Lila

The One #7

by Naima Coster

An intimate true story about the complexities of female friendship, the mysteries of faith and desire, and the way two girls can grow up and apart, by the award-winning author of Halsey Street.

When Naima Coster met Lila, they were girls of color in a predominantly white private school in Manhattan. As adolescents they found each other and needed each other. As each comes of age, and new bonds pull them apart, the friendship splinters. What happens when Naima and Lila turn to one another again—this time as women? And what will it take to recapture the connection that once meant the world to them?

Naima Coster’s Lila is part of The One, a collection of seven singularly true love stories of friendship, companionship, marriage, and moving on. Each piece can be read or listened to in a single sitting, with or without company.

Genres: Short Stories, Nonfiction, Memoir, Audiobook, Contemporary, Romance, LGBT

30 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 30, 2019

About the author

Naima Coster is the author of WHAT'S MINE AND YOURS, an instant New York Times bestseller, as well as a Read with Jenna and Book of the Month Club pick. Her debut, HALSEY STREET, was a finalist for the 2018 Kirkus Prize for Fiction and longlisted for the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award. It was recommended as a must-read by People, Essence, BitchMedia, Well-Read Black Girl, The Skimm, and the Brooklyn Public Library among others.

Naima’s essays have appeared in the New York Times, Elle, Time, Kweli, The Paris Review Daily, The Cut, The Sunday Times, Catapult, and elsewhere. In 2020, she was named a National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 Honoree.

Reviews

[Dre · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is sorta kinda all over the place. But so is life, sometimes. I've read many stories about love and loss when it comes to romantic relationships, but very rarely do I find one about friendships. So I must say I can really appreciate Lila. Can even relate to the ups and downs a co-dependent friendship brings. Might have even gotten misty-eyed because of it. Worth the read.

3.5 stars

[lexiskat · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
Super easy read. Straight to the point. From friends to inclination. I like how this books talks about the loss of a friendship. Some friendships can end worse than a breakup. But she made the best choice for her because Lila was NOT a good friend.

[Britt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice short about the woes of friendship and intimacy

[Obsidian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a solid story to end the collection on. Not going to lie, this one left me with more questions than answers. It seems as if Coster has idealized and at the same time torn down "Lila" in this story. I wonder if she realized that she even did that. I thought that it was an interesting story to tell. Two girls who didn't really like each other, who become friends, and then one pushes for something more and then they unravel, come back together, unravel, come back together, and then finally unravel.

I think that some friendships do come with an expiration date. I have had some friends since childhood that I still talk to and can pick up a conversation with after weeks/months of not talking to each other. And then there are the other friendships where I thought we were true blue, but then I moved, or they moved, and I realized that I didn't like them that much. If anything as I got older, I started having a lot less tolerance for jerky people in my life.

I think in the end that "Lila" shows where Coster started to have to enforce boundaries in her life and what made her move on to the next stage of her relationship with her boyfriend. The ending leaves you sad because part of the story seems to be saying that Coster is waiting for Lila to maybe come back.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a depressing narrative. The author obviously grieves both the relationship that was and the relationship that could have been - should they have chosen a different path - yet her grief, like relationship itself and the story she’s telling, is a complicated one. You walk away thinking in the end, it was probably for the best they didn’t cross that boundary as the character flaws that make up our humanity would have doomed it to end regardless. But isn’t that how 99% of all relationships go? They cease to exist ... as we do, eventually.

[Michelle Kimber · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short story illustrates the many different relationships you can experience in life. Romantic, friendship, familial. It shows how some are deeper and more lasting than others. It showcases how someone can depend on someone unreliable. I felt disconnected for the author's story and found most of the characters unlikable to some degree. An average, ok study in relationships.

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somewhere between a 3.5-4 stars

I loved and could relate to a few of the elements discussed and shown in this book. It was a short and poignant read.

[Eve · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short story in yet another Amazon Collection, The One. The collection seems to focus on love and romance, including love for one's children, pets, as well as romantic partners.

"Lila" is a story about friendship and how it evolves through the years. People grow apart and their paths may or may not converge again, but the love you felt for those friends never really stops being a part of you. Incredibly relate-able and a perfect story for a short entry like this. I would definitely read something by Naima Coster again.

I always enjoy these Amazon Collections as the stories are short and easily digested over your morning coffee, a lunch break, or (as is often in my case) right before nodding off to bed. You get a short sampling of an authors work, and I have found a few new favorite authors I otherwise wouldn't have found through reading these.

[Angieleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of the three The One stories that I've read so far, this one really resonated with me. I found myself highlighting whole pages, tearing up more than once.

