I caught myself thinking about this book days after closing the cover. 
 I had only one fault with this novel, one small tiny instance near the end where I thought Lola acted wise beyond her years, but everything else is pure gold. Lola is spunky and inventive and believes in costume over fashion. Her dads are fantastic, supportive parents. The dog is named Heavens to Betsy (come on, GOLD!). Anna and Etienne make cameo appearances (several times over) and some wonderfully rich family dynamics come into play when Lola's birth mother re-enters the story. And then of course, there's the boy next store. 
 Cricket Bell. Somehow, this book managed to make me seventeen again, pining over this boy, dissecting everything he said, decoding every glance or shoulder shrug. And while I swooned over Etienne while reading ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS, I loved Cricket more. Some of this might have to do with his appearance, which reminds me of The Engineer (OK, so maybe I'm bias). Cricket is a tall, gangly tinker-er, making odd contraptions and inventions all while wearing pants that never fall quite as long as they should. He is also so darn sweet it will break your heart. Every time Cricket or Lola were on the page together I sat there smirking and thinking, kiss! kiss! How does Perkins do this to me? 
 This book had all the sweet, adorable, love-budding sexual tension that existed in ANNA, but something about this book felt more real to me. Perhaps it was because they were in the States, and parents were present, and I can relate more easily to the streets of San Fran than the Eiffel Tower. Either way, this book is magical. How Stephanie Perkins makes me grin like an idiot while reading about fictional characters, I have no idea. I spent a solid five days after reading this book replaying the ending in my head and smiling to myself. I am a permanent fan from here on out. Stephanie, keep writing these, please? I will read every last one. 
 Originally reviewed here