Bad boy Archives - The Busy Bibliophile

Review: The Collector by Victoria Scott

06/06/2013 by Andrea · 5 Comments

Title: The Collector
Author: Victoria Scott
Publisher: April 2nd 2013 by Entangled Teen
Format: Paperback, 352 pages
Source: Publisher
5 owl rating

Summary

He makes good girls…bad.

Dante Walker is flippin’ awesome, and he knows it. His good looks, killer charm, and stellar confidence have made him one of hell’s best—a soul collector. His job is simple: weed through humanity and label those round rears with a big red good or bad stamp. Old Saint Nick gets the good guys, and he gets the fun ones. Bag-and-tag.

Sealing souls is nothing personal. Dante’s an equal-opportunity collector and doesn’t want it any other way. But he’ll have to adjust, because Boss Man has given him a new assignment:

Collect Charlie Cooper’s soul within ten days.

Dante doesn’t know why Boss Man wants Charlie, nor does he care. This assignment means only one thing to him, and that’s a permanent ticket out of hell. But after Dante meets the quirky Nerd Alert chick he’s come to collect, he realizes this assignment will test his abilities as a collector…and uncover emotions deeply buried.

My thoughts

Dante has been a Collector for 2 years; he jaunts around town minding his own business, and when he sees someone committing a sin (or just being a jerk), he gives them a “tag,” a black square that sticks on their soul. Once someone’s soul is completely covered in black squares, it can be collected. They continue to live normally, but after their death, they head downstairs. Dante’s tired of having to go back to hell when his collections are done, and this latest mission comes with a nice promotion: a permanent home on earth from which to supervise other Collectors. But his last collection, Charlie, is not making things very easy.

If there’s anything I can say now to sum up my thoughts on this book, allow me to show you the very articulate message I sent the author, Victoria Scott:

@VictoriaScottYA I love you. And Dante. But mostly Dante. That is all.
— The Busy Bibliophile (@TheBusyBiblio) May 30, 2013

The characters were so different! Dante was a cocky, uncaring asshat. He was very confident in his abilities and in his looks. He was good at his job, and he knew that part of it was the effect he had on women. He knew he looked good and he enjoyed spending money to keep himself in the high life. I’m the first to admit I like the sweet boy next door much more than the bad boy, but Dante had my heart from the beginning. I’m not sure why that was, maybe I saw something in him before anyone else did, or maybe because he was so good at being bad. At any rate, I loved him from the get-go.

Charlie was a spectacular person, pretty much the girl we should all be. She was not traditionally pretty, but she was beautiful on the inside. She was kind, thoughtful and selfless. Even when someone made fun of or bullied her, she still managed to be happy at something as simple as the weather. The secondary characters were just as entertaining; Charlie’s 2 besties and Dante’s fellow Collector bestie, who was almost as arrogant as Dante.

A lot of times in the bad boy/good girl type of stories, you don’t often get the bad boy point of view, so I loved getting Dante’s POV as he changed from an egotistical self-centered badass into something else. It took him a while to understand what was going on, and he fought it mightily, which only made me like him even more. And Charlie was content with being his friend. There was no flirting or insta-love.

I loved lots of little things: the dialogue, the way Dante always said what he was thinking, the way Charlie always managed to see the bright side of things, the way Max stood by Dante and even seemed to look up to him, Blue’s (not so) secret love for Charlie, the incredibly slow way Dante figured out what was happening, Valery’s no-nonsense approach… All of it added up to one big ball of amazing entertainment.

The story started out with a bang, as we’re introduced to arrogant Dante, then Scott’s writing just drew me in and kept me hanging on until the end. There was a touch of religious talk, but it wasn’t overwhelming. There was a bit of mystery, as Dante wondered what was so important about Charlie, why his boss wanted the soul so badly. Will he manage to collect her soul? Will Blue finally tell Charlie how he feels? There wasn’t any sex, but there was passion and romance. And also, lots of cussing. Definitely not a book for the kids (though there were a few nice life lessons hidden in there).

The sum up

If you like your bad boys very bad, this book is for you. And, this is probably only the third time this has ever happened, even though I’ve already read the eARC, I will also be purchasing the paperback copy. I need Dante on my bookshelf.

