Lola and the Boy Next Door

Anna and the French Kiss #2

by Stephanie Perkins

Alternate Cove edition for ISBN 9780525423287

Lola Nolan is a budding costume designer, and for her, the more outrageous, sparkly, and fun the outfit, the better. And everything is pretty perfect in her life (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the 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.

Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Chick Lit, Fiction, Young Adult Contemporary, Realistic Fiction

338 pages, Hardcover

First published September 29, 2011

About the author

Hi, there! I'm Stephanie Perkins, and I wrote Anna and the French Kiss, Lola and the Boy Next Door, and Isla and the Happily Ever After. I also edited (and contributed a short story to) a romantic holiday anthology called My True Love Gave to Me and its companion anthology Summer Days and Summer Nights. My most recent releases are horror novels—There's Someone Inside Your House, which was adapted into a film for Netflix, and The Woods Are Always Watching. I'm currently at work on my next novel, which has not been publicly announced yet.

I don't check my Goodreads inbox! Better ways to reach me are listed here: http://stephanieperkins.com/about/

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/naturallyste...
Twitter: http://twitter.com/naturallysteph

Reviews

[Sophia. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh, gosh. I really cannot understand all the good reviews for this book (even if half of them were given BEFORE the book actually came out, which, if you ask me, is completely stupid). To say it's overrated is an understatement.

This book is such a huge disappointment. I guess this is a typical example of what happens when you fantasize so much about something that you've actually built up this ideal in your mind... which has nothing to do with reality, sadly. Careful people, spoilers ahead.

I'd like to begin by saying that I am a big fan of Anna and the French Kiss. That book's a master piece, clearly. I absolutely loved Stephanie Perkins' writing and I couldn't wait to read the companion book.

But unfortunately, Lola and the Boy Next Door feels like.. I don't know, the biggest letdown of the year?

First off, I have to say it; Lola surely is the most unbelievable and unlikable narrator, I have ever had the misfortune to read about. I'm sorry. I really wanted to like her, I did. But I hated her. I'm just one year older than she is, but all along the book, I felt like she was twelve. Her reactions, her constant lies, her attitude, everything bothered me... her dress code on top.

Okay. So I understand the concept of wanting to be different, as well as being into fashion. But this just felt ridiculous and weird and wrong. Seriously, big fake sparkly eyelashes and prom dresses and WIGS every day ? What is wrong with that girl? And how is this supposed to make her relatable?
She's self-centered and instead of making her look original, that just showed bad taste and immaturity. At some point she goes to school wearing a dress made out of a sheet and some Cleopatrian make up, hum, hello, ARE YOU FOR REAL?!
I understand if you're like eight or if it's Halloween or whatever but being a junior and all?

How come her parents don't say anything? Aren't they supposed to have a say in their kid's image or something? Don't they ever wonder why she feels the necessity of hiding herself? Of wearing outfits that make her absolutely unrecognizable in the streets? Don't they ever think it might be more than teenage drama? What kind of parents wouldn't sit the kid down and try to figure out what's going on?

I kept thinking that Lola was disturbed and needed some serious therapy and I knew from the very first scenes I wouldn't like her. She made this HUGE deal out of what happened with the Bells two years ago, nearly passing out when she learns they've come back, breaking plates and all, and when you discover what the whole drama is about, it's pathetic. It was nothing. Over-reacting is her middle name, I swear.

Which naturally brings me to talk about the main hero of the story, Cricket. I feel so, so sorry that no one in the whole editing world could convince Perkins to change that name. It was just so irritating, it bugged (no pun intended) me the whole time and because of that, I was never, ever able to visualize him as a potential hottie.

Imagine you're at the hospital. After 9 months of long and exhausting pregnancy, you now have your baby boy in your arms, and he's perfect. And the smiling nurse comes to you and say "What will be the name of that sweetheart?" and you say ... CRICKET.

Perkins worked on that book with a simple goal: make teenage girls swoon over the characters, and over the story.

But for the love of God, people, just tell me!

HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO BE SWOONING OVER THAT?



Did she lose a bet in a drinking game or something ?

So I'm sorry. I really am. But I just can't. It's beyond what I can accept. (And don't even get me started on the too-short-pants-and-pointy-red-shoes, because it's painfully obvious how Perkins tried to give him a wannabe "edgy"/hipster/rock n' roll attitude = so cool. Not. It's geeky and unattractive.)

Basically, I think what was really disturbing in that story is the lack of any realistic element whatsoever. Simplicity anyone ? Not here:
The names (Dolores Umbridge anyone? Cricket? Calliope? Come on now!), the characters, the personalities, the outfits (Lola's and Cricket's, for that matter), family situations (I hate it when authors try to send a message like this. What was that supposed to mean? That gay parents can raise a kid just as well as any straight parents? As far as I'm concerned I didn't think that Lola was a normal teenager. Any social worker would be seriously concerned to see her wearing her freakin' Marie Antoinette dress...), the whole inventor thing (Do I even need to talk about that?), as well as the moon-talking (honestly? Like you're seventeen, and you sit on your balcony and talk out loud to the moon, all of this when your window is two inches away from your crush's window? Riight). Nothing felt REAL!

Perkins tried too much to differentiate her characters, just so her book would be nothing like the clichés of the YA lit world. She tried too hard. Way too hard. Everything was overdone. And the thing is, she doesn't even need to try that hard!

Perkins is an amazing writer; her work can be amazing, where tons of others just fail miserably. She doesn't need to develop extraordinary characters. Anna didn't have anything special but she was adorable.

Also, the love triangle was very badly achieved. From the first page, I think, Lola describes Max with the words "tattooed, 22 years old, rock star, pot-addicted, hated by the parents"... I mean, hey, diabolizing much ? (And a five year difference isn't SUCH a big deal. No, it just isn't. St Clair's reaction was ridiculous. Seriously, grow the fuck up Lola. If you keep thinking he's too old to the point of screwing up your relationship, then you're definitely too young.)

You know what, I think that's precisely the problem actually. Lola felt too young. Like Perkins aimed the book at a younger audience. And if you could relate to Lola and to the way she dresses, then you're probably young, too. You'll change your mind in a couple of years.

And of course, there's the whole "reverse plot" that everyone spotted. Now it's Lola who's in a relationship, and she has sex YOU GUYS so she's MATURE! But the whole detective thing with her best friend and everything.. It really felt like she was still a young teenager, and that's not what I want to read. I personally like it better when the characters of the books I read are a bit older than me (I suppose it makes me expect great adventures for the years to come or something like that).. But here, I felt like I'd borrowed a book from the middle school's library. And when Lola's acting like a stupid toddler.. it just makes me want to close that damn book and move on.

And the title was also a bad choice. Yes, yes, it's cute and all the 13 year olds will love it but since you know that the title is "boy next door", it was so obviouuus. So Lola virtually spends the whole story with some guy who you just KNOW is the wrong one. The more you read, the more Max is being described as an asshole - in case you didn't know you HAD to hate him and expect the fly Cricket to come and end up with Lola.
The whole goal of love triangles is that you ache NOT knowing what choice would be the best.. Here, we're just left waiting for Lola to open her eyes and stop acting like a lying kid. It's exhausting, really.

There's another problem, which was SO irritating I wanted to throw the book away. Anna and Etienne. Please. PLEASE. I adored them in their OWN book, here they're just this ridiculous idealized version of a perfect couple, and I found myself cringing whenever they were saying cheesy pseudo romantic bullshit. I mean come on. Like, three months ago, Etienne was still with Ellie, doing his Spanish homework and whining like a baby that he didn't want to be alooone. So don't blame me for laughing out loud when he says oh-so-very-seriously "When you know, you know!"

