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

Title: Lola and the Boy Next Door 

Author: Stephanie Perkins
Series: Companion novel to Anna and the French Kiss, but can be read as a stand alone.
Pages: 338
Publisher: Dutton
Date of Publication: 29th September 2011
Source: Bought
Synopsis from 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.

My Thoughts:
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS BOOK. IT IS AMAZING. I don't care if you hate contemporary, I don't care if you hate YA, I don't care if this is not your kind of thing at all. I think EVERYONE should read this book, because it is just SO. DARN. GOOD. When I first read Anna and the French Kiss, the 'first' book in this series, (it's not really a series: this is a companion novel - same world, different characters, so this can be read on it's own), I didn't think it would be my thing, but no one would stop talking about it so I decided to give it a go, and it was bloody amazing. Now I've read Lola, and let me tell you - Stephanie Perkins is an AMAZING author. Seriously, she's amazing.

I loved everything about Lola. Honestly, I am not kidding. I cannot think of one single moment in the book that I did not love. Not one. The whole of the book, everything that happened, every single character... I loved it all.

Lola was an awesome narrator. She was snarky, sarcastic, and so much like Anna, but at the same time she was completely different. I was worried that she'd just be a copy of Anna, but she wasn't, not at all. I loved her fashion sense, it was so awesome! Every day, every single day, she would dress up in a costume, and wear it only once. And when I say costume, I mean, like, a proper costume. Like Cleopatra, or Marie Antoinette. Her character really made me realise that it's not so bad to be different from the crowd, as long as you don't let if affect you. If people don't like you because of your fashion sense, then they're not worth being your friend... ;)

And Cricket. Ahh, Cricket... *day dreams* Sorry, I couldn't resist! ;) He was so super adorable... He wasn't quite as good as Etienne, but he was VERY close. My top list of guys is: Etienne St. Clair, Cricket Bell, Dimitri Belikov... You get the idea. Anyway, he was SO sweet, and (nearly) everything he said to Lola made me go 'awww' out loud. What he does for her at the end, what he makes for her... He's just so freakin cute! Love him :D

The plot was adorable too... Everything about this book was adorable. It's like when you see a baby animals sleeping, and your heart just melts... Anyway, the plot was your typical, girl likes boy, boy likes girl, girl thinks boy doesn't love her, boy moves away, girl's heart breaks, boy moves back, girl's moved on, boy hasn't... You get the idea. It seems as though this could be just your generic YA contemporary romance, but in so many ways it is not. It might follow a very typical storyline, but the way that Stephanie writes the story is just so beautifully easy to read, and while perhaps a little predictable, it didn't matter at all. Not a bit, because it was just so amazing.

I am aware that this review doesn't tell you much about this book apart from that it's adorable, awesome and amazing (ha, they all begin with a... ;P ) Is that enough to convince you to buy it? Because it's SO amazing, and SO awesome, and SO adorable, that I think you should go out to your local bookstore and buy a copy of both Lola and the Boy Next Door AND Anna and the French Kiss, because if you have not read them, then you are seriously missing out. Seriously. You're missing the cuteness, and the SUPER HOT GUYS. And if that doesn't convince you, just go out and get it anyway! ;)


My Rating:

I give it 5 big fat sparkly feet!

Challenges:
2011 100+ Reading Challenge #85