Loving Lola (and other books)!

Is it just me or was this one heck of a release week? So many amazing YA books came out, including one of my absolute favourites.

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins.

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.

You might remember that I fell madly in love with Steph's first book, Anna and the French Kiss. So I had high expectations. But I wasn't worried. I had complete faith that Lola would rock as much as Anna.

And it so, so, so does.

I was so incredibly lucky to receive an ARC of Lola back in July. I have fond memories of reading Lola at 2am when everyone else in the house was sleeping. And then later during a summer storm as we drove from North Carolina to Georgia. I finished it in a colourful laundromat in Savannah, Georgia.

I cried and laughed and fell in love.

So madly in love.

As someone who is drawn to character driven stories, I was completely captivated by the complicated and sometimes painful relationships. The characters were so real, so flawed, that I couldn't help but swept up in the story.

What's more, I could relate to Lola. I got her. She's the girl I wanted to be when I was a teenager. She struggled with some of the issues I struggled with. That I still struggle with.

But there's also so much more to this book: the setting of San Fransisco--made even more fabulous by my recent trip there. Her family and friends. Her outfits. Cricket. Oh, sweet heavens, CRICKET. The kissing.

Steph is still queen of the kiss scenes!

So to wrap up: Lola. LOVE. Cricket. Kisses.

You should totally check it this fabulous book!

Another TOTALLY AMAZING book that came out this week is this one:

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Everyone has been raving about this book and with good reason. Put simply, it is BRILLIANT. If you like fantasy, if you like epic romances, if you like lyrical writing, you will love this book.

I was also lucky enough to score an ARC of this (thanks, Tere!) which I read from New Orleans to Arizona, but I can't wait for my own copy to arrive to read it all again.

Also out this week:

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson. My copy arrived today and I can't wait to get reading!

And last, this debut novel was also released:

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin. I have been waiting for this book to come out ever since it sold last year. It sounds. So. Awesome.

What about you guys? Have you read or are you planning to read any of these books?