Stephanie Perkins

Lola and the Boy Next Door

Vicky  Nuñez 

Stephanie Perkins' sophomore novel does not disappoint. 

For starters, I loved her parents and just the whole story behind Lola, eveything from her outrageous outfits to her history with Cricket. 

I also loved that we got to see more of Anna & St. Clair and how Cricket is the exact opposite of St. Clair height-wise. 

Lola and the boy next door is sweet and lovely, just what we had come to expect from Stephanie Perkins. Unlike Anna, Lola can be a bit harder to sympathize with because as Calliope says, Cricket is the inexperienced in their relationship, but we understand where she is coming from, all she's been through and how she ended up as she did. 

I really liked that about Lola, that she had so much baggage and she had to free herself from it. 

Lola and the Boy Next Door is a great novel and all those previous Anna lovers can rest assured that Stephanie Perkins has done it again!

Budding designer Lola has an outrageous sense of style, a hot rocker boyfriend and big plans for the future. Everything is perfect - until Cricket Bell returns to the neighbourhood. When he steps back into her world, Lola must reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door. And perhaps discover that true love can be closer than you think.

Lola and the boy next door

chloe rae

OHMYGOD. MY HEART. MY HEART IS FULL OF HAPPINESS. IM SO HAPPY. AHHHHHH
This book, guys.
THIS BOOK.
Let me start off this review simply by stating that Stephanie Perkins has officially become one of my favorite authors. Anna and the French Kiss is one of my favorite books but I had noooo idea she could deliver another creation nearly as amazing as that. And she did. She's a genius. I love her. We need to become best friends so I can profess how AMAZING her books are.
Ok, now onto the actually story. It's about a girl named Lola, living in San Francisco with her two dads and a super unique sense of fashion. She has a serious boyfriend named Max and everything's going rather smoothly when, out of the blue, her old neighbors move back into the house next door. Their called the Bell twins: Calliope and Cricket. And Lola just so happened to be in love with Cricket before a series of unfortunate events occurred and, well, the rest you'll just have to see for yourself.
Firstly, I want to discuss Lola. Her character is so different than any I've seen. There's something kind of fearless about her, but also a little naive at first. She's simply who she is, no matter what, and it's insanely refreshing. But she's also a hopeless romantic and at times a little selfish, which is ok. It means she's human. She's a good person with a few faults, like anyone. She's REAL. It's amazing to read through her eyes and I seriously enjoyed her as a main character.
And now on to Cricket. AHHHHH I LOVE HIM. He is the epitome of "nice guy." He's just so...good. He's so sweet and kind and thoughtful and there's something kind of sexy about him. He's amazing and I undoubtably fell just as in love with him as Lola. His character development was astounding and ugh, he's just THEE BEST.
And lastly, the supporting charachters!! OMG CAN WE TAKE A SECOND TO TALK ABOUT THE FACT THAT ST. CLAIR AND ANNA ARE IN THIS BOOK? And they provide some seriously awesome advice? I'm so thankful the author decided to do that(: I also really enjoyed the other characters. Like her dads, Calliope, Norah. Everyone was so pleasantly thought out and no one felt one dimensional.
Overall, this book was definitely one to add to the favorites list. And I do have a confession: I cried at the end. And I NEVER cry in books. I mean, I'm a sucker for sappy movies but I honestly think this is the first book I've ever cried at. I cried a little at TFiOS but this book involved some hardcore crying. I mean, it could've just been that it was 3:30 am and my eyes were tired and I was just very emotional but hey, I cried and that's saying something. Even though this book was so amazing, I do have to say I loved Anna and the French Kiss more. I think mainly because that book is literally all of my fantasies coming true, in a single novel. But this book is just as flawless, only in a different way. Read it, love it, fan-girl over it. You won't be disappointed.

Annika Arguemore

A fruity story that you could lose yourself into. Not very deep, but it's cute and will give you some feels.

★★★★ // a charming little story. and i loved cricket bell. so. much.

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 negihborhood. 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.

isabella

i know i kept reading because i wanted more of anna and st. clair :-( sorry! 

Patricia

Kate

Not as good as Anna and the French kiss but kept me pretty entertained, sometimes I wanted to smack Lola over her decision making.

Paula Jiménez 

Nessa Luna

Read this review and more on my blog October Tune!

