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rachelholtzclaw 's review for:
Isla and the Happily Ever After
by Stephanie Perkins
this book is everything i didn't even know i NEEDED
i read it in 3 hours, i laughed, i cried, and i've really missed having so many feelings when reading something. i'm not even sure what about this particular story did it for me, but it did, and i am so incredibly grateful.
REREAD EDIT: i was very scared to reread this one because, as you can see, it really affected me the first time i read it, nearly five and a half years ago (JEEZ!!), but, in the end, i did still really like it, and it does remain my favorite in the series. i think that part of that had to do with the fact that anna and etienne appear in this one the least, because i think that this series as a whole really hinges on the reader really liking anna and etienne. tragically, this time around, i really couldn't stand them, so!!!
the bigger part of why this one seems to be the only book in this series that has any semblance of holding up for me is because it felt like the most realistic portrayal of a relationship. the time frame allowed for everything to play out in a realistic way, the fights and insecurities felt very real, and even though there were times i thought josh and isla were veering into cartoonish territory, their actions and motivations that were revealed swung around to balance everything out. i don't know. i was pleasantly surprised. and i really do feel like this is the happy ending to an otherwise lackluster (and, at times, problematic!) series.
i read it in 3 hours, i laughed, i cried, and i've really missed having so many feelings when reading something. i'm not even sure what about this particular story did it for me, but it did, and i am so incredibly grateful.
REREAD EDIT: i was very scared to reread this one because, as you can see, it really affected me the first time i read it, nearly five and a half years ago (JEEZ!!), but, in the end, i did still really like it, and it does remain my favorite in the series. i think that part of that had to do with the fact that anna and etienne appear in this one the least, because i think that this series as a whole really hinges on the reader really liking anna and etienne. tragically, this time around, i really couldn't stand them, so!!!
the bigger part of why this one seems to be the only book in this series that has any semblance of holding up for me is because it felt like the most realistic portrayal of a relationship. the time frame allowed for everything to play out in a realistic way, the fights and insecurities felt very real, and even though there were times i thought josh and isla were veering into cartoonish territory, their actions and motivations that were revealed swung around to balance everything out. i don't know. i was pleasantly surprised. and i really do feel like this is the happy ending to an otherwise lackluster (and, at times, problematic!) series.