Review: Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

ISBN: 9780142422014
Release Date: September 29, 2011
Series: Anna and the French Kiss, #2
Page Count: 338 pages
Find it on Goodreads
See my past reviews for this series

     GOODREADS SYNOPSIS:

Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion...she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit--more sparkly, more fun, more wild--the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded 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:

WHAT I LIKED:

• Stephanie Perkins definitely created two very different MCs in this book from the two in her first book. They are unique, and though there are some similarities in the story to the first book, we didn't come out with two replicas thrown into a new setting. I enjoyed them very much.
• Lola, the MC, was more complex than Anna from Perkins' first book, Anna and the French Kiss. Though she cried a whole lot more (see below), she had real issues, demons, and real personality (not that Anna didn't have a personality...). All in all, I liked the character of Lola better, even if she was more immature.
• The way the story was written felt so real and I remember feeling like I fell right into Lola's life. Perkins is a master, giving life to her characters and her story.
• Seeing Anna and St. Clair, the MCs from Anna, was awesome! And they didn't just have a little cameo - they were really part of the story and it seems like they will continue to be part of the last installment also, Isla and the Happily Ever After.
• Random thing: I love the original cover (I do like the new ones too, but the originals are too cool). It depicts Lola and Cricket almost exactly how they are described in the book, down to Lola's wig and Cricket's hair and pinstriped pants. That right there is great collaboration, my friends.
• One again... (dun dun dun) there was SEX! A teenager having sex. Yes, that's right, the main character, who is still in high school and is under 18, has sex in this story and its not inappropriate nor is it gratuitous. Its simply realistic. It makes me happy when an author can add this into a story (because it's a real situation) and not be offensive.

WHAT I DIDNT LIKE:

• I actually liked Lola's boyfriend Max at first, then all of a sudden, halfway through the story he seemed to be a different person. The transition didn't seem warranted and came out of nowhere. I wish he'd at least been a jerk the whole time instead.
• There seems to be a pattern between the first book, Anna, and this one, where one of the main characters happens to already be in a relationship, then becomes interested in someone else. In the first book, I found it refreshing because it was a realistic portrayal of what sometimes really happens in relationships, which it still is. But in this book, it was a repeat, thus becoming a way to show that, hey, if you cheat on your boyfriend/girlfriend, its totally OK, you'll get the guy/girl in the end anyways.
• The MC, Lola, was overly emotional. She cried for everything. I mean, yes, a lot of 17 year old girls are like that, but it was too much. I'm reading it, thinking, come on, suck it up, you've been crying for days, now get up and get on with life the story).
• The ending seemed anticlimactic to me. It didnt have the same emotional punch as Anna and didn't have the tidy-bow ending either. It kind of just left things... blah. I remember realizing I was coming up on the last ten pages and thinking "something awesome better happen between now and the end...", but of course it didn't.

     RATING: ★★★★
After reading Anna and the French Kiss, I was equal parts afraid thinking this one would never live up to Anna, and hoping it would be even better. Better it was not, but it did live up to Anna in many ways. Stephanie Perkins' writing was consistent and I fell right into the story as if it was me falling in love with Cricket all over again. I also loved how Perkins integrated something so controversial to some people (Lola's gay parents) seamlessly and made me love it (though that's not very hard because I am an  advocate for LGBT rights). Still, for some people that is a tough topic and Perkins addressed it in a way that made it lovable and comfortable.
I can't wait to read Isla and the Happily Ever After because I know Perkins will give us something awesome, just like she did with the last two. So for those of you Anna fans who are wondering if they should go on to Lola or take Anna for what it was worth and be happy, read Lola. You won't be disappointed!

A.

Review: Anna and French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

ISBN: 9780142419403
Released: December, 2010
My copy: Purchased
Series: Yes, Anna and the French Kiss #1
Page Count: 372 pages

     GOODREADS SYNOPSIS:

Anna can't wait for her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a good job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. So she's not too thrilled when her father unexpectedly ships her off to boarding school in Paris - until she meets Etienne St. Clair, the perfect boy. The only problem? He's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her crush back home. Will a year of romantic near-misses end in the French kiss Anna awaits?

       REVIEW:

WHAT I LIKED:

• Well written, the writing flowed and kept me interested which made for a very easy, quick read.
• Anna is hysterical and so relatable. I found myself laughing out loud at her and several times crying - yes, crying - with her. Plus she's a blogger/reviewer! Maybe not of books, but how many of you cant love her just for that?
• The romance was  a believable high school romance and then some. I can honestly say I felt my heart flutter many times and I maybe, possibly, almost *coughswoonedcough*. Ahem.
• Etienne wasn't perfect. And neither was Anna. Etienne was short. Anna has a gap in her teeth. I like it when a character doesn't make me feel like a waste of space.
• The whole "love interest has a girlfriend" thing was a first in the bookish world for me. And  I loved it. Don't get me wrong, Etienne was definitely almost a scumbag, but it was handled decently well, but I liked that it was a premise that happens all the time. Hell, its happened to me, to friends of mine, to people I've heard about in passing.
• Anna didn't decide the day after she met Etienne that she was in love with him. Basically what I'm saying is that even though it killed me sometimes that Anna and Etienne weren't together when I wanted them to be, I thought the story was paced well. I just loved this book!

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:

• The only thing I can honestly think of was that the ending was a little too tidy for me. It wrapped up nice and neat after not being so nice and neat pretty much the entire time. Otherwise, I cant think of anything I disliked in this book.

     RATING:

I know what you're all thinking - well those of you who haven't read this one yet.  Anna and the French Kiss? Really? Seriously? I know it sounds silly. Even my own non-reader fiancé made a face at the title and cover when I picked it up off of my shelf to read. But I saw the reviews, I'd been told I had to read it, and I did, and now I am wondering why the hell I took so long! I am also wondering: (1) why did I stop reading romance, when I clearly adore it?; and (2) why do I keep telling myself I'm not into contemporary YA? I mean, I really, really enjoyed this book. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't epic or life changing and it was definitely just a fun, quirky read, but it actually had some depth to it, and Stephanie Perkins crafts characters that I want to be friends with. Like - you-can have my friends, can I have Rashmi and Josh and Meredith and Etienne. I would date him but he has better hair than me.

And even though the ending kind of annoyed me, the fact that this book had me up until 2:30 a.m. at night when I had a 13-hour work day starting at 9:00 a.m. the next day kind of cements the 5-star rating. And let me tell you: I do not stay up late. Oh no. Not this girl, not on the week days. But Stephanie Perkins got me. And I'm exhausted, but it was worth it! I even woke up excited about this book, so I cant be mad at myself for how tired I am right now. Read it - please. You'll love it.

★★★★★

(5 stars)

Have you read Anna and the French Kiss? What did you think? Do you agree or disagree?

A.