book review: lola and the boy next door

I've been reading a lot of adult fiction lately and the thing about them is that some of them are very slow-paced and so i was sort of in the mood to read something light and fluffy. Knowing Lola and the Boy Next Door is the sequel to Anna and the French Kiss, and knowing how Anna and the French Kiss saved me from a reading slump, i picked up Lola. Although it's a sequel, it can also be read as a standalone, though you will already be spoiled for the ending of the first book since the characters from Anna appear quite frequently in Lola.

I LOVED Lola and the Boy Next Door! I love it so much, and i love it more than Anna and the French Kiss! I read the last 250 pages or so in half a day because i just couldn't put the book down. So i'm rating this book 4.7 out of 5. It's a wonderful cheesy and cliche read.

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins is about a seventeen-year-old girl named Lola, who absolutely loves dressing up. She made a new year's resolution to never wear the same thing twice, and so she shows up anywhere wearing crazy outfits. Lola has a hot, badass boyfriend named Max who is in a band, and she believes that he is 'the one' even though he was 22 years old. Despite her parents' disagreements, she believes that age doesn't matter. Everything was going perfectly well until one day, her old neighbours move back next door. The Bell twins. Lola has a rough history with Cricket, one of the twins who broke her heart when they were younger. Lola and the Boy Next Door is a story about first-love-returning, friendship, childhood, heartbreak and family.

Stephanie Perkins has a way of writing that makes you forget that you're reading words. She managed to paint the picture in my head, as if i'm watching a movie. That's why i keep getting surprised that i'd read so many pages, because i hardly remember turning them. Her writing is very, very easy to follow and has a decent level of maturity. It was also very easy to dive into, it didn't take long for the story to start straight away without seeming like it lacked a solid, descriptive start.

Lola is a very interesting character. She can be naive at times, but i like the fact that she is a goody two-shoes at times and is also rebellious at other times. Her interest in fashion and costumes is very amusing. Reading the descriptions of what she was currently wearing and how it portrays what she thinks or feels was entertaining. While in Anna and the French Kiss we explore a little about Anna's interest in movies and theater, in this one exploring Lola's passion in fashion and creating her own costumes was quite impressive. I'm really curious to step into Lola's room, it sounds pretty amazing with all of her cool stuff.

There are a few occasional profanities being used(like the F word) but it was very minimal which i was okay with. However, unlike Anna and the French Kiss, there is a lot more making-out parts in this book that may be a little inappropriate for young readers. There's no descriptive sex though of course, since it's a young adult book.

Reading this book made me giggle a lot to myself and wish that I had a similar love story(which will obviously never happen). It made me feel bubbly inside and smile like an idiot and wish I was the main character instead.

**SPOILER SECTION***

Oh, Cricket. Why are you so perfect, WHY.
Cricket Bell is obviously my favourite character from the book. Of course he sounds too good to be true, he's fictional. BUT STILL, PERFECT. I need someone like him, i really do.

I quite enjoyed seeing Anna and St Clair around in this book, especially because they've gotten so much more mature and they're still as adorable as ever together. I love the fact that St Clair feels like Anna is "the one" and that things just work out in the end no matter what if you're with the right person. I think it's lovely for Stephanie Perkins to portray that message to Lola through Anna and St Clair's relationship.

I really enjoyed the times when Lola went to visit Cricket in college. I guess i'm really into the descriptions about college life and dorms and all that, it makes me feel excited and longing to be in that kind of setting. It was quite amazing that even after Lola and Cricket had ended up together and they're going to the formal and everything, that there's more romantic surprise. The thingy that Cricket made for Lola, wow. That's just breathtaking. When he told her about the moon and the stars thing and in the end when he gave the device to her, it was just a lovely wrap up. AND OMG. When we find out why the symbol on the cover is a star, EVERYTHING CLICKED INTO PLACE AND IT WAS AWESOME.

I also appreciate that Lola didn't straightaway jump into a relationship with Cricket after she broke up with Max. She needed some time to sort of get over Max and Cricket was just so understanding and patient. OMG, the part when Calliope suddenly asked for Lola's help with her skating costume was so cool. I was so impressed by the way the author connected Lola's talent with Calliope's, which leads to a lot of lovely things happening.

I was grateful that there was some sort of closure relating to Lola and her mother's relationship. Some books(like Fangirl) ignore these smaller stories but this one dealt with it quite nicely.


Idk, i just loved this book.

**END OF SPOILER SECTION***

In conclusion, if you're into fluffy contemporaries then this definitely is the book for you. Don't read it if you're uninterested to read cheesy books with cliche endings because you'll probably hate this. I think i might even read this again someday.