REVIEW: Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

 

Author: Stephani Perkins

Pages: 338

Genre: Young Adult - Contemporary

Publisher: Dutton

AMAZON: Lola and the Boy Next Door

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.

REVIEW: 4 out of 5 stars

I only recently read Anna and the French Kiss and enjoyed the love story Ms Perkins weaved between Anna and St Clair so I was quite eager to get hold of Lola and the Boy Next Door.

Lola Nolan is somewhat different to her peers, she is eccentric, quirky and unique with a passion for clothes designing and things that are different, she is dating 22 year-old Max who is a bit of a bad boy rock star but she is shocked by the feelings evoked when her teen crush moves back in next door.

Cricket Bell is one of the sweetest, most endearing and genuine characters I have read in a long while, he has spent a lot of time moving around to support his twin sister Calliope’s figure skating career, he is easy-going and carefree and has secretly crushed on Lola for a long time but never acted on his feelings.

As with ‘Anna’, there is also a love triangle - Lola and Max seemed quite serious initially but we slowly start to see the ‘real’ Max revealed as the story progresses, I just wish Lola could have seen the truth behind her relationship with him from the onset as everyone else did.  I enjoyed reading of Lola’s inner turmoil when it came to bad boy Max and sweet, innocent Cricket.

I enjoyed the back-story between Cricket and Lola and the sweet friendship and past they shared, they understood one another perfectly. Seeing them work slowly towards a relationship was really sweet, I loved the dialogue between them, their interactions and the way they each supported one another, they are adorable.

Each of the secondary characters was relatable and enjoyable, they had depth and each played an important role in Lola. I adored her devoted, strict dads Nathan and Andy; they had a wonderful family dynamic. Kelsie, Lola’s best friend was sweet and I even liked Calliope as much as I disliked her actions. Now Max on the other hand I didn’t like at all, his behavior was absolutely atrocious so I was relieved by the outcome of their relationship.

The reappearance of Anna and St Clair was also wonderful, it is always nice to re-visit characters from previous novels to see how they are progressing and these two make me grin from ear to ear.

Ms Perkins writing and beautiful love story is realistic and had me engrossed, there were so many heart melting moments where I found myself literally sighing. The setting is perfect; San Francisco is a place I dream of visiting one of these days so it is always a pleasure to read about. I adored everything about Lola and the Boy Next Door!

I can’t wait to read what Ms Perkins comes up with next.

Obtained: Unleash