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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
Last Thursday, Isla and the Happily Ever After finally came out and to say that I was excited would be an understatement. Ever since reading both Anna and the French Kiss and Lola and the Boy Next Door in December, I have been dying for Isla. I didn’t wait as long as most people did for Isla but it was still an agonising wait. The day it finally came out was my sister’s results day so I wasn’t able to read much of it but I was able to go into Waterstones and attend their Isla readathon for a short while, which was amazing so thank you very much YABirmingham for another fabulous event. I didn’t read much there but when I came home I was able to read half of it before going to a meal with my family to celebrate. I then woke up Friday morning and just sat in bed and read it all morning(mainly because I needed to calm my nerves about my Lauren Oliver interview) and let me just say this; Isla and the Happily Ever After was amazing. If you haven’t read this companion novel series, I strongly recommend it, especially if you enjoy romance novels. Even if you don’t, Anna and the French Kiss was the book that got me into them so I really do recommend them. Now, let’s start discussing Isla and the Happily Ever After.
The storyline of Isla was quite different to Anna and Lola. In Anna and Lola, the characters take the whole book to get together and the book focuses on them falling in love and realising how perfect they are for each other. However with Isla, both characters realise their feelings for each other quite early and it’s more about the journey of their relationship and having to deal with being separated. Even though it wasn’t about them falling in love, I loved the storyline of this one slightly more because it shows how things can change after people get into the relationship. Yes Anna and Lola are both amazing books but the books end with them getting together and we don’t see them going through their relationships(We do in the other books but we don’t get to focus on them dealing with typical couple problems). This is why I believe that Isla was slightly more believable because it shows that even after you fall in love, your life doesn’t automatically become perfect.
Another thing that made me love Isla a little bit more than the previous ones was because of Isla herself. Isla was most definitely my favourite out of all the girls just because I found myself relating to her a lot more than I did with the others. The way she reacted to certain things, while annoying sometimes, is exactly how I would have reacted. The way she doesn’t believe that someone could possibly love it just basically shows how much she is like me. I always over think what people do or say because I think there’s no way they could have just said it to be nice. Every stupid decision Isla made is a stupid decision that I would make. Isla was insecure yet not whiny and I think she’s an amazing protagonist. I would have loved to see her in another book as we did with Anna and Lola.
Josh was also bloody amazing. He still hasn’t beat Cricket but he’s just beat out St Clair because I love him. The way Josh acted around her just had me fangirling and squealing. I found myself smiling throughout any scene with Isla and Josh both in it because I loved seeing them interact. They are definitely my favourite couple out of the three and I really wish I had waited to make my Top 10 fictional couples list because they definitely would have made it on there. I’m not sure what else to say about Josh. He was perfection yet realistic and I want one. Seriously, somebody give me a relationship like Isla and Josh’s. We’ve already established that I am basically Isla, so somebody get me my Josh please. Thank you.
I can’t form a proper review of this book at this moment because I just want to fangirl and flail when I think about it so this will have to be it for now. But let me just tell you this; read this book. Seriously, drop everything and go read this book. If you haven’t even started this series yet, I suggest you just go to your local Waterstones/Barnes and Noble etc and just get them and read them because you will not regret it. Seriously go now. I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars on goodreads but if I could I’d give it 2133454789009697654 out of 5 stars because it deserves it.
Sofia
The storyline of Isla was quite different to Anna and Lola. In Anna and Lola, the characters take the whole book to get together and the book focuses on them falling in love and realising how perfect they are for each other. However with Isla, both characters realise their feelings for each other quite early and it’s more about the journey of their relationship and having to deal with being separated. Even though it wasn’t about them falling in love, I loved the storyline of this one slightly more because it shows how things can change after people get into the relationship. Yes Anna and Lola are both amazing books but the books end with them getting together and we don’t see them going through their relationships(We do in the other books but we don’t get to focus on them dealing with typical couple problems). This is why I believe that Isla was slightly more believable because it shows that even after you fall in love, your life doesn’t automatically become perfect.
