Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins ~ Impeccable Reviews

Publication Date: July 9, 2013
Publisher: Speak
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance
Format: Digital Library eBook
Page Count: 338

Lola Nolan is a budding costume designer, and for her, the more outrageous, sparkly, and fun the outfit, the better. And everything is pretty perfect in her life (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood. When Cricket, a gifted inventor, steps out from his twin sister's shadow and back into Lola's life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

Review

I just can't help smiling every time I think about this book. I loved this sequel just as much as I liked Anna and the French Kiss. Lola is our new main character and she is a very unique one. Dolores Nolan lives in the San Francisco area of California with her two fathers, Nathan and Andy. They adopted Lola after her ungrateful, hobo mother abandoned her. Lola loves creating and wearing different extravagant costumes and she has a boyfriend Max, who is....let's just say well over 18. As you can imagine, this could cause some issues when you have not one, but two very protective fathers. Everything seems to be going great until Cricket Bell shows up again with his twin Calliope Bell. Just like St. Clair, I loved Cricket's character. He is so caring and nice and he is a part of THE Bell family. Yeah that's right. He is directly related to Alexander Bell the famous inventor.

One of my favorite things about this book is the inclusion of the main characters from the first book, Anna and St. Clair. They are colleagues and friends to Lola. Anna and St. Clair were actually a part of the plot. I was afraid Stephanie would just briefly mention them. Lola and Cricket's story are similar to Anna and St. Clair's but it is still very different and exciting in its own way. This book is like Anna and the French Kiss, except the roles have switched. Lola is in a similar state St. Clair was in at the beginning of the first book, and Cricket is in Anna's situation. This is why when St. Clair and Anna gave Lola advice, it was always valid because they understood what she and Cricket were going through. 

The romance in this book was great. The whole time I was just rooting for the main characters. I don't think I have smiled so much while reading a book before. The end of this novel makes you feel so satisfied and filled with joy. After I had finished the book, I had the same urge I had with the first book to pick it up again right away and reread it. Now I am super excited to see how Stephanie wraps up all the characters in the last book Isla and the Happily Ever After.

My Rating:

5 out of 5 stars

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins ~ Impeccable Reviews

Publication Date: August 4th, 2011

Publisher: Penguin

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance

Format: Digital Library eBook

Page Count: 372

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Can Anna find love in the City of Light?

Anna is happy in Atlanta. She has a loyal best friend and a crush on her coworker at the movie theater, who is just starting to return her affection. So she's less than thrilled when her father decides to send her to a boarding school in Paris for her senior year. But despite not speaking a word of French, Anna meets some cool new people, including the handsome Étienne St. Clair, who quickly becomes her best friend. Unfortunately, he's taken —and Anna might be, too. Will a year of romantic near misses end with the French kiss she's waiting for?

I know almost everyone has read this book and loved it. I think there was just something about its original cover that made it seem not appealing. Its synopsis on goodreads also did not do it much justice to me, but if even with all the hype I was pleasantly surprised and not disapointed at all.

The Characters

The characters were great! Especially the two main ones, St. Clair and Anna. Their relationship and how it changed over time as they experienced many obstacles was done really well. Anna and St. Clair developed a lot throughout the story. I love how Anna towards the end of the novel was able to reflect on past events and admit that she also made some mistakes that added to all the drama that went on. St. Clair ends up realizing what he really wants in life and gained the courage to go out and get it. It felt like I was so invested in the main characters at times that it was not that I disliked the supporting characters, but I did not seem to pay much attention to their problems. The characters Dave and Amanda, thoroughly annoyed me through out the book, but I did take a liking for Isla which I am hoping is going to be the same Isla in Isla and the Happily Ever After.

The Plot

The storyline was definitely not what I expected, but to be honest I am not sure what I was expecting. I was never able to guess what would happen next and I was surprised quite a few times. This story was not really an action-packed one but I would not call it slow either. The pacing was just right for a contemporary novel of this genre. I liked how the book had more of an instant connection or instant attraction between the main characters rather than unrealistic intsa-love. Then eventually through many twists and turns their relationship builds up.

Writing Style

Stephanie's writing is really easy to read and understand. The dialogue was all so well written and never really felt cheesy or overdone (as it sometimes feels in romance novels). The humor in the book was one of my favorite things about it. There were countless amounts of time when I had to laugh out loud. It was the type of humor that seemed really natural and came easily. I would not claim that the writing style in this book is beautifully descriptive, but it is more natural, humorous, and gets the reader emotionally invested. It is not hard at all to relate to this story and its characters.

Anna and the French Kiss is a great contemporary novel that will make you feel good and happy while and after reading it. The whole story is very cute and is easy to get through. This book is now one of my all time favorites, and I can't believe it took me so long just to pick it up to read.

My Rating

5 out of 5 stars