Lola and the Boy Next-door is the sequel to the incredible, Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. Of course, as I have already explained, I stupidly thought they stood alone and read the last two in the wrong order. As long as you’ve read Anna first, it isn’t a huge problem, but it is a little frustrating when Isla and the Happily Ever After references characters from Lola, and you haven’t actually read that book yet. So please read them in the right order!
Lola is the only story that does not take place at the Parisian school, and this is a welcome deviation as you do start to wonder how much love can be found in one school – even if it is in the most romantic city in the world. Lola seems a whole lot younger, and more immature than Anna and Isla and at times this does make her a little annoying. Where Anna could be your best friend, Lola is more like your slightly younger little sister who you love unconditionally but at times get a little frustrated by her immaturity. A big highlight of this story for me were Lola’s parents, her two Dads and the heartbreaking story of her drug addicted mother. Something I love in Perkins’ stories is how she intertwines a beautiful young love story, with incredibly real family life problems.
Of course, the real star character is Cricket, and, as with every male character Perkins writes, I fell in love with him immediately. With all the male characters is he is a little ‘beautifully broken’, and you just want to love him. Wonderfully, Etienne and Anna feature in this story, though sadly only as quite weak secondary characters. Predictably, the course of love does not run smooth and there are a few tense moments when you’re not sure which way it’s going to go, and as always, moment that will make you audibly ‘aww’ and feel all warm inside.
Don’t get me wrong, I love this story, I really do, but it doesn’t quite make my heart burst in the same way as the other two.
Ps, does Meredith get her love story yet?!
Check out my other book reviews here