Author: Stephanie PerkinsI am such a sucker for Perkins' books. They make me so, incredibly happy it's insane.
Release Date: September 29, 2011
Pages: 338 (HC)
Publisher: Dutton
Most Appropriate For Ages: 13+
Where I Got It: From the library
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.
Much as she did in Anna and the French Kiss, Perkins' creates wonderful characters with unique yet believable quirks and personalities that you can't help but adore after a only a short time. All the characters (except Max): Lola, Cricket, her dads (yep, dads, two of them, and they're awesome) Lindsey, Calliope, Cricket...
Oh, and she also knows every word a girl wants to hear. Just one sentence that Cricket says can make your heart melt.
But no, not only her characters are fantastic. Her setting, her ability to completely grab hold of your attention, her way of being profound without shoving down it your throat, the way she makes you feel everything her characters are feeling... Yes, I may be a Stephanie Perkins fangirl, what of it?
It is insane, but this author is one of the very few that possess the ability to turn me into a romantic teenage girl. It's creepy, guys, how quickly and smoothly it happens, but I don't even care 'cause I'm just so in love with this author.
Plot: Fun and completely engrossing.
Characters: I WANT A CRICKET...er, I mean, they were all awesome. ('Cept Max. UGH.)
Writing: Great.
Ending: Lalalala so happy-making.
Kid Friendly? There's language, mentions of sex and drugs, and her birth mother's an alcoholic.
Should I read it? Absolutely. You may wanna read Anna and the French Kiss first, though, since the characters make several appearances.
Overall:
Easy.
Ahhh I already wanted to read this so bad but now thanks to your review I REALLY REALLY want to! Haha.
ReplyDeleteI agree with all of it, every word. Wonderful book!
ReplyDeleteI WANT A CRICKET!!! I just finished reading the book. From the moment I picked it up, not once did I let it go. I loved loved loved this book. It completely captured my attention. I agree, Max is ... -_- I don't like him. And I thought her two dads were sorta awesome. St. Clair caught my notice! I MUST read Anna and the French Kiss Next.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading "Anna and the French kiss" and, thank goodness, having Lola in my bookshelf already I HAD to read it next. And I did in just one day like I did with Anna because you know what? It was awesome too!
ReplyDeleteSo, what do you want to know about it? Let's start with a description of Lola, because beside being the main character she is the type of person I just love. First of all her parents are gay. Yep, two guys raising a little girl. Ans ince I'm all pro-gay here (some of my best friends are gay) I couldn't help but smile at this. I do believe they can raise kids like straight parents can and to read a book with that point of view was, beside refreshing, very brave. For that, I just want to say, you rock, Stephanie Perkins!