Title: Lola and the Boy Next Door
Author: Stephine Perkins
Publisher: Dutton
Page Count: 338
Series: NA
Discloser: Bought
Goodreads: Link
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
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Does this book really need an introduction? She's the queen of Contemporary novels. Her debut novel Anna and the French Kiss in 2010 rocked you socks off, John green said it was like him and Maureen Jonhson had a baby but only better. And Lola and the Boy Next-Door is BETTER. in my not so humble option. And let me tell you, books that get hyped up THIS much I don't normally like. Hunger Games - meh wasnt a fan. But by golly, this book made me fall in love with Cricket. Now I know what your thinking how can you fall in love with someone named Cricket? It just happened.
Now The plot was good. I have had discussions over her gay dads'. And wheather or not Perkins was trying to have a subtext that she turned out this way because her dads' were gay. And this way there is nothing wrong with it. Lola is LOUD! she doesnt believe in fashion but lives her live in costumes. Dresses and Wigs, And she never wears the same thing the same way twice, and I love it. And it's who she is, and though in the case of Lola i dont believe it was because of her dads, but maybe a lack of strong female in her life, it is not like Rachel from Glee where she's like this because her dads pushed her. But I truly believe this is who she wants to be. Okay enough politics. Lets talk BOYS! which is something I know you must love.
Holy CHRIST! St. Claire now this will be short, I love my little mutt, and seeing him through Lola's eyes instead of Anna's was great, we really see how much he cares for her. But you know this, you've read Anna. What?! you haven't? Well that's okay its just a companion novel you can still read and enjoy this magical trip with Lola. Any ways, you want to hear about Cricket, the boy next door, the one with the name you don't think you could ever love?
Well wait a min, lets talk about Max first. Now as much as I love Cricket, I am a pretty big Max fan for the first half, Now I know there is a age difference, and I am not fond of that, but I am a believer in that love can't tell age, I have family who they have been together 20 years and they are in there thirties now. I have friends who have she was 15 and he was 45 and now that he's has past away, she still says "I loved him from the day I met him until long after the day he died." I believe that love doesn't care. I believe that Lola loves Max, and you can tell that he loves her too. He's in a band, he's older, he has a bad relationship with his father, and his mother ran away. Him and Lola connect in ways that her and Cricket can't. I really liked Max for the first half of the book, he may have been jealous but that's a sign that he cared right?
Cricket. All I am going to say about this is Cricket Bell is a REAL fictional characters, he has his flaws, he doesn't know what to do about Lola and his feelings for her, they are all mixed up. He tries to do the right thing, and he just gets in trouble for it. And he's sweet and caring. But that's all your going to get out of me on him because I don't want to share MY version of Cricket and have him muck around with yours.
