Review: Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
Synopsis (Goodreads):

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.

My Thoughts: You know how some books totally hit the spot? That was Lola for me. I loved it. I loved Cricket. I loved Lola's wigs and her costumes. I loved that Lola was so irrepressibly Lola. I loved that we got to see Anna and St. Clair again. I loved all these little things and they added up to make me ridiculously happy. To the point where even though I loved how the book ended and I loved where the characters ended, I wanted more. I want to see the next phase of Cricket and Lola. I want!

I'm not going to lie, I had expectations going into this book. I loved Anna's story and I was very excited to dive into this book. But... but... I kept thinking that I loved Anna so much that there was no way Lola could live up to her. I had fears, guys. Fears! And yet those fears were unfounded. While Lola's story wasn't quite as effortlessly charming as Anna's, it still captured me and kept me enthralled.

One of the things that I wasn't enamored of was Lola's boyfriend, Max. I didn't like him. Besides the age difference (which at their age is HUGE), I just... wanted him gone. But at the same time, Lola's story wouldn't have been half as poignant if she had dropped Max like a hot potato and fallen into Cricket's arms. The buildup was slow and lovely and Max's interference in it was part of that.

Stephanie Perkins has done at outstanding job of creating characters that shine through their awkwardness. She writes people that I want to know. And she made them so ridiculously real. I'm eagerly waiting for Isla's story now so that I can be dazzled once again.

Books in this series
1. Anna and the French Kiss
2. Lola and the Boy Next Door - Hardcover | Kindle
3. Isla and the Happily Ever After

Author Links
| Website | Twitter | Amazon |

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