Title: Lola and the Boy Next DoorAuthor: Stephanie PerkinsEdition: hardcoverSeries: noneReleased Date: September 29th, 2011Publisher: DuttonGoodreads / 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.
So I don't even know where to start with this review. Much like Anna and the French Kiss, I absolutely adored everything about this novel: the setting, the characters, the plot. It has the perfect equation for an awesome summer read!
Lola believes in costume - that means a new persona ever day. Her boyfriend Max has put up with it for a long time, but tends to focus more on his band than on Lola. When the Bell's move back into town, Lola's crush on Cricket starts to rekindle, and she learns that his crush on her has never faded. Except she's got two problems: she's still with Max, and Cricket's sister, Calliope, does NOT approve of their relationship. You could tell from the instant Lola saw Cricket that she still liked him, not matter how many times she denied that. It was like the reader had a secret - we all knew she liked him.
The love triangle between the three characters was pretty awesome, not gonna lie. We've got Max, the rough-around-the-edges boy who plays in a band, and then Cricket, the sincere, patient boy next door. I was definitely all for Lola and Cricket to get together, and at their cute moments, I was sitting here yelling 'KISS, DAMMIT!' at the book. There was so much suspense from the moment Cricket appeared in the book until the moment they kissed! I absolutely loved the fact that characters from Anna appeared in this novel. I knew this was a companion novel to Anna, but I was still super surprised when they showed up in it, and quite often as well! It makes me super excited with Isla and the Happily Ever After, because now I know Anna, St. Clair, Lola, and Cricket should all show up - or I hope! Stephanie Perkins hit a high mark on this novel again, after her wonderful book, Anna and the French Kiss! The characters in this novel were just as lovable and the plot was just as great!
