Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Title: Lola and the Boy Next Door
Author: Stephanie Perkins

Release Date: 3rd October 2011

My Rating: 4/5

Blurb:
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.

In A Nutshell:
Totally loved it! Perfect for anyone who loves a contemporary teen, totally cute, loved-up novel.

My Review:
Cricket Bell is the quiet, nerdy guy who never thought the girl next door would be interested in him. Lola Nolan is the fashionably forward girl who has been smitten by the boy next door for as long as she can remember.

Yes it’s teen angst-y on the relationship front but I just didn’t care because everything about Stephanie Perkins writing gives me warm fuzzies. Lola and Cricket’s situation is one that almost everyone experiences through high school and those thoughts and actions are exactly what those teenage years are like! Oh the sexual tension and unspoken feelings! Lola and Cricket are so cute together and, ok little spoiler, but oh my gosh, the laneway scene!!

I love that the book is set in San Francisco and that Lola has gay parents and that they haven’t been too stereotypically written. I love Lola's best friend Lindsey who has an obsession with detective work and her converse sneakers. I love that Cricket and Lola talk through their bedroom windows and that Cricket has little quirks that Lola is constantly trying to figure out. And I love that Anna and St. Claire (from Anna and the French Kiss) make quite a few appearances throughout the novel, having them included is such an awesome bonus!

Oh how I love Stephanie Perkins; anything she writes will go to the top of my must read list. They are books that make me happy and put a smile on my face, something for when you are feeling happy or sad.

Oh Cricket Bell, a boy after my own heart.