Which makes me think about this awful scene that I found absolutely revolting :

So Lola's upset and she wants to talk about it with Anna, but she says reluctantly "I know you're just going to repeat everything to St Clair."

(This is the part where you expect Anna to say "Are you kidding? Of course not. It's not his business. Besides I have my own life, you know. We're not pathetic codependent idiots. What's going on? Talk to me")

Silly me.
Anna actually GRINS broadly and says "Yep".
(YEP. I swear that's what she answers!)

Seriously ? What kind of friend is that ? So basically, Perkins, being with someone means you can no longer be a friend and keep a secret without telling your fucking soul mate?

It was really annoying that repeatedly throughout the book, Etienne's mentioned as the-guy-ALWAYS-sticking-around-Anna, I don't think it's healthy not to have certain aspects of your life where you can be apart from each other. Besides, some stuff like the shrugs of Etienne were okay when it was noticed from Anna's point of view, here I think it was too much (and can I mention that I'm French and none of my friends "full-body" shrug that way?!..).

Overall, I'd say I couldn't bring myself to care about the (very boring) description of San Fransisco ; or the characters, or the plot, or anything, really. Actually I skimmed a lot through the book and while reading other reviews, I realized that I've missed a good part of the actual story. Like Lola goes through a goth/OMG-Im-so-miserable-I-only-dress-in-black period? HAHAHA

It's a shame because I know what Perkins can do and this is why I won't give up on her. I'm sorta curious of her new book. Which I think is about Isla & Josh from Anna and the French Kiss. That does seem cool, Josh has the potential to be really interesting. I also read somewhere it took place in Paris or something so maybe it'll be better than this one. I hope so, anyway. Thanks for reading !

[tonya. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here's the thing. I think Stephanie Perkins is in my head. Or at least my daydreams. How else could she consistently write characters that seem to be tailor-made to hit my flutter buttons? Etienne for my anglophilia, Max for my tattooed, Buddy Holly glasses wearing messed up, misdirectedly (I know that's not a word) angry, kind of douchebaggy rocker boy, and Cricket. Cricket for everything I've ever wanted in a real boy.

Because that's the beauty of Lola and the Boy Next Door. It's real. As much as I loved Anna and the French Kiss (and I looooooooooooooooooooove Anna), Lola was better on nearly every level because it felt real. Anna was by no means a fairy tale without the struggle of realism, but there were some elements that took it to daydream level. Paris. Beautiful, charming British boy. The big, dramatic (incredibly swoontastic) ending.

Lola is different. They aren't in Paris, and Cricket isn't a dashing, gorgeous Brit. He's just a normal boy. A normal, awkward, amazingly sweet boy who I can't even find words to describe. (Except for, you know, those...)

I won't say anything about the story itself, except Stephanie Perkins manages to surprise me with the depth she gives her characters and their circumstances. Lola made me ache; I went through each moment of impulse, confusion, and agonizing indecision with her. I laughed with her, I certainly cried with her more than I expected to, and I swooned so hard that by the last section I was literally reading standing up because I was FEELING TOO MANY FEELINGS to sit.

Lola and the Boy Next Door is everything first love should be--painful, awkward, desperate, tender and so, so sweet.

And as I read Perkins' acknowledgements at the end, I found myself tearing up again at her note to her husband. I realized why she is able to write such amazingly real and heartfelt love stories. It's because she's lived it.

Lola and the Boy Next Door comes out in September. I can't wait to swoon with you!

[Lyndsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set to "Copacabana" by Barry Manilow.

Her name is Lo-la. She's a steal-the-show girl.
With purple stripeys in her hair, wearing leggings worthy of Cher.
She's friends with Etienne, and of course, with An-na.
The boy next door draws on his hand, and Lola yearns to understand.
Across their midnight lawn, they talked from dusk til dawn.
They were young and needed each other.
But did the boy next door want more?

At Lola's, Lola Nolan's Casa.
The hottest thing since Etienne and Anna!
At Lola's, Lola Nolan's Casa.
Music, and passion, and geek hipster fashion.
At Lola's... They fell in love.

His name is Cricket.
He's an inventor.
He hangs out his window, and keeps his voice real low.
And when she's within ear, he beckons her near.
But Cricket wouldn't go too far.
Because Lola had some scars.
And then the tension grew, and hearts were ripped in two.
There was love and some rough nights.
But just who caused the fight?

At Lola's, Lola Nolan's Casa.
The most angst since Etienne and Anna!
At Lola's, Lola Nolan's Casa.
Sequins and tassels and two gay dad rascals!
At Lola's... She lost her love.

Her name is Lo-la, still a steal-the-show girl.
But she's been through teenage hell, all thanks to Cricket Bell.
Now it's make or break it, for a relationship.
But she still has a boyfriend.
Did I forget to mention him?
Her path is undefined, she's losing half her mind.
She's in a bind and in a crunch.
Now she's about to lose her lunch!

At Lola's, Lola Nolan's Casa.
The best fun since Etienne and Anna.
At Lola's, Lola Nolan's Casa.
Hair clips and lashes and grand high school dances.
At Lola's... Does she get her love?
Does she get her love?

[Ari · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm definitely going to burn in hell..
Oh, that awkward moment when everybody loves a book and you don't understand why... You know that feeling, right? Well, yeah, I'm pretty much living it.

It's not that I DIDN'T LIKE the book, it's just that I didn't LIKE it.. Does it make any sense to you, because for me there is a whole damn big difference.

Anyways, this is not Anna's book-sister, this is more like the evil stepsister.. It  actually managed to  raise my blood pressure, unfortunately not in a "too hot to handle" kind of way.

I've generously given this book 2.5 stars because I love Stephanie's style. Not only because I loved Anna but because I follow Stephanie's  blog and I love her posts, her wittiness, her optimism, her joy of life. She makes me laugh a lot.. But Lola, Lola was just not right for me and I really struggled to understand why did all those people love it so much.

First I didn't like (whinny) Lola.. Or (dorky) Cricket for a matter of fact. (Yes, I know you all love him but I just can't understand why)
Then I liked Max.
Did you just have a heart attack? No? Ok then, Because i need you to listen to me.

I'll start from the beginning...

1. LOLA:

I didn't care about her, her wigs, her pink and glittering room, her past with the twins, and her memories from when she was 5 years old.
I found her to be really immature, and she was complaining way too much.
She kept denying her feelings for 3/4 of the book and when her best friend (Lindsey) said that it was obvious that she liked Cricket then *bang* the truth hit her.

"I open my window and a thousand bottled emotions explode inside of me at the full sight of him.
I like Cricket. Like that.
Again."

No s**t.. after 200 pages of whining about how he hurt you, and how you don't want to like him, and how you like him but you want to be with your boyfriend (to whom you lie all the time BTW). The realization just hit you one moment... just like that?
And I had to hear you all that time complaining and complaining, and playing with Cricket's feelings just.. because...?!

Let me tell you this:
In "Anna" there was this cute flirting between the main characters and some nice friendship going on.. I understood why Anna liked Etienne, even as confusing as the situation was.
In this one I felt sorry for Cricket. He was begging for love from the moment he confessed that he liked her (only a few days after he came back). He was always there for her, like a faithful dog, it broke my heart, really!

2. CRICKET:

Talking about Cricket.. He's been described by other reviewers as this sexy geek, swoon worthy that would steal everyone's heart. (no really?!)
Did I read the same book?

