Lola and the Boy Next Door

Characters The characters in Lola are top notch. They’re all so real and vivacious in a way that I feel like I don’t see often in YA books. One of my problems with Anna and the French Kiss was that Anna seemed so one dimensional, so unexciting, too much of a Mary-Sue in many ways. She was just SUCH the prototypical teenage girl. Lola took that typical in-love teenage girl trope and threw it out the window. Lola has spunk, she has sass, and she has a killer sense of fashion. She has this energy to her character that blew me away and really takes you along for the ride. Lola manages to be vulnerable in the book, but also can sometimes be a huge jerk. She’s also the sort of character constantly observing and sometimes criticizing those around her. I absolutely loved Lola, I thought it was a ton of fun to read her perspective the whole book and I thought she had an incredibly strong and relatable voice. Lola’s parents, Nathan and Andy, were also excellent characters. Sometimes, I find the writing of gay couples in books to be cringeworthy. They sometimes feel like they’re unironic or disinegunine stereotypes, or their leading characteristic is the fact that they’re gay. Such was not the case with Nathan and Andy. Gay was not their primary characteristic, it was most definitely a secondary one. I thought the way that Perkins handled homosexuality in her book was eloquent. She talked about it without making it a statement. The fact that Lola had two dads was just a fact of life, and not something weird or special about her. It was normal, and I thought that was a great way to write it. In terms of the boys, they were both strong characters. Each had their merits and faults, each was attractive in their own way. They felt fully fleshed out and reasonably complex. Cricket was always more than just the subject of Lola’s affections. He had his own story, his own point of view. Not only did we feel for Lola when she was hurting, we also felt for Cricket when HE was hurting. I love a good love-interest in a book that is more than just a pretty boy, and Perkins hit the nail on the head with Cricket. Story In terms of plot, this book was only slightly special. I mean, it’s a pretty typical high-school contemporary love story. I did like the added twist of Lola clearly having feelings for another boy while being in a relationship with someone else. I feel like that story is not one I’ve seen often explored in teen romances. Usually it’s a single girl falls for a guy, not a taken one. I think it added interesting dimension. I definitely appreciated that about this novel. But still, even though there were somewhat unusual circumstances that made you unsure which boy to root for, it still often felt like a typical love story. The Feels In every review, I want to address how the book made me feel. Usually my feelings are how I gauge my rating of a book. Lola made me feel so many feels. Much like Anna, Lola takes you on this journey that reminds you how good being in love with someone is. It reminds you of the comfort in being with someone who means a lot to you, it reminds you of those electric feelings when someone you have deep affection for brushes your arm or bumps your shoulder. It brings you back to those moments of “should I or shouldn’t I” that inevitably happen at the beginning of a new relationship. That is one of my favorite things about this series by Perkins. It really brings you through those emotions and portrays them in this incredibly genuine, heartfelt way. You really are on a ride with the characters, and you feel everything with them. I just think that is SO LOVELY. I think it’s so amazing that an author can bring you back to memories and feelings from long ago. Alternatively, if you haven’t had a first love, it takes you on those feelings of wanting someone and not being able to have them. All of the emotions in this novel are so real and so genuine. That’s the primary reason it made me feel so many feels. It made me squeal with happiness and it made my heart sink with sadness. What a beautiful thing for a book to do to you. Perkins is truly gifted at portraying first love and does so better than any other author I’ve read. Many props to her for accomplishing that feat. Final Thoughts On the whole, I loved this book. I loved it so hard the whole time. I don’t think I fully know how to express my love for this book. I thought it was great and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I even stayed up way too late just to finish it last night. I read most of this book in one sitting, and it was pretty fast and easy to get through. It was such an overwhelmingly pleasant read, and I would highly recommend it to pretty much everyone. I will even go ahead and say that I liked Lola and the Boy Next Door even more than Anna and the French Kiss! I give Lola and the Boy Next Door: 5/5 Stars. It’s definitely one of the top books in it’s genre!

