Lola and the Boy Next Door [Hardcover]

Stephanie Perkins (Author)

Book Description

Release date: September 29, 2011

In this companion novel to Anna and the French Kiss, two teens discover that true love may be closer than they think

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Step back--it's going to fly off the shelves."--School Library Journal

"A delectable companion to [Perkins's] debut hit, Anna and the French Kiss."--Kirkus Reviews

"Snappy dialogue...a lively romance."--Publishers Weekly

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Stephanie Perkins (www.stephanieperkins.com) lives in the mountains of North Carolina with her husband.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile (September 29, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525423281
• ISBN-13: 978-0525423287
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 1.2 x 8.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (226 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #69,415 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Stephanie Perkins has always worked with books--first as a bookseller, then as a librarian, and now as a novelist. She and her husband live in the mountains of North Carolina. Every room of their house is painted a different color of the rainbow.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 37 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Lola and the Boy Next Door September 29, 2011

By Angel Snyder

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Excuse me while I fan-girl...
Okay. I'm finished. Not really, but I can't stop smiling! Lola and the Boy Next Door had even more hype leading up to its release than Anna and the French Kiss. I didn't think Lola could live up to Anna, but I was so excited when I got this book in the mail today that I ripped--really, I almost got a paper cut in my rush to open it--right into it. I finished this book in just one sitting.
First things first, I saw that it was signed to me, because my mother is amazing sometimes and ordered me a signed copy from Asheville, North Carolina, from the Lola book release party that I couldn't go to because of family problems. Fan-girl moment again, sorry--but second to that--I jumped right into Lola's world, and I fell in love.

In a way, Lola had me missing Anna. Anna was such a funny, quiet character, and I loved her for it, while Lola was out there and in your face from the first page. But I grew to have a certain fondness of Lola that I only had a few times with Anna and that sealed the deal on this book for me.
Lola is that one girl you see from time-to-time, who is dressed so ridiculously that you can't help but to smile. Lola was out-going, brave, daring, and even a bit too much, if there is ever such a thing. But after a few pages, I loved her and wished she was my new best friend, and clothing designer.

Stephanie Perkins is amazing. She has blown me away and has left me dying for more; just like when I finished Anna and the France Kiss, I have a longing to be in the world her characters live in, and don't even get me started on Cricket Bell!
Cricket was, to put it simply, amazing. He was gorgeous, sweet (God--he was so darn sweet!) gorgeous, caring, gorgeous, smart... did I say gorgeous?... Stop it, Angel--you're embarrassing yourself!
Cricket was the perfect male lead for our crazy-design-loving Lola. Throughout the book, Stephanie Perkins let us see how deeply he cares for Lola, and how Lola's feelings of hurt, embarrassment, abandonment, and anger of the past, slowly start to evolve into the love she once had for him--the boy next door who only lives there sometimes.
I know it's hard to believe, but Cricket has actually taken my heart. Sorry, Etienne St. Clair! I didn't think it was possible to love a character as much as I did Cricket, and if you want to make things better--St. Clair and Cricket. Together, in the same scene--talking! Interacting! I know! Anna and St. Clair make a few brief cameos in Lola's story, and I have to say that I loved every minute of it.

Have in mind that this book is heavier than Anna. Emotionally speaking, I was way more invested than while I was reading Anna. I felt the characters had more depth, the issues were bigger--the world was seen through clear, bright eyes the whole time I was reading and I really connected with them. I actually loved every single character--even Lola's bad boy rocker boyfriend, Max--at least, I did until halfway through the book. You'll just have to read it and find out why!

But--oh, no--did I just `but' in this review? Did I just put a `but' in here?!--I wish we could have seen more of Calliope, Cricket's twin sister. I loved her character even though she came across as snobby and indifferent most of the time when it came to Lola, I understood her. I have a brother who I am very protective over as well, so I know what it's like when you don't want your brother to get hurt. I can only hope we see more of her in the near future.

All I can say is that this book is simply amazing. Is it better than Anna? Some say yes, some say no, but I am one of those who say `yes' a million times. From Lola's crazy outfits, to Crickets blue eyes, to her best friend Lindsey and her love for CSI and Nancy Drew-- I fell in love. It depends on what you like, but something tells me Lola is not a girl you will be forgetting about anytime soon. Read more ›

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Even better than Anna! September 30, 2011

By Archimedes VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I didn't think it was possible to read a book better than Anna and the French Kiss but somehow Stephanie managed. It was extremely refreshing to see a "sophomore" book that exceeds the first book. The relationship between Lola and Cricket is even sweeter than the one that developed between Anna and Etienne in the first book. They have a lot more history that comes into the book together and you can't help but push for them to be together.