Another thing that made me love Isla a little bit more than the previous ones was because of Isla herself. Isla was most definitely my favourite out of all the girls just because I found myself relating to her a lot more than I did with the others. The way she reacted to certain things, while annoying sometimes, is exactly how I would have reacted. The way she doesn’t believe that someone could possibly love it just basically shows how much she is like me. I always over think what people do or say because I think there’s no way they could have just said it to be nice. Every stupid decision Isla made is a stupid decision that I would make. Isla was insecure yet not whiny and I think she’s an amazing protagonist. I would have loved to see her in another book as we did with Anna and Lola.
Josh was also bloody amazing. He still hasn’t beat Cricket but he’s just beat out St Clair because I love him. The way Josh acted around her just had me fangirling and squealing. I found myself smiling throughout any scene with Isla and Josh both in it because I loved seeing them interact. They are definitely my favourite couple out of the three and I really wish I had waited to make my Top 10 fictional couples list because they definitely would have made it on there. I’m not sure what else to say about Josh. He was perfection yet realistic and I want one. Seriously, somebody give me a relationship like Isla and Josh’s. We’ve already established that I am basically Isla, so somebody get me my Josh please. Thank you.
I can’t form a proper review of this book at this moment because I just want to fangirl and flail when I think about it so this will have to be it for now. But let me just tell you this; read this book. Seriously, drop everything and go read this book. If you haven’t even started this series yet, I suggest you just go to your local Waterstones/Barnes and Noble etc and just get them and read them because you will not regret it. Seriously go now. I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars on goodreads but if I could I’d give it 2133454789009697654 out of 5 stars because it deserves it.
Sofia
I really like Isla and Josh. I think it's such a cute story though, it would be so weird when your boyfriend
Spoiler
draws his ex as some kind of sec goddess.
It concerns me how many people are reviewing this saying it's like the oh so perfect love story. The relationship between Isla and Josh is so beyond ridiculous and harmful to each other! Josh essentially gives up on school, starts going on unsanctioned trips to other countries, and gets expelled during the course of their relationship. Isla lets her grades start falling, decides to entirely change her future plans to go to a different college to be with a boy she's been dating for A MONTH, and basically drops her childhood best friend.
This went from a creepily obsessive crush to intense, all consuming love within a matter of pages and didn't feel very romantic to me at all? This was not a healthy relationship. It didn't have the warmth of Anna and St Clair, it didn't have the backstory of Lola and Cricket. It just had privileged teenagers throwing tantrums and jetting across Europe with each other without telling their parents. Isla was insanely jealous and continually attacked Josh about his previous relationship with Rashmi, and said incredibly hurtful things to him about the graphic novel he wrote. Also, the descriptions of the graphic novel didn't work at all. It's graphic for a reason?
The only thing I liked about this book were the descriptions of Barcelona and the voice of reason from Isla's best friend, Kurt (who she doesn't listen to, and basically drops to hang out with Josh all the time).
Side note again: Just like the previous book, if the bit at the end about Anna and St Clair had been taken out, it wouldn't have made any difference to the story, so am annoyed this is marketed as "Anna and the French Kiss #3".
This went from a creepily obsessive crush to intense, all consuming love within a matter of pages and didn't feel very romantic to me at all? This was not a healthy relationship. It didn't have the warmth of Anna and St Clair, it didn't have the backstory of Lola and Cricket. It just had privileged teenagers throwing tantrums and jetting across Europe with each other without telling their parents. Isla was insanely jealous and continually attacked Josh about his previous relationship with Rashmi, and said incredibly hurtful things to him about the graphic novel he wrote. Also, the descriptions of the graphic novel didn't work at all. It's graphic for a reason?
The only thing I liked about this book were the descriptions of Barcelona and the voice of reason from Isla's best friend, Kurt (who she doesn't listen to, and basically drops to hang out with Josh all the time).
Side note again: Just like the previous book, if the bit at the end about Anna and St Clair had been taken out, it wouldn't have made any difference to the story, so am annoyed this is marketed as "Anna and the French Kiss #3".
I love Josh. I love Isla's entire nine monologue. But most of all I love Stephanie Perkins. All other words cease to have meaning at this time...because Acknowledgments.