Review: Lola and the Boy Next Door was such a fun read! It had a plot unlike any I've read, including having an eccentric girl and a nerdy boy -- which is something we rarely find in YA books. While I really enjoyed the book, I didn't like it as well as Anna and the French Kiss. I know most people have said they did, but it just didn't get to that level for me. In this book we meet Lola and get a glimpse into her non-traditional life. This part brings up one of the reasons why I love Stephanie's writing. She has the ability to jump out of the box and create characters that really work perfectly with the story. Lola has 2 fathers, and they were outstanding! They have a pretty big role in this book and they were the perfect parents for Lola. I could never imagine her with anyone else. Soon Lola realizes that her neighbors, Calliope and Cricket Bell, have moved back next door. When she sees them all she can remember is the painful past she had with the twins. She tries to ignore them but Cricket has a way of popping up everywhere. This is something she tries to accept but it brings a constant struggle with her older boyfriend Max. Lola Nolan was wonderful in so many ways. She was very different from the average teenage girl. That was something I absolutely loved about her character! She presented herself (through appearance) as something new each day. She wasn't afraid to take risks or be looked at strangely, she was simply unique. My only issue with Lola, and the only real issue with this book, was that I just couldn't connect with her as well as I would have hoped. Sometimes I just couldn't put together her feelings with her immediate actions. On the other hand, I adored Cricket in every way. He is just someone I'd want to go up to and pinch their cheeks! He was not someone you could really categorize in the typical sense. Sometimes in books we get either the "good guy" or "bad guy" vibe and immediately know how they will act, but I didn't see him as this. He was smart, cute, awkward, friendly -- and overall seemed much more real than many other male characters. I could really get a sense of how much he loved Lola. But it's not easy for Lola to forget the past and her boyfriend so she keeps Cricket at a bit of a distance. Max is the rocker-guy. He's 22, much older than Lola, and it's pretty easy to see from the start that they would never work out long-term. Max could be nice but would turn cruel in an instant. One of the best aspects of this book is that we get to see Anna and St. Clair again. St. Clair was hilarious and I really liked seeing what was going on with those 2 characters as well. Lola and the Boy Next Door is a wonderful story of growing up, finding love, and finding your true identity. Stephanie does an amazing job incorporating important lessons into a cute love story.

CRICKET!!!!!!! (I liked this a lot better than Anna, and I quite liked Anna.) 1. (+) Lola, the protagonist - Admittedly, I liked Lola less than I liked Anna, but I don't think it's fair to compare the books just because they have such different characters, and since Perkins's stories are so clearly character driven, it makes for a completely different story. (I think the reason why it was harder for me to identify with her over Anna is because Lola's quirk is her fashion taste and I've never really cared that much about fashion whereas Anna's quirk was her OCDness, with which I definitely can identify.) Anyways, Lola is quirky, smart, fashionable, talented and dedicated to designing things... and also way more mature than I was at her age. 2. (+) THE BOY, CRICKET - lovelovelovelovelove! This boy is a personification of my type of guy ;p. Nice, nerdy, brilliant, thoughtful, has that sort of inner passion which drives me crazy. I think Lola describes it by talking about how he really uses his body, how he directs every part of himself to whatever he's paying attention to...ahh, and writing on his hands and his emotions written all over his face and his integrity--getting upset over his family name! Cricket, why don't you actually exist? (See, I stopped minding that his name was actually Cricket because this boy is that awesome.) 3. (+) Her parents - I don't usually fuss over the role of parents in YA books, but I do appreciate it when it's portrayed well, and Lola's two dads and her homeless birth mother cut such an interesting family perspective. I liked the overprotective (but not too overprotective; my parents wouldn't have even let me date a guy like Max) behavior from her parents and the way Lola interacts with them. There's a lot of respect there and for them to include her birth mother and to see how Lola's relationship with her also grows made me like their family dynamic a lot. 4. (+) Cameos by Anna & St. Clair - SO ADORABLE. Their relationship sets a standard for Lola and who she chooses to be with, but just seeing them from someone's eyes made me feel all giddy inside yet again. (Also, I love how Perkins set the stage for all of them to have cameos in Isla, her third book. So looking forward to that!) 5. (+) The Writing - so much more lyrical and romantic than in Anna, but it fits, given who Lola is as compared to Anna. In general, though, Stephanie Perkins does such a good job with her dialogue and creating characters who are so... alive. Also so quirky and fun to hang out with & experience their lives. 6. (--) The Pacing - At the same time... ah, this is just my problem with contemporary stories in general. I feel like there are so many pages filled with the protagonist's thoughts when I'm just like, "hurry up! Get to the scene with them actually there!" I mean, yes, Lola and the Boy Next Door has good character development, but sometimes I did wish it were shorter. 