Lola Nolan is a budding costume designer, and for her, the more outrageous, sparkly, and fun the outfit, the better. And everything is pretty perfect in her life (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood. When Cricket, a gifted inventor, 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.

I actually read this book before its predecessor, Anna and the French Kiss.  Why?  I liked the plot and I hadn’t realized it was a part of a series by Stephanie Perkins.  So, yes, I did read the first book knowing Anna and St. Clair’s fate since they both appear in this book.  Oops.

But this book isn’t about Anna or St. Clair… it’s about a life-loving girl named Lola Nolan.

Lola is a young, aspiring fashion designer who finds her world turned upside down when her former neighbors, the Bells, move back into their old, lavender home next door.  The problem?  She used to be friends with the Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket… oh, and she used to have a massive crush on Cricket, but their last encounter did not go over in her favor.

But that was two years ago.

Now Lola is seventeen and starting her junior year.  She’s planning out her future, making her dress for the winter dance and let’s not forget, she with Max – her older, rock-star and sensitive boyfriend.  She’s completely over Cricket… right?

The story surrounding Lola and Cricket was adorable.  I found both of them to be lovable – with Lola’s quirky sense of style and personality and Cricket’s caring and inventive nature.  As they rekindle their old friendship Lola finds herself becoming attached to him again, but she holds onto the inevitability that her and Max are meant to be.  Her confusion really adds to her character development and makes her relatable to the readers.

What I love the most though is that Cricket is the perfect type to be the ‘boy next door’ character and he gets a huge spotlight.  Normally the character who is more mysterious or cool, such as Max, would get all the attention and have the readers gushing over him.  Hats off to Perkins for breaking that wall and making the boy next door even more lovable than ever.

I definitely think if you’re a fan of Anna and the French Kiss that you’ll enjoy this book as well.  St. Clair is just as lovable, if not more so in the few times we see him and Anna in the story, but I have no doubts that you’ll fall even harder for Cricket.

Rating: 5/5 stars