Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Summary:
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. (from GoodReads)

Review:
I thought that Anna and the French Kiss was such a great novel and I was so excited to read more of Stephanie Perkins's work. Fortunately, she didn't let me down because Lola and the Boy Next Door was a fun and engaging read!

Lola was very similar to Anna. In Anna, she is in love with a boy who already has a girlfriend. In Lola, it's switched. Lola has the boyfriend and there is another guy pining after her. It was nice to see this side because I feel like many YA books follow the Anna plotline with a girl wanting a taken guy. There was a lot of tension between Lola and Cricket and I was pretty much dying for them to get together. I really like the way Stephanie Perkins wrote their relationship because it was very cute.

I think everyone was excited that we got to see Anna and St. Clair again in Lola! I was really interested to see how they were doing since the last book. Unfortunately, their relationship seemed to have progressed to the obsessive because they were never apart. I didn't like how they were so dependent on each other and hope that Lola and Cricket don't end up that way.

The star of the book, Lola, was quite the character. She has two dads which I thought was awesome. I've never read a book where the protagonist has gay parents, so that was a first for me. She is also a designer and loves fashion. Sometimes she stretched the definition of clothes and would wear actual costumes to school. I thought that was a bit excessive, but hey, whatever floats your boat.

Just like with Anna, I couldn't put Lola down! Now I can't wait for Isla and the Happily Ever After.

Rating: 9 out of 10.
FTC: borrowed from library.

2011/Dutton/338 pages.