Monday, July 25, 2011

Lola and the Boy Next Door

by Stephanie Perkins, 338 pages

Seventeen-year-old free spirit Lola lives in San Francisco with her two dads. When she's not working on her Marie Antoinette dress for the spring dance, she's working at the movie theatre or hanging out with her best friend Lindsey or her cool, rock'n'roller boyfriend Max. But she is definitely not thinking about the absent neighbor twins or her emotionally distressing past with them. Nope, not at all. So there's no reason to worry when they suddenly move back in next door. None whatsoever. Well, almost. It's those pinstriped pants. Blame them.

Lola is a fun character. She has...well, character. And quirks aplenty. She and the people in her life (including two familiar faces from the author's previous novel Anna and the French Kiss) all have personality and individuality and their dialogue is smart and fun. The teenagers act like teenagers (for the most part--some of them are perhaps a little wiser than their years would suggest, but that seems to be an intentional part of their personalities) and the grown-ups act like grown-ups (which isn't to say that they can't be immature at times, but what grown-ups do you know who aren't?). This was another enjoyable, happy, quick read from Perkins and I can only hope that she keeps writing. Thanks, Chelsea, for letting me know it existed and thanks, Sarah, for letting me borrow it! :P

1 comment:

  1. Stephanie Perkins fans like myself, we also get some Anna and St. Clair moments. Anna happens to be Lola's manager at the movie theater where Lola works part time and St. Clair happens to be friends and live in the same Berkeley dorm as Cricket. They play an important part in the Lola and Cricket drama and are just as charming and totally in love as in Anna and the French Kiss. I highly recommend this book. It's definitely a sweet, adorable, story that will have you clamoring for more. Stephanie Perkins really knows how to get her readers engaged and her style of writing really flows. I can't wait to see what she writes next.

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