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Filed Under: 5 owls, Bad boy, Besties, Male Point of View, Not for the kiddies, Swoon-worthy, Young adult ·

Review + Giveaway: Drowning in You by Rebecca Berto

05/22/2013 by Andrea · 6 Comments

Title: Drowning In You
Author: Rebecca Berto
Publisher: April 5th 2013 by author
Format: Paperback, 316 pages
Source: XPresso Book Tours
Series: Drowning in You | Finding Forever in Us
3 owls

Summary

Secretly crushing

Crushed by a tragedy

Charlee May’s been crushing on Dexter Hollingworth since she was fifteen. Five years later, a horrific skiing disaster at Mason’s Ski Lift Resort leaves her millionaire dad critically injured and her mom dead at the hands of Dexter operating the lifts. Charlee is suddenly the sole caretaker for her little brother while their world falls apart.

Dexter couldn’t be more different from Charlee. He’s tattooed, avoids exclusive relationships and his Dad has a fair share of illegal dealings. With Dexter’s reputation, almost everyone believes he planned the Mason’s skiing disaster.

And after all these years he’s still crushing on Charlee May, the girl who’s too good for him.

When this cruel twist of fate ties Charlee’s family and Dexter’s reputation together, Charlee and Dexter wonder if their feelings are reciprocated, while Dexter discovers his dad is trying to steal the May’s millionaire fortune.

But like an addiction, one look, one touch, one taste—they’re hooked no matter the consequences.

My thoughts

Charlee just lost her mom and her dad is clinging to life, thanks to an accident at a ski resort, where her long-time crush just happened to be working the ski lift that failed. She tries to be strong for her little brother, but she’s finding it harder and harder, especially as her dad starts to talk about his death like it’s coming any minute. Dexter feels terrible about his part in the accident, but doesn’t let that stop him from finally making a move on his long-time crush.

Dexter was a typical bad boy – tatted man-whore with a hidden gentle soul. Everyone thought he was a druggie, but really, he just had a problem maintaining his diabetes, and his hypoglycemic episodes made everyone think he was high. He had a close relationship with his mother, a nurse who was caring for Charlee’s dad, but his dad was an asshat who he didn’t get along with. We never got to know Charlee before the accident, so I can’t say a lot about her personality, but she seemed like a fairly strong person with a good head on her shoulders. Her little brother was a very mature 10-year old, and I liked his character quite a bit.

The plot was an interesting one; can someone person love the person who’s responsible for their parent’s death? And can the person responsible move past the guilt to love the other? It was presented realistically, though I did have a few issues with it overall. We didn’t learn the details of the ski lift accident right away, and I felt the story would have benefited from having this information at the same time as everyone else. People were blaming Dexter for the accident but I kept wondering why.

Every other chapter or so was told in alternating point of views, which was nice. I always like being right in the head of the characters. It makes it easier to understand them and their motivations. The dialogue was kind of choppy, with incomplete thoughts. Actually, the entire thing was choppy and jumpy. In fact, the one thing I kept thinking was how frantic everything was. Not the story itself, but the way people spoke and acted. It lacked a smoothness and finesse.

There’s a sadness (obviously) with Charlee’s mother’s death, and her father’s declining health, and usually it was handled realistically. But I also felt some of it was rushed or just glossed over. There was one part I loved though, when Charlee was coming on to Dexter and he recognized it was her pain speaking, not her, and he handled it so beautifully. That really showed how mature he was, and made me think maybe he did deserve her after all.

This shows on Goodreads as the first book in a series, but I don’t see where the story can go from here, and unless the plot is a fantastic one, I probably won’t check it out.

The sum up

An entertaining and somewhat realistic look at sadness and hope.

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Filed Under: 3 owls, Bad boy, Book tour, Bullying, Contemporary, Loss, Male Point of View, Mental health, Mystery, New adult, Not for the kiddies, Sad ·

Review: Friends and Lovers Trilogy by Bethany Lopez

05/18/2013 by Andrea · 1 Comment

Title: Friends and Lovers Trilogy – Make It Last | I Choose You | Trust In Me
Author: Bethany Lopez
Publisher: CreateSpace
Format: Kindle Edition, about 584 pages
Source: AToMR Tours
Overall Trilogy Rating:
3 owls

Make It Last

In a small town, it’s hard to recover from being dumped by your high school sweetheart. That’s just what Briana has to do after Colin leaves her to follow his dreams. She focuses her energy into her friendships and the pursuit of her own goal of becoming a chef. Just when she finally feels like she’s on the right path, he comes back to town.

