Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


What can I say? Stephanie Perkins creates contemporary magic. LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR was witty, and quite simply, irresistible. I couldn't put it down.



Perkins hooked me with the mystery on why the main character, Lola, had such built up anger at Cricket, the boy next door. Now I will say the name Cricket threw me off. It didn't exactly scream hot guy. BUT it fit the love interests character. Cricket was quirky, just like his name.



The narrative Perkins created with Lola felt authentic. I totally believed she was that rebellious chick from my high school who didn't give a damn about what people thought about her clothes. She was only concerned about pleasing her inner artist. So it was awesome to tap into a character like that. Lola was totally kick ass, and I loved her.



Lola's older boyfriend, Max was definitely a hot character. And let's face it, there's something alluring about older guys to teenage girls. Rebellion comes to mind. I loved reading about them. The last YA novels that come to mind with an older love interest was Vampire Academy and Going To Far. So it was great to read that same twist here. Added some spice. Plus he was a rocker. Who doesn't like reading about HOT rocker dudes?



Another thing I liked about this novel was the cameo appearance by Anna and St. Clair from ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS. I freakin' loved that book and was so happy to read a little more about them.



So if you are a YA contemporary fan, add this one to your list!



View all my reviews

Catching Jordan by Miranda Keneally

Title: Catching Jordan
Author: Miranda Keneally
Source: NetGalley
Published: December 1st 2011 by Sourcebooks Fire

Plot:

What girl doesn't want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn't just surrounded by hot guys, though-she leads them as the captain and quarterback of her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys, and that's just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university. But now there's a new guy in town who threatens her starting position... suddenly she's hoping he'll see her as more than just a teammate.

My Thoughts:
All I can say is wow. I absolutely adored this book, the cast of characters was well-rounded and not what I was expecting AT ALL. A girl who is not only the leading quarterback, but captain of her team, respected and loved by the team mates? Never would've thought it could be pulled off and with such talent. It was believable, partly because she wasn't just some girl who happened to be able to play football, she was from a football family with a pro father and brother on the way to the pros. The family complications were real, along with her flaws and insecurities. It had a great plot that didn't depend on a mean girl or guy to bring conflict to the main character, which is refreshing. Great voice, hooked me from the beginning and I ignored everything else in my life until I finished it. In the middle of the day! And the romance was hot, believable and so messy, just like real life. Add in a swoon-worthy cover and I give it five stars!

Sometimes It Happens by Lauren Barnholdt

Sometimes It Happens

by Lauren Barnholdt

Hardcover, 320 pages

Published July 12th 2011 by Simon Pulse 

Source: Galley Grab

 

 

Plot:

On the last day of her junior year, Hannah's boyfriend Sebastian dumped her. Facing a summer of loneliness, Hannah turns to her best friend Ava for comfort. Ava does what BFFs do: she stays by Hannah's side...until it's time for Ava to head up to Maine for the summer. Also left behind is Ava's boyfriend, Noah, who's such a great guy he gets Hannah a job at the diner he waits tables at. Slowly, Hannah comes out of her funk thanks to Noah's good conversation and their fun times at the diner. But things get complicated when their friendship turns into attraction--and one night, into a passionate kiss.

The novel opens on the first day of senior year; the day Hannah is going to see Ava, Sebastian, and Noah all in one place. Over the course of the day secrets and betrayals are revealed, and alliances are broken and reformed. In the end, everyone is paired up once again, but not the way you might think...

My Thoughts:

There's nothing like a good contemporary in the summer. They can totally lift your mood because they are fun and the plots aren't super complicated, kind of like a romantic comedy. Ms. Barnholdt wrote TWO WAY STREET, another contemp novel that I feel in love with, so I was excited to review this novel.

 

The main character (MC) of Sometimes It Happens had such a great voice, as well as all of the secondary characters. If you've read any of my reviews before, you know the voice of the novels make or break a book for me. In young adult fiction, the teen voice has to ring true. If the MC sounds like an experienced adult or uses phrases that no teen would say I totally get turned off. YA is all about making mistakes and learning from them while you are coming of age and the voice needs to represent that.

