Main Character: Lola Nolan
Love Interest: Cricket Bell
Series: Companion novel to Anna and the French Kiss
Author: Website|Facebook|Twitter|Goodreads
*MAJOR SPOILERS ALERT*
This review is going to contain spoilers so if you want to read the book and don’t want to be spoiled, steer clear of this review because everything will be talked about.
*
*
I’m serious, I will spoil this book for you so go away and come back after you read the book.
*
*
You have been warned, don’t get mad at if you go ahead and read this review after I told you about all the spoilers.
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.
This is the book that I’ve been most looking forward to reading all year. Ever since I finished Anna and the French Kiss, I had to get my hands on this book. When it finally came in and I held it in my hands, I did my happy dance. I cracked this sucker open in the morning and by the early afternoon, I was finished. I read every single word and was a happy camper.
I can’t say that I loved this book more than I loved Anna but I did enjoy it a whole lot. I absolutely adored Cricket, more than I adored St. Clair (which was shocking because I LOVED St. Clair).
I noticed in this book that I spent a great deal of the book annoyed with Lola. I felt the same way with Anna in her book. I just felt that it took her way too long to break up with Max. She’s got this whole “relationship” thing blossoming with Cricket and yet she’s still with Max. She’s keeping secrets from Max and she wonders why Cricket’s sister was pissed at her? Even after the truth comes out about what really happened those two years ago that made Lola hate Cricket, she stayed with Max. It was obvious by that point that the relationship was over and yet, she stayed with him. I can chalk it up to her being young but I won’t because she should have known better.
Aside from Lola taking forever and three months to break up with Max (and stringing Cricket along the whole time), I really enjoyed the book. I enjoyed seeing Lola’s parents and their hands on approach to parenting (the bad cop, good cop thing made me smile). I really enjoyed getting to know Cricket and I liked Lola’s friends. It was good to see Anna and St. Clair back in action and I think a lot of romance authors should take a page out of Stephanie Perkins book where recurring characters are concerned. In the romance novels that I’ve been reading lately, the recurring characters (who are couples) that come back are so cheesy and corny that it chips away from my love for them. In this book, Anna and St. Clair are in the picture but they don’t steal Cricket and Lola’s thunder and they’re not so cheesy that I wanted to vomit. Perkins does a great job of including them in the story.
Overall, this story was really good and I enjoyed it a lot. I was happy with the way that it ended and for me, Cricket was the best part of this book. He’s everything that young girls should be dreaming about and I just absolutely adored him. I would definitely recommend this book to lovers of the first book, fans of the author and fans of contemporary YA in general. This book is a definite treat.
..and that’s your scoop!
Book cover and blurb credit: http://barnesandnoble.com
You know, I’m in the middle of this book and I’ve been having fun snarkily live tweeting my thoughts on it.
I’m really loved Lola’s Dad, I think they are awesome and I love love love that they are so hands one – specially since Anna and Etienne’s dads were so lame in Anna – I love seeing good parenting in YA.
and I really liked Anna and Etienne in this one, even more than in their book where I was annoyed at them a lot.
Now, i’m thinking that the problem with Lola is that she’s the Etienne in this book – the one that took forever to break from a relationship that wasn’t working – and I’m not liking her for the same reason I didn’t fall head over heels for Etienne: she’s basically stringing a long a person who really likes her and mentally cheating.
Also, I’m feeling that the reason Cricket and Lola broke up was kind of lame but they were young.
LOL sorry for the long comment!
This is HIGH up on my pile.
And despite your warnings, I read the whole review. I pretty much know that the guy’s going to get the girl or vice versa, so you know . . .
Glad to know Cricket’s up there with Etienne. Happy 😀
@Alex: I hate when I’m missing a good time Twitter. I’ll have to go back and read through your live tweets. I so agree about the Lola/Etienne thing. I think I would have liked Lola more if she would have dumped Max long before she finally did. I understood her hesitance before she found out what really happened on Cricket’s birthday but after she found out? Max should have been a goner!
I felt the same way about the whole thing that broke Cricket and Lola up was kind of lame but overall, I enjoyed the book and Cricket was a huge part of why.
@Jolene Perry: I just finished The Next Door Boys the other day and I really enjoyed it. It’s a story that I will definitely be sharing with my daughter. I grew up in the Mormon Church so it was neat to see the Mormon culture (and there is a culture, one that is super sweet) portrayed in fiction. I just finished my review for your book so it’ll be posted first thing on Tuesday (since this week is all booked up) so be on the look out for that.
As for Lola, Cricket was an awesome character. I so wish I could have dated someone like him when I was that age but nerds didn’t make it to my radar back then, pity for me.
I read this one not long ago. The romance was a bit meh. Like you, I didn’t like how Lola handled things. Also, i don’t know, I felt that Max was quite a good guy in the beginning… but Ms Perkins had to turn him into a jerk and that sucked in my opinion. I mean, Lola would have chosen Cricket anyway right, because she can’t forget him… she didn’t have to change Max character. Ah well.
The rest though, I love. Seeing Etienne and Anna again, the two fathers, Lola’s clothes 🙂 And Cricket… Great guy, but the name… What is up with the name?!?
So yeah, I agree with your grade 🙂
@nath: You know what’s interesting is that right from the jump, I didn’t like Max. I think because he was so much older than Lola and he kept seeing her even after he knew it was illegal- it chipped away at my enjoyment of his character.
I KNOW! His name was frickin’ Cricket BELL, the most dumbest name ever but man did I love the kid. I really enjoyed seeing Anne and Etienne and not wanting to choke on how sweet they were on each other. I’m getting real sick of the Fool’s Gold series because everyone is pregnant and in love and smarmy in their love, it’s sick. I’m glad it wasn’t the case in this book. At least, for me.
Um, LOVED this book! I read ANNA twice back to back, then again a few days later so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on LOLA. LOVED it. I think ANNA beats it, but not by much. I think LOLA is perfect for anyone who has ever felt different. Super!