Review: Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Lola and the Boy Next Door

By: Stephanie Perkins

Pub. Date: September 29, 2011

Publisher: Dutton

Pages: 338

Source: Bought

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.

 I think I'm one of the few people that actually liked Anna and the French Kiss more then Lola and the Boy Next Door. Some of my favorite scenes in Lola were the ones where St. Clair and Anna were in! That isn't to say that I didn't LOVE Lola, because I did! It had everything I could want in a YA contemporary!

I loved Lola! I loved her awesome and original style and I loved her confidence! She is someone that every teenage girl should strive to be becasue she doesn't care about what other people think. She works at a movie theatre, has a bad boy rocker boyfriend, has great friends (which included Anna and St. Clair) and has two awesome dads! I loved her dads. They were the perfect blend of father protectiveness and awesomeness. Lola is the kind of girl you would want to be BFFs with! She was just so believable and real.

The boy next door is Cricket Bell and he is great! He's kind, unique and adorable.  He is also extremely intelligent. There really isn't anything bad to say about him. He's perfect!  Him and Lola are so cute together. They are awkward, and silly, and sweet. Their friendship was real, and so were their feelings. I loved them!

I also was really happy with how many scenes Anna and St. Clair were in. I thought we were only going to see them in passing or very briefly, but they actually played a big part in the story. Now, I want to go back and read Anna again!

Stephanie Perkins in my opinion is becoming the Queen of YA contemporary! She can do no wrong and I am looking forward to what she has in store for us next! 

Review: Sweetly by Jackson Pearce

Sweetly

(Fairytale Retellings # 2)

By: Jackson Pearce

Pub. Date: August 23, 2011

Publisher: Little Brown

Pages: 312

Source: Library

SWEETLY is a modernization of Hansel and Gretel and a companion book to SISTERS RED.

Twelve years ago, Gretchen, her twin sister, and her brother went looking for a witch in the forest. They found something. Maybe it was a witch, maybe a monster, they aren’t sure—they were running too fast to tell. Either way, Gretchen’s twin sister was never seen again.

Years later, after being thrown out of their house, Gretchen and Ansel find themselves in Live Oak, South Carolina, a place on the verge of becoming a ghost town. They move in with Sophia Kelly, a young and beautiful chocolatier owner who opens not only her home, but her heart to Gretchen and Ansel.

Yet the witch isn’t gone—it’s here, lurking in the forests of Live Oak, preying on Live Oak girls every year after Sophia Kelly’s infamous chocolate festival. But Gretchen is determined to stop running from witches in the forest, and start fighting back. Alongside Samuel Reynolds, a boy as quick with a gun as he is a sarcastic remark, Gretchen digs deeper into the mystery of not only what the witch is, but how it chooses its victims. Yet the further she investigates, the more she finds herself wondering who the real monster is, and if love can be as deadly as it is beautiful.

Let me start by saying that I loved Sweetly and I enjoyed it a lot more then Sisters Red. I wasn't a huge fan of Sisters Red so I had no plans on reading Sweetly, but I heard some good things about it and decided to give it a shot. I'm glad that I did, because Sweetly went above and beyond my expectations.

Taking aspects of the fairytale, Hansel & Gretel, Sweetly is about a brother and sister (Ansel and Gretchen) whose sister was taken by a witch in the forest when they were young. With no where to go after there stepmother kicks them out, their car breaks down in Live Oak, South Carolina. Ansel finds work at the home of Sophia Kelly, the local chocolate maker. Ansel and Gretchen moves in with Sophia and for the first time, Gretchen feels like she has a home.

Every year, Sophia holds a chocolate festival and for the past couple of years, immediately following the festival, young girls disappear. Eventually, Gretchen realizes that there is a connection between the strange disappearances of the local girls and her sisters disappearance 12 years ago.

While Gretchen is traveling alone, she is attacked my wolves and the local crazy guy, Samuel comes to her rescue. She learns that there are such a thing as werewolves and it is up to her and Samuel to help save the girls during this years chocolate festival.

Sweetly has everything. There was enough buildup to leave me satisfied and enough mystery to keep me intrigued. The characters were well written, but I would have liked to know more about Samuel.  I liked watching the cute connection between Samuel and Gretchen and I even liked Ansel and Sophia together. All four characters were lonely and it was nice that they were there for each other.

There are also wonderful descriptions of chocolate that will leave you running to get yourself some chocolate as soon as possible!

To add to the awesomeness of the story, how amazing is that cover! I love it!!    

In My Mailbox (28)

In My Mailbox (IMM) is a weekly meme created by The Story Siren to share with everyone the books they bought, borrowed, or received for review.

I only received one book this week, but I am super, super excited for it, so I decided to still do an IMM. This week I received Hallowed by Cynthia Hand. I can't wait to read this book since I loved Unearthly so much!

What did you guys get in your mailbox this week? Leave your links in the comments so I can check it out! 

Also, be sure to check out my giveaway going on right now to win a copy of Raven by Nuayma Jeggels!

Follow Friday # 11

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Rachel of Parajunkee and Alison of Alison Can Read! It's a great way to meet new blogger friends!

This weeks question is:

Today's Question is something new, an activity. We want to see what you look like! Take a pic with you and your current read! Too shy? Boo! Just post a fun pic you want to share.

