Review: Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

My rating: ★★★★★
Book: Lola and the Boy Next Door
Author: Stephanie Perkins


In this companion novel to Anna and the French Kiss, two teens discover that true love may be closer than they think.

For budding costume designer Lola Nolan, the more outrageous, 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 move back into the house next door.

When the family returns and Cricket—a gifted inventor and engineer—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.

I have no words to describe this. Stephanie Perkins does not fail to impress. She is definitely definitely on my list of top 10 authors, and both of her books are in my list of Top 10 Books now. I can not believe I have only just read her books, boy have i been missing out.

I was in love with Anna and the French Kiss, I didn't think Stephanie Perkins would be able to do any better than Anna but what can i say. she did.

I'm in love with her writing style. I think a lot of YA contemporary romance books have one problem, the stories are great but style of writing lets us down. Stephanie Perkins gets it just right, you get enough description in there to feel what the characters feel so you can empathize with them. Plus, the characters are so likeable you want them to ...well get together.

Lola is one confused chick, she has an older rock god boyfriend and everything is perfect but then Cricket returns. Cricket is this tall, handsome, loveable, down to earth guy who would do anything for anyone. But Lola has already given Cricket a chance and he left her. Whos ready for a second chance?

I just love Lola and Cricket, as charming as St. Clair is, Cricket is definitely my favourite (by a teeny tiny bit) I don't know, there is just something about him. He's clearly got the height, the strength on the outside but inside he's so soft and warm and caring, he's well dressed...basically,  he is the perfect guy. I even liked the fact that cricket didn't have much experience, it just worked for him. 

Just like Anna and the French Kiss I loved the setting; it wasn't in the city of love this time, it was in San Francisco.  I live in England so have not a single clue about what San Francisco is like but I sure did love the description of it. If it is actually anything like what it is in the book, I would love to visit there.

Okay so I finish reading Anna and I think wtf I need more..you cant just finish therethats crazy. So I sink into Lola and the Boy Next Door hoping I would find a story as good as Anna although I truly doubted it. And then out of nowhere...Anna and St Clair are back. I knew this was a companion novel, but I was shocked, I just sat there like... Whaaaaaaaaaaat. They were proper proper characters in Lola , and I was glad becaus e after Anna I didnt want to finish Anna and St. Clairs story I wanted to know what happend after, and we get to see them from a new pperspective, we see a new side to them.So a big thumbs up to Stephanie Perkins on that one for being nice enough to give up a bit more Etienne.

I think what was so great about Lola was that it was so different to Anna but so similar at the same time. This time Lola was feeling what Etienne was feeling throughout Anna.

The Cover...ahhhh perfection. It fits so well with the book, you can see the houses at the back and then there's the all important window that Anna and Cricket are standing in front of, and although I imagined Anna a little different the picture fits exactly with Lola in the book , and Cricket was exactly as I imagined him, I love his rubber bracelets, blue one of course. The cover was cute, and perfect for the book.

So, summing it all up, everything about this book was Perfect, from the inside out, and I would recommend it to EVERYONE, if your a girl I'm pretty sure you'll love it. Even if you don't usually read romances, give this at least a try. (You can read just Lola if you want, but I would recommend reading Anna first)

(I feel like i used perfect a lot in this review, but its the only word i could think of to show you how amazing this book is)

Review: Anna and the french kiss - Stephanie Perkins

My rating: ★★★★★
Book: Anna and the French Kiss
Author: Stephanie Perkins 


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 Etienne St. Clair: 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?


Okay How do i put this...this book was AMAZING! I loved every word of it. I could not put the book down I told myself i would read it slowly and not go overboard the way I read Not that kind of Girl by Siobhan Vivan in one night straight, i saw the sunrise that night. I read for about 2 hours one night, the second night I picked up the book I couldn't help it, i didnt want to leave that world, i coulnt bring myself to stop reading, i Read till 6am by the time i finished the book.

I knew this was going to be a great book, beacause of all the good reviews its got, but i did think it awas going to be your ususal boy meets girl contemporary romance, the ones where you could predict what happens, ans usually I can predict whats gonna happen but i actually culdnt, that was one thing I loved, I was absoltely amazed by the book.

Everything about it was just perfect.
Its a love story set in Paris, the city of love!!!

The characters where perfect, the story was perfect I don't even know what to say about this book other than that.

I loved Anna, I loved Etienne St. Clair, I hated Ellie from the start, I loved Mer and Josh, although initially I didn't like Rashmi, she did grow on me through the book.

The story line of this book is basically about falling in love with someone who isn't yours, and i guess finding your true love, the boy that was meant for you, and just you. I loved the chemistry between the characters, the way Anna was there for Etienne when he needed a friend she was a friend, she puts that above possibly having a relationship with the most perfect guy ever. Likewise, Etienne is there for her when she needs him. This book just captures everything about being in love and squeezes it into 300 or so pages.