7. (+) San Francisco - Admittedly, it wasn't as huge a part of the story as I thought it would be after reading other people's reviews, but it's still important and is still integral to the story (the Berkeley aspect & the cameos, the music festival/scene, the homeless surrounding the city, the transportation, etc.). It was described really well. 8. (+) Little Focus on High School - The pacing was DEFINITELY helped by the very few mentions of high school (it would've been unnecessary had there been more). It wasn't like in Anna and how the two of them went to the same school so their assignments could be discussed and I liked that. I liked that Lola had this other life on the side and that it wasn't the tortured romance at school, time spent during class staring at the boy's back, etc. 9. (+) Random - This is a random category of little things I liked... like how the people who weren't so nice still felt real; they weren't really villains, but if you wanted to consider them that way, they were complex villains with believable ulterior motives ;p.... also liked the last line!!! LOVED it actually. I would post it here, but I'm not going to ruin it for the rest of you :D.... also LOVED the history Lola had not only with Cricket but with her birth mother. I'd list more but really there is no end to how awesome this book and Stephanie Perkins's writing are. 10. (--) The Cover - I have a couple of issues with this. I do like Cricket's outfit and the star on his hand and the rubber bands--those work. But Lola's outfit doesn't look as ... outrageous as I'd expect. The houses in the background are kind of cool, but they look so painted and fake. Also, the sky? Why didn't they do it like a nighttime cover? The book mentions the moon and the stars a lot so it would've made more sense to do that in my opinion at least. I loved Lola and the Boy Next Door so, so much. Pretty much, I'll now read anything Stephanie Perkins writes. She has completely won me over.

After "Anna and the French Kiss" and now this book, Stephanie Perkins has become one of my favorite authors. If only she can write books fast enough, since I'm itching to read more of her wonderful creations. (Write, write, Stephanie!!) Lola Nolan is a lovely, eccentric, unique and flawed young lady. She has an unconventional family setup and a very difficult and testy relationship with her birth mom. She has a rocker "bad boy" boyfriend whom her parents disapprove of. And she harbors some painful memories of Cricket Bell, the boy who used to live next door who broke her heart. Cricket and his family moved away and his and Lola's farewell was - to put it mildly - not a good one. Lola learns to adjust and move on - Max loves her and she loves him, even though her parents keep things complicated. But this serenity doesn't last long. After being gone for 2 years, Cricket, his beautiful but not-so-nice twin sister Calliope and their parents are back, and Lola's life is turned upside down. What is it about Cricket that makes her nervous and confused? She has a boyfriend, so why does he haunt her thoughts? It doesn't help matters that he's grown even better looking since she last saw him and he seems as sweet, charming and genuinely "nice" as ever. What makes it worse is that Max becomes jealous and suspicious, and that Cricket seems to be oblivious to the effect he has on her. What I loved about this book - which is also what I loved about "Anna" - is Stephanie's knack for creating such unique, sympathetic, relate-able yet flawed characters. Max's character leaves you guessing. Cricket isn't a Prince Charming without faults. And sometimes I did want to knock Lola in the head for making not-so-right decisions, but I empathized with her and had faith that - as she goes through her path of self-discovery - she would eventually figure it all out. The characters in this book - major and minor - are all fully realized with personalities of their own. Lola is uniquely different from Anna, as is Cricket and Max are far removed from Toph and Etienne (although Toph and Max are both musicians). After reading both books, you don't get the sense that any of the plot points or characters are recycled, and both stories stand on their own (although there is a nice link to the first book - which I just love, love, love and hope she continues to do in future books). And a good romantic story always has to have some complications, of course, so the story kept me guessing and I (and Lola) wasn't quite sure how things would turn out. I also loved the setting of San Francisco. After Venice and Paris (the setting of "Anna"), San Fran is one of my favorite cities and it has a unique personality that works well for this book (Lola and her family themselves are unique). The general story also alludes to one of my favorite classic novels by Jane Austen - namely, "Persuasion" - which is a story of a young woman whose "old flame" comes back into her life, looking back at some of the decisions and misunderstandings from the past and the complications that arise from the return of this lost love. I don't know if this was an inspiration for Stephanie, but I enjoyed the similarity all the same. This was such a charming and enjoyable read, and I was partly sad/partly happy when I finished it. Happy at the ending. Sad that I finished the book (perhaps too quickly) and that there were no more adventures of Lola, Cricket, et al to read. I'm looking forward to the third book - I read that it would be called "Isla and the Happily Ever After" (perhaps Isla from book 1?). After such fantastic creations as Anna and Lola, I can't wait to re-visit Stephanie's "world" once again.

