Review: Lola and The Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Lola and the Boy Next Door
Stephanie Perkins
Anna and the French Kiss #2
September 2011

Song of the Day
Still Into You – Paramore

Really the title of that song describes this whole book.

I went into this review with a really positive opinion but then the more I thought about it, the more I found flaws. I can see why people love it, I can see why people hate it. Ummmm… ok, I think it’s gonna be easier to break this up:

1. Cricket Bell

I didn’t think I could love anyone like I loved Adrian in Bloodlines but then Etienne St Clair showed up. Then Cricket Bell. Why are they so awesome? Stephanie Perkins just writes these awesome unperfectly perfect guys who you can’t help but love. Cricket Bell is no exception. He has an adorable crazy scientist vibe and the tallest hair ever. And he wears cool, good looking clothes. He’s also the sweetest guy I’ve ever read about. Really he’s amazing. But his hair’s got to go (what the heck is gravity defying hair)

2. Anna and Etienne is back!

We get heaps of Anna and Etienne in this book which I give two thumbs up at cuz I love them. Together. Not together. They’re just such great characters. They’re actually involved in the story instead of just a brief mention or appearance which is great 😀

3. Setting

Ummmm… can we get those incredible descriptions of Paris back? Oh what? They’re coming in Isla and the Happily Ever After? Great, THANK YOU. What’s the wrong with the setting? Nothing. But if you think of it as “Just went to Paris with Anna and Etienne and then I came back to this” there’s a lot wrong. It’s kind of bland compared to adventure Paris was. Suburban San Francisco? Yeah, not so much.

4. Lola 

I really liked her… apart from the fact that she was dating this douche of a guy who’s obviously not the right guy for her. Lola is where it went a bit downhill for me. I guess since the author writes the awesomest guys her girls have to be a bit less awesome. Lola is really unrelatable to. She dresses in these crazy clothes, wears wigs (that she can all afford. Aren’t wigs like expensive?) which is ok. Her being seriously annoying though is not. Most of her problems she makes herself:

Example one: She ignores her friends in favour of her own guy problems. Seriously there’s not even room to even connect with her friend, Lindsay cuz it’s always all about Lola, Lola, Lola.

Example two: Oh I like this guy who’s obviously into me but I’m just go keep dating this douche of a guy… oh, wait I said that already. Well, you can see what I don’t like about Lola. She’s leading poor Cricket on which is just…NO. (Why the hell is she dating a 22 yr old anyway? What’s the legal age over in America? It’s has to be at least 18. And what kind of parents let her dress in all these crazy sometimes/maybe skimpy clothes and date a 22 yr old??? I know my parents wouldn’t have!! Arg, ok breathe Prima, breathe.)

Rating: 3/ 5 bamboo sticks – Still gonna read the next one after cuz it’s set in Paris… and hopefull this Isla is awesomer than Lola