Lola and the Boy Next Door

By: Stephanie Perkins

Narrated by: Shannon McManus

Length: 8 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

In this companion novel to Anna and the French Kiss, two teens discover that true love may be closer than they think.

For budding costume designer Lola Nolan, the more outrageous, the outfit - more sparkly, more fun, more wild - the better. But even though Lola's style is outrageous, she's a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins move back into the house next door.

When the family returns and Cricket - a gifted inventor and engineer - steps out from his twin sister's shadow and back into Lola's life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

Also listen to Anna and the French Kiss.

©2011 Stephanie Perkins (P)2011 Listening Library

Critic reviews

"Step back - it's going to fly off the shelves." (School Library Journal)

"A delectable companion to [Perkins'] debut hit, Anna and the French Kiss." (Kirkus Reviews)

"Snappy dialogue...a lively romance." (Publishers Weekly)

Fantastic

Fantastic for any age. Fun writing and excellent narration. Loved the hero and heroine and their families.

I love Lola and Cricket!

Any additional comments?

I still remember being so excited to read Lola when it was first released back in 2011. I loved Anna and the French Kiss and needed to get my hands on more of Stephanie Perkins writing. Although I think I liked Anna a tiny bit more than Lola (the books, not the actual characters), I still really enjoyed this book. Especially Cricket! Sadly, the release of Isla and the Happily Ever After has been pushed back so many times that I won’t believe it’s out until I have an actual copy in my hands. I get that the book wasn’t ready, but from a reader’s perspective it sucks. Especially after they changed the gorgeous covers! In preparation for Isla, I wanted to listen to the audiobook of one of the previous books. Since I hate accents (sorry St. Claire), I went with Lola and the Boy Next Door. I still loved this book as much as I did 3 years ago…

Lola was such a fascinating character for me. Her mom didn’t want her and gave her up to her brother and she’s been raised by two dads. I loved how Lola was always so proud of her parents, even when she was annoyed at them. Lola’s fun and quirky but her fashion side is what really made me connect with her. I could always visually all her outfits and would love to be able to see them in real life. Lola has a pretty cool job, some great friends, awesome parents and a hot, older rocker boyfriend, Max. But when the Bell twins move back into the house next door, Lola’s life changes.

Lola and the Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, were close growing up. Lola and Calliope were friends and Lola always had a crush for Cricket. Both those friendships ended on a bad note. But seeing Cricket again brings up all those old feelings of attraction and hurt all over again. Despite this, she ends up rekindling her friendship with Cricket. Even though they both obviously want more. But, Lola has a boyfriend and she’s determined to stay with him. This was always such a frustrating part of the story for me. Lola obviously has strong feelings for Cricket, no matter how much she tries to deny it. Cricket lets her know more than once that he has feelings for Lola, but Lola is so stuck with her boyfriend who is an asshole. I couldn’t see why she wanted to stay with Max and couldn’t help thinking it was only because he was older and a musician. I was so annoyed at Lola, especially towards the end for how she treated Cricket and would string him along. Luckily, there was so damn much to love about Cricket that it made it easier to overlook my annoyance with Lola.

Ah, Cricket Bell. One of the rare and few good guys that make your heart melt. I probably liked his charcater more this time around. He was always so sweet to Lola, even if I sometimes felt she didn’t deserve it. The window conversations between them were the best! It was so nice to see so many appearances from Anna and St. Claire. They are so damn adorable together, their scenes made me want to go back and reread Anna and the French Kiss. I really love Stephanie Perkins writing and her characters. I love how despite their flaws, you can’t help but love them. I’m so excited to FINALLY read Isla and the Happily Ever After!

