Book Review: Lola and the Boy Next Door

Lola and the Boy Next Door - Stephanie Perkins
Release Date: September 29, 2011
Publisher: Dutton
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 338
Buy the Book: Amazon

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.

Summary taken from Goodreads.  

My Review: 
Holy freaking wow! What can I possibly say about this book. It was absolutely magnificent! There is not one thing in this book that I didn't like. This is the magic of Stephanie Perkins at work. She pulls you in and makes you fall completely in love, not just with the book but with the story, the characters and everything else in between.

I read Anna and the French Kiss early this year after hearing countless reviews about just how amazing the book was and I wasn't disappointed. I fell madly in love with Anna and St. Clair within mere minutes of picking up the book. I couldn't put it down and spent my whole day sitting in bed and finishing that book.

That was probably the fastest I had ever read a book. Ever since then I've been waiting for Lola to come out. And when I heard that Anna and St.Clair were also in the book, I couldn't wait anymore! So I was as you could imagine, ecstatic to finally get it last week and I just inhaled it. Literally!

Lola and the Boy Next Door is an absolutely phenomenal novel. It is a story of first love, friendship, family, growing up and making mistakes. It is sweet and heart-wrenching as well as realistic like only Stephanie Perkins books can be.

For the second time this year, Stephanie Perkins has rendered to hold me speechless with the simple realism of her characters. I felt like they were real people living real lives. I wanted to be friends with some and marry the others (i.e. St.Clair & Cricket)!

I found Lola to be a very fun and colourful character. I thought her belief in 'everyday should be a costume party' awesome and I totally agree! Like all of Perkins characters, Lola was so realistic that you can't help but feel for her and relate to her. It is truly amazing! As for Cricket, he was magnificent! I loved everything about him. From his really tall height, to his habit of writing on his hands. He was just an amazing character and one of the sweetest guys in YA!

But that is not all! As I mentioned before Anna and St.Clair are in this book. Although they weren't as present as I wish they were. Like I want Anna and the French Kiss Part Two. But in the scenes that they were in, they were just magical! I loved seeing them together and getting to see how their relationship was going. It was like a cherry on top of the cake!

Overall, Lola and the Boy Next door is a fantastic novel that everyone must read. My only request would be for readers to read Anna and the French Kiss first. Other wise this is one of those books that anyone can enjoy. No matter your age and interests! I greatly recommend it!!!