Review Detail

Lori has always tried to be one of
the guys with her older brother, McGillicuddy, and her next door neighbors
Cameron, Sean, and Adam. Sweet and very ADD Adam has always been her best
friend, but then again, Loris had a crush on the middle brother, Sean, the one
that all the girls drool over. And this summer, the summer that she turns
sixteen, she is determined to make Sean finally notice her. Begone, one-piece suits
and cutoff boy shorts handed down from Adamenter bikinis and revealing tank
tops.

When Sean hooks up with Adams
then-girlfriend, Rachel, Adam and Lori decide to put their plan in motion. They
are going to pretend to be boyfriend and girlfriend in order to make their
respective crushes jealous. But the longer they are together, the less it
seems like just pretend. For the first time Lori is realizing how hot Adam
really is, and how good his kisses are. But shes just going along with this to
win Sean&right?

The more I read Jennifer Echols,
the more Im convinced she can do no wrong in terms of fun and fast romantic
comedy reads. All of the characters in this book are realistic yet quirky,
endearing and fun. Adam, in particular, is my favorite, because he is not
simply the perfect crush, the perfect boyfriend. Instead, he is wonderfully
three-dimensional, ADD and a little spastic and a daredevil to the point of
physical harm. In short, he is a giant, sweet nerd inside a hot body. Who can
resist that?

Loris narration brings everything
together; she is not merely a tomboy trying desperately to win her crush, but
also a witty and cool one, despite her absolute cluelessness when it comes to
the romantic feelings of those around her. The last several dozen or so pages
felt the tiniest bit rushed: a million things needed to be resolved, but they
were resolved in ways that involved the introduction of more plot twists and
events.

All in all, however, THE BOYS NEXT
DOOR was a delightful book that never pretends to be more than it is: a quick
but lighthearted read about romance in the summertime.