Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

12:00 AM


Lola and the Boy Next DoorTitle: Lola and the Boy Next Door 
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Publisher: Dutton Books
Release: September 29, 2011
Pages: 338
Series: None (but there are companion books)
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.


Review:
If you didn't read my review of Anna and the French Kiss, let me get you up to speed: I ABSOLUTELY ADORED IT. With that in mind, Lola had some very high expectations to live up to. Luckily it did; using the same wit and romantic formula that Anna did, but it didn't ever feel like a rerun. I loved how the book served both as a stand alone title as well as a bit of a catch up on the lives of Anna and St. Clair; giving the reader a taste of their lives after Anna, without making the book all about them. The new characters were Lola and Cricket, along with a whole new cast of secondary characters. I really loved Lola in particular because she pulled off her zany spirit without looking overdone or exaggerated; she was realistic and fun to read. Cricket was a great character as well due to his quirks and interesting features; he was the most original character I've read about in a while. He wasn't built to be the perfect, idealistic version of a boy that the media portrays, he was far more interesting and complex than the stock type love interest. The relationship between the two was entertaining and had a lot of background and history: not instant love.

The story began with the meat of the story and used flashbacks to catch the reader up on missing details that were crucial to the strength of character relationships. With the utilization of these flashbacks, the characters grew in leaps and bounds, allowing for a well rounded plot to occur; it felt as though you were truly there with them. This fact may also have to do with how well Stephanie is able to write; she just knows how to please her readers while still making them feel a large range of emotions. Altogether, I give Lola and the Boy Next Door a 5/5 for being an excellent read that I'd recommend to anyone even remotely interested in Young Adult books.




You Might Also Like

7 comments

  1. I loved that Stephanie Perkins let us peek into the lives of Anna and St. Clair, I wish more authors were able to do that. I liked seeing how their story related to Lola's too. And I loved Lola's zaniness, she was over the top in all the right ways. And Cricket was adorable.

    I'm glad you enjoyed Lola as much as Anna!

    I can't wait to read the next novel. :]

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, her continuing the their saga while still telling a bigger story was awesome :)

      I CANNOT WAIT FOR THE NEXT ONE EITHER :)

      Delete
  2. Sounds like a good read! Adding it to my EVERGROWING Tbr list! :)

    Shannon
    http://www.irunreadteach.wordpress.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Glad you liked both books. I need to read some contemporary and lighter stuff this summer cause currently I'm drenched in fantasy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha, thanks! I hope you get a chance to read these, they're great!

      Delete
  4. yes! I adore this book <3 I'm hoping to listen to it on audio soon as a reread :) I just did that with Anna and fell in love all over again <3 But like you pointed out, I love that Stephanie wrote a book that was just as charming without making it feel like it was the same story! That's the sign of a truly good author I think :)

    Thanks for the review, Anna!

    Brenna from Esther's Ever After

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for commenting! I love getting feedback or just say Hi!

Blog Lovin

Follow

Currently Reading

Walt Disney: An American Original

NetGalley

Professional Reader