Lola y el chico de al lado

4 stars. An enchanting book. Stephanie Perkins creates wonderfully captivating characters.This book surprised me, I didn't expect to enjoy it more than Anna and The French Kiss but I did. For all those teenage girls out there obsessed with fashion, and romance, this is the book for you. (My youngest daughter, would adore this book!)

**Spoilers**

Lola intends to go to her high school winter ball dressed as Marie Antoinette. Lola's parents, two gay guys, Nathan, and Andy, worry about Lola going out with Max, her rocker boyfriend as he is so much older than her. Nathan and Andy's devotion to Lola is touching. With the arrival of the Bell twins, Calliope, and Cricket, Lola's old feelings for Cricket, her first love, are rekindled. Cricket is so genuine and cute that Lola can't stop herself falling for him all over again. Lola's feelings for Max crumble and her confusion is relatable. It is a shock when she realises that Max is attracted to her child-like self. Lola is no longer willing to be a child. She is now a young woman, on the verge of discovering her identity. Will she go to the ball? She looks at herself in the mirror, and suddenly feels lost in her elaborate costume. Her wig is over the top, dwarfing her personality. Who is Lola? She despairs. Cricket comes to her rescue in the most wonderful way. He enables the Lola that he loves to go to the ball, and then proves that he is "the one," by re-inventing her, and giving her the most beautiful gift that anyone could possibly imagine.

Lola is a girl trying to figure out who she is ... she has big style and she's got an older boyfriend that her dads really don't like. And then her old crush moves back in next door. Lola is a bit of a mess working through her feelings, but I liked the ending where she does finally figure out who she really is.

Terrible cover, but a nice little escape and a quick read.

For more reviews, Cover Snark and more, visit A Reader of Fictions.You guys!!!! I am so happy to report that Stephanie Perkins books can totally be Christina books. I thought it was possible, but my Anna experience scared me a whole lot. Plus, Anna and Isla seem pretty universally loved, but Lola and the Boy Next Door seems to be fairly divisive even among her fan base. Oh well, I do love being predictable. Where I found Anna alternately incredibly shippy and enraging, Lola and the Boy Next Door was perfectly adorable and vibrant from page one.It’s rather funny how much I don’t seem to have the proper reactions to Perkins’ characters. I didn’t get why so many people loved St. Clair and now I don’t get why so many don’t like Lola. Well, okay, I guess I can understand it from an objective perspective. Lola is very…well, LOLA. She’s an individual to a degree that shocks and upsets others, perhaps out of envy or maybe just because they like people to stay in their boxes. You could call Lola twee and not be entirely wrong about that. So I get it. Sort of. Lola would definitely be a hard person for me to take in real life and, more to the point, it would be difficult to find someone like her in real life. That seems to be the thing people really don’t like about Lola and the Boy Next Door. Though I didn’t know anyone like Lola and probably wouldn’t have the energy to be her friend even if I did, I like that people like her exist.Looking at Lola from a more positive angle, she embraces who she is. Ever since childhood, she’s been obsessed with fashion and she’s loved to look completely different every day. She wants to design clothing. Most likely she wouldn’t be caught dead in an outfit as boring as the one on the cover (which, okay, I actually love that outfit). Lola wears wigs almost every day, not because there’s something wrong with her own hair, but because she likes to and needs them to complete her ensemble. Lola is indefatigable. Though it’s not central to the novel’s plot line which doesn’t involve going to school, there are subtle hints that she’s been bullied for this (as she obviously would be), but she does her own thing anyway. She’s young and she’s still learning, but she’s way already got a grasp of the important thing, which is embracing who you are. Someone like Lola could easily annoy me, but she’s just so genuine about her fashion and so non-judgmental, aside from a couple of rare occasions, of how other people choose to clothe themselves.So yeah, I love Lola. When Lola and the Boy Next Door begins, she’s dating this older guy, Max. He’s 22 her 17. Their relationship’s not viewed favorably by anyone but Lola and Max, really. Her parents (more on them later) allow the relationship, with conditions, because they know that telling teens straight up NOT to do something is only going to make them do it even less safely. Smart parenting, yo. Anyway, it’s obvious from the book title that Max is not the guy. I’d also heard about Max and he’s honestly not as bad as I expected. He’s got a few issues, but he also does seem to care for Lola some in his way. The relationship is doomed from the beginning, but I can see why she didn’t see that. His side is less clear, but it’s also not his book. For Lola, I think a lot of the appeal is that he liked her costumes and her Lolaness.Sidebar for Lola’s gay dad’s, Andy and Nathan. These guys are completely wonderful, loving, slightly over-protective parents. In a land of YA with missing parents, Andy and Nathan are kings. They love Lola so incredibly much, even though technically they’re her uncle and partner. One of my favorite tropes is a built family and Lola and the Boy Next Door does this so well. Also, though I can’t say I much cared for Norah, Lola’s biological mother and Nathan’s sister, I do think it’s wonderful that Perkins addressed her and that there’s a nice character arc for her as well.Anna and St. Clair are characters in Lola, since Anna works with Lola at the movie theater. While I can’t say that I’m any more of a fan of their relationship, it was interesting getting to see them from the outside. I think Anna’s narration played down (snerk) just how short St. Clair is. They seem really true to their presentation in Anna, but also slightly different the way they would be when not viewed from Anna’s perspective. In that sense, this is one of the better cameos I’ve seen in a companion novel.Also, for all that I hated the treatment of infidelity in Anna and the French Kiss, I love the way it’s handled in Lola and the Boy Next Door. Where St. Clair made excuse after excuse, Lola really doesn’t. She’s constantly thinking about what she should be doing. She knows from the beginning she could have Cricket Bell if she wanted him, but she’s not sure if she wants him or Max. St. Clair knew who he wanted and didn’t want to act in case he ended up alone. I will say that I did enjoy his advice to Lola about making the right choice, and that’s pretty much the only good thing to come out of the romantic drama of Anna. Lola also never allows anyone else to take the blame for her part in things being a mess. That’s just how Lola is and I love it.Then there’s Cricket Bell. He is the anti-St. Clair in just about every way. He’s really tall (6’4″ not counting the hair), goofy, socially awkward, and, at least at this time, very open with his feelings. Cricket Bell is the best and most reliable friend you’ll ever have. He puts others before himself consistently, which is basically his largest character flaw. As Lola and the Boy Next Door stresses, they really complement one another. Yes, I ship it. Yes, the fact that she hated him for much of the book didn’t hurt my shippitude.Why only four stars when I thought everything was fantastic? I know, I know. See, I did love it. But also I just didn’t get the feels the way that I do in my 4.5 and 5 star reads. I never fell into the book and forgot I was reading. I never got vicarious butterflies. For some reason I never got to that I SHIP IT LIKE BURNING place, you know? I do think I would get there on a reread. I suspect I was just so on my guard because I was afraid it would end up making me sad and disappointed in the end like Anna that the feels couldn’t really fully ignite.Possibly controversial opinion? Lola and the Boy Next Door far outpaces Anna and the French Kiss, and not just because I didn’t like the ship in the first book. It’s more well-rounded, more vibrant, and Cricket Bell is a far superior love interest. Also, anyone else really want a book about Calliope Bell? Because I do.

