You had me at "Pride and Prejudice inspired tale." This was so much fun! Lola At Last is a modern spin on the infamous Lydia Bennett. I didn't know I wanted this book, but it did not disappoint. I somehow missed Being Mary Bennet, but I've got to read that one now. I'm hoping that we will get perspectives from all the sisters and maybe even Charlotte too!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced digital copy.

Lola Barnes has had a rough past couple of years… She first gets involved with a senior named Tully and when rumors (and even pictures) spread about them, an Instagram account gets created to shame Lola. Eventually, her family decides to send her to France for a year to get away from the drama and to learn to change. When Lola comes back, she is working hard to regain her friends and her popularity. She also starts to feel left behind by her twin sister Kat, who has gotten a whole new friend group since Lola left. When Lola causes an accident on a yacht, her family tries to come up with another method of helping her see that her actions have consequences, like working with a nonprofit, Hike Like A Girl. Throughout the book, Lola has to learn how to hike, make new friends, find love, and adapt. Will she sink or swim as she tries to get through the summer? Will she adapt enough to not be thrown in jail for the accident on the yacht? Find out in Lola at Last, available on February 28, 2023!

I think this book is a great YA/teen book! There are a lot of themes (like popularity, family, friends, boyfriends, etc.) that I think can be really helpful to read and see how our teenage main character handles each theme. I would definitely recommend this book to high school students because I think everyone in that subset could really relate to the characters in this book! There is a lot of drama and a lot of mess going on in these characters daily lives and they all have to find ways to sort through everything and figure out what to do next!

Personally, I kind of struggled getting into this book really fast because the main character, Lola, was not very relatable to me BUT I really began to enjoy some of the message that this book represents! I love that there are reminders throughout the book, as Lola begins to try to change and find a new focus throughout the summer, that can remind you as a reader of things like don’t always make things about yourself, listen to others, find yourself in nature, popularity isn’t everything, etc. I really loved these reminders and think that they serve as a great message for this books intended audience!!!

This book was wonderful to read from start to finish! I really loved following Lola along on her journey of self discovery and the growth that we see from her by the end of the novel is superb! Lola is one of those characters that you root for even through all the bad decisions! I will definitely be interested to check out more from this author in the future!

If you'd told me a week ago that a book with a protagonist based on Lydia Bennet would be one of my favorite books of the year, I wouldn't have believed you. Lola is so chaotic and toxic, but you can't help but root for her. It makes her growth that much sweeter. I need a book for each sister!

I absolutely adore this book. The writing style made me feel like my best friend was telling me a story. A lovely coming of age story of self discovery, it was a thoroughly enjoyable read. From learning self reliance, to personal growth, to swoony boy action, I was laughing, crying, and rooting for Lola, all the way. I will be reading this again, likely a hard copy as it is well worth the buy (and maybe my girls can read it when they get older)!

* I was given a digital ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review

In terms of Lydia Bennet interpretations, the Lizzie Bennet Diaries walked so this book could run. I read Being Mary Bennet earlier in the month and requested this ARC as soon as I finished. This was a very cute companion to the first novel!

Lola has some excellent character development. Truly, she was unhinged in the first 1/3 of the book, but it was so easy to root for her throughout the story as she gained self-awareness and took responsibility for her actions. It was beautiful to see her grow!

I loved the further exploration of the Barnes Family dynamic. I want a prequel book all about how Lindy and Will met! I could read 3 more books about this family.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I'm so glad we got a companion to Being Mary Bennet! Lola at Last brings the same sympathetic eye to an overlooked Bennet sister, the voice full of humor and heart. The romance, friendships, and world were well-developed, and I loved getting to return to some of my favorite characters from Peterson's first book (Marnie!! I missed you!). A thoughtful, heart-warming, delightful romance.

This book was an awesome display of character growth. Lola is pretty much an awful person when we begin our story. She's incredibly reckless, all her jokes punch down, nothing is *ever* her fault, and she's like watching a train-wreck in action. It was incredibly frustrating to watch, especially since she was knowingly falling into bad habits and making bad choices. But slowly we see her start to change her perspective and do some deep introspection, which is no easy task. Her sheer determination to do better and be better was admirable to watch. She still made mistakes and sometimes reverted back to her old ways - mainly shifting blame and using mean humor to deflect - but she started realizing it as soon as she did it and trying to fix it. I appreciated that her relationship with Ezra was secondary to her own growth, and not tied to it.
All in all, would totally recommend!

What a delight this book was! I requested it based on the idea that Lola was going to be having to find herself in nature (big outdoor fan here) and not because it was Austen related - and loves it as much as I hoped I would.

Lola. Oh Lola. Lola's life is pretty messy right now - there's been some drama around a boy that got her shipped off to boarding school for a fresh start (spoiler: it didn't work) and now she's desperate to reclaim her popularity at home. Her so-called best friends don't seem interested in her anymore, that boy is still around, her twin sister seems to be avoiding her, and maybe her decision making isn't quite the best... So when she accidentally sets a yacht in fire (and then finds out that said yatch was just purchased by l her older sister and brother-in-law...) something has to give.

