Lola and the Reporteress in Shock

Lola and the Boy Next Door
By: Stephanie Perkins
Reported by: Juli Helms

Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion . . . she believes in costume. The more expressive 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, 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.

-Summary from Goodreads 

You know those authors that you realize, upon a single glance at their writing, that you will love them forever? That no matter what they write, you know you're going to enjoy it?

That's Stephanie Perkins.

I devoured this book. It arrived in my mail yesterday and I started reading it at 10PM (because I just couldn't wait) and oh, I just couldn't stop reading. I stayed up till 2:30AM (that's when I finished the book--I'm a fast reader) and you may or may not be grossed out by this, but I didn't even shower last night because I just had to read this book. Of course, I showered this morning, but that's beside the point.

So what made me love this book so much? Well, let's see: A protagonist so amazing and real I loved her from the second I met her. A boy so achingly beautiful, I couldn't stop wishing he was real. A story so phenomenal it grabbed my heart and I collapsed, one second after another, until everything in me was bubbling up to a giddiness that exploded to the stars.

This was even better than Anna and the French Kiss (you can see my review of Anna here). At least to me--though that may be because I invent things myself, and Cricket is exactly (and I mean exactly) the type of boy I fall for. Lola is plain wonderful, her boldness making me want to wear a billion different colors and become the rainbow myself. But most of all, Stephanie Perkins writes so gorgeously, not a single effort was wasted. She is the universe herself (if you read this book, which you MUST, you'll know what I mean).

I just can't praise this book enough. But here's what I will say: this is a book that I will be carrying around with me for a long, long time. This is a book I want to buy a billion copies of just to admire their aesthetics. This is a book I want to read again and again and I know will fall in love with again and again.

And this book is, easily, my favorite book of the year. I'm not even adding a so far. Because, it's that good.