Find this review and more at On The Shelf!This was my Random Read for January and I knew I was going to love this just because I loved Anna. This authoris an incredible writer and really knows how to put you in the shoes of her characters and feel exactly what they feel. Both of these books were so real and readers can easily relate to Anna and Lola. I also loved seeing Anna and St. Clair in this book. Lola is a wonderful character. She is smart, lively, fun and different; different in a very good way. I would love to meet someone like Lola. And Cricket? Who wouldn’t want to fall in love with the thoughful, sweet, hot next door boy? As for Max, at first I kind of liked him, but he became a jerk quickly. We have all made the mistake of being blinded by love, but when nobody liked the guy you’re with, then something is wrong. This story is set in San Fransisco, and because of this book, I really want to go, especially to see the wild parrots and the Japanese tea garden. It’s obvious that the author is very familiar with this area (she used to live there) and she portays it beautifully. The cover of the book is cute, it isn’t super fantastic, but it goes perfectly with the story becuse it really captures Lola and Cricket right down to the star on his left hand. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see St. Clair on the cover of Anna, so I’m very glad we got to see Cricket. I am definitely a die hard fan of Stephanie Perkins now and she is on my auto-buy list. I am very excited about her upcoming Isla, plus, next year, she is publishing a teen slasher novel and it will be really interesting to see how she does in that from romance. Aside from a few words missing from sentences in a couple of spots toward the end of the book, it was pretty near perfect. I loved it almost as much as I loved Anna! Beautiful setting, incredible characters, couldn’t put it down, LOVE!!

The title for this book is perfect since it really is about Lola and the boy next door. I want to say, I really enjoyed Anna and the French Kiss, but this was just boring to me. I still really enjoyed Stephanie Perkins writing and I plan to finish the series.I really liked how this started off. You have a mystery of how Cricket hurt Lola and then it is revealed how and it is such a disappointment. You also have a weird love triangle which one character was barely present except to bring the triangle to life. Max never stood a chance, even though I actually liked his character at times. I think his portrayal changes and it did not make sense. It starts off where he would do anything to please Lola and her parents and then instantly he becomes a character the author wants you to hate. I also did not love Cricket. I just could not connect with Lola or Cricket or their relationship. I was getting so bored with everything I had to skip ahead just to finish reading this. I had a love/hate relationship when St. Claire and Anna were mentioned. I feel they were also different characters than what I grew to love in Anna and the French Kiss. I will finish the next book, but I hope it is better than this one.

I love Lola and the Boy Next Door. As amazing, beautiful, and heartfelt as Anna and the French Kiss. Lola lives in San Francisco with her two dads (yes two dads which I find awesome), who has a love of fashion and dreams of being a fashion designer. Her life seems great with her friends, family, and her rocker boyfriend. But the Bell twins, Cricket and Calliope, come back into town and Lola is confronted with feelings she thought she left behind long ago. Along with her birth mother, who has never been stable in her life, coming back in need of help. Lola has to deal with the emotional roller coaster of first love, real love, and the love of family.

