Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Hello all! How have you all been? Are y'all feeling fall in the air? I am. And, I must say- it makes me SO happy. I do wish I lived somewhere else, so I could see the leaves change to beautiful colors, but I will accept the drop in temperature happily instead.

Today, I will be reviewing Lola! And, I will warn you now. I am going to gush. A lot. I can't help it. Stephanie Perkins does that to me. Her writing. Her boys. The settings. The quirks. Oh, the quirks!

Title: Lola and the Boy Next Door
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Rating: 5!
Cover rating: 5
Synopsis: 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.

I'm sure by now y'all have all read Anna and the French Kiss, and if not, I truly would like to know what rock you have been living under. I would also like you to get your butt to a bookstore and buy it's delicious goodness. It has a boy. A sexy with. With an English accent. WHO HAS PERFECT HAIR. What more do you need to know? Yeah, not much.

Anyway, I fell in love with Anna when I got my hands on an ARC last year. I have read it more times than I can count over the last year. I knew, I just KNEW, when I finished that book I would be a faithful follow of all of Stephanie Perkin's books.  So, of course I bought Lola at midnight on my nook and I absorbed every word into my soul. Once again, Perkins has delivered a stunning love story. A love story that makes you swoon. It will make your heart pound. You'll scream in frustration and bounce in anticipation. And, the best part? It's not a love story that could never happen. It's not something that could just be a dream. It's real. And, true. It's a love that is so beautiful in its pure innocence. It is a love that speaks to your soul and warms your heart. It's the love that I am holding out for.

Cricket Graham Bell, I will find a boy just as amazing, quirky, and beautiful as you. He's sweet and kind. Perkins' characters feel so real that I can see them next to me. I can hear their voices in my head. She makes them different, which only makes them more charming. I can't tell you how wonderful I thought it was that Lola had two dads. Amazing, and they are amazing. And, funny!

Stephanie Perkins inspires me in so many ways.
I will be dying until Isla is on shelves!

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer-Michelle Hodkin/ I AM BACK

Hello :)
I have missed all you lovely readers and the blogging world in general. I haven't read very much in the past few months and have definitely not been keeping up with book news or anything of the sort. But, by golly, I am getting my groove back. And, I am happy to say it is coming back with a vengeance! I recently started a new manuscript and I am literally bursting to tell this story. This has never happened to me. I have always been excited about my projects, but this one. Oh, this one. I am in love with it. I'm swooning with every word.
I think I am going to start doing this blog a little differently. I will be writing about writing, book reviews, and TV/movie reviews. All the things I love compiled in one! But, I am keeping my blog title. It's whatever.
Now, for those of you wondering, "WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN, MIRANDA?!". I will not tell the whole story because I am a huge fan of my privacy. I am that person that doesn't even tell her best friend things until months later when the whole ordeal is over, but I will give y'all something. Y'all have continued to follow me. I've gotten e-mails from y'all. I adore y'all. So, where have I been? (I just had to look to see when I disappeared.) April, WOW! So here comes the list: I lost a few people in my family. I never like attending funerals, who does?, but, more than 1 in a just a few months is a lot to handle. Especially in these circumstances. My family was hit was life-changing and devastating news that shook up my entire life. I am still on edge about this news. Someone very, very close to me is very, very, very sick. It was unsettling to hear the news. On top of that, I broke up with my boyfriend of over 3 years and it ended to badly. I was very ready for the relationship to end, but it was still hard to move on and let go. Also, my family had to evacuate due to the fires in Texas. Our house is fine, thanks to God. I also transferred to a new university and have been adjusting to its lifestyle. Among all these things and then the daily ups and downs of life, I needed to take a break. I needed to disappear for awhile. I needed it. But, now, I need you guys! And, this world. This whole beautiful world that bloggers, readers, writers, and authors have created. I am back and I know it will be to open and loving arms. So, thank you for sticking around.

REVIEW TIME!

Title: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer
Author: Michelle Hodkin
Rating: 5 brilliant and shiny stars
Cover rating: 5
Synopsis:
Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.
It can.
She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.
There is.
She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love.
She's wrong.

Review:
So, here I am, just getting back into the book world, strolling through Barnes and Noble. Nothing is really catching my eye. In all honesty, I was just there to get away for awhile and hoping that they would have Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins on the shelves early. But, then, I see it. The beautiful cover of Mara Dyer. I wanted to read this book since before I burrowed myself into my cave. After I picked it up, it was like a light in my head turned on. I need this book. I needed more books. Since I don't live at home anymore, my dad provides me with grocery money every week. I hadn't spent it yet, but I had spent all my extra spending money. I stared at the book and the few books I yanked off the shelves that I just had to have. Mara had awoken me. So, I bought the books instead of buying groceries. Yes, I did have to live off whatever I had left from my last trip to the store. No, it was no much. Yes, I was so, so hungry. No, I wouldn't rather have bought groceries.
I sat down in the cafe to read the first chapter before I headed home. The first chapter ended up being the first six chapters. I was enamoured. I couldn't put it down. I was cracking up laughing inside the store. Yes, I get strange looks when this happens, but truly I don't care. All lovers of books should understand. When a book is that good, a book is that good. I didn't want to put it down, but I had to. I had a major test the next day that I had to be prepared for.
As I was studying I kept glancing over at my bed where it was laying. I finally felt prepared enough for my test that I abandoned my school books and jumped back into Mara's mystery. Mara woke me back up. After I flew through it, it was 4 AM. I texted all the people I know that rely on me for book recommendations and told them to go get it ASAP.
Mara is a stunning debut by Michelle Hodkin. She writes a mystery that will definitely keep you up at night. She'll make you laugh and make your heart race by a sexy British boy. Seriously, Noah will make you drool. He is that sexy.
AND THE ENDING. THE ENDING. OH MY, GOD. I need the next installment, like, now. I will definitely be rereading Mara. Please, please go out and buy this book. It's worth it.

Update.

I have been away for so long due to a multitude of things. I am coming back. I will be working on reviews and design for my blog today.

To those of you I met at ATBF- Hi! :)