Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins Series: Anna and the French Kiss #2
Published by Dutton on September 29, 2011
Genres: Contemporary
Pages: 338
Format: Hardcover
Source: Gifted
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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.
I didn’t think it was possible but I loved Lola and the Boy Next Door even more than Anna and the French Kiss. It was cute, funny, heartbreaking, and so romantic. Isla and the Happily Ever After can’t get here fast enough (and I hope there are cameos from Lola, Cricket, Anna, and Etienne in that one.)
Lola is a bit of a misfit. She dresses in costume and nobody, not even her quirky dads or punk rocker boyfriend, know what she will look like from day to day. It does tend to make her an outcast at school but she is okay with that because she still has her boyfriend Max and her best friend Lindsey. Things heat up when the former love of her life, Cricket Bell, moves back in next door and Lola’s life goes topsy turvy. Cricket is sweet, funny, quirky, smart, and ridiculously romantic. He also broke Lola’s heart once but he is easy to forgive (at least to readers.) And he just happens to be friends and dorm neighbors with Etienne St. Clair (squee!) I loved the cast of characters in this book especially because Anna and Etienne were in it. I really loved Andy and Nathan, Lola’s dads. Everybody was just fabulous!
Normally I don’t like tons of descriptions about character’s wardrobes but in this case it was necessary and I thought it was fun. Lola’s personality really shows through her sense of style and I loved her for her bravery. Cricket’s sense of style was also a little out there but he made it work. He is my kind of guy!
Overall, Lola and the Boy Next Door is a new favorite of mine. I know my review is all gushing but please believe me when I say that you need to read this one!
Wow, I hear nothing but good things about this one. Glad you enjoyed it. I am embarrassed to admit I still need to get started on Anna…
I just finished Anna and the French Kiss yesterday, and I ADORED it! I can’t wait to get my hands on this one. So happy you liked it.
-geekgirl
geek girl’s book blog
Can’t wait to get a chance to read this one. 😀 Great review.
Justin @ Justin’s Book Blog
eeeee so excited!!!!!! I super thrilled you liked it better than Anna, that means it must be AWESOME!
Glad you loved it! Cannot wait until I get a copy of this. Stephanie Perkins’ novels (or novel, since she only has one other) are really cute.
A Thousand Little Pages
I’m so excited for Lola and the Boy Next Door! It sounds just as amazingly good as Anna and the French Kiss, and I’m happy to hear that Etienne and Anne are in the book too. The book is released in early October for us in Canada, so it looks like your late September date is a few days earlier than us. Thanks for the awesome review! 🙂
Eee we are so jealous! Excellent review. A lot of your comments (like the one about the clothing) remind us of things we would think, so if you liked it, we think we’ll like it too. Thanks for writing about it!
I actually just finished Lola and I am in complete agreement with you about everything!! =D Loved loved loved Cricket!! And Lola’s dads were awesome!! Great review, Katie!
Lola sounds so good. I haven’t even read Anna yet but now I want to read both of Stephanie Perkins books.
Yay! Glad you loved this…I can’t wait to read it!
I can’t wait to read this book!
Lola is one of my favorite book gals ever! She’s fun and caring, real and self-aware. I love how she cares about other people’s feelings. Her fashion passion was awesome!
LOVE CRICKET!!
Lovely review 🙂