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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
Josh and Isla's story was beautiful. So beautiful it made me cry. We only hope that one day we will have a love as passionate and intimate as theirs was. My heart burst when Etienne proposed to Anna at their spot. I love them. Stephanie Perkins has not let me down yet and I hope to see more from her in the future.
I had a love hate relationship with this book. I loved reading it, however I couldn't stand Isla. First she came across as an obsessed stalker and by the end I just wanted to scream "YOU IDIOT!" Despite this, I enjoyed reading the book.
While I appreciate the author's sensitive portrayal of one of the characters with high-functioning autism, I was disappointed that this relationship contained few of the nuances of the one in Anna and the French Kiss. It developed incredibly quickly, so much so that I didn't feel invested in it, nor was I as drawn to the characters as I was in the first book.
Having read the companion novels, I pretty much knew what to expect going into this one...a cute, fluffy, feel-good book....and I got it. Read it all in one sitting on the plane to Madrid. :-D
I read this book all in one day and I really liked the last few chapters they were so swoony. But most of the book I kept thinking "your problems are not actual problems" so I couldn't give the book 5 stars.
I didn't enjoy it as much as the previous two. To be honest, I felt like Isla and Josh's relationship was pretty much hormone based for the 1st half of the book and I found myself getting annoyed with them as they were basically just biding time until they could sleep together. The book's second half was an improvement as the characters became more likeable and Isla in particular had to come to know herself better and choose to make some changes. Still overall, it was kind of disappointing.
From the glittering streets of Manhattan to the moonlit rooftops of Paris, falling in love is easy for hopeless dreamer Isla and introspective artist Josh. But as they begin their senior year in France, Isla and Josh are quickly forced to confront the heartbreaking reality that happily-ever-afters aren’t always forever.
Their romantic journey is skillfully intertwined with those of beloved couples Anna and Étienne and Lola and Cricket, whose paths are destined to collide in a sweeping finale certain to please fans old and new.
A lovely book but sadly not as good as 'Anna'. A bit too much lust which detracted from the love. Very clever the way Josh revealed his feelings via his drawings, sometimes when a story is told in the first person you lose some of the depth of the other characters but this didn't happen here. I'm truly amazed at Stephanie Perkins' ability to describe teenage passion, that depth of feeling, the obsession, the inability to think of anything else but the loved one. Stunning!
Very nearly five stars but a few things hit a wrong note.
Their romantic journey is skillfully intertwined with those of beloved couples Anna and Étienne and Lola and Cricket, whose paths are destined to collide in a sweeping finale certain to please fans old and new.
A lovely book but sadly not as good as 'Anna'. A bit too much lust which detracted from the love. Very clever the way Josh revealed his feelings via his drawings, sometimes when a story is told in the first person you lose some of the depth of the other characters but this didn't happen here. I'm truly amazed at Stephanie Perkins' ability to describe teenage passion, that depth of feeling, the obsession, the inability to think of anything else but the loved one. Stunning!
Very nearly five stars but a few things hit a wrong note.
Spoiler
The fact that Isla launched into her criticisms/argument with Josh in the car and the driver listening. Surely she would have held back until they were alone? The fact that Isla's jealousy wasn't really addressed. The one conversation with Sanjita that solved everything.
3.5ish
Isla….Ohhh Isla where do I begin? I struggled with Isla’s character. At first she is charming and sweet and shy and a little bit obsessed with Josh. Their meeting in the States at a diner while she is high as a kite on pain killers following her wisdom teeth removal was super cute. She was a little more outgoing because of the drugs and I always liked Josh so this started out pretty good for me.
He tastes like champagne. He tastes like desire. He tastes like my deepest craving fulfilled.
But then you find out that Isla is so incredibly closed in. She never takes chances, she sees Josh again and can’t even bring herself to talk to him. Josh actually does all the work to get this relationship up and started. Isla is not a make things happen girl, she is more of a sit back and hope things happen girl.
“I like stories of adventure. Especially if there’s some kind of disaster involved.”
The eyebrow remains arched.
I laugh. “I read the ones with happy endings, too.”
Josh gestures towards my shelves. “You read a lot.”
“Safer than going on a real adventure.”
Now he’s the one who laughs. “Maybe.”
