 |
| (source) |
(Anna and the French Kiss #2)
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Length: 338 pages
Publisher: Dutton Books/Speak
Classification: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Release Date: July 2013 (reprint)
Source: Paperback
Read: August 2014
GoodReads
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 negihborhood. 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. (From GoodReads)
***This is part of a series. There will be spoilers of things that happened in the other book(s) so if you haven't read it and don't want to know things that happened, please stop reading now.***
My Rating:
Stephanie Perkins is amazing.
I really enjoyed reading Anna and the French Kiss so I wasn't sure if I would love Lola and the Boy Next Door as much as the first.
I don't know why I thought that. This book was awesome!
The Story:
It is a wonderful second book!
Fun. Cute. Entertaining.
I think I liked this story more than the first book.
Perkins does an incredible job creating a new story with new characters while including visits from the two main characters in the first book. (For some reason I figured they wouldn't make an appearance in this book.)
I really enjoyed this story. I don't know why, but I am a sucker for books that have either a boy-next-door/girl-next-door romance or the romantic interests have a childhood past together.
I also love all the music mentioned in this story. The Ramones, The Clash, etc. I felt like my heart was going to burst with happiness.
I've never been to San Francisco, but the book makes me wish that I could visit there someday.
The story kept me wanting more. It was hard for me to put the book down. And I was anxious for the scenes that include Cricket (because I love him.)
Well written and very entertaining.
The Characters:
I love these characters!
Lola is very unique and special. I love that she dresses up in costume a lot. (Sounds really neat.) She is pretty much my opposite currently (I am not big into fashion: clothes, accessories, etc.) But I remember when I was in college I had my own unique way of dressing (no where near as unique as Lola though!) I also like that she has challenges that she has to face and overcome. She is dealing with some family issues as well as the issue of a past love coming back into her life. I was really able to care and relate to the character.
Cricket. I am in love. He is so sweet and caring. A bit shy and very adorable. He is awesome. He has his own things that he is dealing with. I love that he is an inventor, it is really cool. He is just simply wonderful.
All the other characters are also well-written and interesting.
Lindsey is a great friend to Lola and I enjoy their friendship.
Lola's dads, Andy and Nathan, are great. I love that they are protective (probably because I am a very protective parent and I could see myself being like them, maybe not as drastic, but like them). I love that they love Lola very much and that they are present in the story.
Cricket's twin sister Calliope was also well-developed. She has her own life and challenges. And there are times that I don't like what she does very much, but I feel like I had an understanding of her and liked her too.
And of course I love that Anna and Etienne made appearances in this story. I loved seeing a little more of their relationship as well as their friendship with Lola.
My Recommendation:
If you like romances that involve a boy/girl next door type, then I highly recommend this book. Also if you like an interesting and a bit eccentric main character. Or if you are looking for a new AMAZING book boyfriend to swoon over, you should give this book a read!