Colin knew breaking up with Briana before leaving for college was the right thing to do. He was determined to leave small-town life behind forever, and that included his high school girlfriend. But when a sports injury puts him on the sidelines, he’s forced to return home. Seeing Briana again brings back a lot of memories, and Colin wonders if he made the right decision. It doesn’t take long for him to realize he wants her back, and this time, he wants to make it last.

I Choose You

Up until now, Nicole’s life has been mapped out for her. She’d go to college, marry Jake and become the upstanding minister’s wife. When she leaves that life to begin again in a small town in Texas, she finally has the freedom to live as she chooses. There, she meets Kent, a guy whose charm and passion make it hard to stick to her morals.

Dodging his father’s fists and protecting his twin sister made Kent into the man he is today. He learned by watching his mother stay by his father’s side that it’s better to keep relationships simple. Then he meets Nicole. Her sweet smile and genuine response to him land like punches to his resolve. After a lifetime of learning to protect his heart, can he finally let down his guard?

Trust In Me

Roni’s dreams of becoming a contemporary dancer were smashed under the brutal rage of her ex-husband’s fists. Getting divorced and starting over at the age of twenty-two was never her plan, but maybe in Texas, she’ll find her path. When the town’s local player, Rich, opens a Rec Center, she sees a way to rekindle her dancing dreams…and maybe have a little fun with her sexy new boss.

Rich never expected to fulfill his dreams in the town he planned to leave behind, but that’s just what he’s doing. His reputation as a noncommittal ladies’ man might make it challenging to earn respect in the business world, but he’s willing to prove that he’s serious. In fact, when it comes to pursuing Roni, he’s more than willing. But she’s taking a page out of his book, not wanting to risk another relationship. Can he convince her that his playboy days are over and that she can trust him with her heart?

My thoughts

Rather than talk about each novella in the trilogy, I’m going to do the whole shebang at once.

The first novella was probably my least favorite. It lacked any conflict at all. The couple broke up in the very beginning, there was some heartache, fast forward a few years, a few awkward scenes, then bam, they’re back together. That all happened in probably the first third of the story, the rest of it was spent following them around as they flirted, talked and made out. That was it. That made for a bit of a boring story, with no action, tension or excitement. The rest of the novellas, though, had more content to keep me interested.

I liked the variety of characters. There were rich kids and poor kids, abused kids and privileged kids, nice kids and asshats. You knew from the beginning of each story how it would all end for everyone, no real surprises there. Some of the situations they found themselves in, however, were unbelievable: Briana forgave Colin awfully fast; for someone so virginal, Nicole got naughty pretty quickly; Rich’s Rec Center was just too perfect a solution…

There were some deep situations the characters got into that were handled nicely, although they were resolved a little too quickly and cleanly, in my opinion. All of the novellas were zippy and moved along at a fast pace. And I liked the 3 brief bonus chapters at the end of the trilogy that acted as epilogues for each novella. I enjoyed seeing the couples a bit later in their lives.

Overall, the trilogy was entertaining and fun, with a touch of substance. A perfect choice for a beachy summer day.

The sum up

Quick, flirty and fun.

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Filed Under: 3 owls, Bad boy, Book tour, Chemistry, College, Contemporary, Easy read, Fast pace, Male Point of View, New adult, Not for the kiddies, Novella, Quick read, V-card ·

Review: True by Erin McCarthy

05/07/2013 by Andrea · 1 Comment

Title: True
Author: Erin McCarthy
Publisher: May 7th 2013 by InterMix
Format: ebook, 238 pages
Source: NetGalley
3 owls

Summary

When Rory Macintosh’s roommates find out that their studious and shy friend has never been with a guy, they decide that, as an act of kindness they’ll help her lose her virginity by hiring confident, tattooed bad boy Tyler Mann to do the job…unbeknownst to Rory.

Tyler knows he’s not good enough for Rory. She’s smart, doctor smart, while he’s barely scraping by at his EMT program, hoping to pull his younger brothers out of the hell their druggy mother has left them in. But he can’t resist taking up her roommates on an opportunity to get to know her better. There’s something about her honesty that keeps him coming back when he knows he shouldn’t…

Torn between common sense and desire, the two find themselves caught up in a passionate relationship. But when Tyler’s broken family threatens to destroy his future, and hers, Rory will need to decide whether to cut her ties to his risky world or follow her heart, no matter what the cost…

My thoughts

Rory’s nerdy and shy and not able to make friends easily. Luckily, she’s managed to bond with her 2 dorm mates, even though they’re very different. They help her get out of her shell a bit. When they find out she’s a (gasp!) virgin, they secretly pay Tyler, who happens to be a booty call for one of them, to deflower her. At first, Rory’s unsure why Tyler is suddenly paying so much attention to her, but she likes it.

