Title: Lola and the Boy Next Door
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Series: N/A, Standalone, Companion Book
Genre: Romance, Young Adult, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Chic Lit
Publisher: Dutton Books
Publication Date: September 29, 2011
Pages: 338 Pages
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
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--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.
When I first saw this book, I didn't think it'd be better than Anna and the French Kiss. But then I was wrong. I liked this book more! (though many would disagree)
What I really loved about this book is that their love was past appearances. Most books have the guy being hot, who would make us swoon and all that.
And the girl would be really pretty too. I've been looking for this
kind of read for a long time already, and I'm really glad that I finally
found a book that looks past outer appearances.
I mean, throughout the book, did Lola ever mention Cricket being hot or anything like that? No, right? Plus, he's tall, lanky and an inventor. Sounds like what a nerd would look like. And what about Lola? She wears wigs and costumes everyday. Anyone who doesn't know her would think that's kinda weird or odd. Heck, even someone who knows her might think it's odd! Plus, she has 2 dads! What the hell is that, right?
“Perfect is overrated. Perfect is boring."
I smile. "You don't think I'm perfect?"
"No. You're delightfully screwy, and I wouldn't have you any other way.”
The love of these two characters weren't about appearances, and that's what love should really be about! I'm tired of all those books having good looking couples and all that cliche. I hope more books are like this book. If anyone knows a book like this, feel free to tell me about it. :)
“I know you aren't perfect. But it's a person's imperfections that make them perfect for someone else.”
“So do you believe in second chances?" I bite my lip.
"Second, third, fourth. Whatever it takes. However long it takes. If the person is right," he adds.
"If the person is... Lola?"
This time, he holds my gaze. "Only if the other person is Cricket.”
“And I hold my head high toward my big entrance, hand in hand with the boy who gave me the moon and the stars.”
!SPOILER ALERT!
“Once upon a time, there was a girl who talked to the moon. And she was
mysterious and she was perfect, in that way that girls who talk to moons
are. In the house next door, there lived a boy. And the boy watched the
girl grow more and more perfect, more and more beautiful with each
passing year. He watched her watch the moon. And he began to wonder if
the moon would help him unravel the mystery of the beautiful girl. So
the boy looked into the sky. But he couldn't concentrate on the moon. He
was too distracted by the stars. And it didn't matter how many songs or
poems had already been written about them, because whenever he thought
about the girl, the stars shone brighter. As if she were the one keeping
them illuminated.
One day, the boy had to move away. He
couldn't bring the girl with him, so he brought the stars. When he'd
look out his window at night, he would start with one. One star. And the
boy would make a wish on it, and the wish would be her name.
At
the sound of her name, a second star would appear. And then he'd wish
her name again, and the stars would double into four. And four became
eight, and eight became sixteen, and so on, in the greatest mathematical
equation the universe had ever seen. And by the time an hour had
passed, the sky would be filled with so many stars that it would wake
the neighbors. People wondered who'd turned on the floodlights.
The boy did. By thinking about the girl.”
Labels: 5 Stars, Contemporary, Review, Romance, Young Adult