As beautifully written as Anna and the French Kiss. Lola and the Boy Next Door explores first loves, growing up, and the past coming back, with characters that are wonderfully written and completely believable. I don't know how Stephanie Perkins does it but she makes me fall in love with the story and characters, wishing them a happily ever after. But it's not just a simple romance story, her books are about the girls' lives and how they are navigating through the difficult process of growing up.

Lola and the Boy Next Door made me fall in love with Lola and Cricket like I did with Anna and Etienne. I cannot wait for the next, and final, book: Isla and the Happily Ever After.

5/5

Oofft. Well, that was a handful.

So whilst reading this book, a discussion formed in my head. It went a little something like this:

Me: How can someone be so selfish without getting repeatedly punched in the face? And how can someone call their child Cricket?!

Lola: HEY. I'm not entirely selfish. Just like with my costumes, I express myself in ways other people don't understand.

Me: Express yourself? How is dating a hot-to-trot guy like Max, yet stringing Cricket along at the same time, expressing yourself? Is it a public protest against commitment?

Lola: *huffs* Well, no. But as a teenager, I went through a phase of confusion!

Me: Confusion? Okay. Let me tell you a story. Once upon a time, when I was, say, around 7 years old, my dad took me to Hamley's (for those who don't know, Hamley's is a huge six-storey toy store in London) and he said I could have ONE toy. So up and down we went, scouring all the shelves (and floors) for the perfect toy to complete our mini holiday in London. After an hour and a half (it takes you at least that long to look at everything) I became confounded. In one hand, I had the newest Christmas edition Barbie and in the other, the complete set of Polly Pockets. I wanted them both but with prices being what they were, my father could only afford one.

So this is what he said, "If you're in a state of confusion, torn between two things, uncertain about which one you want, don't pick either one."

Lola: Are you comparing my complicated love life to toys?!

Me: Tell me I'm wrong!

Lola: Yo--

Me: Go on! SAY IT! Say, "No, Aly, YOU'RE WRONG."

Lola: I--

Me: Saaaaay it!

Lola: Look--

Me: I KNEW IT. I KNEW YOU COULDN'T SAY IT. BECAUSE I'M RIGHT.

Lola: *glares daggers and crosses arms* You don't understand. Cricket was my first love! And Max was, well...

Me: Your first love, too? Or just your first? Because unlike ying and yang, one CAN exist without the other.

Lola: Is that your main problem with the book? My love life?

Me: No, I had a few more problems with the book (although I still liked it), here's a list:

NAMES: The names are STUPID. S.T.U.P.I.D. Okay?
Calliope? Cricket? Really? Did Perkins exhaust the baby-name book trying to look for something? WAS IT REALLY TOO HARD TO CALL HIM STEVEN? OR ROGER? OR EVEN JIM?

Lola: Um...

Me:

YOUR DRESS SENSE: Perkins tried SO HARD to make you look like the girl who isn't afraid to show her true colours (literally) that I cringed every time you described an outfit. Here are some personal favourites:

1) The picnic blanket dress. Obviously the shops didn't have a chequered dress that fulfilled your needs.

2) The Marie Antoinette dress. FOR PROM. Sure, it's a very innovative and exciting idea, but did you WANT TO GET LAUGHED AT? (Funny, actually, how the book ends there. Right as you guys get to prom. How convenient.)

3) Wigs. ALL the wigs. WHY WIGS? WHY NOT DYE YOUR HAIR?

Lola: You shouldn't judge someone by the way they dress!

Me: No, you're right. I shouldn't. But then you CRIED when Max said, "Honestly, I don't know who you are. Every time I see you, you're someone different. You're a liar, and you're a fake. Despite what you think, despite what your dads have told you, there is nothing special about you. You're just a little girl with a lot of issues."
How can you expect someone to take you seriously if you wear costumes every day of the year? Surely you realise that people won't take you seriously? It's the same thing when girls dress slutty and act confident, and no one takes them seriously, do they?

And my last problem was You're self centred and selfish. Oh no, Cricket dated when you two 'broke up' or whatever you want to call it, how DARE he not pine after your constantly? Oh no, Lindsey likes to spend time OUTSIDE of your world, how DARE she not revolve everything around you! Oh dear Lord, my dads are bitches because they don't like Max therefore won't let you have any privacy! HOW DARE THEY BE WORRIED? Oh no, your birth mother is a bitch, too, and she embarrasses you but NO UNDERSTANDS WHAT YOU'RE GOING THROUGH! HOW DARE THEY HAVE A LIFE OUTSIDE OF LOLA-WORLD!

Lola: But I changed by the end of the book!

Me: Yes, you did, and that's why I'm saying I liked it. Although it's filled with weird names, dresses and weird priorities, I DID like the book. It was funny and uplifting and paced fast enough that I didn't lose interest halfway through. I think Stephanie Perkins could've done it better, because she has such brilliant potential and so many great ideas, that maybe this book wasn't quite up to scratch with my expectations, but I definitely liked it. I would definitely read it again, that's for sure.

Lola: *Simpers*

Me: Hey. Cut it out. I said I liked the BOOK, not YOU.

