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

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 sytle 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. (Summary and picture from goodreads.)

There are problems with Lola and the Boy Next Door. The plot is unrealistic, characters become villains when it’s convenient for them to be, and Lola is almost a manic pixie dreamgirl. I care about those problems.

 I care about Lola and Cricket more.

It’s unfair but inevitable to compare this book to Anna and the French Kiss. Halfway through Lola, I thought, “Oh my gosh, I like this more than Anna. HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE?” Unfortunately, I wasn’t crazy about Lola’s ending, so Anna is still my favourite of the two. But, there were moments of Lola where I thought it may be the best YA Romance I’ve ever read.

My love for Lola exists because of my love for Cricket. Etienne in Anna  was playful and charmning, but Cricket…he’s nice. And so real. I’ve know Etienne’s, sure, but almost always at a distance. The Cricket’s I’ve known have been some of my best friends and biggest crushes, so of course, I connected to Cricket more than I did to Etienne.

As she did in Anna, Perkins writes Lola with a teenage voice that is properly comic, melodramatic, and unique. She gives her characters passion which show that they are people beyond their romantic relationships. And, she can write a good kissing scene.

If you liked Anna, read this book. If you like romances, read this book, If you like books, read this book.