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blooms_in_books 's review for:
Isla and the Happily Ever After
by Stephanie Perkins
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