Swoon. I loved their story. It was a perfect ending to this series!
Lola has a crush on Josh since forever (Josh is St. Clair's best friend from Anna and the Fren Kiss) but until now, they've only had weird interactions with each other. But this year, their senior year, everything changes when she meets him on a coffee shop in New York. High on painkillers, she has the courage to talk to him and spend the afternoon together, even if she falls sleep at the table. They don't meet again until the school year starts, but they soon they start hanging out and eventually they start dating. But Isla's insecurity meets with Rashmi's heavy presence (Josh's very public exgirlfriend) and Josh's problems at school and with his family and it all soon explodes.
Don't get me wrong. Isla is a cute book about a cute love story. But it is my least favorite of the trilogy. I just couldn't connect with Isla's problems and personality. Yeah, Anna may have been an exasperating teenager with a bad attitude at times, but she had a reason: she was mad and scared and even if living in Paris sounds amazing to most of us, not everyone is obligated to want it. Its scary and moving when you are a teenager is a BIG deal. Your friends and social life are everything and it seems like the end of the world. So I could kinda see her point. But with Isla, she was too perfect. Too cute, nice, sweet, responsable, etc. Except that she was selfish and egocentric and couldn't take any of her friends or family's feelings into acount, at any time. It was exasperating to read. And the thing is, I'm not a shy and insecure person. Sure, I have insecurities, but not to the point that I don't think I deserve to be loved or that I'm worth it. She was WAY too insecure and I can't relate. Specially since she has no reason to have such deep and rooted insecurities.
And I think they main problem is that there is no friendship. You can tell from the beggining that they both like each other- They don't start as strangers and slowly get to know each other. Both of them are single and there is nothing in their way, so the book is mainly how to deal with their problems while dating: there is Josh's bad realtionship with his parents (don't see why) and his bad reputation as a rule breaker in school, mainly because he hates being in Paris but doesn't want t0 admit it to his family. Then there is Isla's insecurities and deep feeling that he can't posibly love her and will eventualy leave her. And then the "I don't know what to do after collage, I don't have a passion for anything" thing that is so common but doesn't mean you go and apply to be near your 1 month boyfriend.
Overall, it is a cute story and I loved how it connected to the previous ones. But I didn't like the main characters much, and there was no doubt that they were going to end up together. And they do, so fast that it gave me little of that "will they or wont they" feeling that I love of this type of books
Don't get me wrong. Isla is a cute book about a cute love story. But it is my least favorite of the trilogy. I just couldn't connect with Isla's problems and personality. Yeah, Anna may have been an exasperating teenager with a bad attitude at times, but she had a reason: she was mad and scared and even if living in Paris sounds amazing to most of us, not everyone is obligated to want it. Its scary and moving when you are a teenager is a BIG deal. Your friends and social life are everything and it seems like the end of the world. So I could kinda see her point. But with Isla, she was too perfect. Too cute, nice, sweet, responsable, etc. Except that she was selfish and egocentric and couldn't take any of her friends or family's feelings into acount, at any time. It was exasperating to read. And the thing is, I'm not a shy and insecure person. Sure, I have insecurities, but not to the point that I don't think I deserve to be loved or that I'm worth it. She was WAY too insecure and I can't relate. Specially since she has no reason to have such deep and rooted insecurities.
And I think they main problem is that there is no friendship. You can tell from the beggining that they both like each other- They don't start as strangers and slowly get to know each other. Both of them are single and there is nothing in their way, so the book is mainly how to deal with their problems while dating: there is Josh's bad realtionship with his parents (don't see why) and his bad reputation as a rule breaker in school, mainly because he hates being in Paris but doesn't want t0 admit it to his family. Then there is Isla's insecurities and deep feeling that he can't posibly love her and will eventualy leave her. And then the "I don't know what to do after collage, I don't have a passion for anything" thing that is so common but doesn't mean you go and apply to be near your 1 month boyfriend.
