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.

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 !

In love with the story .. Stephanie Perkins works magic with words

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