Review: Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
Pages: 338
Published: September 29, 2011 (Dutton)
Source: Purchased
Rating: Swoon-worthy
Add it/Purchase: Goodreads | Barnes & Noble | Amazon
Connect with the author: Twitter | Website

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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.

My Review

In April, I went to Florida with a group of friends, and saw the ocean for the first time.  It was an amazing trip, and when we all decided to spend one day just laying around on the beach (which was fantastic, and I miss it!) I brought one book with me: Lola and the Boy Next Door.  It only took one reading of Stephanie Perkin's break-out debut novel, Anna and the French Kiss for me to fall in love with Perkin's writing, as so many others before me had.  Within a few pages of Lola, with the sun overhead and the waves crashing nearby, I sunk happily into Lola Nolan's story, and experienced all over again the rush of reading a truly amazing book, which has that inherent, mysterious power to wake me up and make me FEEL.  By the end of Lola, I'd laughed, cried, seethed, clapped, and generally ran the gamut of emotions. 

Only Stephanie Perkins can create these amazingly identifiable characters, the kind of girl that, right away, you want to know and befriend.  You want to give her advice, you want to go shopping with her, in Lola's case, and you just want to know her and go on her journey with her.  Lola is an incredibly vivacious character, who reminded me of myself at times.  I dress conservatively at work because I have to, but there's definitely a part of me that, like Lola, loves to dress up it outlandish costumes and jewelry, accessories, and such.  And the best part about Lola and the Boy Next Door is that there are so many fascinating characters - from Lola's two days (each of which I adored in different ways), her absentee birth mother, her rocker boyfriend, and of course the infamous Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket.  Each character reads as if Perkins paused in their creation and really gave them time and attention, crafting not just one or two stand-out characters, but many. 

For Lola, who has spent a great deal of her life trying to understand the Bell twins, their arrival back in her life throws her into a serious turmoil.  Suddenly she has to figure out where she stands with both of them, and she ventures down an inspiring course of self-discovery in the process.  Along the way, Lola's relationships with almost everyone around her change, alter, and bend to give way to the biggest question of all: out of every costume and persona she's worn, which one is the real Lola?  Stephanie Perkins wrote Lola's journey in such a heart-achingly real way that it reminded me of my own younger years, when I first stretched my proverbial wings and started questioning my beliefs and actions and really trying to get to know myself, even if that meant it was scary and brave sometimes.

And of course, I can't review a Perkins book without mentioning The Boy.  I swear, she writes these perfectly flawed boys, who tug at my heart, break it, and then put it back together.  First Etienne, now Cricket.  Cricket Bell, who's always stood in his twin's shadow, Cricket, who gives so much to others and asks for so little in return.  Cricket, who gets Lola like no one else does.  My heart just swelled to the brim with love for him and for the relationship and bond that he and Lola shared, and begin to develop again over the course of Lola and the Boy Next Door. And I also have to say, it was a GREAT treat to see Anna and St Clair again!  I loved their parts in Lola!

Watching Cricket and Lola become tentative friends again, and then getting to see their link deepen was beautiful and so special.  For every time I wanted to hug both of them, I also wanted to cry or shake them, but of course, I also had to trust Stephanie Perkins to take the story in the direction she saw fit.  But with characters like Max around (Lola's boyfriend) it was really tough not to read ahead and try to figure out what happened!  Max is that awful character - the guy every girl meets and thanks she can change - but even he served a purpose, as did Lola's birth mother, Nora.  Stephanie Perkins absolutely knows what she's doing with placing characters in her books to teach the main character about themselves. 

I wouldn't ever hesitate to suggest Lola and the Boy Next Door.  It's a fabulous contemporary read that will shut out reality while you read it.  I read it in a few hours, and I already wish I had the time to re-read it to help with the wait for Isla and the Happily Ever After!  Lola's story will touch your heart, and leave you smiling in the end, and it just make might you a believer in a certain kind of magic...the magic of hope and a second chance with the one that got away.


