Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Release Date: September 29, 2011

Publisher: Dutton Juvenile

Author Information: Website / Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Tumblr

Genre: Contemporary, Romance

Available Formats: Hardcover, eBook

My Shelf: Own

Buy the Book: Amazon

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:

Oh, Stephanie Perkins, how I love you. I seriously think I have a major girl crush right now. ><

This book was AMAZINGGGGGG. After reading Anna and the French Kiss, I could not wait to read this book and I REALLY wanted it to be as good as her first one. And, boy, was it ever.

I adored Lola (the slightly less ostentatious version of a teenage Lady Gaga) and all of her craziness. (As a side note, I totally want her Egyptian costume!) From the very beginning, there was just something that made me connect with her. Throughout the book, she learns more about herself, who she really is underneath all the crazy outfits, and rediscovers her first love. Every time she felt frustrated, confused, happy, or sad, I felt it right along with her. There were sweet moments when I could not help getting a little teary-eyed (like when Cricket first sneaks into her room or when he gives her his little starry disk invention- swoon fest) and other moments where I could not stay still, waiting in eager anticipation to see what happened next. All of it just felt so real.

I loved Cricket, with his quirkiness and obsession with rubber bands and inventions. There was something about him that just captured my heart and held on. He would be everything I would ever want in a guy. Seriously. He is a sweet, caring, talkative, and an occasionally slightly awkward, normal guy that cannot keep his hands still. And he is perfect for Lola in every way. The chemistry between the two of them is something that many novels lack nowadays (or in some cases, thanks to Twilight, are seriously overdone and waaayyyyyy too cheesy). But everything about Lola and Cricket and their relationship is just perfect. It was the same feeling I had about Anna and Etienne in Anna and the French Kiss. Perkins knows how to create chemistry between characters and makes it so easy for the reader to fall in love with them. The pairings of Anna and Etienne and Cricket and Lola just seem made for each other.

Trust me when I say that teen chick lit does not get much better than what Stephanie Perkins dishes out. I have read these books countless times already, and every time I have had a huge smile on my face when I finished them. I am super stoked for the final installment in this series, Isla and the Happily Ever After, due out in fall 2012. (Will Isla finally get Josh??? Gahhh! I cannot wait!)

Stephanie Perkins, you own my heart (along with Cricket- there is enough to share). <3

The best quote from the book:

“I know you aren't perfect. But it's a person's imperfections that make them perfect for someone else.”

The Greatest Escape!