Lola and the Boy Next Door - Stephanie Perkins - 2011

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Published: 2011 - Dutton

Age Group: Young Adult

Read: October 8, 2011

5 out of 5 Stars: Fell in love with it!

Reason for Reading: I absolutely adored Perkins' previous book, Anna and the French Kiss, so I knew this would be a must-read when it was published.

On GoodReads: "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."

My Thoughts: Lola was such a unique and funny protagonist. She was smart though sometimes a little blind to the things around her. She felt very much like a teenage girl, confused, a little selfish, but ultimately good. Cricket was adorable. I wish Cricket had been my next door neighbor! Perkins does such a great job (in both of her novels) at writing realistic, awesome teen romances. I have never been so sucked into love stories as I am when she writes them. She creates such real characters, who have faults and problems, and creates such wonderful things for them. I look forward to many more books from this author.

Recommended To: Any lover of romance, YA or otherwise. Perkins' stories may be about teen characters, but older readers will surely find them entertaining and wonderful.

Quote From The Book: "What just happened?"

"Your father invited the former love of your life in for pie."
"Yeah, that's what I thought."

Books Read This Year: 81 of 100

Currently Reading: Blood Red Road by Moira Young

Anna and the French Kiss - Stephanie Perkins - 2010

Title: Anna and the French Kiss

Author: Stephanie Perkins

Year: 2010

Date Read: 1/8/2011

Overall: * * * * * (5/5)

GoodReads blurb: Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris—until she meets Étienne St. Claire: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.

As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near-misses end with the French kiss Anna—and readers—have long awaited?

Plot: * * * * *

Characters: * * * * *

Stlye (writing style): * * * * *

My Review: I really don't have any complaints about this book. The writing was smart and funny, the perfect mix of humor, romance, and intense emotions. I loved Anna and her friends and the "will they? won't they?" back and forth with St Clair. The humor reminded me so much of Maureen Johnson's, which was wonderful because I love truly clever books. If I had the time, I would read this book again immediately. It really was that good. Anna was a great protagonist, the right amount of "insecure girl in a foreign place" mixed with a strong personality. St Clair (aka Etienne) was so sweet and protective, while at the same time being an equally insecure boy. The mixture of Anna's new friends and the troubles with her friends back home showed how Anna actually learned about all types of relationships while at boarding school. She learns about romantic relationships from Etienne and her coupled friends, and learns the different levels of "bad parenting," and really learns what it takes to be a good friend and to hang onto good friends when you find them.

I am in love with this book.

To Buy: Amazon

Currently Reading: Deadly Little Games (a Touch novel) by Laurie Faria Stolarz