Book Review: Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Pages: 338

Genre: YA Realistic Fiction

Pub. Date: September 29, 2011

Source: LibraryThing Early Reviewers

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Goodreads says, "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. "

Lola is a quirky and eccentric teenager aspiring to be the next big fashion designer.  She likes to wear the most outlandish clothing and wigs.  Lola fits in perfectly in artsy San Francisco with her two dads and has grown up in one of the beautiful Victorian homes next door to the twins, Cricket and Calliope Bell. They used to be inseparable as children and things changed once Cricket broke Lola's heart.  However, things are different for Lola now. The Bells have moved away to accommodate Calliope's figure skating career and Lola has an older rocker boyfriend now.  Things are going smoothly for Lola until the Bells move back next door along with Cricket.  Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins truly captures first love and captured my heart as well.


After reading Anna and the French Kiss, I knew I HAD to get my hands on a copy of Lola and the Boy Next Door.  Much to my surprise, I realized that it is very different from Anna and the French Kiss, which I've come to realize is both good and bad.  Lola was harder for me to relate to than Anna. She's a bit out there, overly dramatic and a tad selfish.  I really couldn't connect with her like I could Anna.  Cricket makes for a really cute love interest, because he's a bit on the nerdy side as he's an aspiring inventor.  He is constantly in the shadow of his figure skating phenom sister, Calliope, and is trying to find his way.  I didn't like how he was bossed around by Calliope; I wanted him to grow a pair and that in itself frustrated me.  Cricket is a downright good guy though and lets be honest, we need that in YA.  Also, I must point out how much I LOVED Lola's dads. They were fantastic and I wish there were more books out there that showcase a family dynamic like Lola's.  


Perkins' writing style is enthralling.  Even though I couldn't relate to the characters as much as I had hoped for, I was still very much so invested in Lola and the Boy Next Door.  I really enjoy her writing style and before I knew it, I finished the book.  Perkins reminds me so much of Sarah Dessen in that she can take a character, one that I don't necessarily relate to, and make me sympathize and root for her.  I love that about Perkins!


I also adored the concept of the "boy next door" as most people had something like that in their lives at some point.  Perkins does a brilliant job of capturing this and making it magical.  The stolen glances, the talking through the windows, the peeking across the space between the two houses, the long walks in the neighborhood....I loved it. It was so very Dawson's Creek. (*sigh*)   

One of the best parts of Lola and the Boy Next Door is the fact that Anna and St. Clair are in the book.  St. Clair is his usual swoon-worthy self and it was nice to be revisited by Anna.  I liked how Perkins weaved the two story lines together.  Also, just like in Anna and the French Kiss, the setting of the novel becomes just as important and while Paris is a bit more romantic (in my opinion) than San Francisco, she still made the city come to life.  It was the perfect location for a zany girl like Lola.


All in all, Lola and the Boy Next Door is a delightful read that will take readers back to their first childhood crushes.  Although it lacked some of the magic that Anna and the French Kiss had, I still recommend it for fans of contemporary fiction as well as Sarah Dessen.  I am a huge fan of Stephanie Perkins and can't wait to read her third book, Isla and the Happily Ever After, which comes out in 2012 and I hear takes place in Paris! Merci beaucoup, Ms. Perkins!

*Pre-order Lola and the Boy Next Door

*Buy Anna and the French Kiss