Monday, September 3, 2012

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

Lola and the Boy Next Door
Stephanie Perkins
September 29th, 2011
338 pages (hardcover)
Publisher - Dutton
Source - Purchased
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 quirky, colorful, and the type of girl who wears what she loves, no matter everyone else's opinions of her elaborate and amazing costumes. Lola's also the kind of girl who accidentally voices her feelings out loud when she's upset, and acts younger than her age because that's the easy way out of life's pesky problems. While Lola is no Anna, she is incredibly endearing in the way that you remember your high school days and all the silly decisions you and your friends made when it came to love, life, and everything else. Lola and the Boy Next Door is sweet, sad, humorous, and so much more than you might expect at first glance. 

Highlights: Cricket. So sweet, and I loved seeing his personality shine through the awkward moments.  Family is at the heart of  Lola and the Boy Next Door, and it's great to have a protagonist's parents take an active interest in their child's life (Lola's dads, Andy and Nathan, were amazing characters). Overall, Perkins excelled in creating an authentic bunch of characters with their own unique quirks. 

Lowlights: Lola could be a little too immature. I wanted to shake some sense into her whenever she was being an idiot. This book was good, but Perkins' debut was better. 

Note: Anna & St. Clair from Anna and the French Kiss make multiple appearances in this story, and are just as awesome as ever. 

Rating:  




7 comments:

  1. Great review, Lea! I loved Cricket as well. This story is so cute and I adored Lola's parents, too. I didn't like it as much as Anna, but I did like their guest appearances in this story.

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  2. I"ve read Anna and I really enjoyed it even though I'm not a big contemporary fan lately. I've stalled on reading this one because I thought it couldn't captivate me the way Anna did. From your review, it does sound enticing, I maybe should give it a try?

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  3. Cricket was amazing! I agree that Lola could be a bit immature. I also loved both sets of parents. Definitely nice to see that parents actually do care in YA books. I think not having them care, can be an easy way out for some authors.

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  4. I love "Anna" and... I didn't know Anna and Etienne would appear here too??! That's awesome! Totally need to read it!

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  5. I really liked Lola but Anna was definitely my true love and an amazing debut. I totally agree with you. I did love getting to see more of Anna and Etienne though in this one and the role that they played in regards to Lola. :]

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  6. Squee, Lola and the Boy Next Door! I loved this book so much. Cricket is my favorite! I agree that Lola was a bit childish at times, but I still loved her. :)
    Great review, Lea!
    - Lauren

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