*clearing throat*

Except for his tight pants (yes, apparently he had sexy pants for all I know from Lola's obsessive thinking) there was nothing sexy about him (of course, in my opinion). All Lola's memories of him are awkward and he is described as something totally different and unattractive, and I had a hard time understanding why did she like him in the first place.
Because he was the only kid in the world not saying bad things to her? Because he was the boy next door and it's nice to have a crush on your neighbor? I don't know why!

And then he was mostly absent from this book, coming home only for weekends (not even all of them). Yes she thought about him all the time, from the very beginning, because she was obsessing about him. She said she was unhappy because he came back, but right before that she was whining about losing him. Even in the beginning. She couldn't say something about her boyfriend without remembering the boy next door.

But it's all his fault.. She had the nerve to say that it was his fault that she was thinking about him.. yeah, blame it all on his return..
Do I need to quote her on the first page talking about him when he was not even back yet? No?
OK, then I rest my case.

3. PARENTS:

Her family was weird.. I couldn't understand why they were so involved in her life, not agreeing with anything.
All she did was wrong, no matter what.
You like Max? Wrong!
You like Cricket? Wrong! (if he comes to your room)
Are you too happy.. Are you sad? Wrong, wrong, wrong!

I hated the protective fathers... As Max said: one is horrible, 2 unbearable.. I agree!
What was that obsession about the age difference?
There is something called trust, you know, and you should trust your kids (because if they want to have sex with someone they will do it even with someone their age, there's no need to find someone 5 years older.. Just saying).
Still, I liked Alec. He was the 'good father'.  I liked the advices that he gave Lola., how he was there for her, and also I liked that he told her when she was doing something wrong. In a nice way. He was not as absurd as Nathan.
As for her mother, she was a mess.
With a family like that I don't wonder why is Lola so vulnerable and unsecure and undecided.

4. FRIENDS:

Lindsey was a crappy friend, and there was no trust between them either.
In "Anna" I loved the friendship between all those characters, in this one it felt simply unnecessary... Lindsey was there just to crack a joke from time to time, and to boss around telling Lola if she was allowed to like Cricket or not (and to complain about Lola's boyfriend.. what a horrible thing to do - no wonder why Max didn't like her either).  And they were so different that I wondered why in the world were they friends anyways..

Anna and Etienne were there, but not even they made a good appearance. They were not close friends to Lola, and their relationship with her seemed a bit forced. I hated when Lola let down Anna when she promised to introduce Anna to her boyfriend (Max).

5. BOYFRIEND:

Max was the only character in the book that I liked, but I wasn't suppose too, and he turned out conveniently mean in the end, just to make a point: he was older, he was no good for her, he was not to be trusted, he had to become a jerk, he had to break your heart. DONE! (BTW, when you break up with someone because you like someone else, are you allowed to tell that he broke your heart? I didn't think so!)

Anyways I felt sorry for him, because I knew that Lola never really liked him, and she was with him only because he was older and she wanted just to show off in front of her friends and to piss her parents.
But he was nice, and smart, and he tried a lot to make thing right. He was the only sane character in the book! I was sorry to see him change (personality wise) at the end only to make the situation easier for Lola. What a shame!

--

All through this book I kept thinking: how in the world would I understand Lola, if she went against everything I believe in?
How could I enjoy her complaining about losing a guy I couldn't care less about (because she made me hate him in the first place), how could I be there for her while lying to her boyfriend (that I actually liked), and so on.

I understood Etienne in the first book, the story worked in his case... His dad was a big jerk and his mother was dying, and he needed to have something permanent in his life, something to be somehow certain about.. That's why he didn't break up with Ellie, but what is Lola's excuse? Cricket told her what he felt almost in the beginning, and she was toying with his feelings. Remember how some people said that Etienne was playing with Anna's feelings? Well, meet Lola, she is even worse.

There were some few funny moments, yes, but other than those this book was mostly depressing, with Lola complaining about her love life, and her mother, and Max, and her fathers, and the twins. (oh boy, not the twins again!)

I still want to read the next book, I can't wait for it, but "Lola and the boy next door" was simply not a book for me.
When I read about Christmas in this one, I remembered the Christmas scene from the other one, with the phone calls and messages, oh, it was so damn cute.
Even if I didn't like this book as much as I wanted, I can give it credit for making me want to read "Anna and the french kiss" again, and for making me hope that "Isla and the Happily Ever After" will be better.


This review can also be found at ReadingAfterMidnight.com
____________________________________________

Blog (EN) | Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr | Bloglovin' | Blog (RO)
____________________________________________

Favorite quote:

”Because that’s the thing about depression. When I feel it deeply, I don’t want to let it go. It becomes a comfort. I want to cloak myself under its heavy weight and breathe it into my lungs. I want to nurture it, grow it, cultivate it. It’s mine. I want to check out with it, drift asleep wrapped in its arms…”

Music of choice:
Plain White T's - Hate (I Really Don't Like You)

PS: sorry, Jo, that I didn't love this book as you did. I'm glad that you liked it better! :)

Pre-reading thoughts:
God, I'm counting the days here.. ♥
Update:
I officially hate every single person in the world that has read & loved this book because I want to read it too!!!
No, scratch that, I'm kidding.. I am so happy for you :) *sigh*

[jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

finally getting around to writing a review for this because it came up in conversation and i just now realised what never clicked for me.

yes, this is a light and fluffy story. i didnt find it problematic like i did with ‘anna,’ so thats a good thing. but i never connected with the characters and i finally just figured out why.

i appreciate authors trying to make their characters quirky. i get it. everyone has something that makes them awkward and weird. quirky characters are opportunities for readers to relate to non-stereotypes. but have you ever read a character that was just tooo quirky? like, to the point where you dont affectionately say ‘you weirdo,’ but youre constantly like ‘what the heck is this person even doing??’ i found both lola and cricket to be too quirky - so much so that they didnt seem like real people to me.

so while i actually did like the story/plot concept, the execution of characters just wasnt for me.

↠ 3 stars

[Hailey (Hailey in Bookland) · Rating 5 out of 5]

*4.5 stars
Not as good as anna but still very enjoyable!

[Emily May · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yay for warm fuzzies. Stephanie Perkins has a talent and that talent is for making me happy, allowing me to enjoy the entire reading experience, laugh at times and come away with no deep sense of revelation - just the knowledge that I will have to get my hands on whatever she writes next. Her writing may be light and mostly meaningless but it achieves one of the greatest things a book possibly can: fun.

And that's just it... this book is silly, mindless fun. I'm not sure why some people who enjoyed Anna and the French Kiss didn't like this, for me it was a very similar sort of book in many ways, with the main difference being that I thought Lola was a much more well-rounded and interesting character than Anna. I also liked Cricket a lot more than Etienne St.Clair. Perhaps it's the height thing, or that a lot of Etienne's charm was built around the English accent that I have to hear lecturing me about Plato every day. I thought both were entertaining romance stories but Lola and the Boy Next Door just seemed to suit me better.

There was only one thing that I didn't like about this book and it was mostly because I thought it unnecessary. It was how the boyfriend who was originally kind, understanding and quirky turned into a complete dick in order to make it alright for Lola to leave him. I think this could have been handled better, sometimes people's feelings change in relationships and you can gently and maturely break it off - did Stephanie Perkins worry that we'd be unable to forgive Lola for upsetting a good guy so she made him a closet moron instead? It wasn't needed and it didn't flow naturally.

Apart from that, this was a great book and I can't wait to read Isla and the Happily Ever After.

