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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
Where do I start? I adored this book, but it has its ups-and-downs. I’ll tell you why.
First, I’m going to tell you something about the main character, Isla. I thought she was such a fun protagonist and she has a great personality. I really like everything about her, her clothing, her shyness.. it’s easy to relate to her and that's probably because I’m just like her. I am also very shy and if I could (and if I’d dare) I would wear a dress every day. The nice thing about Isla is that you could see she is shy, but at least she really tries to be less shy. Sometimes it succeeds, and sometimes not.
There were several moments where I thought, no, you really shouldn’t have said that. Especially when I was halfway through the book and towards the last 100 pages. I was so angry with her. I no longer thought she was fun. She blurts out things that really hurt the other characters (like Kurt and Josh) and I feel like she’s doing that on purpose. As if she is deliberately picking a fight for selfish reasons. I really tend to don’t give this book five stars by Isla’s behavior.
But what is a book without a character development? I was very angry with Isla for the last part of the book, but as the end neared my anger disappeared. I saw that she did her best to be ‘better’ and I saw why she did all of that. I understand why she felt that way and I received sympathy for Isla. I judged way too early and that’s why I do give Isla And The Happily Ever After five stars.
This review really shouldn’t be all about Isla and her development, because I have a lot of other things I want to talk about! I read a lot of reviews of Isla And The Happily Ever After and there weren’t a lot of people that loved the insta love between Isla and Josh, but that is something I disagree with. I understand that people think so, but I thought it was absolutely no insta love. And then I thought: what is it that makes me think it isn’t insta love? Well, this is mainly due to the crushes. Isla has had a crush on Josh for three years now, and Josh, of course, not that long but he does at least for three months. It is maybe also because of the time the story is written in. Example: when you’ve read 50 pages, a month has passed. That's the reasons why.
Furthermore, I think the concept of Isla and where she wanted to go for college was a very nice one. Isla didn’t really know what she was doing with her future (as opposed to Josh) and it doesn’t matter if you still don’t know what you want to do when you’re in your last year of high school. I remember when I graduated from high school last year, and I had many friends that didn’t know what they wanted to do. And that message – the message that it doesn’t matter – is beautiful.
And yes, I also HAVE to say something about Josh because he is such a SWEETHEART. Étienne and Cricket were nice, but Josh really has his own charms. He is a hopeless romantic (just like me) and I think that’s why I could relate more to Josh and I did to Étienne and Cricket.
Also, I was so happy that all of the main characters returned at the end.. and how.. ÉTIENNE AND ANNA. OMG?! I liked their ending, it was so cute and it also really suited them. The only thing that I was kinda disappointed about was that it was written from Isla’s POV while I would have prefered to read it from Anna's or even better Étienne’s. But in the end we got a great ending, right?
And not only that ending was nice, but also the end of the book. I felt great, it really was a happily ever after (just as the title – ha!) I love cliché endings, and even though this was a cliché ending, it still had something that didn’t make it cliché (you’re still following me?). It was fantastic and this whole book was fantastic.
First, I’m going to tell you something about the main character, Isla. I thought she was such a fun protagonist and she has a great personality. I really like everything about her, her clothing, her shyness.. it’s easy to relate to her and that's probably because I’m just like her. I am also very shy and if I could (and if I’d dare) I would wear a dress every day. The nice thing about Isla is that you could see she is shy, but at least she really tries to be less shy. Sometimes it succeeds, and sometimes not.
There were several moments where I thought, no, you really shouldn’t have said that. Especially when I was halfway through the book and towards the last 100 pages. I was so angry with her. I no longer thought she was fun. She blurts out things that really hurt the other characters (like Kurt and Josh) and I feel like she’s doing that on purpose. As if she is deliberately picking a fight for selfish reasons. I really tend to don’t give this book five stars by Isla’s behavior.
But what is a book without a character development? I was very angry with Isla for the last part of the book, but as the end neared my anger disappeared. I saw that she did her best to be ‘better’ and I saw why she did all of that. I understand why she felt that way and I received sympathy for Isla. I judged way too early and that’s why I do give Isla And The Happily Ever After five stars.
