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Review: Lola and the Boy Next Door
I tried reading this one last year during an Anna and the French Kiss reread in preparation for Isla's release. Didn't get much past the first 50 pages or so, just wasn't feeling it. I've reread Anna 3 times now, so I figured I would give Lola another chance.
I'm glad I did because second time round I really liked the book. Don't know what was wrong with me the first time. Second read I read it in two days flat. Couldn't put it down. Lola can be irritating, and her attitude can be grating. I think mostly what annoyed me the first time round was even though for the most part of the book Lola has a much older boyfriend, Max, you know she's going to wind up with Cricket by the end. I almost get the impression you're set up as a reader not to like Max (who is a total jackass but he's in a band and supposed to be cool, blah!) you're meant to root for the sweet sensitive boy next door. While that previously annoyed me, second read I got over it and just let myself get lost in the story.
Its...quieter in a way than Anna's story was. While the emotional turmoil of the OMG what am I doing do I like Cricket or should I stick with Max...it wasn't quite so dramatic as the previous book. I'm not even sure what it was that made it a softer novel. The mix of feelings and character depth was just as good in the end. I think in this one there was a lot more character depth as Lola's story progresses.
Lola's fashion sense is quite original in that she wears lots of outrageous costumes and wigs. And gets teased quite a bit over it. But she's very true to her own sense of self, but called out on it a few times, is she hiding her real self in sparkles, glitz and glamour?
Cricket Bell, the love interest, is one of the quiet types. Science loving, sweet and adorably awkward. He's liked Lola for years but his family mostly focuses their attention on his champion figure skater sister Calliope (who is kind of a bitch and jealous of his friendship with Lola) so he's torn between his loyalty to his sister and his feelings for Lola.
You just know when Lola and Cricket try this we'll be friends cause she has a boyfriend its never going to be that simple (short book if it was!) but it was sweet watching them juggle their emotions and figure out who wants want.
So the plot was predictable, but good characters made the novel enjoyable. So I'm glad a gave it a second chance.
Square crossed off for my Story Sprites challenge - Set in California.
I'm glad I did because second time round I really liked the book. Don't know what was wrong with me the first time. Second read I read it in two days flat. Couldn't put it down. Lola can be irritating, and her attitude can be grating. I think mostly what annoyed me the first time round was even though for the most part of the book Lola has a much older boyfriend, Max, you know she's going to wind up with Cricket by the end. I almost get the impression you're set up as a reader not to like Max (who is a total jackass but he's in a band and supposed to be cool, blah!) you're meant to root for the sweet sensitive boy next door. While that previously annoyed me, second read I got over it and just let myself get lost in the story.
Its...quieter in a way than Anna's story was. While the emotional turmoil of the OMG what am I doing do I like Cricket or should I stick with Max...it wasn't quite so dramatic as the previous book. I'm not even sure what it was that made it a softer novel. The mix of feelings and character depth was just as good in the end. I think in this one there was a lot more character depth as Lola's story progresses.
Lola's fashion sense is quite original in that she wears lots of outrageous costumes and wigs. And gets teased quite a bit over it. But she's very true to her own sense of self, but called out on it a few times, is she hiding her real self in sparkles, glitz and glamour?
Cricket Bell, the love interest, is one of the quiet types. Science loving, sweet and adorably awkward. He's liked Lola for years but his family mostly focuses their attention on his champion figure skater sister Calliope (who is kind of a bitch and jealous of his friendship with Lola) so he's torn between his loyalty to his sister and his feelings for Lola.
You just know when Lola and Cricket try this we'll be friends cause she has a boyfriend its never going to be that simple (short book if it was!) but it was sweet watching them juggle their emotions and figure out who wants want.
So the plot was predictable, but good characters made the novel enjoyable. So I'm glad a gave it a second chance.
Square crossed off for my Story Sprites challenge - Set in California.
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