[Christine Riccio · Rating 5 out of 5]

adorable and wonderful! didn't want to put it down =)

[Victoria Resco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cricket Bell tenés permiso para pedirme matrimonio.

No puedo explicarles lo que fue leer esto. COMO ES QUE HAY PERSONAS A LAS QUE NO LE GUSTA ESTE LIBRO? VAYAN AL PSICÓLOGO POR FAVOR.

Voy a empezar diciendo que adoré la relación de Lola con Max, no porque esté BIEN, sino porque se explora en ella todas las razones por las que está mal y el hecho de que a veces el amor y los sentimientos se equivocan.

Pero bueno, hablemos de lo importante: CRICKET BELL. DIOS, QUÉ HOMBRE. Quería adoptarlo y casarme con él a la vez. Amo el cliché de "el chico se enamora primero", y todavía más el cliché "el chico se enamora primero y se lo dice a la chica cuando ya es demasiado tarde"... en especial si NO es tan tarde como creíamos...

"Lola and the boy next door" es un libro que se lee con la velocidad y la adicción de un cliché, pero con la enseñanza, la profundidad y la destreza narrativa de un libro que te va a quedar en la cabeza para siempre.

[Tatiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know how I am going to justify this rating. Books like Lola and the Boy Next Door rarely work for me. I dislike chick-lit, I dislike two-timing/emotionally cheating/lying heroines, I dislike when the "wrong" guy in books with love triangles is vilified at the last minute to make it right for the heroine to break up with him. And yet I liked this book that contains all these elements.

This novel is just such a light, breezy, charming read. The main character, who would normally annoy the hell out of me with her obsession with clothes, glitter, tiaras, has a very relatable voice. Reading Lola and the Boy Next Door was an infinitely relaxing experience. This book is filled to the brim with cuteness - cute boys, cute families, cute locations and cute crushes. Perkins' special gift is bringing back the memories of young love and excitements and heartaches that come with it. (I would have preferred this book without sex though.)

My excuse for liking Stephanie Perkins debut novel Anna and the French Kiss was that I read it around Christmas and it hit just the right spot then. My excuse now will be that I read Lola and the Boy Next Door by the pool under the Florida sun in October and it is a perfect beach read. I am running out of the excuses here, so I guess I should just accept the fact that while I have no love for chick-lit, Perkins has a talent to convert even this jaded hater into a fan. There is no doubt, I will be reading Isla and the Happily Ever After.

[Limonessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The thing about Lola and the boy next door is that, since it's a companion book, it's inevitable to make a comparison with Anna and the French Kiss which, in this case, comes out as a disadvantage because, as far as I am concerned, Anna is the absolute winner.

Lola is a really cute story: she is a quirky, raised by gay parents, unique teenage girl.
When her first crush and ex-neighbor, Cricket, reappears on her doorstep after two years, things get complicated because Lola already has a boyfriend, Max, five years older than her, much more experienced.
As Cricket slowly worms his was back into her life - and into her heart - Lola will have to learn how to be honest with herself - and she will learn it the hard way.

I'll admit I had high expectations for this book and while it's certainly enjoyable and relaxing, it failed to deliver repeatedly for me.
Whereas Anna's story, while still being fluffy, was more believable, less shallow and more charming, Lola's story was definitely more clichéd, more puerile and felt forced in more than one occasion.

The most striking example of this "forcedness" is Max.
I didn't like how he first gets presented as an awesome boyfriend and then, quite conveniently, ends up being the asshole in a total unreasonable way. It was done unreasonably and felt so contrived, that when he does become an asshole and I was supposed to despise him I just couldn't bring myself to and I still liked him from before!

I wonder if it all has to do with the fact that the 5 years of difference in age between Lola and Max are taken as a big NO NO right from the start, because frankly, I didn't buy it. I had a 22 years old boyfriend when I was 17 and it was NOT a big deal. But, since it's taken for granted here that Max is too old for Lola, let's just make him the EVIL guy. The way the author deals with his character royally pissed me off. It wasn't smooth AT ALL.
But the same goes for the other characters: basically, they were just too black or white, they lacked depth and originality: Cricket was just too damn good for his own sake, Max too damn bad (kind of in a beautiful and damned way), Lola too damn in self denial: what she says to Max when she goes to his apartment? So not cool, girl. My eye was twitching madly during that passage.

Still, it's a book I'd recommend if you're looking for something quite readable and relaxing AND you loved Anna. Perkins certainly knows how to write a story and make her dialogues interesting. It's a colorful book, as colorful as its cover, despite the psycho-looking girl there.
I just wish there had been a little more to it, a bit more substance. Anna was definitely more fun for me.

[Aj the Ravenous Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

One thing I have to appreciate about this story is its glaring reminder that is to NEVER EVER ENTER A SERIOUS RELATIONSHIP WHEN YOU’RE UNSURE OF YOURSELF and I know age isn’t always an indication of a person’s maturity but in this case and it’s most often, sixteen year olds are yet on their way to discovering who they are and like what I’ve already mentioned, when you’re 16, be 16. I don’t have to explain that further.^^

Truthfully speaking, I didn’t like the significant first half of the story AT ALL. I didn’t like Lola’s selfishness and indecisiveness and I hated that because of her uncertainties, she had to string along two perfectly great guys at the same time, thus creating the most terrible love triangle in the history of contemporary YA romance. I also hated this other guy’s character development. Why does he have to be a jerk in the end just to solve the main problem?

But just when I was ready to give this a final rating of two stars because I thought there was no possible way to resolve the conflict and give it a decent ending, somehow, the author still managed to do it. It was a relief that at least, Lola realizes all her flaws and fully admits to them and when she started to come to realize her faults, it’s when I started to enjoy the story. I especially liked that when Lola chooses to, she could show all these great qualities about herself like her creativity and cheerfulness. It was also cute to see a glimpse of Anna and Etienne’s relationship.

To sum it up, it was generally still a worthwhile, entertaining read and although several parts annoyed the heck out of me, there’s this truthfulness and honesty to the story that I couldn’t help appreciate.

P.S. Cricket is love. <3

[Jiana · Rating 1 out of 5]

No. NO. NO. JUST NO. This book is a mess. If you loved this book, then you might not want to read this review. Because I'm so annoyed right now. And my review will probably sound harsh to you. But I gotta let out all my anger.

Let me just start by saying that I loved Anna and the French Kiss. It was beyond enjoyable and adorable. But this? Oh my God. Lola and the Boy Next Door is a big fat NO. I'm beyond disappointed.

Cricket is a cutie. I liked Cricket. But, unfortunately, he was not enough to save this mess of a book. Cricket is the male lead, by the way. Not an insect. Can we talk about this name? What were you thinking, Stephanie? WHO NAMES THEIR CHARACTER AFTER AN INSECT, THAT LOOKS LIKE THIS?



Also, Anna and Etienne appear in this book, which was really nice because I love those two together.

Now, let's talk about the cause of all my problems with this book: LOLA. *yells and screams*

Okay.

Look.

I can't stand Lola. She's easily one of the my worst female heroines. I can't even begin to describe how much I couldn't stand her. Okay, so, Lola is supposedly 17 years old. She dresses up in wigs and costumes every single day. One day she wears a Swiss Heidi dress, the other she dresses up as Cleopatra, she went to FORMAL as Marie Antoinette etc. Basically her life is Halloween every day.


Who

the

hell

does

that?!


