She at one point comments to her mother that he's 'more my age than your's'. Jayni is shocked when she's first introduced to him, due to him being a twenty year old college student and much younger than she expected. Age-Gap Romance: Between Nikki and Jake.

Justified, in that she takes classes in judo and Thai martial arts. Barbara hints that he was abusive physically and verbally to Barbara herself until she grew big enough to fight back. Barbara mentions that he once slapped Nikki's legs until they were red and often told her she was a waste of space who would go to hell. Nikki and Barbara's father was abusive to them growing up.Nikki can also be somewhat neglectful and borderline verbally abusive, and at one point slaps Jayni, but she's a lot better than Jay and tries hard to care for her kids (notably, she ditches Jay and moves far away after Jay hits Jayni, saying she absolutely won't let him beat her kids).The inciting incident of the novel is Jay hitting Jayni for the first time when she finally stands up to him. He also beats Jayni's mother where she can see and hear (she mentions having to help tend to Nikki's injuries), which is indirect abuse. Jay is verbally abusive, and eventually physically abusive as well, to Jayni she mentions he interrogates her about her mother's supposed affairs, and shouts at her and calls her nasty names if he's in a bad mood.It's kept brief, though this being the first time Jay's abuse is described in detail on-page, it makes the moment even more shocking (especially for a book aimed at children). It's subverted later, when Jayni's father hits her for the first time, then beats her mother for defending her.This alone makes it clear how serious the beating was. When Jayni initially describes her father Jay's physical abuse of her mother Nikki, she doesn't do so in detail she recalls Jay saying he was going to 'teach a lesson she'd never forget', then says that after her father stormed out she tried to call an ambulance, only for Nikki to shake her head no (she couldn't talk because her face was swollen).However, as things gradually go From Bad to Worse, Jayni finds herself being forced to act far more grown-up than she's able to cope with. It follows the story of a young girl named Jayni Fenton, who is forced to run away from home with her mother and younger brother to escape her violent father, adopting the name 'Lola Rose' in the process in an attempt to make herself seem more mature and sophisticated. Lola Rose is a 2003 novel by Jacqueline Wilson, aimed at preteens.

Lola rose by jacqueline wilson