Actual rating: 3,5*. In 2015, I picked up the book Anna and the French Kiss and to my surprise I enjoyed it very much. Author Stephanie Perkins had written two more books in this companion series, so I decided I wanted to read the other two as well, starting with number two Lola and the Boy Next Door. One not so cool thing about it being a companion novel was that there would be different characters. Just after I had fallen in love with the characters from the previous book. (view spoiler)[Though Anna ánd St. Clair both appear in this book with fairly large roles. (hide spoiler)]

Lola is about an aspiring costume designer (named Lola of course) who lives in San Francisco with her two dads. She has an amazing boyfriend, wears a different outfit (complete with wig and accesoires) every day and nothing can ruin all of that. Until she finds out the Bell family is moving back into the house next to theirs.

As much as I enjoyed Anna, I didn't like this second book that much. Partly because of the new main characters, and partly because Lola was just so different from Anna. (view spoiler)[And I am going to admit it, the main storyline felt like a repeat of Anna; with one already being in a relationship (though this time it was the main character instead of the love interest) and then them still flirting with each other. The girl/boyfriend was really unlikable in both cases (I didn't like St. Clair's girlfriend, and I hated Max) and yeah, I don't know I just felt like I had already read this story). (hide spoiler)] What also didn't help was that I already knew how this book would end, because it had taken me so long to actually pick up these books, that I had already been spoiled via Goodreads. *grumbles*

It was a really nice story though, I really enjoyed the descriptions of Lola's outfits, but it pained me to see how often she 'janks' off her wigs. Wigs are delicate, and you do not just jank off a wig when you're done with it. I am also very confused how she put on her wigs without using a wigcap and a thousand bobby pins. The way Lola does it is exactly how it happens in movies, the girl takes off her wig without trouble and has beautifully styled hair underneath (except Lola didn't have that last part, but still). Are you really making a fuzz about the wigs? Yes, yes I am.

Like I said, I had already sort of been spoiled by the ending, so all the interaction between Lola and Cricket didn't feel as genuine to me as it may have felt if I had gone into these books 'blind'. I did like Cricket much much more than Max, to be honest, even though Cricket did do some things that made me go 'wait what?'.

The writing was great, as usual, I really enjoy Stephanie's writing in general. I will definitely be picking up Isla and the Happily Ever After, and I am very much looking foward to her upcoming horror novel! If you love contemporary romance novels and you haven't read this series yet, do it! But start with Anna and the French Kiss, because even though they are companion novels, they are connected in a way.

My opinion on this book in one gif:

Frederikke nørholm

Gillian Rose

To be honest, I don't think I loved Anna and the French Kiss as much as everyone else since there was borderline cheating. Still, I was curious about the rest of the "series" since they focus on other characters (though Anna and St. Clair make an appearance here!).

I really didn't like this book. And it happened almost immediately. There was borderline cheating again, but what bugged me even more was the inappropriate age gap because it involved a minor.

Lola was extremely immature and her relationship with Max was annoying. Because there was nothing redeemable about Max, a 22-year-old who dates a 17-year-old because he KNOWS no woman his own age would put up with his crap. And Lola assuming she was mature because she "loved" him and he was older, no. I had such a hard time getting into this because of her.

The ONLY reason I cared about this book was Cricket. But honestly, he deserved better. Lindsey deserved a better friend than Lola too. Calliope deserved more of a redemption arc. I just could not stand Lola and that was very unfortunate.

Rachel Kanyid

I loved this one! I thought it was so much better than the first book!

Ivy X

Definitely rooted for Cricket the whole way. 
And it's nice to see that you'll find what is right for you over time. Lola was fabulous and talented in fashion. And I hurt for her when she had that small crisis over whether or not she was just a child playing dress up. I loved Lola and I loved the Anna and Etienne cameos. I loved Cricket. I was wary of Max from the beginning and their fight scene felt so real. I loved the fight scene. Calliope was somewhat annoying at first but she was actually a pretty fascinating character herself. I actually think it'd be cool to hear her story one day. 
"When it's right, it's simple."

Amelia 

Budding costume designer Lola lives an extraordinary life in San Francisco with her two dads and beloved dog, dating a punk rocker, but when the Bell twins return to the house next door Lola recalls both the friendship-ending fight with Calliope, a figure skater, and the childhood crush she had on Cricket.

