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namjhyuns 's review for:
Isla and the Happily Ever After
by Stephanie Perkins
I enjoy reading books about two people falling in love. It’s always nice to see two characters finding the way to each other but what happens after the last page? After the last kiss? How does Happily Ever After looks like?
That’s what the third book in the Anna and the French Kiss trilogy is about. How does a relationship works after two people are in love, how do they deal with their problems as individuals and as a couple, how to work things out on your own and with the person you love, to be able to grow stronger after going through bad and good things together.
Because of this subjets and reasons, I feel like Isla and the Happily Ever After is a more intimate and mature book. Stephanie Perkins choose to challenge her characters not to get together but to remain together. To grow and change together, to inspire each other to be better.
Isla is a beautiful character. I felt more connected to her than to Anna or Lola, mainly because they were very sure of themselves and knew exactly what they wanted to do with theirs lives. In the third book we find a leading lady who is a “white canvas”. Isla is not sure what she wants to study or where she wants to go to University, she feels like everybody around her has goals and she’s the only one whose future looks uncertain. I like that. It’s relatable to people of all ages because most of us don’t have everything figure out.
What Isla is very sure about is her love for her family, friends and Josh. Which eventually it’s what helps her work through her insecurities and grow more sure of herself. She still has things to figure out but she learns it’s OK to not do it all at once. To take risks and just jump to the unknown.
Josh was a wonderful surprise. We have seen him as a secondary character in Anna and the French Kiss but here we get to know so much about him. Not only from Isla’s point of view but from his through his art and illustations, not only about his senior year but from before too. Back when he was with Rashmi, his friendship with Ètienne and how Anna changed the dynamics of his group of friends.
The things Josh is very sure about is how he future looks like, what he wants to do, where to study and who he wants to have around in his life. Remember when Lola asked Ètienne how far was he planning his future and he answered “Far.” I get it now, why Ètienne and Josh are best friends, despite their different personalities and ways to work through things, they both have very clear sights of theirs respectives future. Josh has always been planning far into life but is not until Isla that he learns how to enjoy the present. To appreciate the now he is living, instead of wishing to be somewhere else.
As a couple Isla and Josh truly complement each other. It’s kismet! It really is and loved to see them working through the obstacles of their happily ever after.
Of course Anna, Ètienne, Meredith, Lola and Cricket’s cameo can’t go without mention. I believe the phrase used in the book was “the circus is in town” and it sure felt like it. It was a fun, full of color re-encounter with this very strong, beautiful and loved characters. And we also get to see how their happily ever afters look like!
I feel like the characters in this book, all of them, started to grew out from their teen-like attitudes and were treated more like adults. They are still in that young adult stage of life but there is definitely a more mature view of life, family, friends and love in this book. Which is why it makes Isla and the Happily Ever After my favorite Stephanie Perkins book.
That’s what the third book in the Anna and the French Kiss trilogy is about. How does a relationship works after two people are in love, how do they deal with their problems as individuals and as a couple, how to work things out on your own and with the person you love, to be able to grow stronger after going through bad and good things together.
Because of this subjets and reasons, I feel like Isla and the Happily Ever After is a more intimate and mature book. Stephanie Perkins choose to challenge her characters not to get together but to remain together. To grow and change together, to inspire each other to be better.
Isla is a beautiful character. I felt more connected to her than to Anna or Lola, mainly because they were very sure of themselves and knew exactly what they wanted to do with theirs lives. In the third book we find a leading lady who is a “white canvas”. Isla is not sure what she wants to study or where she wants to go to University, she feels like everybody around her has goals and she’s the only one whose future looks uncertain. I like that. It’s relatable to people of all ages because most of us don’t have everything figure out.
What Isla is very sure about is her love for her family, friends and Josh. Which eventually it’s what helps her work through her insecurities and grow more sure of herself. She still has things to figure out but she learns it’s OK to not do it all at once. To take risks and just jump to the unknown.
Josh was a wonderful surprise. We have seen him as a secondary character in Anna and the French Kiss but here we get to know so much about him. Not only from Isla’s point of view but from his through his art and illustations, not only about his senior year but from before too. Back when he was with Rashmi, his friendship with Ètienne and how Anna changed the dynamics of his group of friends.
The things Josh is very sure about is how he future looks like, what he wants to do, where to study and who he wants to have around in his life. Remember when Lola asked Ètienne how far was he planning his future and he answered “Far.” I get it now, why Ètienne and Josh are best friends, despite their different personalities and ways to work through things, they both have very clear sights of theirs respectives future. Josh has always been planning far into life but is not until Isla that he learns how to enjoy the present. To appreciate the now he is living, instead of wishing to be somewhere else.
As a couple Isla and Josh truly complement each other. It’s kismet! It really is and loved to see them working through the obstacles of their happily ever after.
Of course Anna, Ètienne, Meredith, Lola and Cricket’s cameo can’t go without mention. I believe the phrase used in the book was “the circus is in town” and it sure felt like it. It was a fun, full of color re-encounter with this very strong, beautiful and loved characters. And we also get to see how their happily ever afters look like!
I feel like the characters in this book, all of them, started to grew out from their teen-like attitudes and were treated more like adults. They are still in that young adult stage of life but there is definitely a more mature view of life, family, friends and love in this book. Which is why it makes Isla and the Happily Ever After my favorite Stephanie Perkins book.