*FADE OUT*

I listened to the audio narration done of this novel and it was well done. But the story just fell mostly flat for me, even though there were peaks of the story that I really liked. I enjoyed the first 1/3 of Lola and I think this story would have made a decent novella, I don't think there is enough storyline to fill an entire book, however. I found it hard to always sympathize with or understand why Lola was so upset. I just didn't think her parent situation was that upsetting. But, other things were dealt with well. I continue to think that Stephanie Perkins deals well with conflicting and competiting emotions and the confusion of being in one relationship but wanting to be in another relationship.It was sweet to see Anna and St. Claire, but while they were so sweet they were just too perfect. They made me jealous! I also found it hard to accept that college students would go out of their way to hang out with a high school student no matter how interesting she dresses. Crikett, the "hero" of the story, is yes very lovable and attractive but a little too perfect. If you are expecting another Anna and the French Kiss, Lola is not that. But it is a decent young adult romance and angst novel if you are willing to accept some plot holes and leaps. Otherwise, it is sweet. I would recommend reading the story v. listening, as in the end I am not sure I enjoyed listening (but the narration was okay so I can't blame it on the narrator).

I LOVED IT SO MUCH CRICKET WAS SO CUTE AND LOLA WAS AMAZING SHE'S ONE OF MY FAVOURITE FEMALE CHARACTERS I LOVE THIS SERIES

Stephanie Perkins' laptop must be made out of fairy dust, as her characters seem to magically leap from the page. The aching longing between Lola and Cricket was palpable and watching them work through their obstacles to find each other made for a really enjoyable read.

Lola only wants three things from life: 1) she wants to be a costume designer, 2) she wants her parents to finally accept her boyrfriend, Max, 3) she never wants to see the Bell twins (Calliope and Cricket) ever again. But when the Bell family moves back to the neighbourhood, Lola discovers that her feelings for Cricket, the boy next door, are not as clear cut as she thought they were.Stephanie Perkins is brilliant. She excels at creating adorable characters with flaws that keep them human. Lola is a delightful protagonist with her ever changing costumes, her slightly overprotective dads, and budding detective best friend. Cricket, of course, is a brilliant counterpart (ignore the slightly ridiculous name) with his inventions, his writing on the back of his hand, and the baggage that comes with being the sibling of an Olympic contender. Put Lola and Cricket together and there is great drama and so many moments worthy of swoonage. Thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish.

I’m going to jump on the Cricket bandwagon. I. loved. him.However, I do not love his name. Cricket, Stephanie? Why Cricket? And here I thought you couldn’t get worse than Etienne St. Clair. I mean, you have these awesome, traditional, if somewhat old-fashioned, girls names with Anna and Lola.. but what is going on with the boy names?! It’s just so hard to take a guy named Cricket seriously.Speaking of Anna and St. Clair – LOVE the cameo’s here.So the things I didn’t agree with, or that gave me a bad feeling from Anna and her story were still a bit present in this one. I’m not sure why these stories need to have an element of breaking hearts through the whole flirting-with-cheating storyline, but I am really hoping the third companion book to these will see an end to that little bit. I didn’t like it in Glee Season 1, I don’t like it here.But I do love everything else. I love Lola’s sense of fashion, her two dads, her family dynamics, the tension with Calliope, the best friend, the gorgeous boy next door, the history between them … I could go on and on, but most of all it boils down to just digging with Stephanie Perkins does to make what might otherwise be a hum-drum, teenage story into something like a party in between the pages.Because that’s what this book is. It’s a book party. It makes me happy, giddy, and feel like I”m 16 years old again.If you loved Anna, you are gonna love this book. You haven’t read either of them? Then get off your butt and do so! Libraries, book stores, and friends (I’m sure) will have them laying about, so fix it!

**One tiny spoiler is hidden within the text. Otherwise, safe to read**

3.5 Stars, but I'm rounding up, because...*sigh* you know.

So here's the thing. I'm pretty sure I sabotaged my reading of this book. It was one of those things where you have it SO WORKED UP in your mind, that inevitably, you're let down.

It wasn't that I didn't like Lola, because I totally did. But I expected to fall all over myself in love with it like I did Anna. And that, I totally did not.

Let's talk about what I loved about the book: I love Perkins' storytelling ability, and that hasn't changed with Lola's book. Her style is still very much there, and that was refreshing to see. Also, the incredibly unique and different characters she came up with - I mean, really, a girl who dresses in costume every day of her life? Now that is creative. I also loved that Lola had two gay men as parents, since I have yet to read about that in a YA novel. The BFF was...okay. I didn't love her, but she wasn't really explored enough to love or hate. Max, I actually liked at the beginning, but that didn't last long. I also enjoyed Cricket...I didn't swoon all over him like I did Etienne, though. Don't get me wrong - Cricket had his own moments of swoon, but they just weren't for me.

Really the only thing that I didn't love about the book, and what subsequently caused me to not enjoy the book as I hoped I would was Lola's character. She was...well, a liar. There are no two ways about it. She lied her pants off any chance she got. And, yeah, yeah, yeah, but she's only seventeen! That argument doesn't work for me. Age has nothing to do with that in my book. At the point in time when she is confronted by Max and lies through her teeth , she completely lost any iota of love I had for her.

