Review: Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Published: September 29th 2011
Publisher: Dutton
Page Count: Hardback, 372
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Chick lit
Find the Author: Website, Good Reads, Twitter, Blog
Buy This Book: Amazon, Book Depository

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. - Good Reads

Stephanie Perkins is A-MAAAAAZING! I loved Anna and The French Kiss and was worried this wouldn't compare, but Lola and the Boy Next Door exceeded my expectations! ...and I think I might have even liked this more than Anna and the French Kiss, which I think is because I felt Lola's character and family was much more fleshed out and realistic feeling despite how unconventional she is. I still love Anna, but that was Lola's plus. I honestly felt from the summary that Lola might be a little too pretentious of a character for me, but she wasn't in the least. She's a very loveable girl. And CRICKET. CRICKET CRICKET CRICKET! When I read that name my little heart goes pitter patter. He has to be one of the best boys in Contemporary YA history. He's a little nerdy, but cool on the other side of the coin and he has a heart of gold. 


In my childhood I was a figure skating fanatic. I still have recorded vhs tapes of competitions from nearly every year between 1994-2002. Alexei Yagudin, Elena Berezhanaya and Anton Sikharulidze... Irina Slutskaya! Yes, obviously I root for Russia, but that's to be expected considering. But I loved all the figure skating references. I've never seen that before in YA novel and I was quite cheesed. I loved Lola's costumes and her courage to be so different. And I loved her family. I totally wish I had two dads! I think I could probably go on for forever about what I loved about this book and annoy the hell out of you, so I'll stop and say: READ THIS! It's just that wonderful! 

                        5 out of 5 Hello Kitties!