Overall, it is a cute story and I loved how it connected to the previous ones. But I didn't like the main characters much, and there was no doubt that they were going to end up together. And they do, so fast that it gave me little of that "will they or wont they" feeling that I love of this type of books
My original review for this title can be found here on The Book Hookup.
**Special Note:** My KP, Stacee, from the wonderfully fabulous Adventures of a Book Junkie, let me borrow her ARC of this title. All quotes and opinions will be of this version and not from the published edition (which you should totally go and buy as soon as it’s available).
♥ Quick Thoughts and Rating: ALL THE STARS EVER!!! For me, Isla and the Happily Ever After has been a long time coming, and I savored and relished in every single word of this book. Stephanie Perkins is the queen of swoon in my mind, and boy did she ever deliver in her latest novel. It was page after page of love, laughter, heartbreak and being swept away in the magic of Paris and happily ever afters that can truly exist… but only after a bit of turmoil and self-reflection.
And it all starts with this:
{FYI, you can read the first 51 pages HERE!!!)
♥ The Lowdown: Isla Martin has had a really deep emotional connection with Josh Wasserstein for three years… he just isn’t aware of it. Their closest forms of communication are compiled of moments that left Isla feel like a bumbling idiot or speechless. But a chance encounter at a small diner after Isla’s had her wisdom teeth pulled and maybe a little high on Vicodin gives her the perfect moment to get his attention, to talk to him and to finally, possibly, get a peek inside his sketchbook. But after that night, he disappears, swept away by his Senator father to DC and they aren’t reunited again until fall semester begins back in Paris.
While fumbling a bit through small flirtations and innocent crushing, these two get closer and really open up. Then it’s the kind of love that consumes a person, the kind kids dream of and adults hope to have. It’s quick and heady and almost scary in its intensity. But being swept up in love can have people making poor decisions, and it’s one of those moments that test the strength of this new romance and their chance at a happily ever after.
♥ My Thoughts: I don’t know where to begin. I mean, seriously, *freaks out* Idon’tknowwheretobegin!! When you love a book as much as I do Isla (as well as Stephanie’s previous installments), it’s hard to gather your thoughts, much less form sentences that don’t begin and end with lots of capitalizations, exclamations, and run-on sentences. (The need to do these is. SO! VERY! STRONG!) So, I guess I’ll start at the beginning.
I have a long history with Josh. While it took most people a little time to remember who he was, I immediately perked up at the idea of having more of him. I noticed him in Anna and the French Kiss just as much I did Ètienne, which is saying something, you know? It was in the broody artistry of his character, and obvious passion, that undeniably drew me to him. I think I started falling for him in A&tFK, but this novel certainly cemented by adoration. He’s nowhere near perfect, but his flaws and vulnerability are what allowed me to physically ache for him, allowed me to connect to his character all the more. But when he’s not hiding behind his facade of perfect nonchalance, he’s a beautiful soul with unbridled devotion, a wealth of talent, and enough heat coursing through his veins to start a forest fire. The way he notices details and his artist’s mind (and hands) have a wonderful way of making a girl feel wanted.
Which brings me to Isla. (I kind of hate that I love her, too!) She was the perfect counterbalance to Josh’s intensity. Isla’s easy to identify with because she struggles with so many things your typical senior girl would: college, balancing relationships and school, and her insecurities with life and herself. Timid at times and boisterous when she needed to be, it was easy to see why Josh would fall so hard for someone like her.
Which brings me to their relationship that caused so many stupid-giddy and heartbreaking moments. If I’ve learned anything from Perkin’s earlier novels, it’s that she’ll hold your feels completely hostage the entire length of the novel. You might as well hand them over as soon as you hug the cover to your chest with glee. (I can’t be the only person that does this, right?) This author is a master manipulator, shaping your mind and your heart, making you feel as though you’re a singular part of this journey of terrifyingly, captivating first love in an enamoring landscape that raises your senses to high alert on every page. The tug to be present in their storyline is effortless, and you’ll laugh, cry, and swoon with these characters as they navigate life and love’s complications.