A sweet, and touching story, and a very worthy successor to Ana and the French Kiss! ~ Premise ~ Its summer and Lola's greatest ambitions for her time consist of spending time with her rock star boyfriend and creating a magnificent Marie Antoinette costume for the winter formal. Things start going awry for her when her childhood sweetheart moves back into the neighborhood. Old passions clash with new, making Lola who her heart really needs. ~ Characters ~ Lola: Lola is a different sort of heroine than Ana. She's quirky, loud, and spunky, with a temper and a sarcastic wit. Not really mind favorite type of female heroine, but it's hard not to like her. She's an amateur fashion designer with her own sense of style. For her every day like Halloween - dressing in costumes with wigs, tiaras, big boots, and tons of color. She's a good student, and a loyal friend. She also has a bad tendency to lie and hide things from people she cares about which will make you want to smack her at times. Max: Lola's boyfriend - he's 22, and a rockstar. Lola's "dads" have agreed to let her date him but have imposed a ton of rules to ensure she remains as protected as possible. He's seems to really appreciate Lola, but shows zero interest in her friends, her family, or really anything that matters to her, which makes us question the sincerity of his feeling for her. Cricket: The boy that got away. He's an inventor, shy, sweet, geeky, and often overlooked by the people in his life. Cricket and Lola grew up together - neighbors from the time they were little children. He was her first kiss - at the ripe age of seven, and the first person she fell in love with in junior highschool. He's also the first person that broke her heart. ~ Romance ~ Sugary sweet - this love could seriously give you a tooth ache. But it's not an unrealistic kind of sweet. Rather it's the sweet that comes from a story where the good guy really does get the girl. I loved Cricket - he's my kind of guy. He's sweet, loyal, honest, and awkward. You can't help but root for him, even though you don't understand in the beginning why he hurt Lola so much. I'd have enjoyed this romance all the more if Lola was more my kind of female heroine. She's just a bit too brash for me. That being said, there are still plenty of swoon-worthy moments to be had in this book. ~ My thoughts ~ I found this story to be in turns sweet and touching. It's a young adult drama, so don't expect tons of action. What keeps you turning the pages here are the character relationships, and the romance that builds between Lola and Cricket. I'd be hard pressed to say which book I liked better - Ana or Lola. I identified more with Ana as a character, but the romance in this book was perhaps even better than what we found in Ana. There were less ups and downs - breakups and misunderstandings. And I think there was more wisdom hidden within its pages on the nature of relationships and what really matters in them. In the pages of this book we travel with Lola as she grows up, and learns to both understand and accept herself. We learn importance of honesty in relationships, we most vitally we learn what real love looks like. That love should be full of natural magic, it's not always easy, but it should flow. That it's a person's imperfections that make them perfect for one another. So if you are in the mood for another sweet romance in the vein of Ana and the French Kiss, this book will sate your need quite nicely.

