Lola and the Boy Next Door (Anna and the French Kiss, #2)

by Stephanie Perkins

Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn't believe in fashion... she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit - the more sparkly, more wild - the better. And life is pretty close to perfect for Lola, especially with her hot rocker boyfriend.

That is, until the Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighbourhood and unearth a past of hurt that Lola thought was long buried. So when talented inventor Cricket steps out from his twin sister's shadow and back into Lola's life, she must finally face up to a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

Could the boy from Lola's past be the love of her future?

• ISBN10: 1409579948
• ISBN13: 9781409579946
• Publish Date: 1 June 2014 (first published 1 September 2011)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 16 August 2023
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Usborne Publishing Ltd
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[Briana @ Pages Unbound]

Lola and the Boy Next Door is funny, creative, and inspiring. Lola, a colorful personality, narrates the events of her seventeenth year, when next-door cutie/jerk Cricket Bell moves back into the neighborhood. Unfortunately, he is not as big of a jerk as Lola remembers, and despite her older, rock star boyfriend, she begins to find herself interested.

Like Anna and the French Kiss, Lola and the Boy Next Door is the perfect blend of beautiful romance and tough life issues. Less than ideal parents loom large in both books. Here, Lola is raised by her uncle Nathan and his partner Andy because her mother cannot seem to stop drinking long enough to get her life back together. Her boyfriend, and her friend Etienne (guest starring along with Anna in a return from Anna and the French Kiss!), also have parental problems. Perkins addresses these issues delicately, suggesting that parents are only human, while refraining from writing unrealistic life changes for them. The message continues to be clear, however: you are not your parents, or your ancestors, and you have the freedom and power to build your own better life.

Lola, like Anna, also faces some tough relationship dilemmas. She must navigate the issues of dating a much-older boyfriend, balancing time and loyalty between boyfriend and friends, and having feelings for two guys at the same time. Again, liking two people is a gray area that Perkins addresses with skill and grace. Young readers—any readers—can benefit from Perkins’s explorations of what makes a healthy relationship. Here, the trust of one’s parents, the boy’s kindness to one’s friends and interest in one’s life, and the boy’s ability to inspire one to be the best version of oneself are all labeled important.

Lola and the Boy Next Door is incredibly cute and fun and has a lot of truth to share about life. Perkins once again combines daydream fantasy (the boy next door, who has a window facing yours so you can talk at night!) with reality to write a perfectly balanced story.

[ellieroth]

link: Soy un Gato:

No sé si decir si Steph es sumamente genial o cruel por naturaleza, es que no puede darnos personajes tan perfectos ¡para luego caer en la cuenta que no existen!

Es una de las historias que más me ha gustado en lo que va del año. En serio. No solo por el hecho chico/chica y factor Sweet-Love, es por los padres de Lola. Los tres. Stephanie nos manda una familia “moderna”: Papás Gays y una mamá intermitente casi quemada.

Me sentí muy cómoda al leer el libro. No fue uno de esos estereotipos de papás gays, donde son alocados y extravagantes. Como dice Lola:

“Así que ninguno es la mujer. Los dos son hombres homosexuales. Duh.”

Más bien la extravagante es ella, la loca de los vestidos extraños, altas pelucas y anteojos de ensueño.

Lola y el Chico de al Lado, logra algo en mí que pensé sería imposible: No odiar a la madre ausente. Casi nunca conecto a ese tipo de personajes, me resultan incómodos. No puedo decir que logré entenderla pero me gustó su rol en el libro...


Reseaña Completa: El Extraño Gato del cuento

[Kelsenator]

Originally posted on my blog Kelsey's Cluttered Bookshelf

Lola lives with her two dads in a cute house and has a very big fashion sense. Her mother isn’t a big part of her life, and you’ll see why when you read this. She is 17 and dating a more hardcore guy from a small band, and he’s 22, which does not sit well with her parents. While dealing with one of their Sunday’s where her family judges Max, she notices a moving van, and the Bell family moves back in after being gone for a few years. Lola isn’t happy about this though, since the Bell twins both ruined her in different ways. Caliope is mean and a figure skater and possessive of her brother. Cricket was her first love and an inventor of sorts, but that got shattered years ago just before they moved away. Now he’s back, and she’s moved on, and he’s of course still in love with her. Now Lola has to deal with the fact that she might still have feelings for him, while being with her current boyfriend who’s turning out not to be what she had thought.

