I'm more of a cup of coffee kind of a girl

I wanted to love this book, I really did. I am an avid watcher of the vlogbrothers and I had reasonably high expectations for Paper Towns since I’d enjoyed The Fault in Our Stars however I found it hard to like this book, let alone love it.  

There were parts of the book I did like and I have to admit the first few chapters had me hooked. The first chapter is intriguing and makes you believe that the rest of the book will continue the same way but I couldn’t have been more wrong. The pace and the intrigue continues for a few more chapters and then fizzles out until the last fifty pages or so where it picks up again, however the ending is not enough to make up for the slow moving 200 pages before it.

As the Paper Towns novel is under the Mystery category of YA I was expecting a lot of unanswered questions, many clues and a few dead ends along the way. Except there wasn’t just a few dead ends, there was like 200 pages of the characters finding dead ends. The clues that were discovered were not that realistic either, yes they all lead to Margo in the end but the chance that they would have discovered all of them and connected all of the different things together the way they did in that amount of time was next to impossible.

Although the fundamental flaw of this book for me was that Margo Roth Spiegleman, the missing mystery, was unlikeable. I have heard from many other people who have read Paper Towns that they also agree; it is hard to understand and enjoy the search for Margo when you do not empathize with or care about her. 

However I do think that the book was well written. Green managed to capture the voices of the main characters well and made them likeable, although still not completely believable, which I think is one of the main reasons why I was actually able to finish this book. In the end I gave this book 3 stars and I must say it was difficult to find reasons to give it such a rating. The concept behind the story was good and the writing was decent but the story itself wasn’t well executed. I lost interest in the search for Margo very quickly and found that I had to force myself into finishing it which is never a good sign for a book. 

This book was so cute! Such a quick read that, once I got into it, I couldn't put it down. The adorable love story helped me pass some awfully long bus journey’s to and from college this week in the best possible way. I found myself joining in with the fourteen onlookers that detail Gabe and Lea’s romance, turning page after page, routing for them to finally admit their feelings to each other. 

A Little Something Different is told by fourteen different perspectives who all catch a glimpse of the lives of Gabe and Lea, a boy and girl who clearly have a crush on each other but are too frightened to admit. From their best friends to the resident squirrel in the park, they are all watching and hoping that they end up together.

We all know people who we automatically know should be together, whether they are life long friends who you have shipped for years or just strangers you watch from a park bench we all have seen what Sandy Hall captures so well in her writing. Love that is so obvious to everyone except the two that actually are in it.

The characters were so relatable and I think that always makes a story; if you can relate with the people you are reading about then it makes the writing believable. It is like you can understand them, you know where they are coming from and why they think the way they do. 

I loved how Hall managed to create a different voice for each character, the separate speakers didn't blend into an ongoing perspective which was incredibly important in order to make the unique concept of the different perspectives effective. 

I enjoyed most of the twists and turns of this book, the only part I wasn't really fond of was the drunken conflict towards the end of the book and Lea’s reaction to Gabe’s confession . Other that I can’t find any faults to the novel. 

Oh and the cover is beautiful, if that doesn't draw you in and make you pick it up and check out the blurb I don’t know what will.

Overall I give this novel a 4.5 stars out of 5, a lovely story that I would read again but I probably won’t rush back to, although I think it will be the perfect book to pick up if I hit another reading slump.

For those of you who haven’t read A Little Something Different yet, I definitely recommend it. If you are up for a heart warming, quick read then this is one to add to your Good reads to-read shelf. 

However if you have read this book then I recommend Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins for another irresistible romance that you won’t be able to put down, you can see my book review for this novel here.

Accessories ~ Pastel Blue Hand Bag ~ Great for summer days out this little bag goes with almost everything and has become a lovely addition to my wardrobe. Find it at New Look.

Fragrance ~ Salona Beach Hollister ~ Sweet and Fruit, this body mist makes me think of cocktails on the beach.

Shoes ~ Blue Ballet Flats (New Look) ~ If Cinderella had worn flats, she would have worn these! 