I know Perkins wanted to make Lola seem different and unique, but come onnnn, this is way too extreme. I get changing your styles every now and then, but dressing up in COSTUMES? Nope. That's just unrealistic to me and just ridiculous. Newsflash Lola, you're not 10 years old anymore, sweetie.

ALSO. Lola is beyond childish, dumb and selfish. I know that at 17, nobody's beyond mature, but again, at 17, you're not beyond stupid either. Lola acts and talks and thinks like a 12 year old and I just could not handle her thoughts and her narration. Also, she's dating a 22 year old guy, Max, and then Cricket moves back to the neighborhood (he was her old crush) and the feelings are oh so back! YAAAY. No.

This is Lola during 90% of the book:
"I love Max."
"But Cricket is back."
"I am dating Max and he is the ONE!"
"Cricket is so tall and intelligent and amazing!"
"Max is my boyfriend and I am in love with him."
"But Cricket!!!!!"

Also, we are reminded every few pages how TALL Cricket is. Wow.

Max is described as an awesome boyfriend, but of course, for Lola to end up with Cricket, he has to do something bad for us to hate him, right? However, when they broke up, Max spoke truth. Harsh, yes. But the truth hurts sometimes.

I think that's enough roasting for Lola.

Now. The plot. Was there a plot though? There wasn't. The writing was all over the place in this book; however, in Anna and the French Kiss, it was way, way better. Again, this book is a mess.

I am so very disappointed and I hope Isla and the Happily Ever After is better.

[Alyssa · Rating 2 out of 5]

You know how all you Harry Potter fans were, like, living for the release of the seventh book, and then how some were disappointed in it? Lola was my disappointing Deathly Hallows.

You see, Anna and I, we hit it off. She smacked me in the face when I needed a slap, she caressed my stupid romantic heart, and she left me laughing out loud and wanting more. Anna, well, she’s kind of the reminder in a genre full of heavy stuff that it’s okay to watch romantic comedies on Valentine’s Day with a box of chocolate and start crying at the end when everyone lives Happily Ever After.

Anna reminded us that it’s okay to be gentle and fluffy, and that’s perfectly fine, lalala, I accept and understand that, whatever. But. Once in a while, though. I mean, it’s not like you should watch romantic comedies and cry and eat chocolate on Valentine’s Day EVERY YEAR, because it’s unhealthy and depressing and unfortunate. Just like Lola and the Boy Next Door.

Perkins goes for quirky characters in such a way that she’s imitating Dessen’s trademark cast selection and mixing it with Elkeles’ cheesy lines. She also tries to have a little Nicholas Sparks in her books – the Dramatic Stuff – and Meg Cabot – the Funny Stuff. This, all together, creates one. big. mess. because it’s really difficult to include all that stuff and do it well.

First Things First: Lola, the Mean Girl Next Door

Lola was unlikable such a way that I wanted to strangle her from the very first chapter. And, dudes, I happen to like unlikable characters. I ENJOY reading about the bitches and the cruel and the HUMAN people. I mean, Regina (Some Girls Are) and I are tight. I’m fed up with all these nice girls in YA because, HELLO, most people aren’t very nice, no matter how hard they try to be. But Lola was cold and unflattering and (yuck)trying to be likable. Annoyances trying to be sweet and caring and loving just make me go -_______________-

(This one scene was supposed to demonstrate how badly Lola treats her best friend Lindsey Lim, but then I realized how it does a really good job of demonstrating how badly Lola treats EVERYONE in general, and of how self-obsessed she is. Pay close attention.)

‘The plan was to hang out with Max and Lindsey for a few hours and then go home at dusk. […] But now I don’t want to hang out with Lindsey and Max together. And I want to stay with my friend, but I haven’t been alone with Max in two weeks.

No, I should stay with Lindsey.

“Max?” she asks.

“Yeah. He’s ready to meet up, but I’m going to tell him we’re going home early.”

[…] “Yeah, well, you haven’t seen him in forever. Don’t let me stand in the way of your amorous pursuits.”

I wish Lindsey would stop talking in front of Cricket.

[…]She’s pushing me away out of spite. There’s no good way of dealing with her when she’s like this, except to give her what she wants. “So, um, talk to you tonight?”

“Go,” she says.

[…]I sneak a look at Cricket before leaving.’ (Pages 216-217 of Lola and the Boy Next Door)

Um, kbro? Everything in bold is what I have a problem with.

First, Lola says that she no longer wants to hang out with Lindsey and Max together (they clashed earlier in the book, and Max treated Lindsey like shit). This bothers me because WHAT KIND OF GIRL STICKS WITH A GUY WHO PISSES ON HER BEST FRIEND’S PARADE WHEN SHE’S DONE NOTHING WRONG?

Lola, apparently.

Next, Lola makes excuses not to see her boyfriend and interrupts the whole evening because of how terribly he gets along with Lindsey. That’s bad, but okay, fine, that could have been dealt with appropriately. Yet, when Lindsey insists that Lola goes with Max because she doesn’t want to be a bad friend, Lola mentally attacks Lindsey’s KIND and FRIENDLY personality in saying “there’s no good way of dealing with her when she’s like this.” Um, she’s like this BECAUSE OF YOU and what you put her through, chicky.

Lastly – this is a BIG one – Lola has THE GALL to LOOK AT CRICKET, as if to LOOK APOLOGETIC for leaving, when she should be begging at Lindsey’s feet instead! Excuse me, but Perkins expects us to LIKE Lola and let her cry on shoulders when things don’t go her way?

Pssshaw, yeah right.

This one scene just demonstrates EVERYTHING WRONG with Lola’s personality. She’s selfish and self-obsessed, she blames other people for her own problems, and she’s a liar. ALSO, throughout the book, Lola progressively treats her best friend – who’s doing absofuckingeverything for Lola that she can to help – like she’s shit off the face of the earth. What sucks overall is that near the end of the book, Lola realizes how terrible a person she is and she even goes into this “huge depression”, but she NEVER CHANGES. She remains statically horrid.

Psshawwww, you think THIS is fun to read?

Second Helpings: Dem Supporting Cast, punk

There’s a pattern bridging, guys. I’ve seen this about ten times in the last year, and I’ve had it UP TO HERE with this trick: authors are demonizing other characters that could be compared with the love interest to make the love interest seem superior. This creates some very unlikable characters, who weren’t meant to be unlikable and who only became unlikable once the love interest is introduced.

Perkins creates an older, rocker, bastard of a boyfriend for Lola. In the beginning, he was likable, and if he hadn’t become such an ass over the course of the book – which really isn’t his fault – I still would have preferred him over Cricket as I did originally. What happens is this: as Perkins gives us the chance to get friendly with Cricket, she begins to emphasize how big of an asshole Max is. Over the course of the book, he becomes controlling, mean, and borderline pedophilic-gross…just because Cricket was introduced. And now that I think about it, Perkins did the same thing (albeit, I think she did all this without realizing on both accounts) in Anna in the French Kiss with that kid Dave, who yes had from the start been gross, but had eventually become DISGUSTING just to prove how wunderfuuul St. Clair was. Do you guys smell character fraud, too?

And have I mentioned how much I disliked Cricket? He seemed like such a play on the perfect guy “who really isn’t perfect deep down” that I wanted to hurl. God, I love me some eccentric and individual guys, but COME. ON. Cricket was just like Lola in the way that Perkins tried to make him unique, but just ended up mangling his personality in the meantime.

And he acted like a puppy dog, seriously. People who can’t stand up for themselves make me wonder sometimes, but those who DEPEND on others’ fondness just annoy me. I sure as hell want people to like me, and yes, it bothers me when they don’t, but I don’t live my life to make other people happy, especially not if they’ll continue to treat me like crap – Cricket, case in point.

