herself. To Hadley, who was so angry with the situation she was in, everything seemed impossible to accomplish. Would she be able to help Lila get trained and possibly get her ready for adoption? 

Before meeting Lila, Hadley considered herself not a dog person. The experience of meeting Lila changed Hadley’s life. For example, Lila was the reason Hadley had to go to the dog park. There they met Shelby and her dog pilot. Before, Hadley hardly knew anyone in Kentucky, but now she had a friend. 

            I would describe this book as a real page-turner and a tear-jerker. This book is very enjoyable because it made me wonder about what is going to happen next. For instance, when Hadley took Lila home, it made me wonder about how their relationship might turn out. The book also made me have sympathy for Hadley. The author tells Hadley’s stories in a way to get the audience hooked on the book. I would recommend this book to anyone who is a dog lover or to someone who likes sad endings. Overall, I would rate this book a 5/5 because it exceeded my expectations.