I loved Lola’s character, she was different than others and it didn’t seem like she cared what people thought of her as long as she could make a statement. With her many costumes and design ideas and wigs, she was definitely fun to read about! I just loved the idea of her trying to make a Marie Antoinette dress too, and her awkwardness towards a certain boy was just so cute.

Cricket, aside from having an awesome name, was just adorable. Always moving, very tall yet elegant and the geeky next door neighbour, he’ll have you wanting to give him a hug! As well as rooting him on so he ends up with Lola of course.

Anna and St.Clair from the author’s other book (Anna and the French Kiss) are in this as well, which was kind of cool since I got to see where they were going with life after the first book. Anna works at the same place as Lola, and so they get a good amount of time in the book, even helping Lola and becoming her friend. It just shows how small the world can be that they would meet!

This book had me in tears at the end, there’s so much awesomeness and cuteness and I just loved everything about it. I think I loved it even more than the other book.

Definitely recommending this book to everyone! It’s a great contemporary read.

[Amanda]

Original review: http://onabookbender.com/2012/07/16/review-lola-boy-next-door-stephanie-perkins/

4.5

Oh, this book! You know how I hate love triangles? I don’t know what it is about Stephanie Perkins’ writing, but I find myself all twisted up and turned inside out and adoring every minute of it. Well, if I had any complaint about Lola it would be the relationship with Max. Not even the relationship itself, but the age difference. It brought out my adult side. No one wants that. But I did love Cricket (perhaps even more so than St. Clair), and a big part of that had to do with how much he reminded me of my own boyfriend, who actually does wear rubber bands on his wrists (and has blue eyes and is six four and can be delightfully awkward).

Every character in Lola is just so real. Lola. Her dads. Cricket. Even Lindsey and Calliope and Norah. They are the kind of characters that you want to be real so that you can experience them for yourself. I loved that Anna and St. Clair made an appearance in this book. It was nice to see them again. Sometimes I wanted to shake Lola, but her costuming and general flamboyance was incredibly endearing. She feels like a real teenager. I think what I love about Stephanie Perkins’ books is that her characters feel authentic. And I say that as a 27 year old. But. I don’t say that about many YA books, so I think it has to count for something.

The lessons (if you will) of this book just hit that spot inside me that wants to yell out, “YES! THIS!” Like the idea that we aren’t perfect, but that there is perfection in imperfections? Like there is someone else in the world who will fit our puzzle piece. Not completing us, but complementing us. Imperfections fits imperfections so that they become perfections. One of the reasons why I loved Anna so much was that there is so much to take away from the book, and Lola is no different. There are valuable lessons to learn, but at the same time, they are buried underneath an incredibly entertaining story.

If you’re looking for a dip into the YA contemporary pool, I highly suggest picking up Anna and Lola. Stephanie Perkins has a way with her characters that transcends comfort zones, and I am pretty sure she is now on my “auto-buy” author list. Which, if you know me, is quite the accomplishment. My auto-buy list is not very long at all.

[jeannamichel]

Lola is a fashionista and can never wear the same thing twice. Her boyfriend is a rocker-type and her dads will never approve of him. When Cricket, her childhood friend, moves back in next door, something that was dormant for a while flares up again and leaves Lola questioning.

I loved this book so much that even after finishing I go back and read my favorite parts over again. Perkins is the author of Anna and the French Kiss, one of my favorite-reads last year and so I expected so much from this novel. Lola and the Boy Next Door surpassed all my expectations and left me in awe.

Perkins has a way to bring real things to the page. In Anna and the French Kiss, she brought true friendship to each page and had it blossom into a gorgeous relationship. In this one, Stephanie Perkins left me stunned with her ability to bring a childhood friend to life. She has a gift.

I was a bit skeptical about the cover when I first opened the spine. I wasn’t too crazy about it. It was kind of boring and it did not give the enchanting quality of not showing the guy’s face like it had with Anna and the French Kiss. After reading the book, I found that it has so much more qualities. The star on Cricket’s hand symbolizes something huge in the book and makes me smile every time I look at it, as well as his collection of rubber bands and other bracelets on his other arm. Still, on the cover, Lola creeps me out with her wide-eyed stare.

The characters were fantastic. Perkins even had Anna and Étienne make a guest appearance in the novel. They helped Lola out and gave her advice. It was amazing how she incorporated that story into this one. Readers do not need to read Anna and the French Kiss to get the full experience of this book; this is just a companion novel to that one.

