Hey everyone! Here I am with another Mini Review Monday created by me, where you write a short review for a book/series you haven’t reviewed on your blog. Because either you read the book before you started blogging or you never got around to it. If you decide to participate in this new meme, please feel free to leave a link to your post in the comments below. Also! Let the people know if it’s a non-spoiler/spoiler review.
Title: Lola and the Boy Next Door (Book #2)
Series: Anna and the French Kiss
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Genre: Romance, Contemporary, YA
Published: September 29, 2011
Read: October 2014 (paperback, own)
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Lola Nolan is a budding costume designer, and for her, the more outrageous, sparkly, and fun the outfit, the better. And everything is pretty perfect in her life (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the 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.
Lola Lola Lola! Another all time favorite!
Although this is the second book to the series, this could be read as a standalone just for Lola and Cricket alone. Even though I feel like in order to capture the essence of this whole series and all the characters combined, it should be read together.
We meet Lola who believes in dressing in costume every single day. She loves to stand out with her crazy sparkly outfits and different colored wigs. She lives with her two dads. Technically her adopted uncle and his husband but she considers them her fathers. Everything was going so well and dandy till her neighbors from childhood come back to move in next door. Then her rocker boyfriend starts giving her problems.
This book takes place in San Francisco and Stephanie Perkins does it again with making us the readers feel like we are apart of the setting. She makes us feel like we’re actually there.
Cricket, the boy next door who’s super tall and is an inventor finally steps away from his twins sister shadow. She’s a famous gymnast.
Feelings start to resurface between Lola and Cricket but she’s stuck in a toxic relationship. However, Cricket doesn’t give up. While Lola is eccentric and out there, Cricket is quiet and shy. Opposites extract? I think so.
Stephanie Perkins does not only have romance in this novel. We see family dynamics between Lola and her mother, Cricket and his family, Lola in a toxic relationship. We also meet Anna and Etienne again.
Plot, characters, and story = A+
Favorite Quote’s:
“And if I’m the stars, Cricket Bell is entire galaxies.”
“I don’t believe in fashion. I believe in costume. Life is too short to be same person every day.”
“Do you know my biggest regret?” She asks. “That you turned into this bright, beautiful, fascinating person… and I can’t take credit for any of it.”
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