Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Synopsis: Lola Nolan is a budding costume designer, and for her, the more outrageous, sparkly, and fun the outfit, the better. And everything is pretty perfect in her life (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the 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.
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance
Review: It’s been years since I read Anna and the French Kiss for the first time. A few of my friends told me that the two following books weren’t as good as the first one, so I didn’t bother reading them until this summer. What a fool I was! I honestly think that Lola’s story is my favorite of the three!
I would summarize the book a little, but the above synopsis really does a very good job. One of my favorite things about this book, as demonstrated above, is how unique and quirky all the characters are. Lola is an edgy and outgoing aspiring fashion designer, Calliope is a professional gymnastics legend, and Cricket is an inventor. These characters are more unique and interesting than any others Perkins has created, and they gave this book a special reading experience for me.
Another thing I enjoyed about this book was the difference in the relationship dynamic. Lola begins the book dating her rocker boyfriend, of whom her dads highly disapprove, but when her former crush Cricket comes back into her life, she begins fighting the feelings for him that are rising in her again. In Anna and the French Kiss, I felt a little bad wanting Anna and St. Clair to get together when he had a girlfriend, but this book takes an interesting turn when you want so badly for Lola, who is utterly determined to prove everyone wrong about her rocker boyfriend, to end up with Cricket. There were far more moments of doubt as to whether or not it would really happen, which made the book far more interesting.
I always enjoy Stephanie Perkins’ books, but this one really took the cake for me. If you enjoyed Anna and the French Kiss and haven’t made it to its companions yet, or if you haven’t read any of her work yet, what are you waiting for? Don’t be like me! This is definitely one I’ll be revisiting in the future!
(And if you haven’t read the first book, Anna and the French Kiss and want to learn more, check out its Book Rec Thursday feature here!)
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