Honestly, what I liked most about this book? The tiny glimpses of Anna and Etienne that we got. The one (ONE!) time I laughed in this book was during one of Anna's lines. That was one of the main things I loved about Perkins' first book - I laughed so much. I enjoyed myself in reading it; it was funny and cute and swoony and...I got it. I got Anna. I did not get Lola.

In the end, I think that within these three books Perkins is writing, you will inevitably gravitate toward one set of characters more than the others. Mine are Anna and Etienne. And, I'm betting (hoping) the final book makes it up there a little closer to those two, as well.

Lola's life is going fairly well, even though her parents are very strict now that she's dating a boy 5 years older than her. Until new neighbors move in. But they're not so new. They happen to be the Bell twins, Cricket and Calliope, who had lived next door to Lola up until 2 years ago. 2 years ago when Cricket broke Lola's heart. Now her life seems to be falling apart. Lola can't avoid Cricket, or her feelings, anymore, now that he keeps popping up everywhere. She has to learn how to juggle being Just Friends with Cricket and being a good girlfriend to her rocker boyfriend, Max. But it doesn't seem to be working out too well.Lola and the Boy Next Door was just as good as Anna and the French Kiss. I loved Lola and her costumes, Cricket and his strange inventions, Lindsey and her crime solving, Lola's very protective dads, Lola's birth mom Norah, Calliope and her figure skating, and even Max, even though he was a bit of a jerk at times. Basically, I loved everything about this book.The one thing I was very happy to see? Anna and St. Clair actually woven through out the novel. I expected them to be mentioned in passing, but they actually have conversations and are even friends with Lola.Lola drove me crazy with her being with Max. Max is the typical tattoo covered, rocker, band member, older boyfriend. He wrote songs for her, dealt with Lola's Dad's Sunday brunches, and had his sweet moments, but still. He wasn't Cricket, so I didn't like him. Cricket, on the other hand, was Lola's first love who broke her heart. Just the history between these two made you ache for them to get together. Especially since Cricket is the sweetest boy ever.This was a very emotional story. Lola goes through many ups and downs. She knows she's doing something stupid, but she does it anyways and pays for the consequence later. She thinks Max is The One, but then she has the conflicting feelings for Cricket that she wants to hide from herself.Expect butterflies in your stomach, swooning, and some tears (or at least some sadness) while you read. If you loved Anna and the French Kiss, you'll love this one as well. This is a fantastic love story that I urge you to read as soon as possible.

I had a difficult time with this book in the beginning. I didn't like the decisions that Lola was making and I was really irritated with her. Mostly I did not like her relationship with her boyfriend, Max. She was 17 while he was 22 and their relationship was very physical. As in they were sleeping together. Ugh. Especially when I know that in the end Lola will be with the boy next door, and not with the older man. It was just...ew. Everything physical was off page, but still too much. However, it didn't take me long to fall in love with Lola. Even if I didn't like her decisions in the beginning, she was such a sweet and endearing and quirky and original character. I enjoyed being inside her head (except when she was gushing over Max) and I loved how she grew as a person. She really did grow up and I loved tagging along as she did so. Cricket. sigh. Cricket. He is SO cute. Everything about his is just awesome. I love his name. I love his style. And I love how he loves Lola. I love how introverted and smart and sweet he is. He is a great love interest. Much better for Lola than the older guy. Perkins is so fun to read. Her stories flow and are addicting and so funny. I love all her characters, they are fully formed and their emotions are real. I love her settings, too. I really enjoyed San Francisco with Lola and Cricket. And Anna and Etienne. Yes, Anna and Etienne are in the book quite a bit. Much more than I was expecting. I really like this book. A lot.

So, I know everybody and their mother that hasn't already read it is dying for the upcoming release of Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins. I was definitely no exception - I could not wait to get my hands on it after the brilliant awesomeness that is Anna and the French Kiss. However - while Lola had a lot of amazing things going for it, it didn't live up to Anna for me.Stephanie Perkins is so flippin' fantastic at weaving tons of detail into her writing that it is unreal. Seriously, I was in awe of this in her first book and it is nothing is not stepped up even higher in Lola. The personalities of Lola and Cricket are outstanding...and all the secondary characters are richly fleshed out as well. Seriously, I bow down to the master. Everything from Cricket's crazy inventions as a kid to the kinds of candy Lola leaves lying around her room add so much depth and realism to the story. I could rave about it forever. I loved Lola's dads, their dog (with the awesome name Heavens to Betsy), and even the characters we're meant to dislike are brought to life so well that it is easy to imagine knowing them.Also, don't even get me started on the repeated appearances of Anna and St. Clair. Swoon. SWOON.Unfortunately, it was the plot of the story that didn't work as well for me as Anna. Don't get me wrong - I still liked it a lot and plan on adding the book to my shelves when it is released, I just want to caution you to lower your expectations just a tiny bit so you won't feel the same twinge of disappointment I did. Lola and Cricket had a lot of things keeping them apart in this book just like Anna and St. Clair had in their story - however, in the first book I felt like there were so many circumstances in the way that they simply couldn't have come together any sooner or in a better way. In this book, I wanted to punch Lola in the face for being so immature. Seriously, Cricket was there. Waiting for her. Loving her. Being there for her. She was stubbornly dating a JERK, bound and determined to prove to everyone that she was right. Holy Toledo was it frustrating.Anyway, this is obviously all just my personal preference, because I know the vast majority of people who have read it really do love it more than Anna. I just wanted to add my cautionary note to those of you that might feel the same way I do - prepare to enjoy the story, just don't read it with a constant comparison in mind!

