Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Title: Lola and the Boy Next Door

Author: Stephanie Perkins

Publisher: Dutton Juvenile

Release Date: September 29, 2011

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

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 neighbourhood.

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.

This book was nothing if not absolutely adorable. It was also a book I had been looking forward to reading since I read the last page of Anna and the French Kiss earlier this year. And if at all possible, I loved Lola and the Boy Next Door even more. Stephanie Perkins definitely knows how to write those perfect romance stories.

Lola Nolan has always known how to stand out in a crowd and she even likes it. Her goal is to never wear the same outfit twice and the crazier the look the better. But the clothes are really the only crazy part of Lola, she's a good friend and daughter and knows what she wants in life. And the most perfect part of it all is her older, rocker boyfriend who drives her dads crazy. But then the Bell twins move back in next door and Lola's world threatens to fall apart. Not so much because of Calliope, but because it means that Cricket Alexander Bell is also back in her life. Now Lola isn't so sure about a lot of things, mainly whether or not she is with the right boy. And the more she spends time with Cricket, the more Lola realizes those feelings she thought she'd gotten over are still right there. Because who could be more perfect for Lola than the boy next door?

I don't even know how to begin putting my feelings for this book into words. So I will apologize now if this review starts turning into just me saying "OMG this book was amazing" over and over again. But now that I've established that this book was amazing, I will try to be a little more eloquent. Lola and the Boy Next Door was an absolutely adorable story. Everything about it was spot on and nothing felt too cliché or overdone. It was just the perfect story. Stephanie Perkins has definitely found the perfect formula for writing a fantastic book and Lola and the Boy Next Door was exactly that. It was the perfect balance of romance, drama and humor. I just absolutely loved it.

Lola was pure awesomeness. I loved her right from page one and with every page I read I loved her even more. There was just this endearing quality about her. I felt her joy, her laughter and her sadness. She really couldn't have felt more real to me. And Cricket. I think I may have fallen in love with him. He was also quite possibly the best male character in a book ever. I don't think I can actually put into words how much I love Cricket. I also don't think it would have been possible for me not to fall in love with him. He just had this way about him, and nerdy boys are just the best. So of course I was rooting for Cricket the whole way through. What I loved was how Stephanie Perkins also included Anna and St. Clair into the story. It was great to see what happened to them.

The words fantastic and amazing don't even begin to describe the awesomeness that was Lola and the Boy Next Door. Stephanie Perkins once again wrote a brilliant book and I absolutely cannot wait for the next one.