Rory was a funny person, she had a great sense of humor, though she sometimes had a hard time letting her hair down. She lost her mother when she was young, and you could tell that played a part in her personality. She loved her father very much, but they weren’t a loving family. She was smart and confident in her abilities.

Tyler was your typical bad boy – tattooed, dangerous, ladies’ man with a secretive home life that made him want to protect himself from further hurt, but a real softy on the inside. He really did have a horrible home life, no father and a drug-addicted, abusive mother. Luckily, he had his older brother to help him out, and his younger brothers to keep him grounded. He made some stupid decisions throughout the story (not the least of which was accepting money to take a girl’s virginity), but you could tell that underneath he was a pretty decent guy.

Rory’s roommates were pretty nice, until you realized that they’d paid someone to sleep with her. Why they felt it was so necessary for Rory to have sex was unclear. I thought that was a pretty underhanded thing, and it colored my opinion of them for the rest of the book.

The plot is pretty repetitive these days: girl is almost raped, boy comes to her rescue, they fall in love. Don’t get me wrong, though, it was entertaining. It was a little disappointing, however, that the near-rape wasn’t dealt with. No police were called, no counseling was sought, nothing. It was spoken of a few times immediately after, then once or twice later, then nada. That was a missed opportunity, as far as I’m concerned.

The story moved along at a brisk pace, and that was nice. It made it easier to overlook the parts that bothered me, such as Rory’s inconsistent behaviors, her roommates’ attempt to prostitute her out and Tyler’s inability to simply talk about what was bothering him. The romance felt authentic, like 2 college kids getting to know each other and learning to trust one another. The ending was a bit rushed, it could have used more attention. Otherwise, it was a nice quick read.

The sum up

Predictable but entertaining.

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Filed Under: 3 owls, Bad boy, Besties, Chemistry, Chick lit, College, Contemporary, Drugs, Easy read, Fast pace, New adult, Not for the kiddies, Rape, Romantic, Steamy hotness, YA saves ·

Review The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa

05/01/2013 by Andrea · 2 Comments

Title: The Eternity Cure
Author: Julie Kagawa
Publisher: April 30th 2013 by Harlequin Teen
Format: Hardcover, 446 pages
Source: NetGalley
Series: The Blood of Eden | The Eternity Cure
5 owl rating

Summary

Allison Sekemoto has vowed to rescue her creator, Kanin, who is being held hostage and tortured by the psychotic vampire Sarren. The call of blood leads her back to the beginning—New Covington and the Fringe, and a vampire prince who wants her dead yet may become her wary ally.

Even as Allie faces shocking revelations and heartbreak like she’s never known, a new strain of the Red Lung virus that decimated humanity is rising to threaten human and vampire alike.

My thoughts

Allie is following her intuition, her sixth sense, on a long trek to find the vampire that made her. She can feel that he is being tortured, and when she sleeps she dreams about what he faces, and it’s like she’s there. Before long, she runs into Jackal, who is also answering the call of the blood. They follow the trail all the way back to the place Allie grew up, the place she ran away from when she was turned.

Oh, how I loved jumping back into this story. The world-building is simply amazing. Not only the regular world where vampires run the streets and they have their own way of doing things, but also the other world where humans are the minority. They are both such dark and unhappy places, yet I’m able to picture them perfectly in my mind.

Allie is back as her usual ass-kicking self. She’s still as selfless as she was as a human, this time traveling alone across dangerous territories to save another vampire. Kanin is back as her maker, and we learn much more about him and his past (and what a past it is!). And Zeke, dear, sweet Zeke, is back. Not quite the love-sick puppy he was before, he’s bigger and badder and hotter than ever. And Jackal! He is much more layered in this installment, and I honestly waffled several times over which side he was really on. I love when a book can make me wonder like that. There are a few returning characters, and I was pleased with their development (even if I wasn’t pleased with the direction they chose).

I loved the snark between Jackal and Allie. They were so funny, in a we’re-related-so-we-have-to-put-up-with-each-other-but-you-annoy-me-an-awful-lot kind of way. But there was also that edge where you didn’t quite know if Jackal really meant it when he said he was going to kill Allie while she slept.