I loved it! Stephanie Perkins is definitely one of the best young adult romance writers. She really captures what it felt like to be a teenage girl. Her books just feel real. I've had Lola and the Boy Next Door on pre-order for quite a while, so I was really excited to crack it open. What excellent chemistry! I really liked Anna and the French Kiss, and I was glad to see some awesome characters back in this one. So, definitely 5 stars for the romance! Cricket was awesome, and Lola was adorable. I loved her best friend Lindsey. Also, I absolutely love the titles and covers of this series!! Also, I LOVE Cricket Bell!! (and what a great name, too) P.S. In my mind Cricket looks like Asher Book. (so cute)

3.5 stars. I can't say I loved it, but I liked it better than "Anna and the French Kiss." The female lead is more likable (even with the constant, holy-hell annoying shouty-caps thoughts) and Cricket is...well, Cricket. I want to wrap him up in a blanket and snuggle with him on the couch for hours. Lola's wavering doesn't last an unforgivable amount of time like Étienne St. Clair from "Anna" (really, that boy needs a foot up his short little *ahem*) and her quirky personality and funky fashion sense adds a lovely layer to the story that I enjoyed. I would totally read another book about this couple.

I think...maybe, I prefer Lola to Anna.Lemme explain. Lola was wonderfully quirky and sweet and naive. She reminded me of my friends and a little bit of myself. Artsy and smart and unique with a bit of rebellion. I love Lola and I love her best friend and I love her dads and I love the fact that Anna and St. Clair were back and played bigger roles than I thought they would.Cricket was another amazing character. He was, like St. Clair, not just a simple boy. He was complicated and silly and a genius and almost as quirky as Lola. Cricket was just absolutely adorable and wonderful and can I have him please?Stephanie Perkins said Lola was a REALLY difficult book for her to write, so can I give her a round of applause? The writing was fantastic. I spent my day when I should've been cleaning, reading. It was a one day, two sitting read. And I just want to erase it from my memory and read it all over again. I also loved the subtle hints about Isla and the Happily Ever After. Not so subtle you'd definitely miss it (obviously), but enough that you CAN miss it if you aren't wondering.The story was exactly what I was looking for. I want more stories like this, where it's a boy who's a friend and he really likes her and the problem isn't life threatening. Adorable little romances with a deeper undertone.I deeply, truly loved this book and I cannot wait to see what Perkins has for us in the future.

Lola and the Boy Next Door serves as a continuation of Stephanie Perkins first book Anna and the French kiss. Our new protagonist Lola lives in San Francisco works at a movie theater with now first year college student Anna. Lola believes in making her own costumes instead of wearing clothes with the life goal of being a clothing designer and is dating a dirty rocker boy much older and cooler then her. Life would therefor be pretty awesome if not for the sharp disapproval of both of her dads, the return of her psychic birthmother, as well as the return of the family next door. Twins Calliope and Cricket Bell moved away two years ago so that Calliope could peruse her ice skating career leaving an ugly mark in Lola and Cricket’s relationship. Lola must now figure out how to survive mandatory Saturday breakfast with her boyfriend and parents, the physics of making a full hoop skirt and her confusing feelings for Cricket.I wanted to read this book as soon as I finished Anna and the French Kiss. Anna was such a sweet, smart, novel that I wanted to follow up with more of Stephanie Perkins’ work. The desire to read it was increased when I discovered its shared characters.Lola or Delores to her parents is not the perfect girl. She is a reasonably good friend and daughter. She is that girl you knew in high school who makes her own clothes and never wears the same thing twice. My personal experience with that girl was that she was a little bit fake, trying just a little bit too hard. When it comes to Lola however she seems to feel most honestly like herself in “costume” instead of “clothing.” She does however try too hard in other ways, mainly her relationship with the significantly older Max. I like Lola as a character but I’m not sure that I would want to be her friend.The other title character is Cricket Bell, the boy next door. Cricket is kind of ordinary for my tastes. He is lucky to not fulfill all of my stereotypes of a male love interest in YA fiction, but he is not the kind of male lead you fall in love with either. I found a lot of the characters like this. They are complex completely realized people, who you don’t really like.I did not read this book with the devouring abandon that I did Anna and the French Kiss. It didn’t need that much of my attention and I didn’t feel the need to put anything else off to read it. That said I did really enjoy it. Stephanie Perkins once again shone as a writer in this book. This book could have simply been one with characters I didn’t like and a low action plot structure (culminating in a big school dance *yawn*), Perkins’ skill still made it a very enjoyable reading experience.While there were things in this book I didn’t enjoy over all I found it good fun, and a very decent way to pass a few days of reading time. Anyone who enjoyed Anna and the French Kiss and would like to see their old friends again would probably enjoy this book. As for me, I don’t see myself reading it again until it is time to brush up for Isla and the Happily Ever After (which is scheduled to be published 2013).

