Reviews with content warning for Adult/minor relationship - Lola and the Boy Next Door

first of all I didn't like that the guys name was crickett but okay

also I like Anna and the French kiss better, this book definitely had more content in it than that book which I didn't love

Anyway I still liked it and thought it was cute, it took me only like 2 days to read

ALSO i loved that Anna and etienne were there

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bookedbymadeline's review

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emotional lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I did have to set this book aside for a week or so after only reading the first 30 pages. I had a hard time getting past how irritating Lola was and had strong feelings about her relationship with Max. The age difference was extremely inappropriate/uncomfortable and as I get older, I’ve started siding more with the parents in YA books 🙈 do you know that part in The Office (US) where Ryan is talking with Stanley’s daughter and his reaction is “THAT LITTLE GIRL IS A CHILD DO YOU HEAR ME?! I DON’T WANT TO SEE YOU SNIFFING AROUND HER ANYMORE, BOY HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND? ‘CAUSE I’LL HELP YOU FIND IT”? Well that was exactly what kept running in my head each time Max popped up 😅

I’m glad I went back to give it another try though because it ended up being amazing! Cricket is so sweet and he was my favorite character. Lola was frustrating at times but she had such great development by the end. Of course I loved seeing Anna and Etiénne again 😍

Really quick and easy read as I devoured most of this in one sitting! I’m excited to read the third and final book of the series next month.

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rosapalskov's review

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funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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eems_madeline's review

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funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Again, so cute! I took slightly longer to read this than Anna and the French Kiss but loved it nonetheless. I loved how it looked at both sides of Lola's relationship. The cameos from Anna and St Clair were so cute and not what I expected though I loved to see their story progress too!

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livruther's review against another edition

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hopeful lighthearted relaxing

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

this is my fourth or fifth reread and it is still one of my all time favs. i love so many of the passages. every single time i read it my heart swells even more. it is such a beautiful, unforgettable story.

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oliviabrcka's review

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lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.5

Lola and the Boy Next Door follows 17 year old Lola Nolan, fashionista extraordinaire. Lola has a 22 year old rockstar boyfriend, who she has been dating since she was 16, and has made a vow to herself to never wear the same outfit twice. However, when Cricket Bell, a flame from her past, moves back in to the house next door, she is faced with new feelings for him while trying to hold her current relationship together. I mean, I don't know what I was expecting after reading Anna's story, but seriously, this was so much worse. The problematic content is only multiplied here, and it makes me so frustrated because without it, this would be such a cute love story. UGH! Lola and Max (22 yr old bf) had such an awful, manipulative relationship and I had such a pit in my stomach whenever I read about them. The fact that Perkins ROMANTICIZED a relationship about a minor being with a person 6 years older than them who is not a minor is absolutely disgusting and she never confronts the issues with their relationship and the power plays going on the whole time. It was horrible. Then, we have ANOTHER relationship where the main character is cheating. Can Perkins write a love story where the characters aren't cheating? I don't know. It makes me so mad. This was so disappointing.
Again, Perkins' writing isn't much to brag about. She has great teenager tone, but it isn't anything too complex.
Our main character, Lola, is probably my least favorite character that Stephanie Perkins has written thus far. She's selfish, annoying, a bad friend, and a bad girlfriend. I really disliked her as a main character. Her love interest, Cricket Bell, on the other hand, is definitely my favorite. He's selfless, supportive, a family guy, super smart, driven, and I could go on and on. He's so sweet and Lola totally doesn't deserve him. None of the other characters really even matter in this story, because this is allllll about Lola. I will say that Lola does come into herself more at the end of the novel, pointing toward some character development, but it isn't anything to brag about.
There are no themes explored here. Maybe a little bit about being yourself no matter what others say, but not much else.
I would not recommend. The only reason I am picking up the next book is to see if it can get any worse. The people that would enjoy this novel are young, impressionable kids who shouldn't have these problematic ideas put into their heads. DON'T DO IT!

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Reviews tagging 'Adult/minor relationship'

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

ashnoble's review against another edition

kkuecker218's review

hazel_t23's review

lily_rumley's review

bookedbymadeline's review

rosapalskov's review

eems_madeline's review

livruther's review against another edition

oliviabrcka's review