Review - Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Title: Lola and the Boy Next Door

Author: Stephanie Perkins

Series: Companion Novel (Anna and the French Kiss)

Pages: 338

Published: September 29, 2011

ISBN: 9780525423287

Source: Around The World Tours

Description: 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. 

I Give This ...

I loved Anna and the French Kiss, so I really had high hopes for this one.  I was keeping my fingers crossed that Stephanie's sophomore book would deliver.  I'm happy to say it did!

At first, I wasn't sure what to think of Lola.  She's so different from any other character I've read, and such a drastic change from Anna.  I also didn't identify with her as much.  I don't have that artistic flair and tend to prefer to go with the flow not stand out in the crowd.  But, slowly that characteristic really began to grow on me.  She's everything I'm not, and I really admired that about her.  I also admired the fact that she's a typical teen.  With things begin to snowball, she questions who she really is.  But, she soon realized that being who you are doesn't always mean fitting to everyone else's standards.   A nice change of pace is that Lola is being raised by her two dads, who are really her biological uncle and his partner.  Her mother occasionally comes in and reeks havoc in her life.  

I liked Cricket from the first time we meet him.  I love how it seems like he just appears were ever Lola is.  Some of it is coincidental, but other times you can tell he's making a valiant effort to reconnect with Lola.  I enjoyed his personality.  He's like a combination of nerdy mixed with a couple other "types", it's no wonder that Lola is so attracted to him.  I found ironic that Lola never flat out told him that she had a boyfriend.  It's not something I really faulted her on, because I could tell she was really struggling with her feeling concerning Cricket. 

It's funny how a book can twist around how you feel about things.  I was prepared to dislike Calliope (Cricket's sister) and I did for part of the book.  But, she really comes through in the end.  I admired how the how family has backed her in her dreams.  I think the fact that Cricket has put some much of his life on hold for her shows a sense of who he is and what's important to him.  I also really liked Max at first, despite their age difference.  In the end, I couldn't believe that he acted that way he did to Lola.  But, maybe he was really hurt by her actions and this was his only way of expressing it.

In the end, I decided that Lola was just as fantastic as Anna, but in an entirely different way.  I'm amazed that Stephanie has managed to write two completely different heroines and their romances.  I can't wait to read her next one!

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Title: Anna and the French Kiss

Author: Stephenie Perkins

Series: 1st (but I think the next will be companion)

Pages: 372

Published: December 2, 2010 by Dutton

ISBN: 9780525423270

Source: Around The World Tours

 

Description: Anna was looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. So she's less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris — until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Étienne has it all . . . including a serious girlfriend.  But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss? Stephanie Perkins keeps the romantic tension crackling and the attraction high in a debut guaranteed to make toes tingle and hearts melt. 

 I Give This ...

I don't read a lot of contemporary fictions.  And I read even less contemporary young adult fiction.  I think because this is a common type of book and I just don't know how to pick the good from the ok and from the bad.  I hate to say it wasn't really even on my radar until I saw a few glowing reviews for it.  I thought I would give it a try and see what all the fuss was about it.  I think it made me realize that I need to be more open to anything.  I might not like it, but by not giving it a shot, I might miss out on something fantastic.  

I was pulled in from the first page.  I liked Anna.  She's smart, acts like a normal teenager, and has a typical (sort of) family.  It's something everybody will identify with. I also liked her quirks.  She's overly neat, seems to be afraid of new situations/people which makes her set in her routines.  But, I loved that she was able to step of her comfort zones and really start to explore Paris.  As a character, she one of the best I've seen.  I really understood every action she made.  She just jumped off the pages.

 Étienne was just as fantastic.  He wasn't perfect and even Anna acknowledges that.  He's fun and has a quirky sense of humor.  Some of his antics had me laughing out loud.  I also enjoyed that added drama of his relationship with his father.  I think what was added was a perfect amount and too much more might have brought the story down.  I also really liked their group of friends.  They entire group struck my as real and would be people I would like to hang out with.  

I really liked that Anna and Étienne's relationship isn't the instant over the top and madly in love that seems very common in young adult these days.  It makes everything concerning how the feel about each other genuine.  They're friends first and foremost.  They learn about each other, their families, and everything else that goes into making a real and lasting relationship.  It reminded me of falling love for the first time.  It isn't always easy.  

As you can tell, I really loved this book.  It made me giddy and wanting more.  I can't wait to see what Stephenie Perkins has up her sleeve for us next!