Nails~ Blue Beauty UK ~ To match the apparent colour scheme this month the blue Beauty UK nail varnish has been on my nails a lot this month. I have liked the Beauty UK brand for a while, their nail polish is really durable ( especially for someone who is really arts and crafty like me) and paints on really nicely.

Book~ We were Liars ~ I wasn’t expecting to like this book as much as I did but the ending caught me completely off guard, I was expecting the book to fizzle out without a bang but I was so wrong. The twist changed my whole look on the book and I really recommend reading it. Just don’t let anyone spoil it before you do.

TV shows~ When Calls the Heart and Reign ~ Period dramas are my guilty pleasure and I know these two will be on the list of my all time favourites. I have been loving Reign since it returned in October but the last few episodes had me fluctuating from balling my eyes out to bouncing up and down in excitement. And then there is When Calls the Heart, I mean it wasn’t like I watch the entire first season within 24 hours or anything. It was just so good. 

Movie~ Monster’s University ~ I can’t believe I waited this long to watch this film! If you haven’t seen it yet go and watch it now, go and watch it. I found myself glued to the screen like a little child, laughing and loving every moment of it.

Youtuber ~ Ingrid Nilsen and Michelle Phan ~ Their videos are crazily beautiful and have really inspired me this month.

Music ~ Shawn Mendes and Walking on Cars ~ I am proud to say I discovered Shawn’s music before he started becoming incredibly popular and I have a feeling Walking on Cars are soon to become well known some time in the near future. 

Number 10 ~ About time

A beautiful film about a man who has a gift of turning back time and in his case love might just be a do-over away.

Number 9~ Austenland

True love is not always so easily found; even in Austenland. However what Miss Erstwild doesn't realise is that there is a man that has honest intentions with her heart yet she does not see him for who is, only the Darcy facade.

Number 8 ~The Holiday

A wonderful Winter film about two ladies who travel thousands of miles to try and escape love, only to find it come knocking at their door.

Number 7~ He’s just not that into you

Navigating the dating world is not always as straight forward as it seems. If only men and women could read each others signals, love would be so much simpler.

Number 6~ The Other Woman

True girl power at it's finest.

Number 5~ The Best of me

Proof that true love will always find a way to bring two people back together, even if the happily ever after isn't what they planned.

Number 4~Pretty Woman

If a prostitute and a businessman doesn't sound like a winning combination for love, think again.

Number 3~ Bridget Jones Diary

Relatable and hilarious, Elizabeth Bennet is reincarnated in a way you would never have predicted as Bridget Jones gets caught between the noble Mark Darcy and the charming Daniel Cleaver

Number 2~ Love Actually

The best Christmas Rom-com there is but no matter what time of year it is love is always all around us.

Number 1~ Letter's to Juliet

One of my greatest loves in life is writing and I wish I could do it more often. I started this novel three and a half years ago and I am currently working through my first full edit. This book has been a long time coming but I hope to have it completed by the end of the year and I can't wait for people to read it.

Today has been the first time in weeks that I have finally pushed past my procrastination and actually sat down to edit and I managed to make my way through the 9th Chapter. It may seem an easy task to read over what is already written and tweak it but I wrote this part of the book at least two years ago and although thankfully my writing has improved a lot since then it still means I have to wade through the words I wrote when I was fourteen and that can be hard going.

The story is based on J.M Barrie's Peter Pan, it is set eight years after Wendy, John and Michael first visit Neverland and is about Wendy's adventures and discoveries when she is taken back there by a familiar visitor. For now I do not know what I am calling the individual books, as there is going to be three, but the trilogy is going to be called The Return of Wendy.

Here is the blurb for the novel :

The sea of Neverland was calm that evening; or so they thought.  The Night Creature had fled to the sky’s, causing ripples in the space between the stars that hung over London.

Wendy slept soundlessly below the changing sky, she had long stopped dreaming of her childhood adventures with Peter Pan and the Lost Boys. Eight years had passed and not once had they showed any sign of returning.

