Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Published September 29th 2011 by Dutton Books (first published September 28th 2011)

384 Pages

Goodreads Summary: 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.

Review: I was hoping to like this one as much as Anna and the French Kiss but unfortunately I did not.  Lola was obnoxious and to be honest, completely naive and selfish.  Her entire relationship with Max was ridiculous and maddening.  Anybody could have seen that it was not a good idea and that it would end badly.  And the way she continued to lead Cricket on…  He was so good to her and it was totally obvious that he was into her and had been for a loooooong time.  The perfect boy next door and she completely took advantage of him.  It almost felt like she wanted to be so different that she had to be the girl dating the hot, older musician.  On the other hand, I did like that she stayed true to herself, no matter what anybody thought of her.  Not many people her age would have worn the things she liked to wear.  I wish that she had been able to get her shit together sooner and realize that Cricket was the boy for her… not Max.  I did love seeing Anna and St. Clair again!  I would really love to get more of them, see what happens for them.

4/5 Stars