I finally had a chance to read this book and WHY? Why did I wait solo long to read this book?Plot: I can’t even explain how much I adored this book. I love the pace of the story, loved the history on the characters and just loved the overall feel of where it was taking me. It only took me a few chapters to fall in love with the story.Love/Friendship: This part makes me giddy. I adore friendships that have history but also have a connection. At times, Cricket really upset me. Instead of the girl doing the whiplash of emotions it was the guy. I understood other stuff came up, but for me, if you want something you go for it. Lola herself is one character that is bright. She has this character that you just want to dive in and be next to. If she were a real person, I love to be friends for her.Ending: The ending is perfect! So utterly perfect that I did not want to close the book. I loved every single minute of it.Go read this book now. It carries a deep emotional plot about life and love. Lola and The Boy Next Door is awesome!

This was such a fun book. I love the characters and the descriptions. It felt very real, moved along at a good pace, and left me wanting more. Lola is a very unique main character who struggles with some unusual situations, all while being very easy to relate to. The book touches on a variety of "issues" without being one of those heavy issue books. Recommended for readers of Sarah Dessen, Susane Colasanti, Deb Caletti, or anyone who likes good books.

I shall start this review with a warning… this is a gush-fest. Fan girl sighing, squeeing and high-fiving will follow… enter at your own risk.Stephanie Perkins is my hero. Yes, Anna and the French Kiss was phenomenal – still one of my favorites. And yes, I do gush about it to random strangers at book stores and have even forced one or two of them to grab the book and rush to the nearest cashier. I can’t always say its to buy the book or to call security, but whatevah. With that said, and, of course, needless to say, I was uber excited when I heard about Lola and the Boy Next Door. But even though I was convinced it would be just as wonderful as AatFK, I always have that little nagging at the back of my mind that maybe it won’t be as good as the awesomeness that its predecessor was. Well, let me tell y’all, you have nothing to fear!! It was AHHHH-mazing!Lola was as quirky and endearing as they come. I loved everything about her. Her fathers, her wonderful sense of style (the dresses, the wigs, the stockings and shoes… le sigh), her rocker boyfriend and yes, especially, the boy next door, Cricket. Love the name *high-five, Stephanie Perkins.* Cricket was everything a girl dreams of… at least, a girl like me (when I was younger of course). He was awkward, sweet, funny, and so lovable. I loved them individually and together.While AatFK had more of a fairtytale feel to it, Lola’s had a more “real” vibe going. These characters may sound perfect, but if anything, they are perfectly flawed. They’re not perfect, they don’t have all the answers, and while I did have a goofy grin on my face for the most part, there were some moments that had me at the brink of tears. Lola and the Boy Next Door was everything that I could have asked for in a book. I have not one single complaint (well, maybe that it ended – le sigh). Oh, and did I mention the many cameos that Anna and Etienne make… yep, they’re there too (squee!). I loved it! I think you will too.

I had high expectations for Lola and the Boy Next Door from page one. Perkins immediately sucked me in with her successful and realistic story of teenage love in Anna and the French Kiss. I practically devoured it in one afternoon and thought I would do the same with Lola and the Boy Next Door.So I was a bit surprised that it took me awhile to get acquainted with the characters. Lola is quirky. She dresses in colorful wigs and clothes that one may describe as "costumes". She's a bit of a loner, although she has a best friend that she hangs with. She's raised by two gay fathers and is dating a 22-year old guy in a band.Buried underneath the wigs and outlandish clothes is a young girl with issues. She's discovering who she is, she's insecure and she desperately tries to do the right thing. In some cases, she doesn't make the best of decisions. Most of her struggles are played out in her relationship with Max. Early on, the reader gets the sense this relationship will not end well. As much as I didn't like Lola with Max, he played an important role with her self-discovery.And then there's Cricket. The boy next door. The guy she can't allow herself to forget no matter how hard she tries. But when he returns, Lola comes to a crossroads: continue moving forward with Max or confront her unresolved feelings for Cricket.Although I was not enamored with Lola and the Boy Next Door as I was with Anna and the French Kiss, I still enjoyed it. Perkins is a talented author and I am looking forward to reading her next novel.

I absolutely loved Anna and the French Kiss, one of those rare books that’s perfect in its own way. Lola and the Boy Next Door tells almost the exact same story as Anna and the French Kiss, only with the roles reversed – this time, the female protagonist is already taken when the hero arrives on the scene and she has to muddle her way to a breakup before she can start a new relationship.

Lola and the Boy Next Door is sweet and charming in much the same way that Anna and the French Kiss was. I read it in one sitting and finished it with a smile on my face. That being said…having a close-up view of Lola’s relationship with Max, the guy we all know she needs to dump, was pretty frustrating.

Max starts out as this pretty sweet, nice guy. He’s the lead singer of a band but balances out his rock-star image by treating Lola well and bending over backward to get along with her two (gay) dads. Conveniently enough, as soon as Cricket moves into the house next door, Max gets very busy all of a sudden, and then he turns into a jerk. He doesn’t seem like the same person at the beginning and the end of the novel; he’s converted into a bad guy so Lola can break up with him guilt-free.