Lila is about how friendships are born, how spectacularly they come together, horribly they fall apart, and how it can feel like coming home after you drift apart and then find each other again.

While her faith does play a relevant part of their story, I don't feel that it takes away from the overall gist of what she is trying to get across in her warm, witty, and heartbreaking story.

Disclaimer: I read this via my kindle unlimited subscription.

[Betsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were parts of this story that were so easy to relate to. Friendships, when new and budding, are all consuming. As time wears on, and the inevitable need for maintenance comes in, some relationships fall apart. Sometimes absence makes the heart grow fonder, and when reunited, friendships are rekindled to their full flame. This was a wonderful story, and though it was kind of all over the place and messy, it was okay because it felt like a conversation with the author herself.

[Tara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not great... I couldn’t quite get a hold of where the author was trying to lead me; what emotions I was supposed to empathize with ... it felt like an abrupt drop down the rabbit hole without the whimsy.
The dysfunctional relationship between these two seemed to baffle them as much as me. Perhaps that was the essence of the tale but for me it simply didn’t flow.

[Jess (Jess.Keep.Reading) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Naima’s storytelling

Quick read but poignant true story of friends drifting apart. Best friends in HS, but who are they really to each other. Beautifully told.

[Alison Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the one hand, I feel like this is a story we've heard numerous versions of, and there's not much new added to it in this one. But on the other hand, I know the vast majority of those versions have been very white and very straight, so I appreciate the different lens and experience this brings to it, being by and about (kind of maybe queer???) women of color.

Friendships between women, especially those that start in childhood and continue into adulthood and middle age, are always great fodder for stories, good and bad. They can feel like sisterhood or romance, with all the positive and negative connotations each of those can bring. This is a person who knows you better than you know yourself, and sometimes that can be a blessing, but other times it can be wielded as a weapon. I've experienced all of that myself, and I recognized a lot of my own story in here. But at the same time...I never was quite sure what the author wanted us to know or think about Lila, and also wondered if perhaps we weren't getting a fully honest picture of the author herself, which is understandable. It would be interesting to read this story from Lila's perspective.

But again, I am glad to see this kind of story told from a different voice, and I super related in particular to the idea that even when a friend has hurt you or let you down, they're always somewhere in your mind, because they're so prevalent in your memories.

[Chanel Hardy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I randomly got this book from KU a while ago and never realized it was part of a series of stories. Naima and Lila had one hell of a messy but touching relationship. It was bittersweet. Definitely relatable. We've all got that one person we fell out with but never forgot. A good lesson on love & friendship. Wherever Lila is now I hope she's doing alright.

[Danger Kayutak · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am generally opposed to authors reading their own work, and this story did not change my mind. The narration was monotone and gave the story a far too linear feel. This happened, then this and then this. Aside from that, it was a good short story.

Although the religion stuff didn't gel with me, the story of a friendship that has run its course, that is a universal one.

[Gemini · Rating 4 out of 5]

True to Life

I enjoyed the authenticity of this book. It felt very relatable. Growing apart from a best friend is its own kind of heartbreak. The story kept me interested to see how things would turn out. What I didn’t enjoy was the author’s narration. She was so monotone. It made the story sound somber and slow.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this melancholic true story of the intimacy and complexity of the friendship that forms between two women in high school that ebbs and flows through their young adulthood.

[Nyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a saying: "People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime."

Sometimes the reasons and seasons weave in and out, changing shape and timeframes.

[Yvette N · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite installment of The One project, where authors wrote short stories on the different forms and presence of Love in their lives. This title follows the formation of female friendship and love with two black hispanic women from New York. It's a beautifully recalled tale of heartache, love, and support as two women learn to love each other in the confines of the quickly changing relationship dynamics of our modern era. When you are raised in abusive, Christian fundamental, black hispanic homes with their traditional views on relationships, how do you grow to acknowledge and understand the love that blooms between two women? Slowly, and with complications. This was a beautifully tender and cathartic read.

[Brianna Bello · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a sad read. Two girls who don’t really like each other but then become friends. It seems like a toxic friendship. One wants more while the other is unsure. They grow apart and come back together multiple times in the story. One seems to have a hard life while the other seems to maybe look down on her. It was strange to see where it went.

