Lola and the Boy Next Door (Stephanie Perkins)

Title: Lola and the Boy Next Door

Author: Stephanie Perkins

Publisher: Dutton Books (Penquin)

Length: 338 pages

Rating: 3.5/5

Lola is a budding fashion designer who never wears the same outfit twice. She’s a dutiful daughter with a hot rocker boyfriend, and her biggest concern is that her two gay dads don’t approve of him. Then the Bell twins move back in next door: perfect figure skating champ Calliope, and tall, inventive genius Cricket. With them they bring the baggage of the past and flip Lola’s life upside down.

I didn’t like Lola and the Boy Next Door as much as I loved Anna and the French Kiss. However, I did love that Anna and St. Clair were characters in this novel. Age is a big factor in the plot because of the how much older Lola’s boyfriend is, but I found it harder to connect to such a  character who is emphasized as being younger. Lola is only 16, and kudos to the writing for making her 22 year old rocker boyfriend (who is still younger than me) still seem like such an older guy. Cricket of course, is just a little older than Lola, but can she forgive him for the past?

Stephanie Perkins likes to write romances from an inner conflict point of view. Lola must decide which boy is “the one” when she feels that she loves both. At the same time, she must figure out who she is, with or without all her outfits. It all boils down to: who is the real Lola, and who does she belong with? (classic YA finding who you are)

There were some cute moments- I loved that Lola had two dads, and who doesn’t want a cute boy who loves them living right across from their window? (Taylor Swift anyone?)

I’ll leave you with this quote: “it’s a person’s imperfections that make them perfect for someone else.” Adorable.