Review: Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Image and summary from Goodreads.com:


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 fell in love with Perkins' fabulous writing in her first novel, Anna and the French Kiss.  So naturally when I heard she had another novel, I was excited to see if it was as good as her first.  I was in luck - though I still prefer Anna, Lola was cute too.


What made this book particularly charming is the narrator, Lola.  She is funny, original, and confident.  I loved how she had no fear of dressing "in costume," even if her looks garnered her some stares from her classmates or strangers.  Though Lola makes some pretty face-palm worthy mistakes, I still found myself hoping she would make everything right.  Even better were her dads, Nate and Andy.  It was nice to see a different type of family represented in literature, especially one that eschewed the typical stereotypes.  Lola's boy next door, Cricket, was equally charming.  What made him speak to me was his awkwardness - Cricket always seems a bit of a hot mess, which made him seem more relatable and less like someone to put on a pedestal.


Honestly, my favorite part of this plot was getting to see Anna and St. Clair again!  They were the sort of characters I grew attached to, so getting to see them here and there in this novel was a treat.  However, even without them, the plot would still have been wonderful to read.  Perkins does a wonderful job bringing the city of San Francisco to life, which enhanced the action of the story.  The reader gets to follow Lola through a relatively short span of time, but within that time, she certainly undergoes a great deal of change.  Some lessons, like the importance of telling the truth, seemed obvious ones she needed to learn, but weren't over the top either.  Just like in Anna, most readers can probably predict where the story is going; there were enough cute and funny parts, though, to make the journey still exciting and engaging.


One great aspect of this book is it is a good "clean" read.  There were a few minor incidents of language... I think?  Honestly, nothing stood out to me as outrageously inappropriate, so it must have been fine.  Though Lola is sexually active, it is handled in a way that makes it seem realistic and not trashy.  In fact, I liked seeing a teenager who had a sex life in a book, rather than the usual abstinence that can sometimes seem a little forced.  I love the cover on this book too - for readers interested in a romantic story, it is certainly eye-catching.


Overall, while not as fantastic as Anna and the French Kiss, this book was still excellent on its own.  Had I not been comparing it to Anna, I honestly would probably have liked it a little better.  My personal preference aside, this book is a great read for my chickies who enjoy romance.