The plot captures the reader and refuses to let go. It is a wild ride of romance, comedy, and sadness. Lola may have undergone the worst break-up of all books. It showed how emotional and how realistic the break-up was. Perkins creates something that grabs hold and leaves a permanent mark on readers. You will not put this one down.

Lola and the Boy Next Door was a masterpiece that touches romantic souls. If you liked Anna and the French Kiss, then you will definitely love this one.

[anne]

Coming of age romance, usual love triangle, but quite fun regardless. Teen romance readers will love this.

[Amber]

Lola and the Boy Next Door is another fabulous novel by Stephanie Perkins. It is a companion novel to Anna and the French Kiss – a book that blew everyone’s minds back in December of last year – and it is just as great.

As a main character, I really liked Lola. Throughout the novel she went through lots of character development, both good and bad, which I absolutely adored. There is nothing worse than reading about a main character that doesn’t change at all throughout the novel. Some aspects of Lola’s character annoyed me, mainly the part of her that feels it’s necessary to lie her way out of most situations, and I found this very aggravating. But it was also realistic! Like Anna in Stephanie’s first book, Lola really came into her own and became such a fantastic character. I hope to see more of her in Isla and the Happy Ever After.

Lola had a relationship with an older boy – well, more like a man, he was 22 – and she thought that at 16/17 this was totally acceptable. I will neither agree nor disagree with this, because the age of consent is different here in the UK. Anyway... Max was in a band, he had tattoos, he was a bit of a player and he smoked drugs – every parent’s worst nightmare for their daughter, basically. I really didn't like Max, I thought he was a complete idiot. He made me so angry! But again, I could deal with him, because to counter his stupidity there was the awesome-sauce that is Cricket Bell.

Cricket acts as the Etienne of Lola and the Boy Next Door. Kind of. He’s the boy next door that Lola has been in love with ever since she was five years old. Their bedroom windows face each other and are just metres apart. It’s meant to be, obviously. Cricket didn’t have the same charm as St Clair – does anyone? – but he was the sweetest and kindest male character I’ve read about in a while. I loved him. I would have liked to have seen more of his inventions, but that’s just the science geek coming out in me!

As predicted, Stephanie Perkins’ writing was phenomenal. She has this amazing ability to let the reader step into the character’s head and experience the story with them. Her writing just pulls you in, you can’t help it.

Did I mention that we see lots of Anna and St Clair in this book? I was expecting maybe a scene or two with them in, perhaps a cameo, but oh my goodness they both work at the movie theatre with Lola! And Cricket is ... no, that’s a spoiler. I won’t say anything! I loved reading about those two in this book, they were just as hilarious and in love as they were in ‘their’ book. *Hugs them tight and never lets them go*.

Overall, I loved Lola and the Boy Next Door. Oh my goodness, it was everything I had been waiting for. It wasn’t as good as Anna and the French Kiss, in my opinion, but it’s definitely high up there on my rating scale. Sorry, but it's impossible for me not to compare the two books!

If you’re a fan of Anna and the French Kiss, then I’m sure you’ve already ordered your copy, so I won’t recommend this to you guys. I don’t need to! But if you've not read Anna and the French Kiss then you can most certainly read this novel without spoiling yourself from the first book. This is just a companion, after all!

[rakesandrogues]

I think it’s safe to say that LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR was my most anticipated book of 2011. Stephanie Perkins is at the top of my list of authors to watch. After reading Anna and the French Kiss earlier this year, I could not wait to read more of her work. I was so happy to have snagged a copy of the hardcover at my favorite bookstore, the Strand, before the release date.

The characters are so colorful in LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR. Lola is a delight to read about. Always dolled up in a different costume each day, Lola Nolan stands out from the crowd. She’s not afraid of what others think and she dresses the way she wants. And of course, there’s the Boy Next Door. Cricket Bell used to be her neighbor, and Lola felt like her world is coming apart when she hears that he is moving back next door. A budding inventor, Cricket is intelligent and kind. He has the quirky fashion sense to match Lola.

I feel like with these kinds of stories, you have a vague idea of how it’s going to end before you even pick up the book. But it doesn’t matter because the beginning, middle, and climax of the story are the most fun to read about anyway. Lola and Cricket do have a past (and emotional baggage), so the progression of the romance is a lot different from Anna and the French Kiss. There is definitely great chemistry between the two characters.

