I managed to grab this little book right here at the library and I'm so happy I did! I got to continue Anna and the French Kiss with Lola and the Boy Next Door, both books which left me hopeful for true love (woah) and giddy with new future adventures. But I have to say that I didn't love this as much as I did Anna and the French Kiss. So, I stuck with a 4/5 on Goodreads. Why you may ask?! Well, mostly because the storyline kept pausing too much. I found myself not fully immersed in Cricket and Lola as much as I was with St. Claire and Anna; when I read their story I was 100% invested, and when I finished I went through a little bit of a book breakup. But as I was finishing Lola and the Boy Next Door I closed it with a resolute end, I loved the last line and Lola's "big entrance," but it didn't leave me wanting more. On to what the book is about though:

Lola and the Boy Next Door takes place in San Francisco, CA where Lola lives with her two dads, her mother a junkie/alcoholic has been in and out of her life since she was adopted from a very young age. Norah, as she refers to her wasn't able to take care of her and provide her the affection and time a mother should, so Norah's brother (Lola's uncle) took her in along with his husband. Lola is vivacious and full of energy, she wears these elaborate and glittery costumes with colorful wigs that make up her personality and character. The book begins with her and her family having Sunday brunch with her much older (22) boyfriend, Max, who is in a rock band and supposed to be off-limits, as Lola is only 18 years old. With the tattoos and the nonchalant attitude, Lola's parents aren't too thrilled about the whole arrangement thus they take a very involved and strict approach on her relationship with Max- requiring hourly phone check-ins and mandatory Sunday brunch to keep them in line. But when Lola's next door neighbors move back in after two years, Cricket and Calliope, her feelings are called into question and emotions resurface that she thought she had buried for the boy next door. And the rest is up to you to read!

Like I said, this story didn't exactly tug at my heart strings as fondly as Anna and the French Kiss did. Mostly because although there were very interesting and complex topics brought into light in this novel, a lot of Lola and Cricket's actions made me annoyed. I thought the plot kinda stopped and started a bit too much and stalled when I knew what was coming. Instead of keeping a momentum for me, the novel took it away at times when I needed it to keep going so I could fall more in love with the characters. And I noticed the spin that Stephanie Perkins did on this- she took what she had in the first book and did the opposite with Lola. If you've read this then maybe you can put this together...! I can't wait for the third companion, Isla and the Happily Ever After, to come out in August. If it's anything like the first two books, I know I will fall madly in love with it- hopefully just as much as the first, eek don't kill me! If you've read any of Stephanie Perkins books and fell for her characters, let me know and we can fangirl over them :)

-Alex