Other great books by this author:

Anna and the French Kiss
Isla and the Happily Ever After (expected publication: 2013 by Dutton)

You're sure to fall for:

Saving June by Hannah Harrington
The Catastrophic History of You & Me by Jess Rothenberg

Review: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Pages: 372
Published:  December 2, 2012 (Dutton)
Series or stand-alone: Stand-alone
Source: Purchased from Hastings
Rating: Swoon-worthy
Further info/purchase: Amazon | Goodreads | Barnes & Noble
Find the author online:  Twitter | Website 


Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris - until she meets Etienne St. Clair: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.

As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near - misses end with the French kiss Anna - and readers - have long awaited?

My Review

So my relationship with Anna and the French Kiss went like this: read about book.  Watch everyone swoon.  Wonder if it's really THAT good.  Finally buy book.  Start reading book - immediately fall head over heels in love with the book, the setting, the characters, and THE BOY.  But fangirling aside, in all seriousness, Anna and the French Kiss is possibly my favorite read so far of 2012, and I cannot believe I waited this long to read it. 

Stephanie Perkin's main character, Anna Oliphant is incredibly down-to-earth, relatable, and the kind of girl I immediately was able to identify with after the first several pages.  Dropped off by her mother and estranged father in Paris to attend a boarding school for her senior year, Anna is understandably overwhelmed and ill-prepared to cross the language barrier, but as she navigates the unfamiliar territory of her school and meets an astounding cast of supporting characters along the way, Anna grows from an emotionally guarded teenager into a brave, bold young women - and it is done in a way that left me amazed at Stephanie Perkin's ability to write such a sympathetic, engrossing character.  Anna and the French Kiss is so much more than the cover or the synopsis can prepare you for - it's about friendship, love, hit-and-miss flirtations, new experiences, courage, fear, mistakes, and so much more.  But mostly, it's about life and living life to the fullest.

Along for the ride with Anna are the well-developed and likable secondary characters: flashy, outspoken Meredith, artistic Josh, reserved Rashmi, and Etienne St Clair.  The group immediately takes Anna under their collective wing  and I found something to love about each of them.  Etienne's girlfriend, Ellie, was part of their circle the year before and when she moved away to college, they all lost a friend, yet they welcome Anna with (mostly) open arms.  Together with the four, Anna begins to slowly find her wings, in small ways at first - like leaving the school dorm for the first time - and eventually, trips to movie theaters father and farther away.  My favorite scenes were the ones with Anna and St Clair exploring Paris, because I felt like I was right there with them, at Notre Dame, at various restaurants, and so forth.  Stephanie Perkins drew me in effortlessly - I never felt like I was reading a book; instead, I felt like I was getting a glimpse into these character's lives.

I can't properly review Anna and the French Kiss without mentioning the relationships.  Anna's friendships were all complex and awesome, whether it was hers with her best friend from home, Bridgett, or hers with Meredith, or with Rashmi.  I felt like everyone helped teach Anna a bit more about herself than she knew at the first of the book, and all the growth on her part was just  so poignant and meaningful, and truly gorgeous.  I'm a huge fan of character growth; watching a character mature over the course of a novel sets my heart fluttering, and there was a great deal of growth on Anna's part, and St Clair's, too. 

And speaking of Etienne St Clair...what to say that hasn't already been said?  Readers have been swooning over him for some time now, and with good cause.  Etienne is supportive and loyal with a fierce streak that, although we don't see a great deal of, is incredibly appealing.  He's independent and loving, yet he also has flaws of his own.  Together, he and Anna begin a friendship that evolves into something so heart-achingly real and genuine that they brought me close to tears more than once.  The tension between them is never over-done but always just enough and so resonating.  Their interaction was my favorite part of the book - I laughed with them, shook my head at them, inwardly cringed at their missteps, aww'ed at their friendship, and ultimately, they completely won me over, becoming one of my favorite literary couples.  To me, Anna and Etienne were the heart of Anna and the French Kiss, and their story will stay with me for a long time. 

Memorable Quotes

And I realize ... it’s okay. It’s okay if St. Clair and I never become more than friends. His friendship alone has strengthened me in a way that no one else’s ever has. He swept me from my room and showed me independence. In other words, he was exactly what I needed. I won’t forget it. And I certainly don’t want to lose it.

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I risk a glance, and St. Clair stares back. Deeply. He has not looked at me like this before. I turn away first, then feel him turn a few beats later. I know he is smiling, and my heart races.