Ok, so before I show you the picture, just know that I took this picture at 10pm. I look like crap, my hair is a mess and I am ready for bed. Also, I chose to pose with Touch by Jus Accardo, because I just finished it and I haven't chosen another book yet. Plus, I loved this book so much!!

Don't judge!!

Review: Pilgrims Don't Wear Pink by Stephanie Kate Strohm

Pilgrims Don't Wear Pink

By: Stephanie Kate Strohm

Pub. Date: May 8, 2012

Publisher: Graphia

Pages: 204

Source: Netgalley

Libby Kelting had always felt herself born out of time. No wonder the historical romance-reading, Jane Austen-adaptation-watching, all-around history nerd jumped at the chance to intern at Camden Harbor, Maine’s Oldest Living History Museum. But at Camden Harbor Libby’s just plain out of place, no matter how cute she looks in a corset. Her cat-loving coworker wants her dead, the too-smart-for-his-own-good local reporter keeps pushing her buttons, her gorgeous sailor may be more shipwreck than dreamboat — plus Camden Harbor’s haunted. Over the course of one unforgettable summer, Libby learns that boys, like ghosts, aren’t always what they seem.

 Pilgrim's Don't Wear Pink is a fun, hilarious, and sweet story! I have only AMAZING things to say about it and I think everyone should give this story a shot! There were so many times that I found myself laughing hysterically at some of the things that were being said.

Libby was a great character! She loves history so much (a girl of my own heart!) that she was willing to spend her entire summer working at a live history museum wearing corsets and dresses and turning butter. The whole nine yards of colonial life! Her job is too teach young girls how to cook like they did in colonial times. It definitely wasn't as exciting as she thought it was going to be, but she made it work! The only thing she couldn't handle was being out in public without any make-up!

The book also had enough romance to keep a girl intrigued! From the hot boy of her dreams to the geeky reporter investigating a ghost haunting (Yep, the book had ghosts too!), Libby had her work cut out for her.

I loved the secondary characters. Her best friend, Dev, was the best gay friend a teenage girl could want and Garret was so cute with his little nerdy ways. I even loved the bitchy girl who tried to make Libby's life hell. She was hilarious!

Overall, I could not have asked for a better story. It was so much fun to read and I loved every minute of it.  

Waiting on Wednesday (16)

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly waiting for.

Clockwork Prince

(The Infernal Devices # 2)

By: Cassandra Clare

Pub. Date: December 6, 2011

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Pages: 497 

In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa's powers for his own dark ends.
 
With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister's war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move and that one of their own has betrayed them.
 Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, though her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will; the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?

As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart.

Clockwork Prince has been my most anticipated book this year. I was devastated when the publishers pushed back the release date from August to December. I would do anything for a copy of this book early. I even pleaded with other bloggers on twitter asking to borrow the book for a week, but to no prevail.  December 6th, can not come soon enough!

What are you waiting for this Wednesday? Leave your link in the comments so I can check it out!

Review: Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard

Wanderlove

By: Kirsten Hubbard

Pub. Date: March 13, 2012

Publisher: Random House Children's Publishing

Pages: 352

Source: Netgalley

It all begins with a stupid question:

Are you a Global Vagabond?

No, but 18-year-old Bria Sandoval wants to be. In a quest for independence, her neglected art, and no-strings-attached hookups, she signs up for a guided tour of Central America—the wrong one. Middle-aged tourists with fanny packs are hardly the key to self-rediscovery. When Bria meets Rowan, devoted backpacker and dive instructor, and his outspokenly humanitarian sister Starling, she seizes the chance to ditch her group and join them off the beaten path.

Bria's a good girl trying to go bad. Rowan's a bad boy trying to stay good. As they travel across a panorama of Mayan villages, remote Belizean islands, and hostels plagued with jungle beasties, they discover what they've got in common: both seek to leave behind the old versions of themselves. And the secret to escaping the past, Rowan’s found, is to keep moving forward.

But Bria comes to realize she can't run forever, no matter what Rowan says. If she ever wants the courage to fall for someone worthwhile, she has to start looking back.

Kirsten Hubbard lends her artistry into this ultimate backpacker novel, weaving her drawings into the text. Her career as a travel writer and her experiences as a real-life vagabond backpacking Central America are deeply seeded in this inspiring story.

There are so many things that I loved about this book. The cover is so simple and basic and I loved the setting, which is Central and South America.

Bria, despite everyone telling her not to go, decides to find herself by traveling through Central America. The only problem is that she signs up for the middle age guided tour. When she meets Starling and her brother, Rowan, she knows that this is going to be her REAL opportunity to travel. After the first night, Starling has to leave so it's only Rowan and Bria and both are trying to deal with their pasts. The two of them have a hilarious connection! Rowan definitely doesn't take himself too seriously, but he is also one of those "wise beyond his years" kind of guys.

I loved the illustrations throughout the story. They were so simple and perfect. The author is also a very talented artist!

I would have liked to see more character development though. I felt Bria was just a complainer. All she did was talk about her loser high school boyfriend and why she gave up art for him (which is the most stupidest reason EVER!). Rowan on the other hand was so fantastically complicated, but by the end I still felt that I didn't know him like I should. 

Wanderlove was very refreshing because it dealt with real life issues. There were issues that anybody could face and it was easy to relate too.

Overall, I really enjoyed Wanderlove and I would definitely recommend it!