Review – Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins (5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Romance
Length: 368 pages
Publisher: Speak
Release Date: July 9, 2013
ISBN-13: 978-0142422014
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in the Anna and the French Kiss series
Source: Swapped through Paperbackswap.com
Rating: 5/5 stars

“Lola Nolan is a budding costume designer and for her the more outrageous sparkly and fun the outfit the better And everything is pretty perfect in her life right down to her hot rocker boyfriend until the Bell twins Calliope and Cricket return to the neighborhood When Cricket a gifted inventor steps out from his twin sisters shadow and back into Lolas life she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.”

I really loved Anna and the French Kiss and was just as impressed with Lola and the Boy Next Door. I adored the quirky characters, the sweet romance, and just how very feel good this book was. I read this book in one sitting over a couple hours and just loved it.

I enjoyed Lola and her crazy need to dress up in costumes every day; something I can relate to and something I totally understand. It was interesting how some people accused her of hiding from herself and others applauded her for being unique. I love dressing up in stuff that is really different and can totally relate to how she had to deal with everyone’s judgement.

I also really enjoyed Cricket as a character; I love his quirky inventiveness and the fact that he was going into engineering school. He was a fun character to read about. As an engineer, I love reading about other budding engineers. The chemistry between him and Lola was very sweet and I enjoyed them both so much.

The San Francisco setting was well done and intriguing. I also enjoyed the fact that Lola’s parents were a couple of gay men; I love that this book shows how two people in a loving relationship can make great parents no matter what their sex or background.

Overall this book just resonated with me on a number of levels and I ended up absolutely adoring it. This was one of those feel good books that left me feeling happy and hopeful when I finished it. I really enjoyed it and will be picking up Isla and the Happily Ever After soon to read. Recommended to those who enjoy quirky YA contemporary romance set in a fun location.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– Goodreads Reading Challenge
– Mount TBR Reading Challenge