Review- Lola and the Boy Next Door

Title: Lola and the Boy Next Door
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Publisher: Dutton
Find it here: Amazon, Goodreads
Source: Purchased

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 Take:

Stephanie Perkins is brilliant! I feel like she is one of those tennis players like Roger Federer who works really hard but their movement and style seem effortless. They make what they do look easy. Like Roger Federer picked up a racket one day and decided that he was going to win more grand slams than any other man in the world. Like Stephanie Perkins just sat at her computer one day and decided that she was going to write the most amazing YA contemporary novels. I’m sure she put a lot of work into her novels but they flow effortlessly and grab you attention from the first chapter.

Before I picked up Anna and the French Kiss, I didn’t read much YA contemporary. After Lola and the Boy Next Door, I can’t get enough contemporary! Stephanie Perkins changed that for me. As much as I loved Anna and the French Kiss, I love Lola even more!

If I could be Lola, I would! She is the life and breath of the story and I could imagine Lola acting or dressing any other way. She’s one of the most well-written characters that I’ve ever read. I wouldn’t change a thing about her. I love her personality and that Cricket is the only person who truly understands her. Max believes that Lola is hiding who she is by dressing in costumes and wearing wigs. He believes he only sees the real Lola when she is dressed in plain clothes wearing her real hair. But he just doesn’t understand her.

Cricket is the most adorkable character I’ve ever read! And I absolutely loved that little contraption he gave Lola at the end! How could she not fall in love with the boy who gave her the moon and the stars! The relationship between Lola and Cricket is so deep yet so simple. They just fall in line with each other.

If Isla and the Happily Ever After is anything like Perkins’ first two novels, I’m going to fall head over heels in love with the characters!