Also? I’m going to make this short and sweet because I’m feeling particularly verbose at this point. There are some pretty spectacular secondary characters in this novel and a cameo appearance at the perfect moment by some of our beloved friends, Anna, Ètienne, Lola, and Cricket. That scene practically made my heart explode with rainbows and puppies and unicorns and fresh-baked Parisian pastries and love. So much love.
♥ Swoons: You better bet your ass there are. Josh not only gave Ètienne a run for his money, but he blew him out of the water as far as I’m concerned.
♥ Swoony Teaser: (I chose one of the least spoilerish ones, but please to be excusing me while my heart pitter-pats and my squishy feels dance across the page!)
♥ Rec It? This is a laughable question after all the above flails, right? But if you must know, yes, I am absolutely, one hundred percent, without pause or reconsideration (can you feel me nodding my head repeatedly yet?) recommending this to every reader ever. Stephanie Perkins has a gift with words and characters and capturing the perfect (and imperfect) moments of first and true love. It was marvelous being back in Paris and being blissed out of my freaking mind at watching this adorable couple fall for each other. This book was more than I could’ve hoped for it to be. So much more. And, surprisingly (or maybe not so surprisingly), it’s my very favorite of the three.
Stephanie Perkins will forever be one of those authors whose work I read simply because their name’s attached to it. She’s shown me, without fail, that she knows how to write characters that I’ll inevitably fall for, relationships that I long for, and invokes emotions so real that I have to fight my mind to realize that it’s just a “story.” So, Mrs. Perkins, thank you for your magic words (and the ever elusive swoon that you give me time and time again) and the time that you dedicate to your craft that results in such a precious gift.
♥ A very special thanks to Stacee for letting me borrow her copy. Make sure you go check out her blogbecause she’s my most favorite person ever to see what awesome authorly adventure she’s been on recently.
**Special Note:** My KP, Stacee, from the wonderfully fabulous Adventures of a Book Junkie, let me borrow her ARC of this title. All quotes and opinions will be of this version and not from the published edition (which you should totally go and buy as soon as it’s available).
♥ Quick Thoughts and Rating: ALL THE STARS EVER!!! For me, Isla and the Happily Ever After has been a long time coming, and I savored and relished in every single word of this book. Stephanie Perkins is the queen of swoon in my mind, and boy did she ever deliver in her latest novel. It was page after page of love, laughter, heartbreak and being swept away in the magic of Paris and happily ever afters that can truly exist… but only after a bit of turmoil and self-reflection.
And it all starts with this:
It’s midnight, it’s sweltering, and I might be high on Vicodin, but that guy–that guy right over there–that’s him.
The him.
His posture is as familiar as a recurring dream. Shoulders rounded down, head cocked to the right, nose an inch from the tip of his pen. Absorbed. My heart swells with a painful sort of euphoria. He’s close, only two tables over and facing my direction. The café is boiling. The atmosphere is clouded with bittersweet coffee. Three years of desire rip through my body and burst from lips:
“Josh!”
~excerpt taken from printed ARC of Isla and the Happily Ever After, page 1
{FYI, you can read the first 51 pages HERE!!!)
♥ The Lowdown: Isla Martin has had a really deep emotional connection with Josh Wasserstein for three years… he just isn’t aware of it. Their closest forms of communication are compiled of moments that left Isla feel like a bumbling idiot or speechless. But a chance encounter at a small diner after Isla’s had her wisdom teeth pulled and maybe a little high on Vicodin gives her the perfect moment to get his attention, to talk to him and to finally, possibly, get a peek inside his sketchbook. But after that night, he disappears, swept away by his Senator father to DC and they aren’t reunited again until fall semester begins back in Paris.
While fumbling a bit through small flirtations and innocent crushing, these two get closer and really open up. Then it’s the kind of love that consumes a person, the kind kids dream of and adults hope to have. It’s quick and heady and almost scary in its intensity. But being swept up in love can have people making poor decisions, and it’s one of those moments that test the strength of this new romance and their chance at a happily ever after.
♥ My Thoughts: I don’t know where to begin. I mean, seriously, *freaks out* Idon’tknowwheretobegin!! When you love a book as much as I do Isla (as well as Stephanie’s previous installments), it’s hard to gather your thoughts, much less form sentences that don’t begin and end with lots of capitalizations, exclamations, and run-on sentences. (The need to do these is. SO! VERY! STRONG!) So, I guess I’ll start at the beginning.