~4.5/5 [Also available on my blog (with extras!).] I love this book. It was amazing and Cricket and it was just so good and I want the next one and Cricket. Cricket, you guys. Cricket. He is the best thing, ever. Just, ever. I love him. I want him. I want my very own Cricket. Please? Um, so, anyway... I read Anna and the French Kiss over the summer (and finally posted the review a couple weekends ago), and loved it. Immediately after reading that book and the excerpt for this one, I wanted it. It sounded amazing and Cricket seemed more my type, and I did not want to wait, at all. I even waited longer than I wanted to buy it. But once I got it, I simply could not wait any longer. I kind of wanted to, just to prolong the amazingness that it was sure to be, but that didn't happen. I read the book in two days without even meaning to, and it was over much faster than I wanted it to be. I wanted to meet Lola and Cricket and find out why Lola has a problem with the Bell twins and read more about Lola and her two dads. And, trust me, my excitement was for a reason. Lola and the Boy Next Door is about Lola, a girl who likes to dress as a different person every day, including extravagant outfits and wigs, even making some of it herself. The Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, are part of the family that live next door to her. Calliope is an ice-skater, and Cricket is an inventor. They've moved in and out of that house, and Lola has dreaded their return ever since the last time they left. And now they're back. And Lola has a boyfriend. This book was just as good as the first. Just as well written, with just as good characters. I don't think it was particularly better, but I do like the love interest more. St. Clair was awesome, but Cricket is just nothing less than amazing. The romance in this book was amazing. Lola is with some other guy at the beginning, who at first I didn't mind, but later turned into quite a jerk. I was happy with how things ended there, though. And where things went after it with Cricket. Even before that, Cricket was amazing. What he does while she's with Max is really sweet, even though Lola should have backed off a bit, and their relationship before he moved was really nice, even if a bit bittersweet. Cricket is charming and adorable; he talks fast when he's nervous, and he's completely devoted to and in love with Lola, and he feels a little left out, and he's so smart. He is just... everything I want. Which, yea, creates a bias, but I am completely okay with that. Because I love him. And Lola at one point, realizes something about Cricket that is so awesome, and then decides to work harder for him, which is awesome. And she also decides that she wants to be fully herself before she can be with him, which is fantastic. This book took a bit different direction than I thought it would, but it probably just made the book better for me. I was expecting it to be about Lola falling for her friends older brother, and then to have a falling out with her friend, and maybe something to happen with the boy. That is not what happened. Instead, she fell for Cricket rather early, and wasn't very close with Calliope at all. Her relationship with Cricket was strong, and started everything, and it's just... You just have to read it to find out, because I don't want to spoil any more. Lola has two dads, and while maybe we could have gotten to see more of them, they were awesome. The best dads ever. And Lola has a best friend, Lindsey, who wants to be a detective, and is a great best friend to Lola. And even Calliope, Cricket's twin sister, is a really interesting character. Some things she does aren't that cool, but she turns out alright. Oh, and there are some cameos! I was expecting to see Anna and St. Clair, but I wasn't expecting them to show up so much. Which was a very nice surprise. They are adorable and sweet and I loved seeing them together, and Lola's conversations with them. I'm excited to see what cameos there are in the next book. I just love everything about this book, okay? And I want the next one right now. But, of course, the next one isn't set to come out for, I think, another year or something. Which is much too long.