Third of All: The Elaborate Dresses vs. Writing Style

I happen to like Stephanie Perkins a lot – she’s funny, she’s pretty darn adorable and she never ceases to inspire me with her blog posts and tweets. In actuality, I hate myself for being so cruel in this review.In Anna and the French Kiss her words touched me and made me want to sob all over my ratty old teddy bear. In her first book, she’d used a lot of clichés (St. Clair is a walking example) and a lot of overused and overtly dramatic phrases, yet it had been fine because that’s just the kind of book Anna was. Lola, though, was not an attempt to be flowery and truwuv-loveydovey in the way that Anna was, even though it certainly had those aspects involved – it was meant to be a book that was about finding yourself and uniqueness and self-realization. What happens is Perkins loses her point EXACTLY the way Lady Gaga has – she’s focused too much on the outer design and the overall gorgeousness of the product instead of tying that to “what’s inside” and “what’s really important.”

Lola’s outfits astounded me and all, but they were just so out-there and pointless to the story. I understand where Perkins was trying to go with the whole “designer” thing that Lola did, but that point was lost in all the drama I dealt with above, and also because she never really talked about how largely designing affected Lola, and why she was so dependant on having a unique style. From time to time, Perkins would sit Lola down and have her struggle with her prom dress, and then, yes, there was the whole Back-in-Black episode, but it was still really unclear what made Lola choose such an outlet for individuality and why she was so indulgent with it.

The writing lacked to prove Lola’s uniqueness, but it also was just a lot of clichés and cheesy phrases and boring romantic encounters. I saw next to no chemistry between Lola and Cricket. Everything that was meant to be funny…wasn’t. All the monumental “self-realizing” scenes were dry. It was like dead flowers were strewn throughout the story – ideas originally beautiful turned to dust.

Fourthly: The Plot, a Reboot of Anna

I’m getting tired, aren’t you? I wish I could stop my review right here with a READ IF YOU MUST sign and a little happy face. Jesus, guys, this is longer than my final essay in AP English. Alas, though, I still must talk about the plot.

Because, WHAT IS A BOOK WITHOUT PLOT?

Well, just take a look at the mess that is Lola and the Boy Next Door.

Primarily, it was really just St. Clair’s situation told from a female teenager’s POV. Girl has boyfriend but falls in love with other guy – we’ve seen this before, have we not? We’ve even seen the ENDING before, have we not? Secondly, there was no big climatic moment, not one that I could see. It was pretty much just a bunch of encounters between Lola and Cricket, lots of arguing in between, and a big dance. All obstacles Lola had to face were irrelevant, really, to the ending of the book. The missing continuity and urgency that would have existed had there been a plot present made this book so much weaker than it could have been.

Last but not Least: Special Guests Overstaying Their Welcome

It really saddens me to have to include this finale in this review, because Anna and St. Clair were really the reasons why I wanted to read this sequel. They had amazed me and blown me away (I’m a romantic, no matter how many people doubt that) and had left me wanting more. What SUCKS is that they were TOTALLY DIFFERENT PEOPLE!!! They told each other EVERY PART OF THEIR LIVES, they were together WAY TOO OFTEN, they had no lives outside of each other, and their dialogue was SO BLAND!! Like, COME ON!!! Not only that, but they were also WAYYYY too present. A simple peek-a-boo scene would have been fine, or like a run-into-them-at-the-mall would have been great, too. But no, they were present the entire time, they had purpose. Their presence in the story not only reminded me of how wonderful their book had been and how much I wished I’d been reading it, but it also gave all the other characters no space to breathe on their own.

In short, I’ve overdosed on them.

Alas:

I think I’m going to go take a nap, my friends. Like, I’m exhausted. I was so freaking excited to get this book, and then it had to just SUCK – no matter how much I really wanted to like it – and then I just had to write this review and get it all out there and dammit I wanna sleep.

So. In conclusion, methinks I talked too much and I bet y’all are falling asleep at your desks right now, too, and so if there’s one thing to take away from this review, it’s this: Anna and the French Kiss was much, much better.

[emma · Rating 1 out of 5]

if there's one thing i abhor, it's quirkiness.

the kind of deliberate not-like-other-girls-y personality, the bright colors / random conversational insertions / unusual hobbies and side interests that characterizes your manic pixie dream girls and your tryhard middle schoolers and your adults possessing internalized misogyny...

i just can't stand it.

i'm a hater. i know it. i can deal with, even cherish, quirks, but quirkiness as the definition of a personality?

that...no.

this book is a nightmare for that reason alone, and for several others besides.

part of a series i'm doing where i review books i read a long time ago and become openly reprehensible

[Arlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

First off, a huge thanks to Rebecca for giving me this ARC. Thank you!!

♥ ♥ ♥ ABSOLUTELY CRUSH-WORTHY♥ ♥ ♥

HOLY CRICKET!! I am absolutely in love with Lola and the Boy Next Door! I’m not denying it, I have a HUGE crush on this book and it’s not going away. Stephanie Perkins, without a doubt did it again. She’s managed to tap into my inner giddy making me a shameless book hugger. For fans of Anna and the French Kiss eagerly anticipating Lola and the Boy Next Door breathe with ease. This book is fricken fabulous and just as loveable as her debut novel. PERFECTION!

~ happy sigh~

In this story, Lola, a budding designer with a quirky sense of style, has her world turned upside down when her old neighbors, the Bells, move back into their San Francisco Victorian home. It's been two years since she's seen the Bell twins; and her last encounter with Cricket was a hard lesson that crushes hurt like hell. Well this time around Lola is determined not to fall for him again. Why should she? She's older, more confident, has a sexy rocker boyfriend, it's all good... right? WRONG!

Lola and Cricket had me smiling like an absolute dork the entire time. There is no way I could have read this book in public because I swear I was making some laugh-at-me faces. I just adore Perkins' style of delivering a slow building romance that blends perfectly with the flow of the entire story. As a reader, you can't help but fall into the storyline and ultimately resist the coming of the final chapters. It's the type of book you want to continue for endless chapters.

There were parts of the story that reminded me of Pretty in Pink with Lola's quirky style and hand-made costumes. Cricket was pretty amazing too in the fashion department. These two make a perfect pair. Also, it was such a pleasure to have Anna and Etienne be a part of this novel. If you fell for Etienne in Anna and the French Kiss...watch out! You’ll swoon for him even harder in this book.

As always, the writing is sharp, the characters are flawed to perfection, and the storyline is one that will have you smiling and sighing with love. Lola and the Boy Next Door has earned top ranking on my favorites list and I’m pretty sure it’s there to stay. ADORE!!!

Realizing this isn’t a coherent review but rather a gush-fest about my book crush, I’ll stop now and just tell you that Perkins fans and YA Contemporary readers are going to enjoy this little gem to the tenth degree.

P.S. Stephanie Perkins, I’ve been gushing about Aussie writers for the last few months and how they write the most amazing books. Well we’ve got you to brag about that’s just fine by me. XD Please don’t ever put your pen down or stop your mind from wandering into your happy place that holds your stories. It’s readers like me that adore what you put to paper. Beautiful stuff. Really!

Book quotes:
I know you aren't perfect. But it's a person's imperfections that make them perfect for someone else.

Just because something isn't practical doesn't mean it's not worth creating. Sometimes beauty and real-life magic are enough.

