Review of Lola and the Boy Next Door

Goodreads Synopsis:

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.


My Take:

Overall, I enjoyed this sequel/companion to Anna and the French Kiss. Again, I liked the voice and writing style that's such a signature of Stephanie Perkins. Still, I think I love Anna and the French Kiss more. There's just something about St. Clair and Anna's love that just works. And of course I LOVED that they made several appearances in this book! Perkins does a wonderful job of continuing her portrayal of adorable teenage romances, but I didn't feel like these two characters were anything like her first two, which is nice to see. We had Lola, a girl in love with the elaborate and making a statement, and Cricket, a teenage inventor with an old school 1920s hipster style. The story also deals with relationships between a teenager and an older guy in his twenties--definitely an interesting thing to see in YA as well as the fact that Lola has two dads rather than the usual parental unit. Perkins brings to life the San Francisco setting and incorporates it so easily into the story that you can't help but feel like your there. The romance is a definite driving force in the story, but sometimes I wished the plot was a little stronger but in general it was a fun read.

My Rating:

4 out of 5 Stars