I also loved that see a lot of glimpses of Anna and Etienne in this book. While I would love to read a whole series about them I recognize that it would not be a good thing. It's like when chocolate cake sounds good despite being full. You eat it and then regret it. Thus, I think another book with solely Anna and Etienne would be much the same. I must say though it was nice to see them again in this book because I always wonder what characters would be doing later on after the bulk of their story is over.

This is such a great book that I don't want to give anything in the storyline away. So I am going to leave out my own summary of the book. I give Lola and The Boy Next Door a 5/5. It is definitely one of my favorite books of 2011 and probably my absolute favorite YA romance of 2011. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in this genre.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Cute but A Little Stale November 29, 2011

By L. Curtis

Format:Hardcover

I really, really, really wanted to read LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR. I wanted to read this book from the moment I closed her debut Anna and the French Kiss. I must say that I'm glad that I waited until my library ordered a copy of LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR because if I had actually paid money for this book, I would've been very angry. It wasn't the writing, which was great. It was the plot and the characters that drove me crazy.

Maybe I expected too much? I'm going to try to articulate why LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR was a letdown for me. The main reason was that Lola didn't connect with me as a character. Probably because she spent the whole book lying to everyone around her and deception/lying is one of my biggest romance pet peeves. I know that as a teenager that your emotions are haywire and you often lie to yourself and others without meaning to, but that still doesn't make you the best possible choice for the heroine in a romance novel. I needed deeper motivation to justify why Lola spent so much time lying to everyone.

It wasn't only Lola that I had trouble with but I had trouble with the majority of the main characters. The book seemed forced, as if she was trying to live up to the success of Anna and having trouble doing so.

I mean really, what was wrong with Max. He started out like this great character. The only issue that seemed wrong with him was his age (he's 22, she's 17). While that is something to raise an eyebrow about, in the beginning (before the novel went down into lala land for the sake of trying to get Lola and Cricket together) I didn't get why everyone around her freaked so much about it, even she and him. Granted, I might have felt this way because when I was 16/17 I dated a guy while not 22, was 19/20 and out of school.... I was annoyed that Max suddenly morphed into this bad guy. I mean really why wouldn't he, Lola had been lying to him forever. When she finally went and broke up with her and he got nasty with her, I was actually cheering for him and he was supposed to be the 'villain' in all this. LOL.

This love triangle Lola/Max/Cricket bothered the heck out of me. It was not well executed like the triangle in Anna. I think because she was working too hard to make Max appear to be a bad guy and Lola spent so much time playing games that I lost a lot of respect for her. While I see how Lola and Cricket were actually good for each other, I thought Max if she hadn't went down the very obvious are you kidding me trying to obviously make him the villain road, would have worked just as well. In the end, I agreed with Max's parting shout about Lola. In the end, with all the costumes, Lola was just a little girl with a lot of issues. Read more ›

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightfully funny, quirky, and romantic! September 29, 2011

By The Compulsive Reader VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

There are two things that Lola wants at the beginning of the school year: to make the most spectacular Marie Antoinette costume ever, and to go to the winter formal in that costume with her boyfriend, Max. Unfortunately, things really aren't working out for her. It all starts when the Bell twins move back into their house next door to Lola. Lola, Calliope, and Cricket have a history, and Lola has gone to great lengths to avoid them, especially Cricket, after their last disastrous encounter. But despite that, Cricket seems to keep popping up in Lola's life, much to her boyfriend's annoyance. And Lola is discovering that it just might be possible that Cricket has changed. Maybe. But what does that mean for Lola and the life she's made for herself in his absence?

Stephanie Perkins, author of Anna and the French Kiss, has crafted another delightfully funny, quirky, and charming romantic comedy. Lola is a humorous, zany, and lovable heroine--her feelings where Cricket Bell is concerned are ones that all readers can probably relate to in some capacity, and the amazing costumes, social mishaps, and family drama just make her an achingly genuine character. There is no shortage of swoon-worthy guys in this book--there's the re-appearance to Etienne St. Clair, Lola's sexy (and older) boyfriend Max, and the introduction of sweet, brilliant Cricket Bell. All of the friendships and twisted relationships as Lola suddenly has to juggle Max and Cricket make for an engaging plot with a few unexpected twists. Though Lola and the Boy Next Door is not set in Paris like its companion novel, Perkins does an excellent job at bringing the rich San Francisco setting alive, from Lola's street full of row houses (guess whose bedroom windows are directly across from each other?...) to the fun theater Lola works and the exotic tea gardens. The setting and the characters are what really stand out and make Perkins' second novel so much fun. This is romantic, hilarious, and smart chick lit that every girl who picks it up will be compelled to share. Read more ›