Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
Anna and the French Kiss #2

Published by Dutton Books; September 29, 2011
Hardcover, 338 pages
Borrowed from library

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.

- Description from Goodreads.com

And Stephanie Perkins strikes again! Trust me when I say this, Lola and the Boy Next Door is every bit as delightful as Anna and the French Kiss was. 

The Things I Loved

1. I loved the setting! San Francisco is the perfect city for Lola and her story. It was vibrant and quirky, just like Lola is! I couldn't imagine a better suited place.

2. I loved the return of St. Clair and Anna! One of my favourite things is when authors sneak in characters from their other books. It's nice to check up on them and see how they're doing since we last saw them.

3. And yes, of course I'm going to mention the boy - Cricket! Holy smokes, I think I like him better than Etienne! Is that even possible? He's so kind and caring and just absolutely positively AMAZING. If Lola won't have him, I would gladly take her place.

As I have come to realize, I am totally on Team Character, meaning that if I can't stand the characters in a book, everything else falls apart. There were a couple of moments in this book where I just wanted to slap Lola and Max and Lola's gay dads for being so UGH. But honestly, the great writing, my love for Cricket (and Anna and St. Clair), and the setting completely blew everything else out of the water. It was fantastic. If you're not sure you should proceed with Lola, I'm insisting you do. It may not be as splendiferous as Anna but it certainly comes close. 

*Phoenix reference alert*