To say I had high expectations for Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephenie Perkins is an understatement. Stephenie Perkins' (author of Lola and the Boy Next Door) debut novel, Anna and the French Kiss had reawakened my urge for fun, quirky and clever young adult fiction (a void that only Sarah Dessen had been able to fill). Anna and the French Kiss took place in PARIS and Anna's love interest was called Etienne (!!), who had an English accent (!!!)! Her father bore an eerie resemblance to Nicholas Sparks and the novel had its share of cute, hilarious and swoon-worthy moments!Is Lola and the Boy Next Door as good as its companion novel Anna and the French Kiss? Does it live up to the deservedly high expectations?
WHAT IT'S ABOUT
(from goodreads.com)
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 steps out of his sister's shadow and back into Lola's life, Lola must finally reconcile a lift her feelings for the boy next door?
WHAT I THOUGHT
heartfelt dialogue . lovable characters . CRICKET IS ALL KINDS OF AWESOME . wasn't as good ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS for me but was still really, really good
The good news is that Lola and the Boy Next Door has its share of cute and heartwarming moments. The characters are as lovable (Lola gives 'unique' a whole new spin to it) as the characters in Anna and the French Kiss. Anna and Etienne also make appearances in the novel- which felt a little forced but is still great. Etienne still makes you swoon!
And Cricket, the guy who comes back into Lola's life- oh boy! Cricket is the regular boy next door- inhibited, dorky and completely lovable. He makes your heart melt! As does Lola's extended family- including her two overprotective dads and her homeless biological mother, all of whom really, really make this book work as you warm up to most of them. Even characters you don't care for in the beginning eventually win you over- they are just so genuine, each of them justified in their own way.
On the whole, Lola and the Boy Next Door was an easy novel to read. The characters were very real and the dialogue was heartfelt. Still, it did not rival Anna and the French Kiss. Lola and the Boy Next Door wasn't necessarily unputdownable and Anna and the French Kiss was just more entertaining and engrossing. Nevertheless, I will definitely pick up the third and final companion novel (Isla and the Happily Ever After) when it's out!
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
I too adored Anna and the French Kiss, and I had been wondering it this could possibly be as good. I think it's best to accept that that won't be the case and enjoy it for what it is. It certainly sounds like a delightful read in its own right.
ReplyDeleteYeah, so true! On its own, it's all kinds of awesome but I couldn't help comparing it with Anna. And for me, Anna> Lola and the Boy Next Door. Thanks for stopping by :)
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