[Jacquelyn J Tarpinian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave this a 3 star, not because it wasn’t well written...it was. It just made me sad that she did not have empathy of Lila’s situation. Naima seemed to have so much in the way of home life, finances, friends and Lila did not but the author expected Lila to take apart in things that it was impossible for her to do so. I think Lila was a better friend that Naima but was left to her own life when she wasn’t able to participate in the author’slife. Lila needed friendship. She needed a close, understanding (one who might even take her out for lunch now and then) friend but I wonder if Naima outgrew her. Now, you, reader, might come up with a completely different understanding and interpretation of this book. Go to it.

[Jazzy · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's the story of two school girls, who grow up and grow apart. The friendship takes all kinds of twists and turns in different directions and I get it because that's life. I have certainly went through it myself.

I might have rated this higher if the narration was better. When an author narrates their own book, I expect more. Her monotone dull voice almost made me stop listening at various points.

On happy or sad or mad or frustrating or exciting or traumatic parts of the story, she still had the very same monotone voice. Thankfully it was a short story.

[Yolanda | yolandaannmarie.reads · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is probably not a very accurate rating, but I had to skim most of this short story due to the heavy percentage of God/Jesus/Religion etc. I just can't get past it and its not something I'm interested in at all whatsoever. I also could never figure out if Naima and Lila were supposed to be lovers? Close friends? Closeted? Open relationship? My goodness - too much reading between the lines for this one.

TW: self-harm, cutting, post 9/11 trauma, parental/child abuse, panic attacks

- kindle unlimited short story
- poc rep

[BetweentheCoversLiterary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

An amazing story about friendship and love and what it all means in the beginning and the end... How much you can value the friendships and relationships in your life and how those reciprocate what you dish out... Amazing short I was so happy that you received everything you were looking for and needed that you had already and didn’t have to continue to search for it in someone whom didn’t value you or the friendship.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

[Tegan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part of Amazon's The One collection of books. Sometimes disjointed, but still interesting. A very accurate portrayal of many female friendships.

[LeeTravelGoddess · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not know that this was a series.

also. I struggled with Halsey Street.

this short was very interesting. as I am exploring books on deep friendship.

I’ll call it 3.5 🌟

[Andrea Pole · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Lit_Vibrations · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting short story can come off a little confusing with how it’s told. But I’ve started reading short stories more lately out of curiosity and this was on audio so it was a quick listen.

“Lila” is book 7 in The One series which is a true story about the complexities of female friendship, religion, love, self-reflection, and self-discovery. Naima and Lila were childhood friends that basically grew up and then eventually apart.

In my opinion their friendship started off complicated and one-sided but the two eventually bonded and became friends. Their friendship was really created based off co-dependency and a trauma bond on Naima’s part. Throughout the story Naima describes her up and down friendship with Lila and how every time they fall apart something brings them back together.

It was never anything good that brought the two back together in my opinion. Naima basically depended on Lila because she made her feel good unlike her parents or anyone else she’d encountered. Plus there were always hidden feelings shared between the two but neither acted upon those feelings until they were older.

Once the physical intimacy occurred Naima didn’t see Lila fit to be someone she’d date and instead married her long-term boyfriend because it felt like the right thing to do. When things turned upside down in Lila’s life, Naima was always there to pick up the pieces until Lila could no longer show up for Naima then their friendship basically ended.

By the end of the story I think Naima wished she hadn’t let Lila slip away. Even though she knew their friendship was never genuine she missed her or maybe just felt she needed her still. Overall, this was a cool quick read I was left with a few unanswered questions. But I still found it to be a little thought-provoking so I do plan to go back and read the other books in the series which are by different authors.

Rating: 3.75/5

[Mindo'ermatter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most Unique and Challenging of the Series

This final installment of the seven part "The One" collection offers the most complex and honest memior of the series because author, Naima Coster, did not pull any punches. People and relationships are complicated by many variables, and this self-reflection and retrospective of one's lifelong but convoluted friendship illustrates well why easy answers are not always easy or desirable to find.

The author's mixed storytelling shows well the many collisions we experience when we have too many conflicting goal and expectations from ourselves and others. Told well too is how easy it is for us to deceive ourselves into believing that dysfunctional and destructive friendships demand saving at all costs.

This final short read, was well placed in the series because it's honest storyline is both thought-provoking and eye-opening to peer-pressure expectations believed just to avoid being alone. Some friendships are like bad marriages that never should have begun and even less desirable to be saved.

I applaud Amazon for supporting these diverse collections on different topics by a full range of unique and talented authors. I've found these short, insightful vignettes enlarging and good waits to creatively explore many approaches and viewpoints to a common theme. However, this collection of true stories was even more engaging by having each author narrate their respective Audible supplement, something that made the reading experience more memorable and relatable.

This final author's efforts make me want to explore other of her works past or future.