I am a huge fan of the book Anna and the French Kiss, so I pre-ordered this book with high expectations. I was not disappointed. Stephanie Perkins is an awesome writer who is able to reveal the conflicting and irrational emotions of being in love in a vibrant and enthusiastic way that keeps the reader captivated until the final pages. Lola is the biological daughter of two messed up 16 year olds. She is raised by the homosexual brother and his partner of her alcoholic mother. She has been in love with the boy next door since she was five, but 2 summers ago, he broke her heart then moved away and she has tried to move on. Lola has always been a unique dresser by having a different "costume" (which includes wigs and themes) each day. She has just turned 17 and is dating a 22 year old rock musician and thinks she is happy. Then Cricket, the boy next door that she was in love with and who hurt her deeply, comes back into her life, and she is a confused mess. The great surprise of this book is that both Anna and St. Clair are in this book prominently. They don't just show up for a cameo, but are major characters in the story. I love seeing them again. Perkins's characters are wonderfully unique and are filled with the uncertainty, anger, and desire typical of the hormonally charged teenager that feels everything so earnestly. She captures the frustration and delight of falling in love and the confusion of love and its consequences. She also describes Lola's world of hurt and anger and her reactions to it both physically and emotionally. Despite loving the fictional aspects of this well written story, the real life depictions of a girl being raised by two gay men, dating a tattooed older MAN who is a rock musician, having a drugged mother and homeless father, and dressing in costumes so that "she" isn't revealed, is messed-up. Psychologically and emotionally this girl is hurting and making bad choices that cannot just be summed-up to being a teenager. There is so much abnormal behavior going on here that apparently is intended to be understood as normal and maybe even healthy because it ends well. Hopefully, the YA crowd to whom this is directed will be able to see the pain and anger for what and who it really is and understand the improbability of this story ending with the "happily ever after" it seems to imply. As a work of fiction, this story is entertaining, as a work of true-life; it is heartbreaking. Would I/Did I buy it? Yes Would I read it again? No Would I recommend it to friends? Sure

You know that you have enjoyed a book when it only takes you 1 day to finish it. And oh boy did I enjoy this book! Even more than Anna and the French Kiss. Perkins has this wonderful way of crafting her stories with unique characters that as a reader you have no trouble becoming emotionally attached to. I loved Lola as a protagonist, and even found my self waiting anxiously to see what she would be wearing the next day. Her mentality to life is inspiring, full of creativity and charm. She speaks to the moon, which some people might be like waaattt? But its such a unique characteristic of hers that sums up her personality rather perfectly....as well as her romance with a certain boy next door. "I don't believe in fashion. I believe in costume. Life is too short to be same person every day." <spoilers ahead - readers beware> Let me just start by saying that I did like Max...at least in the beginning. And in the end I didn't really hate him as much as Lola because he was just being honest. Yes he is one of those boys who aren't able to express his emotions and isn't really interested in anything that goes on in Lola's life - which sort of was there downfall. He just didn't get her and Lola was too concerned with being somebody that she thought she should be, doing things that she thought she should be doing, that when Cricket crawled back into her life there was no wonder that she began to question everything. And like any teenage girl, she doesn't necessarily have the life experience to deal with these things properly. Which is why I loved her conversations with St Clair, especially about the one. Yes Anna & St Clair are in this book too. I must admit that I was rather surprised at first, then I read that its a companion novel so I was like ahh duh. And to be honest normally when series do this kind of thing it doesn't work, at least in my mind, because I always find myself wishing that the original characters story would continue because the companion is never as good. But how pleasantly surprised was I when Perkins writes with such shere brilliance that she is able to use these characters to bring an extra pizzazz to a new story. You still get to see the wonderful love between Anna & St Clair, but what I really enjoyed was how they helped Lola find herself again..rather unintentionally. Ahh...Cricket! How can I even possibly put my feelings about you into words. I do know one thing for sure though - I am not adding him to my book boyfriends list. Wait! No its not because I don't admire is flare and the fact that he invents things...so is clearly good with his hands... but he is just so perfect for Lola! He just understands her. Plain and simple. Why can't a boy throw toothpicks at my window? "I know you aren't perfect. But it's a person's imperfections that make them perfect for someone else." Lola's parents are equally amazing! I loved Andy and Nathan, and even Norah grew on me. But I had such trouble trying to figure out how to say Calliope that I just ended up calling her Calli. This book does deal with a few darker issues than Anna and the French Kiss did. There is talk of drug use, sex and same-sex parents. I loved the world that Perkins created, and how her characters were so real that once I finished I felt like such a loser for believing they actually existed. If you liked A&tFK then pick this one up, even do so if you haven't read about Anna & St Clair. You won't be disappointed, and its one of those books that you can't stop thinking about.