The pace was a bit slow at times, and the constant traveling was tiresome, but overall, I liked the speed of the novel. It generally zipped along and there was always something big happening – a fight, revelation or twist. There was rarely any downtime for me to catch my breath. I would call it a roller coaster ride, and a thrilling one at that.

The sum up

I loved every minute of it and wait not so patiently for the next one.

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Filed Under: 5 owls, Bad boy, Chemistry, Dystopian, Fast pace, Paranormal, Scary, Steamy hotness, Swoon-worthy, Vampires, Young adult ·

Review: Criminal by Terra Elan McVoy

03/28/2013 by Andrea · Leave a Comment

Criminal by Terra Elan McVoy Title: Criminal
Author: Terra Elan McVoy
Publisher: May 2013 by Simon Pulse
Format: Hardcover, 288 pages
Source: Edelweiss
3 owls

Summary

Nikki’s life is far from perfect, but at least she has Dee. Her friends tell her that Dee is no good, but Nikki can’t imagine herself without him. He’s hot, he’s dangerous, he has her initials tattooed over his heart, and she loves him more than anything. There’s nothing Nikki wouldn’t do for Dee. Absolutely nothing.

So when Dee pulls Nikki into a crime—a crime that ends in murder—Nikki tells herself that it’s all for true love. Nothing can break them apart. Not the police. Not the arrest that lands Nikki in jail. Not even the investigators who want her to testify against him.

But what if Dee had motives that Nikki knew nothing about? Nikki’s love for Dee is supposed to be unconditional…but even true love has a limit. And Nikki just might have reached hers.

My thoughts

Nikki is a teen with a rough homelife. On the days she just can’t take her mother (which are a lot, understandably), she stays with her neighbor, Bird, a young mother trying her best to make a living while staying out of trouble. But Nikki makes staying out of trouble hard when she won’t let go of Dee, her bad boy boyfriend. He’s everything she should stay away from, but he makes her feel so special she’s become blind to his faults.

Nikki was not a likable person for a long time. She had a crap upbringing and a crap mother (at one point, her mother actually tried to pimp her out to a druggie) but you’d think that would have given her some street smarts. Not so much. She was blinded by love and couldn’t see Dee’s faults. Even after he proved to her what a dick he was, she still loved him and made up excuses for him. It was hard to feel compassion for a character when you didn’t know why she made the decisions she did.

We didn’t get a chance to really get to know Dee, most of the action involving him happened in the past. We saw everything through Nikki’s eyes, and she had a tendency to gloss over the details where he was concerned. So it was harder to understand his pull on her.

Bird was a great character. She also had a tough upbringing, but she managed to turn it into a positive thing. She was strong, knew what she wanted, and what personal rules she needed to set. She was an excellent role model for Nikki. I was only sorry Nikki didn’t lean on her more and follow her example.

There was not a lot of action in this novel. The incident mentioned in the blurb happened in flashbacks, and Nikki ended up in prison pretty quickly after the start of the book. The bulk of the novel followed Nikki as she learned to adjust to life in prison, and the self discovery she went through while there. There was a bit of sex, and while not overly graphic, it was descriptive, almost clinical in terms. The dialogue was different from other books I’ve read – it was short and fast. Nothing poetic or flowery about it. There was lots of cussing and drug and alcohol references.

Though I enjoyed this book overall, it wasn’t exactly entertaining. It was tough to watch as Nikki made stupid choice after stupid choice. There was little action; the story mostly involved talk. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but it makes for a different kind of story.

The sum up

Though sad and hopeful, there wasn’t a lot of entertainment value in this one.

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Filed Under: 3 owls, Bad boy, Besties, Contemporary, Mental health, New adult, YA saves ·

Review: Emblaze by Jessica Shirvington

03/25/2013 by Andrea · Leave a Comment

Title: Emblaze
Author: Jessica Shirvington
Publisher: March 5th 2013 by Sourcebooks Fire
Format: Hardcover, 464 pages
Source: Publisher
Series: Embrace | Entice | Emblaze | Endless
4 owls

Summary

Once again Violet Eden faces an impossible choice … and the consequences are unimaginable.

Violet has come to terms with the fact that being part angel, part human, means her life will never be as it was.

Now Violet has something Phoenix – the exiled angel who betrayed her – will do anything for, and she has no intention of letting it fall into his hands. The only problem is that he has something she needs too.

Not afraid to raise the stakes, Phoenix seemingly holds all the power, always one step ahead. And when he puts the final pieces of the prophecy together, it doesn’t take him long to realise exactly who he needs in order to open the gates of Hell.

