Review: Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Title: Lola and the Boy Next Door
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Publisher: Dutton Books
Age Group: Young Adult
Category:  Contemporary Romance
Release date: September 29th, 2011
Pages: 338 (Hardcover)
Rating: 5 out of 5
Source: RAK

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 first read Anna and the French Kiss last year and I loved everything about it.  I had no clue that when I picked up Lola and the Boy Next Door that I would love it more.  The book is full of originality and emotion that makes your stomach do flips as you anticipate what will happen between these two incredibly talented teenagers.

Lola Nolan lives with her two dads and a dog named Heavens to Betsey.  She has a punk boyfriend that's 5 years older than her and she has vowed never to wear the same outfit twice.  It's very rare to see Lola in what most people would consider casual clothes and without a funky colored wig on the top of her head.  I think part of me always wanted to be a Lola; just one of those girls that can pull of wearing polka dots and stripes at the same time.

When Lola's old crush moves back in next door, feelings rush back to her and there's suddenly confusion in her life.  All summer Lola thought that Max was "the one", but no matter how much she tries to rationalize what she feels when she hangs out with Cricket, she feels a lot more for him than she wants to allow herself to.  I just wanted to say the Cricket has jumped to the top of my book crushes.  I really hated his name at first, but the more I read, the more it grew on me.  He's perfect in every way, it seems.  He's intelligent and so caring and he even dresses incredibly well for a teenage boy.

Though you would think that Lola and Cricket are perfect for each other from the get-go, there are a few things standing in their way of being friends, let alone being more than that.  The first one is Max, Lola's boyfriend.  He's insanely jealous and his first intuition with dealing with anything is to deal with it in a rage.  The second problem is Calliope, Cricket's twin sister.  She's jealous as well, because she doesn't want anyone to take her best friend away from her, which she believes Lola is doing.  I didn't particularly like either of these characters.

I love, love, love the way that Stephanie Perkins writes.  Every situation the characters go through feels so real and my heart swells with every sweet thing described.  The appearances of Anna and St. Clair throughout the story made me so happy, too!  Even though Lola and I were so incredibly different, I couldn't help but feel like I've been in her shoes.  Somehow, reading these sweet, fluffy romances really help boost my mood and I'm hoping that I'll love her next book, Isla and the Happily Ever After, just as much as these first two.