Lola and The Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins.

Before I start with the book, lemme just say that Perkins is now on of my favorite writers. Her girls are always perky, adorable, and funny. I love them. And her boys are, well, gorgeous human beings to the point of perfection (though they say they aren’t). And I love her acknowledgement to her husband. That was what touched me the most in this book, that Stephanie’s husband did some of the things that was written in the book. Makes sense. That’s why she can pull these things off.

Off with the book. Lola! Lola’s thoughts are fun to read just like Anna. I love it when they panic inside their heads or contradicting themselves. I do love Anna more than Lola though. Lola mentioned that she has to earn Cricket because she doesn’t deserve him yet. I think she ended up doing nothing though. I like her being such a fashionista. Not being scared of dressing up the way she wants to.

“I don’t believe in fashion. I believe in costume. Life is too short to be same person every day.” 

Lola has a boyfriend, Max, who is a guitarist/vocalist of a band. He’s older. I wonder why 22-17 relationship sounds like a very big deal to them.. I liked Max. I really did. My heart was ripped into two—liking both of the guys.

“Saw two fallen branches in the shape of a heart. Thought of you.” 

BUT HE TURNED INTO AN ASS. I felt that it was forced, so that Max would be a bad guy that would force Lola to move on. But I didn’t like it. I preferred if they would break up ok.

Lola did experience an identity crisis because of her costumes though. And I like that part. She didn’t know whether everything was a lie, a facade of who she really is or if that’s who she is. Cricket, of course, helped her.

“I know you aren’t perfect. But it’s a person’s imperfections that make them perfect for someone else.” 

Oh Cricket. Another perfect man—except the name. Cricket?! Seriously?! Why would you name your child as an insect or something? The name was drowned by his perfection though. He’s tall, family-oriented, nice, handsome and a genius. Ha. And he was unconditionally in love with Lola. Gosh, everything he does is just so perfect. You can’t not fall in love with him, and you know, that everything has meaning so how can you not?!

“Once upon a time, there was a girl who talked to the moon. And she was mysterious and she was perfect, in that way that girls who talk to moons are. In the house next door, there lived a boy. And the boy watched the girl grow more and more perfect, more and more beautiful with each passing year. He watched her watch the moon. And he began to wonder if the moon would help him unravel the mystery of the beautiful girl. So the boy looked into the sky. But he couldn’t concentrate on the moon. He was too distracted by the stars. And it didn’t matter how many songs or poems had already been written about them, because whenever he thought about the girl, the stars shone brighter. As if she were the one keeping them illuminated. 

One day, the boy had to move away. He couldn’t bring the girl with him, so he brought the stars. When he’d look out his window at night, he would start with one. One star. And the boy would make a wish on it, and the wish would be her name.

At the sound of her name, a second star would appear. And then he’d wish her name again, and the stars would double into four. And four became eight, and eight became sixteen, and so on, in the greatest mathematical equation the universe had ever seen. And by the time an hour had passed, the sky would be filled with so many stars that it would wake the neighbors. People wondered who’d turned on the floodlights.

The boy did. By thinking about the girl.” 

The following quotation is my favorite in the book. It’s so true and, unfortunately, I have felt like this. Relate much.

“Because that’s the thing about depression. When I feel it deeply, I don’t want to let it go. It becomes a comfort. I want to cloak myself under its heavy weight and breathe it into my lungs. I want to nurture it, grow it, cultivate it. It’s mine. I want to check out with it, drift asleep wrapped in its arms and not wake up for a long, long time.” 

This review-like post won’t end without mentioning my lovely babies the couple, Anna and Etienne! They appeared so much, they made me so happy. Mere mention of their name makes me swoon in happiness. As a companion, I think Lola/Cricket does not beat Anna/Etienne. Anna and The French Kiss is better. I did like this. But I did not love it as much as that.

Lemme end this with the gorgeous American English-accented French-named Etienne St. Clair’s wise words.

“When it’s right, it’s simple.”