With the help of surprising new allies, ancient prophecies are deciphered, a destination set and, after a shattering confrontation with her father, Violet leaves for the islands of Greece without knowing if she will have a home to return to…

My thoughts

Violet is trying to live her every day as normal as possible, all while wearing a glamoured (so nobody can see it) weapon, holding after school fight training and hunting down exiles at night. And now, thanks to his new girlfriend’s influence, Violet’s father is showing a sudden interest in her life. When Violet and her family of Grigori are dishonest in their plan to swap the Grigori Scriptures with the Exile Scriptures with Phoenix, he kidnaps her best friend Stephanie. Now they have to swap the Scriptures for Steph’s life.

I loved this book! There was so much action, but it didn’t take the place of character development; there was plenty of that as well. Violet started to finally get a grasp on her strength and powers. She matured quite a bit and didn’t go running off half-cocked. Her father actually started to act like a father, and you could almost see the moment where he realized how much he’d screwed everything up by not being around. We got to see things Phoenix’s point of view, and they really helped shape his persona. We know why he acted the way he did in the earlier books. It certainly made me like him a bit better. And Lincoln… wonderful Lincoln. Finally, we know how he truly felt about Violet. It was a long time coming, but worth the wait.

The action was almost non-stop. Between the night time exile hunting, fighting Phoenix and the island battles, it seemed like there was lot more fighting than usual. There was also a lot more emotion in this book than in the previous ones. The characters were finally being more upfront about their feelings, though sometimes Violet’s need for Lincoln became almost comical in its strength. Luckily, there was an actual reason for that, it wasn’t just to make things more dramatic.

There was a bit of “I’m secretly planning something stupid instead of talking to someone about our options.” which really drives me nuts. Communicate, people! The scenery was wonderful, I could picture the Greek Islands as Violet did, especially the volcano and lighthouse. There is a cliffhanger, but it’s not unsatisfactory. It’s more of a surprise than a true cliffhanger.

The sum up

Another home run in the Violet Eden series. I can’t wait for the next one!

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Filed Under: 4 owls, Angels, Bad boy, Besties, Chemistry, Cliffhanger, Easy read, Fast pace, Magic, Romantic, Young adult ·

Review: Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

02/23/2013 by Andrea · 3 Comments

Title: Lola and the Boy Next Door
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Publisher: Dutton Books, Sept. 29, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 338 pages
Source: Purchased
5 owl rating

Summary

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.

My thoughts

I didn’t think it was possible, but Stephanie Perkins managed to make me love Lola and the Boy Next Door even more than Anna and the French Kiss. Another home run for the Queen of Contemporary Young Adult Romances.

Lola was not your average girl. She saw every day as a chance to reinvent herself, with wigs and costumes; she marched to her own drummer and if you didn’t like it, tough noogies. She lived with her too-good-to-be-true dads and dated an older “bad boy.” Everything was going pretty dandy for Lola until her old neighbors moved back into the house next door.

I loved Lola’s dads – they let her just be herself and were there when she needed them. They were kind (to each other and to her) and thoughtful and just quirky enough. Her boyfriend, Max, was a few years older, and this was mentioned several times, in an effort to make their relationship almost… naughty. I didn’t think the age difference was that big a deal.

The neighbors, the Bells, included twins Calliope and Cricket. Calliope was a talented figure skater whose family had moved back to town to advance her career. She was spoiled and selfish, and not a likable character at all. Cricket, well he’s one of my favorite book boyfriends ever. He was sweet and nerdy and made of pure awesome.

Most of the novel was spent building up the horrible thing that Cricket did to Lola before the Bells moved away, and once we found out what he did, it was a huge letdown. Honestly, it was no big deal at all, and I thought she overreacted quite a bit. The dialogue was fun and real; Lola really had a tendency to say what she was thinking, which led to some amusing situations.

The setting of the novel was so well described, I felt like I was right there in San Francisco with the characters. Everything was so lush and descriptive, I loved it. For fans of Anna and the French Kiss, we are treated to a few scenes with Anna and Etienne in Lola. They are just as in love, and Anna provides a sounding board when Lola needs someone to talk out her issues.

There were a few clichés, and some predictable bits, but they were few and far between. The quirky and fun nature of the book more than made up for those few drawbacks.

The sum up

I loved this one so much. I have a new favorite book and a new favorite book boyfriend.

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Jenni Elyse
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