Speaking of emotional baggage, LOLA is a more serious book than Anna. Serious in a way that Lola deals a lot with heavy issues such as her biological mother and her past with Cricket. While the book was still entertaining as a whole, I just didn’t find myself laughing as much as I did when I read Anna.

The secondary characters are the icing to the cake. From Lola’s fathers (yes, fathers) to her quirky co-workers, the novel would not have been the same without them. Furthermore, I love the diversity in Lola and the Boy Next Door. Maybe I just don’t read enough stories about California, but I feel like Perkins wrote such an accurate portrayal of the culturally diverse population of California. I think it’s definitely one of the things that stood out for me when I visited the Bay Area and I’m glad that Perkins portrayed it in her novel.

Stephanie Perkins is a wonderful writer. I’ve only been to San Francisco a few times, so I had a vague idea of where Lola lived, but Perkins’s writing just makes the setting come alive. I felt like I was transported to the West Coast. I really felt like I was strolling along the streets of San Francisco with Lola and Cricket.

Shall I compare LOLA to Anna? Well, if I must… I have to say that I still prefer Anna. Why? Mostly because of Cricket and Lola. I’ve pretty much said that I did enjoy their characters a lot, but if I had to compare them to Etienne and Anna, they just don’t match up. Why? Well, Etienne is a Boy Masterpiece. He has a British accent!!!! And Anna is just a lot more like me than Lola is. I was just able to relate so much more to Anna. Lola just has this certain self confidence that both Anna and I lack. She can pretty much snag a guy if she really wants, whereas Anna is socially awkward in the romance department like I am. I could definitely see myself more in Anna’s shoes than Lola’s.

The reason why I still love Anna more than LOLA is definitely a personal reason. Based on the reviews I’ve read, I am probably in the minority who believe that Stephanie Perkins’s debut is better than her sophomore novel.

I’m pretty sure that I can ramble on forever about LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR and I think that’s reason enough for you to go buy it. Read it so we can have a never-ending debate. I’m more than sure you’ll enjoy LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR if you loved Anna and the French Kiss, boys, San Francisco, California in general, costumes, sparkly things, fashion, and kissing. Oh, and Alexander Graham Bell.

Well, I just made this sound like the girliest book ever, but if you’re a boy, please don’t let my review stop you from picking it up. Stephanie Perkins is a really great writer. Read this.

[lizarodz]

I have to confess that I was a little apprehensive to read Lola and the Boy Next Door. Why you ask? Because Anna and the French Kiss is hands down one of my favorite books EVER. Thus, I rationalized that Ms. Perkins couldn’t possibly write anything better than Anna. I was, (as I often are) wrong. There are several similarities between the two books, like great characters and an amazing romance, but there are enough differences that made reading Lola a unique experience for me.

Lola is quirky, exceptional, original, funny and a little snarky and this makes her a great character to read about. She is a loving daughter and a loyal friend. And she has a “thing” for the boy next door. How can I start to describe Cricket Bell? He is insecure, nerdy, trendy, also loyal, observant, and has the patience of a saint. I really loved Cricket (even if that sounds disloyal to St. Clair) even tough he lacks the same innate charm and charisma, he makes up for it in other ways.

Another aspect of the story that I loved is that Anna and St. Clair are Lola’s friends. This is not a sequel for Anna, but rather we take a peek at what their lives together are now and it adds a layer of depth to the story. I enjoyed Lola’s dads, their dynamics were different and they were extremely overprotective. I did not like Max, he is one of the biggest jerks ever to grace the pages of a book. Calliope didn’t warm my heart either.

The story is flawless, the descriptions of San Francisco make the setting another character to enjoy and get acquainted with. The plot is simple and expertly executed. I adore Ms. Perkins writing, she takes romance and character building to a whole new level. My only issue with the story (as well as with Anna) is that in a romantic relationship three is a multitude. Why must there always be “cheating” involved? I wished that Lola would have ended things with Max as soon as she realized that she still had feelings for Cricket.
Ms. Perkins next book, Isla and the Happily Ever After (BTW, Isla means "island" in Spanish) will be published next year and I am already pinning for it.

About the cover: I like the cover of the book. It portraits Cricket and Lola with San Francisco in the background and it is colorful and unique.