Lola and the Boy Next Door

Title: Lola and the Boy Next Door
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Summary (with spoilers)
Lola is in love with Cricket Bell, the boy next door, or at least she used to be, until he broke her heart and moved away. When Cricket and family move back, Lola starts to fall for him again, especially when it's clear that Cricket likes her and it's revealed that Calliope (Cricket's twin) was the one who didn't invite her to Cricket's birthday party two years ago.

There's only one problem. Lola is dating her lame, much-too-old-for-her boyfriend, Max. Lola is convinced she's in love with Max, but as the story progresses, Lola and Cricket share a lot of intense moments. They work on her Mary Antoinette dress for Lola's winter formal, and Cricket climbs into her bedroom through the window.

Meanwhile, Anna and St. Clair make an appearance, since they work with Lola at the movie theater. Also, Cricket and St. Clair live in the same housing complex in Berkeley.

Lola's mom moves back in with Lola (and Lola's two dads, Andy and Nathan). Lola's mom has a drug problem and is not a reliable parent. However, while she's living there, Lola is able to get to know her mother a little better. There's also a plot line with Lola's best friend Lindsey, who wants to be a detective and has a crush on a guy at school, but doesn't want to date until she graduates.

Eventually, Lola breaks up with Max and realizes that she was never in love with him. However, she feels like she needs time to get over Max and to become a better person before she starts dating Cricket. Lola makes an emergency costume for Calliope, who is competing to be in the Olympics for figure skating. Cricket flies back from the skating competition to surprise Lola and take her to the dance. Finally, Cricket and Lola get together.

My Thoughts
Although I really liked Anna and the French Kiss, I felt that this book didn't have the same magic. I'm not sure why Lola doesn't break up with her lame boyfriend in the beginning of the book, once it's clear that she and Cricket are into each other. It seems like the book just drags on. We all know they are going to get together in the end.

The charm of the book is in the details the author adds to each character. Lola dresses in a unique way every day; Cricket is a whiz with mechanical devices and a snappy dresser; one of Lola's dads has his own pie baking company; and Calliope is a world-class figure skater. Every character has a passion, even the minor ones.

I also enjoyed Cricket's story at the end, where he describes the girl who talked to the moon, and how, since he couldn't take her with him, he took the stars. Very poetic.

Although the book is set in San Francisco, it doesn't have the same depth of description as Anna and the French Kiss did for Paris. There are a few iconic San Francisco places thrown in, but the location isn't nearly as important in this book. I'll probably go on to read the third book, Isla and the Happily Ever After, since it returns to the School of America in Paris.