Lola and the Boy Next Door

Why is it that the things I have been reading recently feel like they are taken directly from my personal life story?

This book was lent to me by a dear friend (and it’s really good if you have bookworm buddies), as she dropped by my house to cheer me up during my sullen state. Lola and the Boy Next Door reminded me of a boy I never thought I would be able to get over it, and back then, I also called him The Boy Next Door.

Okay, I’m not going to talk about the boy but the book. It has a lot of elements that fascinated me, and until now, I am still thinking about the Marie Antoinette ball gown (Marie Antoinette is my favorite French queen!). Lola’s dads (yes, she has two dads who were both very cool) were the kind of parents anyone would surely want to have. Strict but understanding. They always seem like they know how it was to be like Lola, young and teenage and stubborn and curious and all. Then there’s Max, the boyfriend, who is a few years older than her and a bit, well, a bit dangerous. There’s also the bestfriend, Lindsey, who tells Lola the truth, just like what real friends do. And of course, there’s Cricket, the mighty tower of man beauty. I love the fact that Cricket is the boy next door who fell in love with Lola.

I guess the good thing about growing up together is the fact that you know everything about each other. Embarrassing things or not, it will always be the kind of memory that is so good to go back to. Even if you fall apart in the end, childhood memories are always your common denominator.

The book is basically about discovering yourself, being honest with yourself, and identifying who you are and where you belong. I guess this sort of crisis is common among teenagers. People tend to decide on what kind of person they would want to become during their young adult years. It’s the time that they look for the sense of belongingness, and discover exactly where they stood. 

I know all of that. I’ve been there. 

Though this book is not my type of book to read and finish through the night, it made me feel young at heart once again, and think that the idea of being in love is always lovely.