But even so, I liked their burgeoning relationship. I liked them together as they are so different but complimented each other in a lot of ways. I also very much enjoyed the problem of Isla having a male BFF Kurt with slight Aspergers. The way that he and Josh found a way to accept one another in Isla’s life was totally cool.
I was totally into this book the first 40-50% and then Isla has a little melt down of sorts. When something goes down that separates Isla and Josh from being in the same place she really shows just how insecure she really is. That is when I see how much of her I liked simply because she was on page with Josh. They had great banter and dialogue while together and then while Isla is alone on page I see just how empty she is. Without his constant affirmations Isla is lost and it becomes so apparent that she has no idea who she is and what she really wants.
“But isn't it better to be honest about these things before someone else can use them against you? Before someone else can break your heart? Isn't it better to break it yourself?”
So for the next 30% of the book I was just disappointed in Isla. After Lola who while incredibly quirky but totally comfortable with who she is and didn’t need a man in her life to be whole and didn’t really start anything with Cricket until she was whole after leaving her boyfriend and Anna who still did her own thing and really didn’t mope around while she was hopelessly in love with Étienne it was hard to sympathize with Isla who was willing to break her own heart so no one else could do it first.
Thanks goodness for the last 15% of the book which probably saved the whole thing for me. We get to see the entire gang again and I loved it. Anna and Étienne, Lola and Cricket together in Paris headed to the Olympics was fantastic and sad to say but the best scene in the book goes to Anna and Étienne they really stole the show in the short page time they were there.
I absolutely loved the ending!!! It made up for everything I felt about this book in the middle so I’m glad that I read it although I really liked Anna and Lola’s stories better.
Isla….Ohhh Isla where do I begin? I struggled with Isla’s character. At first she is charming and sweet and shy and a little bit obsessed with Josh. Their meeting in the States at a diner while she is high as a kite on pain killers following her wisdom teeth removal was super cute. She was a little more outgoing because of the drugs and I always liked Josh so this started out pretty good for me.
He tastes like champagne. He tastes like desire. He tastes like my deepest craving fulfilled.
But then you find out that Isla is so incredibly closed in. She never takes chances, she sees Josh again and can’t even bring herself to talk to him. Josh actually does all the work to get this relationship up and started. Isla is not a make things happen girl, she is more of a sit back and hope things happen girl.
“I like stories of adventure. Especially if there’s some kind of disaster involved.”
The eyebrow remains arched.
I laugh. “I read the ones with happy endings, too.”
Josh gestures towards my shelves. “You read a lot.”
“Safer than going on a real adventure.”
Now he’s the one who laughs. “Maybe.”
But even so, I liked their burgeoning relationship. I liked them together as they are so different but complimented each other in a lot of ways. I also very much enjoyed the problem of Isla having a male BFF Kurt with slight Aspergers. The way that he and Josh found a way to accept one another in Isla’s life was totally cool.
I was totally into this book the first 40-50% and then Isla has a little melt down of sorts. When something goes down that separates Isla and Josh from being in the same place she really shows just how insecure she really is. That is when I see how much of her I liked simply because she was on page with Josh. They had great banter and dialogue while together and then while Isla is alone on page I see just how empty she is. Without his constant affirmations Isla is lost and it becomes so apparent that she has no idea who she is and what she really wants.
“But isn't it better to be honest about these things before someone else can use them against you? Before someone else can break your heart? Isn't it better to break it yourself?”
So for the next 30% of the book I was just disappointed in Isla. After Lola who while incredibly quirky but totally comfortable with who she is and didn’t need a man in her life to be whole and didn’t really start anything with Cricket until she was whole after leaving her boyfriend and Anna who still did her own thing and really didn’t mope around while she was hopelessly in love with Étienne it was hard to sympathize with Isla who was willing to break her own heart so no one else could do it first.
Thanks goodness for the last 15% of the book which probably saved the whole thing for me. We get to see the entire gang again and I loved it. Anna and Étienne, Lola and Cricket together in Paris headed to the Olympics was fantastic and sad to say but the best scene in the book goes to Anna and Étienne they really stole the show in the short page time they were there.
I absolutely loved the ending!!! It made up for everything I felt about this book in the middle so I’m glad that I read it although I really liked Anna and Lola’s stories better.