Everything I know about love

For the past month or so I have been burying my face in this yellow paperback on my commutes to uni and before bed – it’s a book called Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton.

Did I pick this book up because I thought the cover was aesthetic? Yes, but it’s definitely going to be one of my top 3 favourite books this year. 

I know the title sounds like something Julia Roberts would read in an early 2000s rom-com but hear me out ok, it’s a hilarious and honest memoir that I think everyone in their 20s should read. Heck, even if you’re 50 you should read it. She talks about heartaches, heartbreaks, makeups, breakups and everything in between but most importantly, she underscores the beauty and strength of friendships – the type of relationship that tends to get overlooked just because it’s not a romantic one. Dolly also makes a list of everything she knows above love at different stages in her life. Her lists and stories are hilarious and bittersweet. This book really had me giggling and shedding quiet tears on the bus.

So because I’m a hopeless romantic who loves love, I thought in the spirit of this amazing book that I’ve just read, I’d share with you my own list of things I know about love at 20.

1. Your first solid celebrity crush plays a part in shaping your type. At 13, I was convinced that Harry Styles would fall in love with me (note: I had bright pink braces and wore leggings everywhere I went at the time) so it’s no surprise that fast forward 7 years later, I still have a thing for men with curly brunette hair.

2. You will still feel nervous about the mere idea of talking to the cute boy you see on campus just as you were nervous to talk to that senior you had a crush on in high school. Though I think it’s a bit embarrassing to feel that way now that I’m in uni and am a literal adult but hey, when do crushes ever not make you nervous?

3. Graduating high school and going to college is not a one-way ticket to Loveland. Your flight might be delayed a little and that’s okay. Enjoy a complimentary cup of coffee from the management team while you wait. 

4. Watching Heath Ledger perform 'Can’t Take My Eyes off You' in 10 Things I Hate About You will change your expectations on romantic relationships forever.

5. Platonic soulmates are a real thing. They’re the people you know will be at your wedding and go to bingo nights with you at 81 from the moment you meet.

6. Learning to love yourself and to be comfortable in your own body is not an easy feat. It doesn’t just happen overnight but having the intention to begin loving yourself is already a good start. There are days where I look at myself in the mirror and like the person I see but there are also days where I can point out every single flaw on my face and wish that I was Bella Hadid instead. Just because you have those bad days doesn’t mean you’re not progressing towards loving yourself – keep on working towards it, you’ll get there.

7. Friends who treat your family like their own and hold your hair back when you’re puking are gems in a million. Cherish them.

8. The person in their family that you should be nervous about meeting for the first time is their sister(s), especially if she’s older. Trust me, growing up with sisters (and being that very sister), I know what goes on in their minds when new people are introduced.

9. If a man follows Summer Ray on IG, that’s a red flag. RUN!

10. A mother’s love is a confusing thing. You won’t truly understand it, even as an adult. You’ll just have to wait until you’re a mother yourself.