This review really shouldn’t be all about Isla and her development, because I have a lot of other things I want to talk about! I read a lot of reviews of Isla And The Happily Ever After and there weren’t a lot of people that loved the insta love between Isla and Josh, but that is something I disagree with. I understand that people think so, but I thought it was absolutely no insta love. And then I thought: what is it that makes me think it isn’t insta love? Well, this is mainly due to the crushes. Isla has had a crush on Josh for three years now, and Josh, of course, not that long but he does at least for three months. It is maybe also because of the time the story is written in. Example: when you’ve read 50 pages, a month has passed. That's the reasons why.
Furthermore, I think the concept of Isla and where she wanted to go for college was a very nice one. Isla didn’t really know what she was doing with her future (as opposed to Josh) and it doesn’t matter if you still don’t know what you want to do when you’re in your last year of high school. I remember when I graduated from high school last year, and I had many friends that didn’t know what they wanted to do. And that message – the message that it doesn’t matter – is beautiful.
And yes, I also HAVE to say something about Josh because he is such a SWEETHEART. Étienne and Cricket were nice, but Josh really has his own charms. He is a hopeless romantic (just like me) and I think that’s why I could relate more to Josh and I did to Étienne and Cricket.
Also, I was so happy that all of the main characters returned at the end.. and how.. ÉTIENNE AND ANNA. OMG?! I liked their ending, it was so cute and it also really suited them. The only thing that I was kinda disappointed about was that it was written from Isla’s POV while I would have prefered to read it from Anna's or even better Étienne’s. But in the end we got a great ending, right?
And not only that ending was nice, but also the end of the book. I felt great, it really was a happily ever after (just as the title – ha!) I love cliché endings, and even though this was a cliché ending, it still had something that didn’t make it cliché (you’re still following me?). It was fantastic and this whole book was fantastic.
i've had this as currently reading since December 8th 2020.
yeah I don't think I'm gonna finish this. DNF
yeah I don't think I'm gonna finish this. DNF
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Rating: ⭐⭐ ½
Genre: Contemporary Romance + Young Adult
This is the third book in the Anna and the French Kiss series. It follows the story of Isla Martin, a shy girl with an unending crush on her classmate Josh Wasserstein. The two get close to each other, and eventually, their bond turns into a romantic one. The two will face lots of challenges regarding their personalities. While Isla keeps fighting her shyness, Josh must tune his rebellious nature.
I went into this book expecting it to be underwhelming, which it was. While I slightly liked it more than the second book in the series, it doesn’t mean that this has a set of its own problems. For example, Isla is a frustrating character. The hesitant nature of her personality gets repetitive and annoying.
Josh and the other secondary characters had a very limited scope when it came to characterization and growth. I understand that the author wanted to keep this book formulaic, lighthearted, and free of any kind of complexity, but its ending felt so abrupt and not in a good way.
After finishing this series, it is obvious that the author’s writing doesn’t work for me. I think reading the first book was enough. The good thing is that I finished this series and can unhaul the books. Perhaps someone else will enjoy them more than I did.
I really liked the ending of this book, the rest of the plot was rather unspectacular. I couldn't really feel the romance and love (except in the ending) and all of the problems that happened where just of pure stupiditiy of the main character and it just smelled like Stephanie Perkins couldn't come up with anyhing that would make more sense or would touch the reader more. I was dissapointed allthough I didn't expect much in the first place since this is a pure romance novel and I rarely enjoyed these. I guess I just need a little pinch of fantasy in a book.
C'est fini! Me ha gustado un montón y creo que es mi favorito de los tres. Isla es un personaje muy parecido a mí y me he visto reflejada en muchas de las escenas, por lo que le he cogido un cariño especial. Muy recomendado, tanto este como la saga entera :)
No one else can describe two persons falling in love better than Stephanie Perkins.
Sigo tan abrumada por las emociones que me dio este libro que aun no se que decir aparte de que Lo ame totalmente. Me pareció tan lleno de sentimientos, tan profundo que simplemente me fue imposible dejar de leer y aún asi si hubiera un prologo yo seria mucho más feliz.
I loooved this book! I could really relate to the protagonist, so it felt real - but still like the dream version of real. Perfect.