Reviews: Anna and the French Kiss + Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

This is a bit late, I know. Scratch that, these books were published and released in 2010/2011 so this is really late. But I re-read and am reviewing Anna and the French Kiss and Lola and the Boy Next Door because 1) there are people out there who haven't read them yet (I hope I can convince said people); 2) Isla and the Happily Ever After, the 3rd book, is coming out this August; and 3) Stephanie Perkins (a.k.a. my imaginary bestfriend) is coming to the Philippines this July!!!

[caption id="attachment_380" align="aligncenter" width="553"] Anna and the French Kiss & Lola and the Boy Next Door, Published by Dutton[/caption]

I will do my very best not to spoil the ones who haven't read the books yet. But please forgive me if I gush too much; I just really, really love these books.

Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris--until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Étienne has it all...including a serious girlfriend.

But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss? [Source]

If you've read my spotlight on Etienne St. Clair, then you already know that I absolutely love Anna and the French Kiss. And for so many reasons. Anna and Étienne are really good friends. When Anna was struggling with the French language, Étienne taught her. She was so bad at French that I think I'd be like her when I set foot on France. But Anna was lucky to have Étienne as her tour guide. And when both of them go through other problems back home, they listened to each other like real friends do. It's not one of those stories where boy meets girl and they fall in love in an instant. Anna and Étienne love talking so they really know each other. That's one of the many things I liked about this novel -- it has generous helpings of friendship lessons not only between Anna and Étienne but also from Bridge, Meredith, Josh and Rashmi.

Of course, Anna and Étienne weren't perfect. They both had faults, and they were both afraid of being alone. But they were also teenagers, so there.

Another thing I love about this book is, well, its location. I've always thought Paris is overrated... until I read Anna, and I transformed into a Paris addict. I bought several items (bag, watch, post-its, stickers, notebooks, etc.) with Paris landmarks in it. I researched for blogs on how to plan for a Paris trip, I started saving up for it. I have yet to visit, but Anna really changed things for me.

But probably the best thing about this book is the realization that home is not just a place. It can be a person. And although I hate infidelity (who doesn't?), I liked Anna and Étienne too much that I was rooting for them through and through.

Now, on to Lola...

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. [Source]

The best thing about this book is the presence of my two favorite people, Anna and Étienne. In fact, their presence was vital because having gone through the previous year's trials, they were wise enough to dole out love advice to Lola. I especially like it when Étienne said "When it's right, it's simple." And I think that's true. Things are not always easy, but who said love is supposed to be easy? But you have to do the hard thing, the right thing.

I have my biases towards Anna and the French Kiss, despite the fact that I read Lola first (and then I re-read the two starting with Anna). Even Stephanie Perkins says that Anna is a tried-and-tested formula, which is why people like it. But even though I liked Anna more, Lola is also great because it gave me the same beautiful love story but from a different perspective. Lola and Étienne, they faced the same problems. And I couldn't help but like Cricket who is very kind. I know some girls are attracted to the bad boy type, but I like the opposite -- nice, funny, sometimes underdog-type of guys. They're so much easier to love.

Stephanie Perkins has done a great job on both books. She gave each character a solid personality. She described them too well, that I sometimes feel like I know them IRL.

I'm ecstatic to see Stephanie this Sunday at her book signing! A few days ago, I freaked out and went total fangirl mode when I saw that she answered my question at her Goodreads Q & A. And I know that she answered everyone but still. Hahaha, told you. FANGIRL MODE. :D

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="353"] Fangirl moment!!![/caption]

I'm looking forward to reading Isla (which has a preview here). And if you're coming to the book signing this weekend, please approach me. I'd like to meet new bookworm friends. I'll probably be in a Paris shirt and carrying a Paris tote bag. You can tweet me and I'll look for you. Hee hee.

[caption id="attachment_383" align="aligncenter" width="138"] Loved it to bits and pieces![/caption]

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