Lola+and+the+Boy+Next+Door

[|//Lola and the Boy Next Door//]by Stephanie Perkins

Her Anna and the French Kiss was on this year's Flume list. This is cute, but let's spread the wealth and showcase other authors. Students who liked Anna and the French Kiss have discovered Perkins' other books and are reading them without encouragement. Kelly B. Keene High School, 2/9/12

I loved this story and think highlighting a nice romance novel for teens would be a plus. I know another of her books was on but this was also great and could serve a nice niche audience att his level. --Amy Inglis Barrington

I loved this book and I would highly recommend it for the final list. I enjoyed it even more than Anna and the French Kiss (and I was a big fan of that one as well). I think that it's inevitable that certain authors will show up on the list again and again, and if their books merit it I think we should include them on the final list even if they have been on the list before. Sarah Dessen shows up repeatedly, and I think that Stephanie Perkins' books are even better. Lola, an aspiring costume designer, is very happy with her life. She has her older rocker boyfriend, Max and her best friend Lindsey, and her two supportive dads, plus dreams of creating a Marie Antoinette dress to wear to her winter formal. Things change when her alcoholic birth mother shows up again and her old neighbors, twins Cricket and Calliope Bell, move back in next door. Cricket broke Lola's heart a couple of years back and Calliope seems to hate Lola for no reason. All of the characters are very lovable and well-developed, and I think Lola is a very relatable teen. Caitlin Andrews, Bedford Public Library

The title says it all, although there is, of course, the wrong boyfriend in the picture, at first, and the eventual owning up to feelings. The thing that struck me in this book was the feeling that came through. In Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone, which I just read, Karou talked about the butterflies of new love, and I believed it. Perkins, though, made me feel it: the ups and downs, the fear and exhilaration, the mad need for the other person. It was a wonderful emotional roller coaster! Very relatable, but more for girls. Kirsten Rundquist Corbett, Lane Memorial Library, Hampton, NH

I LOVED this book. It's a sort of sequel to Anna and the French Kiss, but can stand on its own- I read this one 1st, in fact. The emotions between Lola & Cricket (the titular boy next door) are so clearly written you feel them right along with the characters. It was funny and sweet, and I actually went back & listened to the audiobook afterwards! Yes, it's a very girl book (lots of talk about costumes & outfits, and drama), but that's OK. not every Flume book will appeal to every reader. I typically steer towards the fantasy/sci-fi books, but was completely taken by this one. The characters are all fully-fleshed, and even Lola's neighborhood has a tangible personality. I definitely recommend this title. -Lucia Von Letkemann, Wiggin Memorial Library, Stratham, 1/16/13

I don't even care for LUV stories, and found this one cute. I think this would make a good addition to the list. Sharon Flesher, Nashua High South

I enjoyed this book and it has a super cute story, but it didn't have the plot complexity I wanted. (Sophie Smith, Nashua Public Library)