AUTHOR: Stephanie Perkins
GENRE: contemporary, romance
PUBLICATION DATE: Sept 29th 2011
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:
First thoughts
ST. CLAIR!!! Oh God, that is so not what I wanted to say. But... St. Clair!
I rushed to read this book as soon as I finished nna and the French Kiss and I heard that certain characters will be making appearance there. ;)
Cover
Again, not really my type. I like this cover a lot less than the Anna and the French Kiss cover too.
Plot
It's a bit like a role-reversal in Lola's case, compared to Anna.The story is heartwarming and full of funny situations too, but this time it's the girl that is taken and, dare I say? She is kind of the bad guy here. I loved watching here grow enough to come to a serious decision about her relationship(s). The romance was cute (as always in Stephanie Perkins' books, it seems!) and it was such a quick and enjoyable read I haven't even noticed when I finished it!
Characters
First of all, let me tell you: THERE'S ST. CLAIR. And Anna. But. St. Clair is here! And I might have melted a bit when he and Cricket became buddies. The image in my head was so cute I almost swooned in real life!Now, the main characters.
Lola is a very complex character and while I enjoyed reading about her, I couldn't pin for her as much I did for Anna. I don't know if it was caused by the fact I'm closer to Anna (personality-wise) or that she felt more mature than Lola? Still, Lola is a colorful and likable character who's not without flaws.
Cricket! Let's stop here for a second and look at the twins' names. Cricket (Graham) Bell and Calliope Bell. Oh my. I usually roll my eyes at very extraordinary names, but in that case, they really fit!
So Cricket is this nice guy next door, and I think it's actually my favorite kind of a guy. I liked everything about him - his looks, the little details like the rubber bands and his hair sticking up, his insecurity, living in the shadow of his sister or how upset he was once he learned the truth about Alexander Graham Bell.
But my two favorite characters from the book? Andy and Nathan, Lola's dads. They were amazing. Not stereotypical (I snorted when Andy said at one point "I'm trying very hard not to use the word fabulous", which was awesome in the context) and utterly lovable. Both rather strict and both loving Lola very, very much. I think it was impossible not to love them - they were the "spine" in Lola's life and I'm glad she had them.
Writing
I think Stephanie Perkins restored my love for contemporary books. Flooded by dystopian novels, I've completely forgotten that I do, in fact, love normal teenage romances too. ;)Overall
Loved it.Not as much as Anna, because I couldn't relate to the characters as much as I did in Anna's case. But still, it's an amazing, fun read I would recommend to everyone!
Rating
I LOVED this book! The only problem I had with it was that I found myself reading for the sake of seeing Anna and St. Clair in the book and not Lola and Cricket. Other then that I loved it (:
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