Audiobook Comments: Being able to revisit your old favorite stories is another reason why I love audiobooks. Lola is a story I’ve been wanting to re-read for a long time but couldn’t find time to fit it in. Listening to the audio was a perfect solution, I got to re-experience the story and it didn’t cut into my actual reading time since I listen to audiobooks mostly while cook or do chores. It had been a while since I read this, (3 years!) but Shannon McManus was such a perfect Lola. She was able to pull off her quirkiness and unique personality. She was great at doing Cricket’s voice, Lola’s parent’s voice, Anna’s voice, even Cricket’s voice! I loved how her Max voice fit his ‘who cares’ attitude. Shannon doesn’t narrate Anna so I’m assuming someone else will also narrate Isla. I would buy another audiobook by this narrator

My favorite book ever.

Such a great performance for an amazing book. Like cmon: Cricket! The sweeetest love story!

Amazing Book

I have now read her whole series and this one by far is one of my favorite. This book is just phenomenal!!

Unusual and sweet

What made the experience of listening to Lola and the Boy Next Door the most enjoyable?

The characters were very different - a fashionista and a science nerd, and a ice figure prim-ma dona. The dialogue was natural and surprising at times, and you could believe that the heroine's arc of understanding and falling for a truly unique guy.

What about Shannon McManus’s performance did you like?

She is so natural, and her ability to personify the characters with differing voices is uncanny. Female and male alike.

Any additional comments?

The plot had some holes, and logical issues. A few times I was left thinking, "yeah, that is highly unlikely if not impossible." But taken as a romantic fantasy, these were small problems.

Love this series!

Much like this entire series, Lola and the Boy Next Door is an easy, cute read with likable characters and a sweet storyline without any real lulls. It’s the kind of book you can accidentally read in a day and wonder where the heck the time went.

Lola’s pants are on fire for 90% of this book and, at first, I didn’t know what to think about it. While I found myself asking, “WHY ARE YOU LYING???” constantly, it didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would. I think it is because I have a soft spot for quirky characters and Lola’s unique style was endearing.

Just like Anna and the French Kiss, I really enjoyed all of the main characters in this novel. I think, if I had to choose favorite characters (aside from Lola, of course) it would be Andy and Nathan, her dads. PS – I love that she has two fathers. They are beautifully flawed, but still manage to be great parents.

Though the love story is a little stereotypical (the ‘boy next door’ part of the title is accurate in many ways), it was still very sweet.

Initially, I was torn about Cricket’s character. It was obvious that he was in love with Lola from the beginning and I kind of was hoping she’d have to work for him a bit more, but it all ended up making sense in the end. Because, though she had his affection from the beginning, she still had to work to deserve it.

The appearance of Etienne and Anna was an extra little nugget of greatness. I’d almost forgotten how much I love Etienne! It almost makes me want to reread Anna and the French Kiss!

I’m excited about next book, Isla and the Happily Ever After. I’ve loved Isla since Anna and the French Kiss!

Audiobook Performance
Each of these books in the series has a different reader, and I’m not sure how I feel about it. I enjoyed this audiobook reader. She wasn’t my favorite, but she wasn’t distracting in any way. She did a great job with Etienne’s accent in the brief moments he was in the book. Accents can usually make or break an audiobook reader (as can doing opposite sex voices).

okay

No sure I liked Lola as much as I liked Cricket. Not too many feels in this one.

good story not as good as Anna's

If you could sum up Lola and the Boy Next Door in three words, what would they be?

First Love Sucks

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

it was good and I felt happy .. but also sad at other characters

What about Shannon McManus’s performance did you like?

she was a good narrator but a bit stiff at some point , but I could recognize the voices and her vocals are clear

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

the moment when Cricket came to Lola to help her with her dress at the end

Any additional comments?

it was a good story but I expected better , since I enjoyed Anna and the French Kiss very very much

review

It's a good book! It shows how we put up with things in relationships that are toxic and make us self doubt. Hate the part when Max said he slept with another women but it happens all the time. I love Cricket! his is personality is amazing and makes you feel beautiful about yourself, glad she ended up with him.

My go to happy feels book

I gravitate to the series a few times a year and each time I’m taking to the beautiful world of love. It is my happy place and my most recommended book series. I love Lola and her personality and self awareness