Meanwhile, Lola worries about being attracted to two guys at once, but she never stops to think about Max’s behavior. When he’s distant, she never asks herself, “Hmm, why am I holding onto this relationship that’s only lasted a few months when I barely see my boyfriend?” She doesn’t seem to notice that their relationship has downgraded, and she never confronts him.

Cricket, the hero, is adorable and lovable and quirky. He’s great. Lola herself is great, and Lola and Cricket are great together. But the big impediment to their relationship is Max, and the impediment is handled in a clumsy, nonsensical way. Without Max, Lola and Cricket would be going out by page 50 and there would be no book.

Anna and St. Clair have cameos in Lola and the Boy Next Door – Anna and Lola work at the same movie theater – and it’s great to see them getting along and being an awesome couple. I’m still a fan of Stephanie Perkins but I don’t think Lola is half as good as Anna.

Dear Stephanie Perkins, How I love your writing! Thank you for the days and months and years you slave over one book, because that hard work and dedication shines through every word on the page. It is practically perfect in every way.Hugs,EricaI loved Anna and the French Kiss, which I completely expected before I even read the first word. Not only did I love it, I was blown away by it. So I was expecting to love Lola and the Boy Next Door just as much. And yet – I think I love it even more!Lola and Cricket’s backstory is bittersweet. I don’t want to say too much about it because Lola tells the story better than I can. I will say that, although Lola was undeniably hurt by Cricket, I had a hard time seeing Cricket as a bad guy in my head. He was such the quintessential nice guy in every interaction in the present day that I could not believe he would be capable of such callousness. But a bruised and broken heart is not easy to mend, so Lola is careful to protect herself from getting hurt by the same guy twice. Even when she starts to feel things for him again. Especially when she’s feeling these things while she has a boyfriend who she swears she loves more than anything. Somehow their story manages to be both complex with so many obstacles standing between them and simple in the sense that they so obviously have a great amount of love for each other (and I don’t just necessarily mean romantic love – they genuinely love and respect who the other person is at the core). Watching them move around each other was a delight.Everything about this book exemplifies what an amazing writing Stephanie Perkins is. The attention to detail is impeccable, but these details blend into the story so well that I didn’t even notice them until I thought back to the story and realized just how much I knew about these characters. In many cases such details can trip of the pacing of the book, but not so here. Instead they only serve to add depth to the characters and their stories.To re-iterate what Stephanie posted on her blog: Lola is not Anna. Cricket is not Étienne. San Francisco is not Paris. But Stephanie Perkins is Stephanie Perkins, and no matter what story she’s telling, I want to be listening.

I adored this, slightly less that Anna and the French Kiss, but still, I adored it. Wonderful characters, a fun and believable events, and a most satisfying conclusion.

I just have to say, Lola and the Boy Next Door was even better than Anna and the French Kiss, and I have a feeling that Stephanie Perkins books will only get better. I feel like Lola and the Boy Next Door was better because it seemed deeper than Anna and the French Kiss (Don't get me wrong, I still loved Anna and the French Kiss) but In Lola there seemed to be more of a back-story. There was the history with Lola and Cricket, Lola's crazy mother, etc. Also, Lola and Cricket are possibly my two favorite book characters of all time. I can relate with so many things about Lola. The way that she dresses crazy (some people have tried to get me to tone down the way I dress... but it's never worked), her trouble with guys, etc. Lola is just an amazing character. Stephanie Perkins also did great on how she portrayed how some people can really fool you. Its amazing. Okay... I'm done gushing... :PBut seriously, Go read this book.

Lola Nolan thinks life in her San Francisco neighborhood is pretty great: she has a hot (older) rocker boyfriend, two caring (if overbearing) dads, and one dedicated best friend. When she's not hanging out with any of the above, she's either working at a local movie theater or creating her latest over-the-top outfit-cum-costume. But all of this happiness threatens to fall apart when Calliope and Cricket, her old neighbors and the two responsible for crushing her spirit and breaking her heart three years ago, move back in.In this companion novel to last year's overwhelmingly popular Anna and the French Kiss, Stephanie Perkins has crafted another swoon-worthy teen romance full of quirky, likable characters. Lola is a force -- yes, she is a bit melodramatic, but she's also full of life. I loved her endlessly wacky and inspired outfits and costuming prowess. The boy-next-door, Cricket, captured my heart with his lovable nerdiness. Their burgeoning relationship was both delightful and agonizing (just tell him you like him already!), though that's to be expected in a romance novel. My one real qualm was that Lola's original boyfriend, Max, was just too obviously wrong for her, making the inevitability of the end just that much more inevitable.Of course, it's not all teen angst and romance -- Perkins deftly handles the relationship between Lola and her mostly absent, often homeless mother, letting it evolve in a realistic manner, and Lola's friendship with Lindsey felt very true to life. I was surprised by how big of a role Anna and Etienne played in the story, but this should work as a standalone title for those who haven't read Anna (but if readers like this one, they definitely should!). This is a great pick for any contemporary YA lit lover!