Anna and the French Kiss
Lola and the Boy Next Door
by Stephanie Perkins
I'm doing something a little different with these two books by reviewing them at the same time, mostly because I didn't have time to write an actual review of Anna and the French Kiss before finishing Lola and the Boy Next Door. They're companion novels and written by the same author. Anna comes first, but it's not necessary to read them in order. The summaries for each of these can be found here and here.
Another first for me is that I actually have two different ratings for each of these books. They differ because one is my own personal enjoyment of the book and the other is based on a more professional level. Sound confusing? I'll try to explain. As a librarian, I would recommend these two books to any older teens looking for a fun romance story. They were well written and full of awesome characters, and they did a great job at talking about the confusion that comes with love at that age. They also did a good job at addressing issues like alcohol, drugs, and sex, but because those do make an appearance in both books, these books are definitely for the older age group of teenagers. Overall, both these books got a 4/5 rating on a professional scale.
Personally, however, I did knock both of them down a full point. I would have loved both of these books ten years ago! They are perfect for teenagers - they address love, and finding yourself, and the confusion that comes with both. For someone in her late 20's, however, not so much. It was hard for me to relate on a personal level.
But like I mentioned before, it's only based on a personal bias that these books didn't score higher on my rating scale. They're a lot of fun to read, and they're filled with quirky, lovable characters, and the best part is that Anna, Lola, and the boys they love feel like real people with their flaws and imperfections.
Overall Rating: 3/5 (for both books)
Personally, however, I did knock both of them down a full point. I would have loved both of these books ten years ago! They are perfect for teenagers - they address love, and finding yourself, and the confusion that comes with both. For someone in her late 20's, however, not so much. It was hard for me to relate on a personal level.
But like I mentioned before, it's only based on a personal bias that these books didn't score higher on my rating scale. They're a lot of fun to read, and they're filled with quirky, lovable characters, and the best part is that Anna, Lola, and the boys they love feel like real people with their flaws and imperfections.
Overall Rating: 3/5 (for both books)
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