Reading Robyn
I am a lover of libraries, a reader of everything, a girl easily swayed by pretty pictures, and overall just your average, nerdy fairy princess.
2013 is the year I'm finally keeping up a regular reading blog Reading Robyn! There I post extended versions of my GR reviews so be sure to check that out!
I always seem to be on the move having lived in seven cities and counting in my nineteen years. I'm not on the run from the law as many have assumed (at least I don't think so), but moving around has given me an appreciation for how places make stories and people make memories. While change is inevitable, books are the friends that I take with me from place to place. They comforted me when I was sick, they push me to continue to learn and grow into myself, and most importantly they opened me up to the possibilities of living in thousands of places all at once.
I primarily read YA fiction, as well as a lot of graphic novels and manga. However, I tend to be this combination of odd reads, so expect the unexpected!
Cheesy Life Quote: "In this world through which I travel, I am endlessly creating myself." - Frantz Fanon
It is currently 5:26 AM and I could not bring myself to go to sleep till I finished reading this book. Lola and the Boy Next Boy has charmed me into a delirious, enchanted like daze. (Which may be more credited to the sleep deprivation, but let's just go with it.)When I started reading I wasn't sure what sort of adventure Lola was going to take me on. I wasn't totally convinced (despite the praise of others) that all the pieces of this pretty (sparkly) picture were going to fit together. (Sorry for doubting you.) The more exciting the romance became, the more giggling I emitted.Beyond just the relationship of Cricket and Lola I feel like this book reached out and started a relationship with me, the lowly reader. Between the covers of the pretty (and incredibly detailed) jacket art, Lola and the Boy Next Door extended a hand to me (think less flesh-y more origami) and said, "I like you. Do you like me?" and I could only respond by falling in love. (I swear I'm not on drugs. Although I am hitting the "(...)" pretty hard tonight. I mean, today?)There were a number of things that I loved about this book. Allow me to save some brain power and bang this review out in one all-nighter (might as well right?) by condensing these thoughts to a list.1 - Lola. So many authors seem almost scared to write a honest plot surrounding a quirky main character. Like their writing powers aren't enough to keep the ever hovering gimmick away from morphing their story. I loved Lola, but not right off the bat. I liked being able to get to know her and then watch her evolve past who she started as. 2 - Cricket. Seriously, I want one. (The boy, not the bug.)3 - Max. I was surprised how likable he was. His character was in flux throughout the story. Which way would he land? How would it all end? Are we only seeing a projection of who he is through Lola's rose coloured glasses?4 - Anna and St. Clair. (originally of Anna and the French Kiss) I loved seeing all of the little tie ins. The Boy Next Door is very, very much a stand alone book but I loved that it adds just that little bit more to the previous story. I was honestly surprised by how large their part in Lola's story was. It was the cherry on top! And this more then ever makes me want to go back and give The French Kiss a higher rating. I just love reading about these two together and their characters just sprang back to life in my mind. 5 - The Plot. Was great. 5a - The Romance. It was expansive, it had history, it wasn't whiny. (Was really, really, really great.) 6 - The Nerdfighter reference in the acknowledgments at the end of the book. DFTBA Perkins! I first heard of Anna and the French Kiss through John Green's mention and I am so glad that I found such a wonderful author through another wonderful author. Okay. I need to sleep now. Disclaimer: This review has not been read over by she who has written it and has been written in a "steam of unconsciousness style". She (me) cannot be held responsible for blah, blah, blah- I'll fix it in the mornin'.