Rachel Braithwaite

Cute, cute, cute! I’m sad knowing no boys are as thoughtful or as sweet as Cricket Bell :(

Talia Dominguez 

omg i love this book!!!! <3 <3 is so prefect!!!! :-D

The kind-of-second installment of Anna and the French Kiss. This book was quite the roller coaster ride for me. 

After Anna and the French Kiss, I had very high expectations for Lola and The Boy Next Door, and at first, the book didn't really meet them. I thought the story, from the dialogue to the setting, was a little dull in comparison (I can't help but compare, sorry) to the first one. It was your standard "small town, first love never dies" story. But after the last page, I was singing praises for Stephanie Perkins.

Our main protagonist here, Lola, was not your ordinary girl. Firstly, her mom was a homeless woman who often got into a lot of trouble. So now Lola lives with her Uncle Nathan, who just happens to be the other half of a gay couple. Complicated? You haven't met Lola yet. Lola is the usual nice, well mannered, upper middle class American, except for the part where she despises normal get up and wears a costume everyday. Wigs, dresses, kimonos, robes, jewelry and make-up. Every single day. Now throw in a meat-headed boyfriend, super strict parents, an old wound opened and an old love returned, plus a bratty sister, you get Lola and the Boy Next Door. Oh, and don't forget our favorite duo who turn up every once in a while to impart wisdom, Anna and Ettienne.

The plot and the setting was nothing special, at first. What really impressed me was an entire world, sub plots, conflicts (sub conflicts), issues and twists Perkins came up with. She managed to provide a whole range of emotions and ideas. The book had so much substance running. The happenings were so intertwined, each conflict connected with another conflict, each resolution providing closure and another resolution. It was like a puzzle, with the pieces slowly being put together. Perkins works well with the element of surprise. Pretty soon, the book was off to an amazing start, and we see Lola make choices affecting not only herself but others as well, not necessarily good ones. We see her struggle as she deals with her demons. She screws up every now and then too.

In some ways, Lola and the Boy Next Door was better than Anna and the French Kiss, and vice versa. I feel like Lola's was a great coming of age story, with relatable ideals and realistic views. On the other hand, Anna's was the ultimate love story, set in the Love Capital of the world, Paris. So I guess both books get credit on their own terms.

Lola and the Boy Next Door deserves every single star I gave. Well done.

Barbara Kovács

wow!
I really enjoyed reading this book!
Every moment was perfect, just as Cricket. (and of course Étienne)
I loved Lola's parents. (I mean Andy and Nathan)
I love the writings of Stephenie Perkins. These books have their own soul.
And thanks for that, all I want now, is someone who climbs in my window: someone, who's name is Cricket Bell.

Annabella

Emelie

Fátima

Leí Un beso en París hace algunos años, y nunca seguí con la trilogía a pesar de que el primer libro me había gustado mucho. La verdad no sé por qué no lo hice antes, pero me alegro de haberlo hecho. Lola and the boy next door tiene el mismo aire dulce del primer libro y no solo eso sino que los personajes Anna y Étienne hacen un cameo y podemos saber cómo ha seguido su relación. Pero nuestros protagonistas esta vez son Lola y su vecino de al lado Cricket Bell (a.k.a uno de mis nuevos crushes literarios). Lola es arriesgada al momento de vestirse, es súper creativa y no le importa mucho lo que piense el resto sobre ella (soy su fan), todo el tiempo está armando outfits alocados que representan su personalidad y se niega a ser una chica común. Tiene un novio algo mayor que no es muy querido por sus dos papás (sip, dos papás. Me encanta porque se trata de forma súper natural el hecho de que Lola es una chica criada por una pareja gay. *Aplausos para Stephanie Perkins*). Un día, los gemelos Bell, sus vecinos, reaparecen después de muchos años y se remueven ciertas historias del pasado (aunque no es tan dramático como suena xD). El personaje de Cricket me gusta mucho, es encantador, tierno e inteligente y un poco goofy, la combinación perfecta, vamos. Además, su cumpleaños es justo un día después del mío, es el destino... NECESITO UN CRICKET BELL EN MI VIDA.

Menna Khaled

It's more like 3.5
I liked the book
I loved anna and st.claire more than ever again
I loved cricket and lola together
Hated max
Loved andy
Didn't mind nathan
The book is great 
Just not wow like the first book

Lola and the Boy Next Door

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