 

I'm glad to say Hannah, our MC, pulled me in immediately. I loved how the novel switched from present time to past (over the summer) so we could watch things unfold. I understood why she liked Noah by reading the past parts of the story and then understood how guilty she felt by reading the present part of the story.  

I would recommend this novel to any YA contemp fan. Readers who enjoyed novels like The Duff, Twenty Boy Summer, The Sky is Everywhere, Something Like Fate, Sarah Dessen novels, Anna and the French Kiss and Rachel Hawthorne novels will fall in love with this story.

 

Dream Smashers by Angela Carlie -- Review

Title: Dream Smashers
Author: Angela Carlie
Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 242 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace (March 30, 2011)

http://www.angelacarlie.com/
http://www.angelacarlie.blogspot.com/
http://www.darksidepublishing.com/

Available at Amazon.

Sixteen-year-old Autumn is a human heartache. Everywhere she turns people are stomping on her hopes and dreams. Her mom’s a tweaker. She’s lived with her chain-smoking grandmother for as long as she can remember. Even her best friend has issues. Autumn seems to be the only responsible person she knows and she’s sick of putting up with it all.

When she meets Evan, a hot guy without a worry in the world, she can only wonder if he’s for real or just another Dream Smasher.

A girl who no longer wants to care and a boy who cares enough for the both of them. Dream Smashers is a love story, but most of all, it’s about letting go.

I'll admit, I haven't read many Indie books.  The ones I have read were written by friends, like fellow reviewer, Stephanie Jenkins.  So, when Annie asked if I'd like to review Dream Smashers, I figured it would be a great way to jump into the Indie waters so-to-speak. 

The jacket copy sounded right up my alley, and I dove right in.  The first thing I noticed was how good of a writer Angela Carlie is.  At times her similes and metaphors are reaching and overwrought, but her descriptions create a world we can walk through with the main character, Autumn, who is well fleshed out and three dimensional.  Autumn's best friend, Rainy, is her total opposite and a riot to read.  Most of the secondary characters were all written well, and I hated Autumn's meth addicted mother, Jacinda, like I think I was supposed to, but that's tricky because... 

Dream Smashers is written in multiple points of view.  While the bulk of the book is written from Autumn's first person perspective, the reader does get to spend some third-person time inside Jacinda's head and Evan, the eventual love interest, as well.  Jacinda's chapters made me feel like I'm supposed to understand what she was going through and feel sorry for her.  But, I didn't want to feel sorry for her, because this was Autumn's story, not Jacinda's.  I'm not 100% convinced that the manuscript needed the point of view shifts, and that's where I'm conflicted.

Other than the point of view shifts, my conflict also came in the form of Evan, who is an absolute knight in shining armor.  Because he had no flaws, he was a flat character.  But, he was also something we never (or very rarely) see in mainstream young adult fiction: a "Jesus Freak" (as he's referred to in the book). 

At first, this was a little bit off-putting, even thought I'm a Christian myself.  But, I was put at ease because Autumn felt the same way I did.  It felt a little awkward to Autumn, being around a guy that was as faithful as Evan.  So, her reaction was real for her as someone who isn't a huge believer, which she wasn't at first. 

I caught myself thinking at night about this aspect of Dream Smashers that is so different, and I found myself liking that Evan was a "Jesus Freak" (again, that term is used in the book), because that's who Evan is, and he owns it.  It turns out that Evan is just what Autumn needs and shows her how to have faith and believe, which had always been something that was missing from her messed up childhood with a drug-addicted mom.

The book ends on a high note with Autumn growing into her own person and realizing she owns her dreams for the future, and they'll only be smashed if she lets them.

Overall, a distinct voice and different spin on what could've become a typical YA issue book, making Dream Smashers stand out from other gritty contemporary novels.