Waiting On Wednesday (22)

RWaiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine, in which we highlight an upcoming book release we're eagerly awaiting.

This week I'm waiting on Lola And The Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins, because her first book, the companion to this one, Anna And The French Kiss, was amazing. 

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.

[Synopsis by Goodreads]

Lola And The Boy Next Door will be released on the 29th of September.

Feel free to leave a link to your own Waiting On Wednesday post in the comments, and I'll be sure to have a look.

Review of Anna And The French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

I decided to read Anna And The French Kiss after reading this tweet, because after that review, who WOULDN'T?





Anna's been sent away to a Parisian boarding school for Americans by her father, and she's not happy about it. She's left behind her mother, little brother, best friend, and almost-boyfriend.

Scared to be in a foreign country, she's relieved to have her neighbour, Meredith, take her under her wing. Through Meredith, Anna meets Etienne St. Clair, perfect in all aspects except one: his girlfriend. But what does that matter if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home?

The characters in this book, and their relationships, were amazing and felt real. Anna's funny, smart, nervous about living in a country of which she doesn't speak the language, and slightly OCD. She feels like your average, relatable teen. The supporting characters all have unique personalities and stand out from each other.

The romance in this book is amazing. It's clear from the start that Anna and Etienne have a lot of chemistry. I've already said how great a character Anna is, but Etienne is, if not as good, better. He's attractive, funny, sweet, yet still has the flaws that make him feel less like a cliche chick-lit love interest and more like a real person.

The writing style is beautiful and the first person perspective leaves you really feeling for Anna. The plot was good, and the characters had to work for their happy endings. Things didn't just fall into place, and characters weren't just instantly forgiven.

Anna And The French Kiss feels like a mix between Sarah Dessen's and Maureen Johnson's novels. It's probably one of my favorite chick-lit novels ever. I can't pick a single fault in it. I rate it 5 out 5, and look forward to its two companion novels: Lola And The Boy Next Door and Isla And The Happily Ever After.