Mundie Moms

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

#ReadIsla Week 4- A Look at Lola And The Boy Next Door




Welcome to week #4 in our #ReadIsla campaign! Today we're featuring the second Stephanie Perkins book we totally fell in love with, Lola and the Boy Next Door. This was a book both Sophie & I featured on our 2011 Mundie Moms all time favorite reads (here). 


First Stephanie Perkins gave us St. Clair and Anna to fall in love with, and next she gave us Lola & Cricket. Like St. Clair and Anna, Cricket & Lola's love story is an epic, modern day love story that made us laugh, cry, sigh, and feel every emotion the characters did. Stephanie Perkins's writing is just as flawless as ever in in this book, and she made it easy to love her newest characters. 

Lola and Cricket have so much realism to them, as do the other characters whom are a big part of their story. Who doesn't love Lola's dads!?! Character wise, Stephanie Perkins makes it so easy to understand them, and to become emotionally invested into their story. Stephanie has a way of creating characters whom you wish were real so you could hang out with them, outside of the pages of a book.  This is another fabulous Stephanie Perkins book I couldn't get enough of. Check out my original review for it here.



Let's talk about the two covers for Lola. Like with Anna & the French Kiss, I was a huge fan of the original cover. Normally I'm not one who loves it when publishers decide to re-design a book's cover, especially when it's one I love, but Penguin has done a fabulous job with the cover redesigns for Stephanie's books. I feel the newly designed cover is just as fitting as the original one. 

About the Book

In this companion novel to Anna and the French Kiss, two teens discover that true love may be closer than they think.

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. -quoted from Stephanie's site



Back in 2011, I had the chance to briefly talk to Stephanie about Lola and Crickett. Here's part of my interview with her, which was taken from here.


Lola is such a fun character to get to know. What's one thing you admire the most about her?
Thank you very, very much. I admire Lola’s sense of self, even if it is temporarily shaken. It took me a lot longer than high school to be comfortable in my own skin.

We love Lola's fashion sense. What is one of your favorite vintage pieces that Lola owns?

A vulture hat.

NO WAIT. That was in that other book I wrote.
A vulture hat.NO WAIT. That was in that other book I wrote.

Lola's fathers are fabulous!! We absolutely loved them. Were they inspired by someone you know, or a combination of people?
They’re inspired by my own straight parents more than anyone. I didn’t want them to be a THING, you know? I just wanted them to be good fathers, and my parents are great role models.

Cricket...*sigh* He totally won our hearts. What inspired you to write Cricket and Lola's story?
Thank you. I’m quite fond of him myself! I bought the idea for their story on the black market. I think it came from Russia, but its serial number had been scratched off.

We LOVED your setting for Lola. What's one of your favorite places to visit in SF?
I loathe the tourist trappings of Fisherman’s Wharf, but the grumbly sea lions that hang out there are magnificent.

__________________________



Need a quick refresher for Lola? You're in luck! You can read the Lola & The Boy Next Door digital chapter sampler


Join the Isla and the Happily Ever After pre-order Campaign! 

  • Purchase your copy of ISLA AND THE HAPPILY EVER AFTER from one of the 55 independent bookstores and you could get a signed first edition + swag and tell everyone you know to do the same!
  • While you're waiting for the book's release to get here (August 14), 2014 release, read the ISLA AND THE HAPPILY EVER AFTER sampler.
Stay tuned for more exciting news next week here on Mundie Moms about #ReadIsla!

Run To You (part 5): Fifth Touch by Clara Kensie, Book Review



By: Clara Kensie
Published by: Harlequin Teen
Released on: July 14th, 2014
Series: Run To You #5
Rating: 4 stars- I Enjoyed It
Add it to Goodreads
Read my reviews for Part 1Part 2, Part 3 & Part 4

Part Five in the riveting romantic thriller about a family on the run from a deadly past and a first love that will transcend secrets, lies and danger…

Tessa’s nightmares feel all too real, and the hope of getting her family back together has never seemed so slim. Although a psychic warns her that leaving town may mean her death, Tessa cannot stay when she uncovers a new lead to her brother and sister. Not even if she must go alone and risk losing Tristan forever.

RUN TO YOU is Tessa and Tristan's saga—two books about psychic gifts, secret lives and dangerous loves. Each book is told in three parts: a total of six shattering reads that will stay with you long after the last page. Book One is First Sight, Second Glance, and Third Charm. Book Two is Fourth Shadow, Fifth Touch, and Sixth Sense.

A thrilling storyline, part 5 of Clara Kenise's 6 part Run To You Series, is full of lies, love, danger and the fear of the unknown. The closer Tessa gets to finding her siblings, the quicker they seem to disappear. With danger at every turn, and love on the line, Tessa needs to find her siblings before something disastrous happens to her and those she loves. Fifth Touch is Kensie's most emotionally charged part of the series yet. 

Just when I think Tessa can't take much more, she shows me just how incredibly strong, and resilient she is. She will stop at nothing to protest and save her brother and sister and those she loves. I admire her for that, and completely understand her urge to protect them and find them. I like the fact that she doesn't just run out into harms way, but instead she weighs her options. She has a lot to think about, and it's not just her siblings she needs to protect, but Tristan, his family and herself. Tristan and his family will go after Tessa to keep her safe, if (when) she leaves to find and protect her siblings. With the danger being high, Tessa's forced to stay behind, because of Tristan's mom's dream of what's to come to Tessa if she leaves and goes in search of her siblings. 

Like Tessa and her wanting to go find her siblings, Tristan and his family want to do everything they can to keep Tessa safe. There are some things they can't control, but even within their grabs, Tessa gets hurt, and has terrifying nightmares she can't control. Not to mention that someone or something is messing with her as well as Tristan's ability to protect her. Tristan for his part wants to protect his girlfriend, which I totally get. When you love someone you'll do whatever it takes to protect them, which is one of the over all themes I love about this series. Tristan kinda of irritated me in this installment. I wanted him to try and understand Tessa's point of view and why she risks everything for her siblings. I know, I get that he'll risk everything for her for the same reasons why she'll risk everything for her siblings. I just wanted him to stop being so worried about the fact that he had to be the one to find her siblings, and be her savior, vs helping her find them, and have faith in her ability to them.

Speaking of Tess and Tristan, in the fourth part of this story we see Tessa start to look at her relationship with Tristan from an outside of point of view, and I totally got why she did not (no spoilers). In this fifth installment, I'm now worried about how much strain their relationship can take. With more danger, surprising twists, and an element of the unknown, there's a lot of things Tristan and Tessa's relationship has handled. With that wicked cliff hanger, I'm not sure where they stand, or what will happen next. *bites nails*

This was another exciting part of an action packed, emotionally charged, addicting series that always leaves me wanting more. 



Whether you're just starting to read this series, or you've been faithfully reading each new released installment, be sure to join the RUN TO YOU read along, which kicked off yesterday! Trust me, you don't want to miss this! 

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