Review Detail

What Made Me Turn the Pages:

Lola’s vibrant personality
Getting to visit with Anna and St.Claire (From Anna and the French Kiss)
The author’s quick wit, smooth writing style, and descriptive imagery
The fact that I wanted to shake Lola at times to help her see clearly and make the right decision when it came to her boyfriend Max or Cricket (A.K.A. The Boy Next Door)
The internal dialog of Lola as she worked through determining who she was and who she loved
Cricket’s sweet and caring awesomeness
The descriptions of the various ensembles Lola wore, as well as Cricket’s striking wardrobe
Favorite Quotes:

“There's something about blue eyes.
The kind of blue that startles you every time they're lifted in your direction. The kind of blue that makes you ache for them to look at you again. Not the blue green or blue gray, the blue that's just blue.
Cricket has those eyes.”

“I don't believe in fashion. I believe in costume. Life is too short to be same person every day.”

“It's easy to talk about things we hate, but sometimes it's hard to explain exactly why we like something.”

“Just because something isn't practical doesn't mean it's not worth creating. Sometimes beauty and real-life magic are enough.”

Final thoughts:

After Anna and the French Kiss, this book had a lot to live up to. While it was missing the magical setting of Paris, Lola and the Boy Next Door certainly didn’t disappoint! This book left a huge smile on my face, and I’ve thought a lot about the characters since I finished the book. When a book has me thinking about it long after I have finished it, I know it is special! To me this is a “comfort read”. It just makes you feel good. I am in awe of how Stephanie Perkins can make a relatively normal situation feel magical and inspiring. This, along with its companion Anna and the French Kiss, have made it to my very exclusive lists of books to reread!