Todo perfecto vendedor muy amable

Oh, this book. Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins was utterly sweet and adorable. And whilst I preferred Anna and the French Kiss, this book still made me incredibly happy and I felt very emotionally connected to the characters right from the start. I really liked Lola as a character. I loved her wacky fashion sense and her originality, while at the same time you can see how vulnerable she is underneath the outrageous costumes she wears. She's a loyal friend and daughter and feels the pressure of her unusual family. Lola is also still smarting a bit at the events that occurred so long ago with her neighbours - Calliope, the talented and snooty ice-skater and her adorable twin brother, budding inventor, Cricket. And despite Lola's musician older boyfriend, good job and seemingly perfect life, when Cricket returns, everything in Lola's life turns upside down. This book was so good. I really loved how reading this book made me feel as though I were there in San Francisco, seeing everything happen through Lola's eyes. I could just really believe and relate to her story. Her two over-protective dads are wonderful, and I felt rather relieved to read a story in which parents are portrayed in a positive and supportive light. I thought Lola had a great relationship with both of her parents, which felt refreshing as well as heartwarming. I also thought it was rather fun to see Anna and Etienne appear in this book as older friends around to give Lola some advice and to be a sort of relationship guide. And in terms of Lola's lovelife, at first I was pretty conflicted. I really liked beginning-of-the-story Max. Being older, and a musician, him having a literary tattoo and being very patient with Lola's dads. But of course, in walks Cricket. And oh god, I love that Cricket is so very NICE and NERDY as well as HOT. What a winning combination. I thought the build-up to their relationship was really sweet, especially as we can see how inexperienced and awkward Cricket really is and how much he really wants to be with Lola. The conflicts between them were suitably conflicted and angsty and drawn-out. There seems to be some pressure from Lola's dads and family members on both sides on who should be with whom, but I love that both Lola and Cricket make their own decisions here. There is also a rather sweet and important message about being OK with who you are. All in all, a really sweet and romantic read which I thoroughly enjoyed!

SO CUTE. LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR est certainement l'un des romans les plus mignons et les plus craquants que j'ai jamais lu jusqu'à présent. J'avais été pas mal déçu par ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS et ne savais donc pas trop à quoi à m'attendre en entamant ce roman. Au final, je me dois le reconnaître, je suis complètement et irrémédiablement tombé amoureux de cette histoire. LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR ne possède tout simplement aucun défaut. Je n'ai absolument rien à redire. Tout est parfait. Tout est ultra réaliste, ultra touchant, ultra attendrissant et ultra saisissant. Tous les héros m'ont profondément marqué, l'intrigue en elle-même est extrêmement bien menée et maîtrisée, l'écriture de Stephanie Perkins m'a juste envoûté de la première à la dernière page... Bref, ce livre, c'est une vraie gourmandise qui se déguste. J'ai adoré ce roman ! Alors que j'avais eu beaucoup de mal avec la personnalité d'Anna dans le premier volet de la trilogie, j'ai tout de suite accroché au caractère de Lola. Haaaaaa, Lola ♥ A la fois drôle, intelligente et charmante, il ne m'en a pas fallu beaucoup plus pour apprécier ma lecture à ses côtés. Le truc, c'est que l'auteure est parvenue à lui conférer une vraie profondeur et une vraie épaisseur. Elle est là, avec nous. C'est la fille que vous croisez dans la rue, celle que vous apercevez quand vous sortez. Lola est réelle. Tellement réelle que la quitter me déchire le cœur. Son histoire, son passé, ses souvenirs, ses envies ou encore ses désirs sont tous plus justifiés et cohérents les uns que les autres. Il nous est tout bonnement impossible de ne pas nous identifier à elle et de complètement prendre sa place pendant qu'on dévore ce livre. J'ai adoré son côté extravagant, son unicité, son originalité, sa passion, sa joie de vivre, sa façon de considérer l'existence, ses remises en question et toutes les autres petites choses qui font d'elle une personne à la fois