Until that night.

Snatched from her home by a familiar enemy, she was returned to the land that showed no mercy towards children who had decided to grow up.

They didn't belong there but yet they couldn't escape.

Wendy would do anything in her power to return to London where her dying Father awaits her but along the way she might just find she is running away from something that she has waited for all her life, whilst running towards a power which could destroy her.

Review

Book Title~ Lola and the Boy Next Door

Author ~ Stephanie Perkins

Genre ~ YA Contemporary Romance

Rating ~ 4.5 stars

Funny- Yes

Romance - Yes

Sad - Hardly

Relatable - Yes

Amount of times of reading - 1

Will I read again? - Yes

Lola's has to face a lot throughout the book; rejection, family issues and finding her own identity so if you think that these novels are just simple love stories, think again.

Lola, Lola, Lola. What can I say about Lola and the Boy next door?

I loved the creativity of Lola's character, I myself am interested in costume and design and this quirk of hers made me like and understand Lola a lot more.

Even though I found it quite clear from the start where the story was heading it didn't stop me from racing through the pages in about five days and coming to the end with tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat.

As the companion novel to Anna and the French Kiss, Stephanie Perkins succeeded yet again to make me fall in love with her writing, I can't say that I loved Cricket more than Etienne but he was definitely more likeable than I expected. The sweet awkwardness that came through whenever he was around Lola just made the reader want to love him. Everything he did was for Lola, all the small little gestures and the gifts are not to be taken lightly, they are treasures which he carefully plan so they can be perfect enough for him to show them to her. What he doesn't know is that his love for her is all she had ever wanted.

*Spoilers *

Lola Nolan, a seventeen year old girl who doesn't know who she is, like most girls her age. All she knows about her identity is she loves dressing up in costumes and she never wants to wear the same thing twice.

Her rock star boyfriend who is many years older than her is not approved by her parents, Andrew and Nathan, and is constantly called to Sunday Brunch so they can continuously interrogate him and show their disapproval.

All is going well  until one Sunday Morning when the Bells decide to come back to town after two years and move back into their old house, next door to Lola. And that is when everything starts to become complicate.

It seems Lola has rather a messy history with two members of the Bell family, Calliope and Cricket, or the Bell twins which is what they are often referred to, that are almost a year older than her. Calliope was once Lola's best friend until it all went horribly wrong but Cricket, he could have been a lot more than a friend but Calliope's jealousy and fear of losing her brother put a stop to that before it could have even begun.

When Cricket and Lola are reunited it is everything but easy going, it isn't long before Cricket admits how he feels about her but with the pain of his departure still lingering and the fact that she already has a very cool boyfriend who she can't believe likes her, she has no choice to reject him but little does she know that he doesn't give up that easily.

The fact that Cricket confesses his feelings so early on puts Lola in a difficult position and it takes the entire novel for her to find her way out of it, facing many setbacks on the way. However that just makes the end of the book much more cherishable because you see how much they have both gone through and yet they still love each other.

The only part I didn't enjoy as much is the period between when she breaks up with Max and when she finally begins to find herself again. I know this part of the book is meant to show her sorting out her feelings but I don't think it needed to be as long as it is clear that in the end she is going to end up with Cricket. However this was probably was done to time it right with the dance and the fact that that would be the night where they finally let everything else go and allowed themselves to be together.

Just like Anna and the french Kiss, Perkins explores the difficulties within families. The fact that Lola has two father's is a bold statement which is only brushed on lightly. My favourite part on this subject was when Lola speaks of the fact that people assume there is always one more masculine partner and one more feminine in a gay relationship. It sheds light on this assumption in a way i have never thought of before and I really liked this refreshing opinion on such a matter.

Overall, even though Anna will always have a special place in my heart I think Lola will also have a lasting impression on me too.

If Anna didn't have such an impact on you then you should try Lola just for the sake of it and you might just find that it is more your cup of tea.