I have a long history with Josh. While it took most people a little time to remember who he was, I immediately perked up at the idea of having more of him. I noticed him in Anna and the French Kiss just as much I did Ètienne, which is saying something, you know? It was in the broody artistry of his character, and obvious passion, that undeniably drew me to him. I think I started falling for him in A&tFK, but this novel certainly cemented by adoration. He’s nowhere near perfect, but his flaws and vulnerability are what allowed me to physically ache for him, allowed me to connect to his character all the more. But when he’s not hiding behind his facade of perfect nonchalance, he’s a beautiful soul with unbridled devotion, a wealth of talent, and enough heat coursing through his veins to start a forest fire. The way he notices details and his artist’s mind (and hands) have a wonderful way of making a girl feel wanted.
Which brings me to Isla. (I kind of hate that I love her, too!) She was the perfect counterbalance to Josh’s intensity. Isla’s easy to identify with because she struggles with so many things your typical senior girl would: college, balancing relationships and school, and her insecurities with life and herself. Timid at times and boisterous when she needed to be, it was easy to see why Josh would fall so hard for someone like her.
Which brings me to their relationship that caused so many stupid-giddy and heartbreaking moments. If I’ve learned anything from Perkin’s earlier novels, it’s that she’ll hold your feels completely hostage the entire length of the novel. You might as well hand them over as soon as you hug the cover to your chest with glee. (I can’t be the only person that does this, right?) This author is a master manipulator, shaping your mind and your heart, making you feel as though you’re a singular part of this journey of terrifyingly, captivating first love in an enamoring landscape that raises your senses to high alert on every page. The tug to be present in their storyline is effortless, and you’ll laugh, cry, and swoon with these characters as they navigate life and love’s complications.
Also? I’m going to make this short and sweet because I’m feeling particularly verbose at this point. There are some pretty spectacular secondary characters in this novel and a cameo appearance at the perfect moment by some of our beloved friends, Anna, Ètienne, Lola, and Cricket. That scene practically made my heart explode with rainbows and puppies and unicorns and fresh-baked Parisian pastries and love. So much love.
♥ Swoons: You better bet your ass there are. Josh not only gave Ètienne a run for his money, but he blew him out of the water as far as I’m concerned.
♥ Swoony Teaser: (I chose one of the least spoilerish ones, but please to be excusing me while my heart pitter-pats and my squishy feels dance across the page!)
Josh looks down at his sneaker, and then back up, and then back down. “You know that I like you. Right?”
~quote taken from the ARC of Isla and the Happily Ever After, pg. 71
♥ Rec It? This is a laughable question after all the above flails, right? But if you must know, yes, I am absolutely, one hundred percent, without pause or reconsideration (can you feel me nodding my head repeatedly yet?) recommending this to every reader ever. Stephanie Perkins has a gift with words and characters and capturing the perfect (and imperfect) moments of first and true love. It was marvelous being back in Paris and being blissed out of my freaking mind at watching this adorable couple fall for each other. This book was more than I could’ve hoped for it to be. So much more. And, surprisingly (or maybe not so surprisingly), it’s my very favorite of the three.
Stephanie Perkins will forever be one of those authors whose work I read simply because their name’s attached to it. She’s shown me, without fail, that she knows how to write characters that I’ll inevitably fall for, relationships that I long for, and invokes emotions so real that I have to fight my mind to realize that it’s just a “story.” So, Mrs. Perkins, thank you for your magic words (and the ever elusive swoon that you give me time and time again) and the time that you dedicate to your craft that results in such a precious gift.
♥ A very special thanks to Stacee for letting me borrow her copy. Make sure you go check out her blog
isla was kind of... a damn idiot. i liked her more than lola but that just made me more mad when she made all of her dumb decisions. i liked josh a lot (ART BOYS) and certain parts of the end elicited definite squeals but let's be real, anna is by far and away my favorite of this trilogy