Lola and the Boy Next Door

Review time! Stephanie Perkins is the author of Anna and the French Kiss ( great book! go read it!) and Lola and the Boy Next Door is the highly anticipated companion novel. I can hardly express how excited I was when the mailman delivered it to me, I took photos, PHOTOS.Thanks to Penguin for the review copy!

(Goodreads) 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.
 
The Short Story? - Lola is...totally, epically, completely awesome! Funny, cute and romantic, Lola and the Boy Next Door is the best rom-com since well, Anna and the French Kiss! Fantastic characterisation ( did I mention that Etienne and Anna make an appearance???), awesome plot and one swoon-worthy romance! A fantastic YA voice, Perkins has written yet another winner!

The Long Story? - Lola and the Boy Next Door was almost too hot to handle. I mean a novel with both Etienne AND Cricket, wow it was really heating up! I had ridiculously high expectations for Lola because Anna was life-changing - like really it changed me, it was my Eat, Pray, Love. Luckily Lola did not disappoint or else I would have probably cried.

I’ll start by explaining who Lola is. It goes without saying that Lola is our protagonist, the star of the show. I really liked Lola, she was funny, cute, different and a very nice girl. I liked her outrageous fashion, I mean costume choices, I liked her gay parents (okay, this is got to be coolest thing ever! Her parents are sooooo awesome!), I even liked her boyfriend Max, although he wasn’t really my type. The boy next door is Cricket. He’s got to be one of my favourite fictional boyfriends! He’s a total sweetie and he’s completely amazing, I’m surprised that I didn’t melt into a puddle. I want a boyfriend just like Cricket!!! Both leads were very likeable and well-developed characters but the best part of the characterization was that Etienne and Anna made a re-appearance! My love for Etienne has renewed and I hope he marries Anna and they live happily ever after with their friendly neighbors Lola and Cricket. This characterization is as close to perfection as it would ever get!


The plot was funny and cute and hopelessly romantic. In a nutshell, Lola has this great life and a great boyfriend until Cricket moves back in next door and she has to face her feelings for the boy next door again. I loved it, I read it from cover to cover in less than a day and I wish I could experience the joy of reading Lola for the first time again. Well-written, original and comfortable, Lola started with a bang and ended with a grand finale. Romance junkies would approve, paranormal fanatics would secretly enjoy and YA readers, Lola and the Boy Next Door should be placed on your TBR immediately because this is YA at its best!

I hope that everyone of you booklovers, rush to get your hands on a copy and ditch your boyfriends to read Lola and the Boy Next Door because it’s totally worth. Perkins is an author I’ve grown to love and admire, her books are like my Bible and I can’t wait to see what she has install for us next. Fantastic characterization, wonderful plot and excellent writing. Lola and the Boy Next Door is a rom-com that you won’t want to miss!

Rating – 5/5


Badass Bookie xx