Title: Lola and the Boy Next Door
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Blurb:
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.
Links:
Lola and the Boy Next Door on Goodreads
Kala's Review:
It took awhile for me to get around to this book, mostly because while I wanted to read it when it came out, I wasn't willing to pay $11 for the ebook. Finally I got it from the library and...
I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE it.
I might be in the minority who liked this one a LOT more than Anna and the French Kiss. While I liked Anna, I just didn't connect with Etienne at all.
NOT so here!
I LOVE Lola. And I LOVE Cricket (except for his name, ugh). I think I connect so well with Cricket because he's exactly the kind of guy I would go for in real life. Slightly nerdy, socially awkward, sweet as pie.
His blue eyes are bright. Sincere. Desperate. "Go out with me tonight. Tomorrow night, every ni-" The word cuts off in his throat as he sees something behind me.
Oh, Cricket. I don't know how any girl could not hand you her heart on a sleeve after that whole scene.
Lola is this crazy, quirky girl who is trying to figure herself out. I love her crazy outfits and overall weirdness. I thought the whole talking to the moon thing was over the top, but whatever. I just skimmed that part.
Max disappointed me. :( However, his reaction was probably pretty damn realistic. Considering how much I loved him at the start of the novel, I was so sad to see him turn in to such a douchebag. I knew things would go horribly wrong with him and Lola, but damn. Bad Max. Bad.
My only real issue was that I wished we got to delve in to Calliope a little more. I found her really interesting, despite her being the generic mean girl throughout most of the book.
I love Stephanie Perkins. I love how her characters are always so different, but so real. It's going to be hard to wait on a library copy of Isla, but I still refuse to pay that much for an e-book. :(
5 out of 5 stars.
Link to Kala's review on Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/414310688
I still need to read these books! With Valentine's Day nearing, I've begun to realize that I really need to read books with good romances and not crap romances in most YA novels. This one sounds awesome, but I think I'll be starting with Anna and the French Kiss. Great review!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment! You definitely should read it. Stephanie Perkins writes some really unique YA romance that is so sweet, but still complex and interesting. Definitely unique among the genre. :)
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