These two book quotes are from an ARC, which will be compared and removed/updated based on the final copy, but I just had to include them...

Okay, off it goes to the next Booker before Crystal pulls out her wand with her ACCIO LOLA magic. :D It’s coming twinie!! Enjoy!

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this book in May of 2013, and fell in love with Lola and Cricket's story. For some reason, I never wrote out a proper review for it though (although I do have reviews for Anna and the French Kiss and Isla and the Happily Ever After)

I just finished my first reread of the book, and it was the audiobook version. It was so good! I was so happy to be back with Lola and Cricket again! I love that this story is set in San Fransisco, and I just love all of the characters!

Lola reminds me of Katy Perry, wearing these gorgeous costumes! I think she's such a fun character to read about! I love that she lives with her dads and her dog, Heavens to Betsy. I love that she's a vegetarian like me (that's just something that I dont' read about a lot so it really stands out to me!)I love that she basically only works at a movie theater (with Anna and St. Clare!!) just so she can afford all of her clothes and supplies she needs for her costumes. I think they are so special mainly because she makes them herself. I can't sew, so I always think it super cool when others like Lola can create entire outfits! Like how on earth can you do that?!

I love that Cricket's sister figure skates, because I've always been interested in ice skating! Cricket... what a name.. what a guy. I love that he's an inventor. I can't say that I've read many books where the character makes another character mechanical parts for the skirt of a Marie Antoinette costume.

I can't stand Max, and honestly I'm not sure that anyone likes him while reading this book. I think we all were happy to see that loser go.

This is just such a sweet and fun story, and I highly recommend this to contemporary lovers! <3
I wish Stephanie would write a whole series about these two.. I know we get to see them for a second in Isla and the Happily Ever After, but I'm anxious for more of their story!

[lena · Rating 4 out of 5]

cricket is the sweetest, but just wondering who the hell names their kid cricket?

[Ninoska Goris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Español - English

Lola viste extravagante y tiene una vida única: padres gays, madre alcohólica y sin hogar, mejor amiga que se cree Charlock Holmes, un novio rockero y un vecino que acaba de mudarse nuevamente a la casa de al lado con el cual tiene tema pendiente.

Aparecen Anna y St. Clair, quien va a la misma universidad que el mencionado vecino.

Parece complicado, pero no lo es. Es bastante predecible.

--

Lola dresses flamboyant and has a unique life: gay parents, alcoholic and homeless mother, best friend who believes she is Charlock Holmes, a rocker boyfriend and a neighbor who has just moved back to the house next door with which she has a pending issue.

Appear Anna and St. Clair, who goes to the same university as the aforementioned neighbor.

It looks complicated, but it is not. It is quite predictable.

[Priscilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

D'AAWWWW, well isn't that just lovely.

Initial reactions:
1. GAH, the cuteness OVERWHELMS ME! *faints*
2. Okay. Serious business guys. Love the story. There are more things going on than just the boy next door. Family, figuring out who you really are, and growing up.
3. Writing is amazing of course. Perkins is able to write her main characters with such a voice. They are complete characters. I love how Lola has interests, and there are issues surrounding her life other than boy problems. And although she's her own character, you can't help but relate with her also.
4. Pacing is great! Lola's development as a character grew the more confused and distraught she got. She's learning and realizing what the right and hard things to do are.
5. OMG ANNA and ETIENNE. Oh how I missed you guys.
6. *GUSHES SOME MORE*
7. I love the setting of San Francisco. It has character, and a vibrancy about it that fits the characters.
8. It's really nice to read about the 'boy next door' character. They don't get enough attention, or usually pushed to the side by the mysterious, dark boy. Cricket, you are definitely my fav. boy next door. :)
9. *Tries to think of negatives.....* Can't be done.
10. Such a fun read. I wouldn't say it's light, because there are issues that I haven't really come across in books I've read before.

You'll smile ear to ear after reading this book! I certainly did. Video review coming up soon.

[Chelsea (chelseadolling reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread 8/20/15: wow. Cricket. WOW. What a charmer. I always underestimate this book. I CAN'T STOP GRINNING.

Reread 8/16/14: oh gosh. Oooohhhh gosh. I forgot how much I loved Cricket Bell. Swooning for the rest of my life

[Kimi · Rating 1 out of 5]

That's it I'm done.
DNFing this one. I honestly can't bear to read one more page.


Can someone please explain the hype to me? Usually when I dislike a popular book I can tell why everyone else loved but with this one I have absolutely no clue.

➨ I didn't like any of the characters. Especially not Lola and Cricket (out of all names she had to call him cricket) I know Lola is supposed to be different and awesome but wearing wigs every single day is just weird to me.

➨Lola is practically cheating on her boyfriend because the guy she had a crush on a million years ago is back.

➨ I'm sure Max is going to be portrayed as an asshole real quick just to make everything easier ( feel free to let me know if this actually happened)

➨I'm starting to think that the only contemporary novels that I enjoy are the one in which something very tragic happens like Colleen Hoover's books.

➨Sorry Meriem.

---
My good friend Meriem is making me read this. Let's see how it goes.

[Eren Nadir Akşamoğlu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Allahım en sonunda badboy olmayan bir erkek karakter. Şükürler olsun şükürler olsun ＼(^o^)／ Kitaba başlamadan önce bazı şüphelerim yok değildi. Sonuçta "Komşu Çocuk" ki biz bu zamana kadar ne komşu çocukları gördük. E haliyle en başta badboy-saf kız klişesi okuyacagimi düşündüm ama Cricket ve Lola beni benden aldı. Yaşasın düşüncelerini açık seçik dökmekten kaçınmayan, heyecanlaninca ellerini kollarını nereye koyacagini şaşıran hafif aksak erkeklerin kardeşliği (*˘︶˘*)

[Anzû · Rating 5 out of 5]

** Favourite YA of 2011 **

This was AMAZING! I was expecting it to be great, but there was still a part of me cringing at the idea that I might be too demanding and find out that it’s not so good. Well, it surpassed my expectations.

I loved Lola; she’s unique, spunky, smart and fun. Her outfits, her wigs, her room, her glitter and her neighbor!



St. Clair and Anna are the sweetest couple. Everything in this book is damn sweet. I'm gushing enough, you get the point. If you're ever in the mood for a heartwarming, wholesome romance go for this.

[Amy | Foxy Blogs · Rating 4 out of 5]

FOUR POINT FIVE STARS

Two years ago I remember reading the first book in this series and enjoying it. So, when I was looking through the library's audios and saw this one I thought, 'why not.'

First off, I liked this one more than the first book. I know it's been two years since I read book one but this one was more fun to read.

What got my attention right away was LOLA. What an interesting character. She's a senior in high school who has a boyfriend who happens to be five years older than her. Right there, I connected with her. While in high school I dated an older guy too (not quite as old as hers but to my parents too old for me). And now as a parent of teenagers myself I could connect with her parents. Now, I know why my parents thought it was a bad idea to date an older guy. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

I didn't realize this book was a love triangle until I got into the story. I'm not a fan of love triangles because someone always loses. I know there are a lot of 'Max haters' out there but I really felt for him. Of course, he's going to be jealous and suspicious when he feels Lola isn't be totally honest with him. Lola didn't do anything to make Max feel secure in their relationship. Here's another reason why her parents knew this relationship wasn't a good idea: a 17 year old and 22 year old are at two very different maturity levels and stages in their lives. He's a man and she's still a girl living under her parents rule. Too big of a difference.

Okay, enough about Lola and Max, and back to Lola. Lola is this girl whose parents are two dads. Her mom gave her up and her uncle and his partner adopted her. I loved how her dads parented her.

