Watermark Books and Cafe

First off, a confession: I completely and totally regret what I wore to my senior prom. It was white, it was totally late-80s, and it was completely forgettable. What I should have done was be daring (like Lola, who wants to attend her mid-winter formal as Marie Antoinette) and completely memorable. 

Because of this, it almost goes without saying that one of my favorite things about this book was all of Lola's costume changes: rather than looking at fashion as merely clothing, she believes fashion should be an event. I never knew what she was going to wear, or what persona she was going to take, which made an already enjoyable book that much more fun.  

As for the plot, it's your simple boy-next-door story. Lola and Cricket used to be neighbors. Then they were more than neighbors. And then he moved away because his family is heavily invested in following his sister Calliope's dream of being an Olympic figure skater. But before that happened, he hurt Lola; so much so that she's spent the last two years trying to forget that Cricket ever existed. Her plan has worked reasonably well, if a bit misguided (according to her dads): she's happily in "love" with Max, a punk rocker five years older than Lola (she's barely 17). Then, one day, Cricket (and his family) move back in next door. Lola figured she was over him, but she didn't count on him not being over her. 

I found that it was the little things that made this book a top-notch romance. Perkins is great with characterization, and while Lola sometimes grates -- she's a 17-year-old who acts like one -- the minor characters in this one are fabulous. Lola's two dads are also a delight: it's nice to have a gay couple shown as stable and loving without making a big deal about it. (Additionally, they're great characters in their own right.) Filling out the cast is her "normal" friend Lindsay, who helps keep Lola grounded (and doesn't get enough page time). Anna with her boyfriend St. Clair from Perkins' first book show up to provide guidance and end up stealing every scene they are in.  

Then there's Cricket. Seriously. He's nice. No: he's wonderful. Swoon-worthy, geeky, genius, awkward, and much, much too good for Lola. It was an interesting twist for a Teen book to have the guy be the "good" one, the one that Lola has to aspire to "deserve"; too often it's the other way around. You want Cricket and Lola to get together, but the whole push and pull of their relationship, the tension surrounding the question of whether or not they could give their relationship a second go, is enough to keep you on the edge of your seat calling out, "Just kiss already!" 

It will make you believe that Romance and True Love aren't dead. And if it doesn't, there's always the awesome Marie Antoinette dress.  

Review by Melissa Fox

Lola and the Boy Next Door (Hardcover)

By Stephanie Perkins

$16.99

ISBN-13: 9780525423287
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days
Published: Dutton Juvenile, 9/2011

Other Editions of this Title

---