I have to say that the ending, was so nice, it completed the whole book, just a great feel-good book. Although i like big endings, I don't think they even needed that in this book, everything ended the way it should have, the end of an amazing year and everyone's happy :)

THIS IS THE BEST BOOK I'VE READ SO FAR THIS YEAR!!

Review: The Summer I Turned Pretty

My rating: ★★★★★
Book: The Summer I Turned Pretty (Summer #1)
Author: Jenny Han
This book was initially recommended to me by Joanna. It's a light, easy summer read, I was going to leave it till the summer to read it but I couldn't help myself.  This book turned the tables for me! Seriously!

Right on the top of the cover of this book, it has the following quote

"This book has what every girl wants in a summer." -- Sarah Dessen
I hate it when authors use other authors to promote their books, if that makes any sense at all. But yeah you know what i mean, it's one of my pet peeves, i can not stand it, and i still don't like the fact that it was there -_-. Putting that aside, i don't care who the quote was by but the quote itself it made me want to just eat the book up, i knew it would be about summer romances, long walks on the beach, all those little cute things that just make you all mushy inside.

When i got to the second chapter, i realised there were alternating chapters, going back to past summers at the beach house. Usually, I hate alternating chapters, i think it distracts away from the main story, but I honestly do think it worked perfectly for this book, we find out about certain things at the right time, it just brings the whole book together so perfectly, finding out about the mysterys of past summers, the first kiss, the first heartbreak, it adds to the foundation of the story in the present (Belly at age 16).

"Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer--they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one terrible and wonderful summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along."

There isn't a proper plot to the book, but i didn't actually mind that. The book sort of just follows the course of the summer from their journey to the beach house at the beginning of the summer to the last day of summer, and it works. The book is from Bell's POV so naturally we can empathize with her, become her, live the moments she lives, we feel what she feels, the way Conrad makes her feel by just a look, the yearning to be noticed, her love for Susannah.
With Belly, you get to explore beaches, summer vacations, friendships, romances, family, love, illness, coming of age. It's not a deep book but it if for sure a fun book. I can't seem to get across how amazing this book is, it just gives you butterflies.

I Can not wait to dive into the second book, but as with Divergent and Pandemonium and about 50 other books I'm forcing myself to stop reading as much until after my exams in June. 

View on goodreads

Movie Review:The Hunger Games

Since i started reading the books, i have been eagerly waiting for the movie to come out, and finally i got to see it, i went to see te movie on March 23, the official release date, i pre-booked the tickets the day they were released like 2 weeks ago. I went through a total crazy phase where I would come home very day and check every cinema website, until the day the tickets were released.   

I have to say, i absolutely LOVED the movie, it was amazing! Honestly, they all done an amazing job of it. Ahh Peeta <3 Yes, I am Team Peeta!

I never actually realised until I watched the movie how much detail there was to put into it; as with any book-movie there was some stuff missing, it did really get to me at first, it just didn't seem right, but then again there was about 400 pages worth of detail to get into a 2 and a half hour movie.


Lets start with the beginning, the whole reaping/volunteering/goodbyes scene really did get me emotional, I'm a total wimp like that. The second part was the 'Rue Scene' when she died, that was beautiful.

I give this movie 5 Stars.

★★★★★

Top Movie Moments *SPOLIERS*- Katniss and Buttercup; "I'll still cook you."
- Katniss saying goodbye to Prim, her mum and Gale.
- The multiple flashbacks to when Peeta threw the burnt bread out for Katniss.
- Rue stealing Cato's knife.
- Rue Dying
- District 11 rebellion.

- The Tributes Parade and the fire outfits.
- Katniss nearly strangling Peeta after his interview (he tells the world that he's liked her)
- Peeta's camouflage.
- Glimmer after the Tracker Jacker attack
- Peeta telling Katniss to run and her remembering her father’s death.
- Peeta saying how he has no chance of winning the Games at all.
- The cave scene, the kiss, Peeta and Katniss falling asleep in each others arms.
- The interview after the Arena.
- Oh oh oh, not forgetting the final scene with Seneca Crane ans the nightlocks - that was just.... 

5 Things they missed

- The eyes in the mutts, being the eyes of the tributes. 

- The redhead Avox girl

- the rooftop scene, although they sort of incorporated that, i would haved to have seen that scene on the rooftop with the tree. 

- Madge, her character was totally axed and instead Greasy Sae gives Katniss the Mockingjay pin.

- The dandelion, there was no reference to the dandelion in the flashbacks. I  really liked that.