Lola finds herself joining in with Hike Like a Girl, a challenging and competitive to get into summer program, run by her brother-in-law's sister. Lola is obviously NOT pleased to be there and has a less than stellar start. But slowly, Lola's determination to prove her mother wrong becomes a determination to make some new friends (real friends) repair her relationship with her twin and show everyone that maybe the real Lola isn't such a mess.

Lola very quickly moved from a pretty annoying character that I wasn't sure I liked to one I rooting for. I love that she wasn't perfect - she made plenty of mistakes throughout the story and don't always learn from them like she should have, but ultimately, she started to figure out who she wanted to be. The weaving of nature's beauty into the story was lovely. I truly loves this read.

3.75

I really enjoyed the story it felt like a 2000s coming of age chick flick. Lola went through a journey of growth which I believe to be quiet realistic, at times of weakness she regressed back to her old habits but that didn’t really halt her development. However at times I did feel like the side characters were one dimensional and could have used a bit more nuance.

** This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange of an honest review**

I want to thank NetGalley, HarperCollins, and J. C Peterson for this ARC in return for an honest review.

I went in this expecting an amazing book and I wasn't disappointed. I usually eat up any and all kinds of Pride and Prejudice retellings, The only difference is that I never saw a modern take on Lydia Bennet's story, and while initially having some doubts, Lola, at last, won me over. I saw a fresh take on one of my less-liked characters from the original classic.

Lola at last begins with Lola as a chaotic mess, literally. Fresh from her stint at boarding school in France, in lieu of her scandalous sophomore year's affair with a popular jock who had a girlfriend, Lola was seeking a fresh start with all her classmates but instead was met by further ostracization and disdain. Desperate to reclaim her spot as one of the most popular students at Crenshaw day School, Lola fired up a flare which sunk the boat she and her fellow classmates snuck on earlier unbeknownst to her was recently purchased by her sister and her husband; Lindy and Will.

Will, who's sick of Lola's attitude and her irresponsibility gives her an ultimatum, either he presses charges or she agrees to attend his sister's non-profit organization, Hike Like a Girl. What follows is a hilariously packed adventure where Lola, initially an irresponsible mess who creates chaos and won't own up to her actions learns so much and her journey of self-discovery leads her to finally accept herself in a better way. Lola's sassiness and her smart mouth made me laugh at loud at some moments. I also love how the author showed the ups and downs of a character's growth. It was fun going on this journey with Lola and by the end, I found myself totally in love with her character.

I loved every moment of this book. I devoured it in one sitting because it was equally parts hilarious and entertaining. Lola's love interest was incredibly sweet and I had fun reading about all the modern-day versions of the Bennets. I was especially laughing at Mrs. Bennet, or as she was known in the story, Mrs. Barnes. Her modern-day counterpart is still the same old drama queen. This book was charming, and sweet, and would appeal to all audiences easily and I had so much fun reading it.

5 stars

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5055824200

Lola at Last is a charming, delightful novel that achieves the nearly impossible task of rendering Lydia Bennet sympathetic. The characters are three-dimensional and inspired by Austen, not slavish copies. Lola’s journey of self-discovery and acceptance feels very real, and the mountain settings and observations of nature bring the book to life. This is the first book I have read by this author, but I would happily read many more!

Thank you to Harper Collins Childrens and Net Galley for the advance reader copy.

Thank you NetGalley and HaperCollins for the eARC for Lola at Last!

I loved Being Mary Bennet- I really did. Marnie was such a prickly protagonist and she made such enormous growth throughout the book. Based on what we heard about Lola in that book... I thought she was going to be downright insufferable in her own novel.

I was right.

Lola is *the worst* at the start of the book. After getting caught making out with a senior who had a girlfriend, she was ostracized completely. It was to the level where she was sent to boarding school in France, which did absolutely nothing to help her mental state... or her general attitude towards life. Said life completely revolves around recovering what she lost- her popularity and friend group. This, of course, leads to all sorts of self-destructive behavior. After a particularly terrible night, Lola is (not really) given a choice: either have charges pressed for destruction of property, or join 'Hike Like A Girl', a program run by Georgia Drake (sister of her BIL). While she initially is rude and disruptive, she eventually learns that 'nature stuff' can be something in which she takes pride.

What I love best about JC Peterson is her incredible ability to write character growth. It's not linear; they fall back to bad habits and self-sabotage. That said, by the end of the book I just adored Lola. She kept her fire and her sass- but moderated them with empathy. As someone who actually works at a summer camp, it was hilarious hearing her reactions to things like 'the trowel' (IFYKYK). Peterson continues to use P&P as inspiration for characters rather than plots- which makes it both fun to make the connections to the text while it not feeling repetitive in the slightest.

I laughed. I cried a bit. I laughed even more. 100% recommend.