And of course this review wouldn't be complete with out mentioning the boy next door, Cricket. I loved this out-going guy. I can see why teen girls are swooning over him.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. There's just something about young love that can be fun to read. What teens find to be "life ending" seems so trivial to us, who are adults, but I can remember being that age and have big ideals.

The narrator did a great job and if you like YA this would be a good option.

SERIES:

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was just adorable. I completely love Stephanie Perkins’ writing style and cute voice as Lola as she deals with the trials and tribulations of first love and the confusion over what the heart thinks it wants and the person who’s truly right for you.

Lola has an older boyfriend (Max) that her parents aren’t crazy about. Then, her former neighbors move back, including Cricket, the boy she once had a major crush on. The chemistry in this one was adorable, just like in Anna and the French Kiss, and I just completely loved watching the two of them slowly gravitate towards one another. Love this series.

[Korrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh. My. God. What a perfect little book! I wasn't expecting to love it so much. I enjoyed 'Anna and the French Kiss' but this one was on a whole other level. So good! I've been in the mood for fluffy contemporaries and this was perfect. I'll definitely read it again in the future when I need a smile.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bowl full of fun!

Stephanie Perkins has not disappointed me yet! Lola and The Boy Next door is about 17 year old Lola (or Dolores, if she's in trouble). She has an older boyfriend, strict parents and a great best friend. Her boyfriend Max is 22, in a band and totally cool. Her dads are strict, but caring and other than their strict dating rules, Lola doesn't mind. Lindsay is her best friend and can sense when something is up or guess how Lola is feeling almost immediately. Lola thinks she's happy with her life until her neighbours move back in. Her neighbours left 2 years prior and they did not leave on good terms. Their return brings anxiety, curiosity, trouble and lot's of confusing feelings for Lola. I consider this book a contemporary but also a romance since the main plot line is about Lola's relationships.

The writing in this book makes for a quirky, fun-loving read. It shouldn't take you long to read and you'll get right into the story. I love Stephanie Perkins writing style and can't wait to read even more of her books!

One of my favourite parts about this series is the quirky but relatable traits/thought processes of the characters! For example; this is an excerpt from Lola and The Boy Next Door that I found particularly funny:
"I wonder if he's looking at my butt. WHY DID I JUST THINK THAT? Now my butt feels COLOSSAL. Maybe he's looking at my legs. Is that better? Or worse? Do I want him looking at me? I hold on to the bottom of my dress as I climb into the backseat and crawl to the other side. I'm sure he's looking at my butt. He has to be. It's huge, and it's right there, and it's huge. No. I'm acting crazy."
It's parts like this that get me laughing and feel connected to the character. Even if you can't relate, it's nice to be able to see their thought processes and you get the chance to understand the character.

I gave this book 4/5 stars because I genuinally enjoyed it and would recommend. It didn't get 5 stars due to a certain plot line How it was evident that Lola liked Cricket and that she knew she liked Cricket but continued to lie to Max. Especially when Max would straight up ask her, he wasn't clueless and then she'd lie. She then continued to lead on Cricket, even after Calliope gave her SUCH A GOOD reality check. and how it dragged on for most of the book. They could have been wrapped up faster but to drag it on that long made me extremely frustrated with Lola's decisions. Another reason I only gave it 4/5 stars is because certain plot lines were never finished. I didn't get closure with them or find out what happens! I'm talking about if Calliope eventually broke her curse or how she did at the olympics. Did Lola go to the olympics with St. Clair, Anna and Cricket? Did Lindsay ever decide that her and Charlie should date for real?

Overall I really liked this book and would recommend it if anyone needs a fun book to read! It's really refreshing to read after a depressing book or high fantasy book.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Quick, expressive and smooth writing means another one of Stephanie Perkins books! This book isn't 5 stars for me due to the plot mostly. It was extremely predictable, but not only that, the MC was in a relationship with someone while she lead on and pursued another guy. I wasn't a huge fan of that, especially for how long it dragged out for. Anyways I will publish a full review this evening!! This is just a quick summary of what I thought!

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I know you aren't perfect. But it's a person's imperfections that make them perfect for someone else.”

I honestly don’t know why it took me so long to finally read “Lola and the Boy next Door”. I mean, I read “Anna and the French Kiss” five years ago and never even thought about continuing this series even though I loved the first book.

But now I finally read it and I’m so glad about that because LATBND was great. I almost loved it as much as I loved AATFK.

Just like the first book in the series, this is a very quick and cute read. You can easily read this book in one sitting; by now I’m even starting to believe you could read the entire series in one sitting though I won’t know about that for sure until I’ve also read “Isla and the Happily Ever After”.

The basics of the plot of this book are very similar to the plot of AATFK. Once again, we have two teenagers. One of them is in a relationship and the other isn’t but they start feeling drawn to each other though they don’t want to admit it because they’re actually just friends. Some other things happen and you have a lot of stuff you can laugh about. That means that this book once again isn’t anything new and unique; but it’s another one of those books that just make you incredibly happy and will make you feel good about life which makes it perfect.

Since it is the sequel to AATFK, we also get to read about Anna and St. Clair again which already made me fall in love with this book before I had even really gotten into it. I think even if LATBND had been horrible, I would’ve still decided to reread it at some point just because of my two favorites.

But there is one thing that bugged me about this book and that resulted in me not liking it as much as I liked AATFK. My problem is that I think that Lola is a bit of an annoying character. During the first half of the book I was still able to mostly ignore but it got worse during the second half of the book. There were moments during which she was acting quite immature even though she was constantly trying to act older than she actually was. I also thought that the fact that she was always wearing costumes with wigs and all that stuff was a little too much. Maybe I am just too old for a character like that or I didn’t like it because I think it’s extremely weird to always run around in colorful costumes with often colorful wigs on your head even when you’re just going to school. I know that it is everyone’s own decision and it made her kind of unique, but it just didn’t help in that situation. Seeing her act so immature at some point and then imagining her with blue hair in a dress she made out of a picnic blanket was just a little too much for me.

That’s why I decided to give LATBND only 4 out of 5 stars. All in all though, it was a great book that is just as addictive as AATFK. It’s an adorable love story and I’ll definitely reread it one day even though I don’t like Lola that much.

[Whitney Atkinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This book is exactly how I expected it to be. Light, meh main character, and predictable. The main thing I love about this is Stephanie Perkins is just a great writer. She writes contemporary romances so well and I really find it enjoyable to read. I knew going into this that the main thing I wouldn't get along with is Lola. I've heard things about Lola, and kinda had a preconceived notion of her, and my prediction that I wouldn't like her was correct. She just seemed.... ingenuine to me. Too quirky, to the point where I couldn't relate to her and it felt like everything she did was a childish cry for attention. On the other hand, I loved every other character in this book. Her gay parents and Cricket, especially. I didn't like how a lot of this book was Lola refusing to break up with her boyfriend, and the entire love triangle (????) was really underwhelming because you know she's gonna end up with Cricket. I mean, the book is titled lola and the boy next door. the entire book is based around them. So nothing in this book surprised me, and it followed a really typical pace of a stephanie perkins (or, any YA) romance. But it was pretty cute, even though a lot of it was predictable and cheesy and typical for YA cutesie books. It was a nice surprise to see Etienne and Anna so present in this one; I had thought maybe they'd just appear once or twice but they really made me happy seeing their storyline :D

I'm picking up Isla next and i'm already enjoying chapter one so here's to finishing this series finally!