humaine, imparfaite et hyper émouvante. Lola est une héroïne en or que j'apprécie beaucoup. Sa personnalité m'a fasciné. Ouaw ♥ Comme dit précédemment, l'histoire de sa vie m'a beaucoup plu, et c'est là que Stephanie Perkins tire son épingle du jeu. Elle aurait tout simplement pu nous servir une romance commune et banale, sans grande surprise ni vraie raison d'exister. Sauf que non, l'auteure va au-delà de tout ça en entourant son héroïne de protagonistes secondaires juste PARFAITS. Mention spéciale aux parents homosexuels de Lola qui m'ont énormément touché et qui apporte une énorme touche de dynamisme et de réalité à l'histoire. Il en va de même avec la mère de Lola, Norah, ou sa meilleure amie, Lindsey. Nous rencontrons toute une myriade de personnages tous plus captivants et attirants les uns que les autres, et ça fait beaucoup de bien. On ne s'ennuie jamais grâce à eux, en fait. Ils apportent une bonne dose de piquant et de rythme au récit. C'est brillant, sincèrement. Par ailleurs, chose que je n'attendais pas du tout, nous retrouvons également, de manière régulière en plus, Anna et Étienne, fait que j'ai trouvé HYPER bien pensé et habile de la part de l'auteure ! Fatalement, LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR, ce n'est pas que l'histoire de Lola et de son entourage direct. Au-delà de tous ces héros déjà merveilleux, nous rencontrons Cricket... Et nous craquons. Haaaaaaaaaaa, Cricket ♥ Je suis complètement fou de lui. Il est génial. Génial, beau, séduisant, doux, attentionné, à l'écoute, timide, intelligent, drôle, prêt à tout pour Lola et tellement, tellement mignon. Ok, après cette énumération de compliments à son sujet, vous avez certainement compris ce que j'éprouve pour lui. L'histoire d'amour entre Cricket et Lola pourrait sembler courue d'avance... Eh bien pas du tout ! De nouveau, l'auteure ne simplifie pas la tâche à son héroïne. En effet, Lola étant en couple, difficile pour elle d'y voir clair entre son petit ami actuel, Max, et le garçon qu'elle a toujours aimé en secret, Cricket. A partir du moment où ce dernier réapparaît dans la vie de Lola, LOLA AND THE BOY DOOR nous emprisonne. Nous sommes comme capturés par tous les sentiments ultra saisissants et ultra époustouflants que l'héroïne éprouve. Tout est cohérent et logique. Et cela ne fait que rendre Lola encore plus réelle. Chaque réaction, chaque sensation, chaque action qu'elle entreprend m'a paru être justifiée. Ce roman nous fait traverser toute une palette d'émotions fortes : on passe de la tristesse à l'amertume, du déchirement au soulagement, du désespoir à la joie. Nos petits cœurs de lecteurs en voient vraiment de toutes les couleurs, et c'est juste grisant. Jusqu'à la fin du livre, on ne peut s'empêcher de nous poser mille et une questions : quelle conclusion nous réserve l'auteure ? Comment Lola va-t-elle parvenir à gérer tel et tel évènement ? Le rythme ne faiblit jamais et tous les héros ne font que devenir plus attendrissants et bouleversants au fil des pages qui se tournent. Les derniers chapitres débordent d'intensité et nous mettent à fleur de peau. Les cœurs daignent enfin parler et on ressort de cette expérience avec le souffle coupé et le visage brûlant. Lola mûrit, change, prend sur elle et devient plus forte et déterminée. Elle prend sa vie – et ses sentiments – en main. Les dernières pages sont parfaites et m'ont totalement satisfait. Je n'en attendais pas moins de Stephanie Perkins. C'est une conclusion qui nous laisse heureux et avec un sourire béat. C'est beau, poignant, touchant. En résumé, LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR est une excellente découverte que je n'avais pas vu venir. Tout est parfait, qu'il s'agisse de l'héroïne, des personnages qui l'entourent, de la romance (qui m'a volé ma respiration de nombreuses fois), des rebondissements ou de la trame générale du récit. Stephanie Perkins a réussi à créer un univers vraiment réaliste, qui m'a pris de court et qui m'a complètement charmé et enivré. Il me tarde désormais de lire ISLA AND THE HAPPILY EVER AFTER pour retrouver Lola et Cricket, mais également pour voir si je vais succomber une nouvelle fois à la plume de cette auteure. Une lecture ultra mignonne et qui a le goût d'un bonbon acidulé auquel on devient accros sans nous en rendre-compte, que je vous recommande très (très, très) fortement !

Nice.

Lo ame me encanta es muy facil leer y una historia que te atrapa desde el inicio con personajes muy completos y como plus esta anna y st. Clair del libro pasado