Reading Reflection: Lola and the Boy Next Door

Lola and the Boy Next Door
by Stephanie Perkins
Published August 1st 2009
P. 390
Rating: 4/5 

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.

Another adorable book.  I'm glad I joined the contemp challenge and grabbed this one off the shelf.  I would have passed over it for years otherwise.  I never thought of myself as a chick-lit type of girl, but apparently I am.  So sweet! 

Ah, Lola, and her extreme fashion.  I didn't really get it, but I didn't care.  She was fun and young, confused and emotional like young ladies are... I liked her a lot.  I wasn't at all impressed by her boyfriend, but there were times in the story where I thought maybe, just maybe, he was a good guy.  My feelings changed throughout the novel, but I could see how his behavior in the beginning would be enough to attract her attention and hold it.

Oh, and Cricket, her first kiss, her first love... broke her heart and then came back.  Though Max, the current boyfriend, didn't seem all that bad at first... he was nothing compared to Cricket.  I am a sucker for tall and kinda nerdy... personal preference that swayed my judgement of the overall book -- sorry hubby (who is not tall and nerdy).  Add, witty and respectful to the mix, I am sold.  

In the novel Lola has to face Cricket, and try to build a friendship, but it becomes increasingly harder.  She knows he has feelings for her, but she has to decide between her older rocker boyfriend or the boy next door who broke her heart.  

An added note, I loved this novel because Perkins incorporated Anna and St. Clair, characters from her previous novel.  I loved those characters, it was nice to see them together, in a new setting, and part of the world -- rather than lost forever at the end of their story.  I was surprised when Anna was introduced... I was like: she sounds so familiar.  And I was right... very nice touch for the readers who are curious about the happily ever after, but without creating a series of books that lose their magic.