Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

ISBN: 9780525425632
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased
Series: Anna and the French Kiss #3
Released: August 14, 2014
Length: 339 pp
Goodreads  |  B&N

     SUMMARY

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.

     REVIEW

Check out my status updates down there. There a was whole lot of OMG-ing while I read this book. both out of swoon and heartbreak and what the frig, oh and one tiny moment of Harry Potter. I'd been waiting for ages to get my paws on this book, along with the rest of you I imagine. Anna and the French Kiss was one of my absolute favorite books last year. Lola... eh not so much a favorite but a good addition to the Anna world. I think I just liked being in Paris :)

Isla starts out kind of the opposite of Anna and Lola. In Isla things are pretty freaking awesome at first: funny, interesting, swoony. Then of course, as you can tell by my updates, eventually things take a turn for the worse. This book built me up and broke me down like no other.

I've had this weird problem where I've barely been able to cry at anything - sad, happy, real life, fiction. My eyes sometimes get a little wet but nothing has been able to move me to actual tears - until Lola. I cried pissed off, furious, heartbroken tears and a few ridiculously happy ones. Stephanie Perkins fixed my tear ducts! Or my heart! Or both! She's a miracle worker!

As always, Perkins' writing is impeccable, and she's so funny I can't even stand it. She makes me feel like I'm in Paris, in this world, in love all over again. I re-read Anna before I read Isla and tried to pay particular attention to Josh and even though I always liked him and thought he was amusing, broody little guy he was, I never knew he could do the things he did to my heart.

Alright, I'm past the point of being able to write a rational review. I'm full of too much swoon. I'll just say that Isla was PERFECT and it was everything I wanted and then some (especially at the end there OMGGG!!) and I really wish Perkins would just continue writing about these characters.


     THE BREAKDOWN

RATING: ★★★★★ - Absolutely Loved it!

Since I have nothing coherent to say about this book: I will just remind you how much I loved it. It was amazing and perfect in every way. It was everything I wanted from a finale to a much loved series and more. I just have one thing to mention: can we petition to get Meredith her own story? Please. I just love her and I want to watch her fall in love too. In ROME!

What did you guys think of Isla? I loved her, I loved Josh, I loved Paris, I loved everything. I see a lot of people didn't like it because it was centered around a lot of teenage "drama" but I thought that was perfect because I know I was dramatic as hell when I was their age and I really, really identified with the characters in this story. I'd love to know what you thought!

A.

Review: Anna and French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

ISBN: 9780142419403
Released: December, 2010
My copy: Purchased
Series: Yes, Anna and the French Kiss #1
Page Count: 372 pages

     GOODREADS SYNOPSIS:

Anna can't wait for her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a good job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. So she's not too thrilled when her father unexpectedly ships her off to boarding school in Paris - until she meets Etienne St. Clair, the perfect boy. The only problem? He's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her crush back home. Will a year of romantic near-misses end in the French kiss Anna awaits?

       REVIEW:

WHAT I LIKED:

• Well written, the writing flowed and kept me interested which made for a very easy, quick read.
• Anna is hysterical and so relatable. I found myself laughing out loud at her and several times crying - yes, crying - with her. Plus she's a blogger/reviewer! Maybe not of books, but how many of you cant love her just for that?
• The romance was  a believable high school romance and then some. I can honestly say I felt my heart flutter many times and I maybe, possibly, almost *coughswoonedcough*. Ahem.
• Etienne wasn't perfect. And neither was Anna. Etienne was short. Anna has a gap in her teeth. I like it when a character doesn't make me feel like a waste of space.
• The whole "love interest has a girlfriend" thing was a first in the bookish world for me. And  I loved it. Don't get me wrong, Etienne was definitely almost a scumbag, but it was handled decently well, but I liked that it was a premise that happens all the time. Hell, its happened to me, to friends of mine, to people I've heard about in passing.
• Anna didn't decide the day after she met Etienne that she was in love with him. Basically what I'm saying is that even though it killed me sometimes that Anna and Etienne weren't together when I wanted them to be, I thought the story was paced well. I just loved this book!

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:

• The only thing I can honestly think of was that the ending was a little too tidy for me. It wrapped up nice and neat after not being so nice and neat pretty much the entire time. Otherwise, I cant think of anything I disliked in this book.

     RATING:

I know what you're all thinking - well those of you who haven't read this one yet.  Anna and the French Kiss? Really? Seriously? I know it sounds silly. Even my own non-reader fiancé made a face at the title and cover when I picked it up off of my shelf to read. But I saw the reviews, I'd been told I had to read it, and I did, and now I am wondering why the hell I took so long! I am also wondering: (1) why did I stop reading romance, when I clearly adore it?; and (2) why do I keep telling myself I'm not into contemporary YA? I mean, I really, really enjoyed this book. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't epic or life changing and it was definitely just a fun, quirky read, but it actually had some depth to it, and Stephanie Perkins crafts characters that I want to be friends with. Like - you-can have my friends, can I have Rashmi and Josh and Meredith and Etienne. I would date him but he has better hair than me.

And even though the ending kind of annoyed me, the fact that this book had me up until 2:30 a.m. at night when I had a 13-hour work day starting at 9:00 a.m. the next day kind of cements the 5-star rating. And let me tell you: I do not stay up late. Oh no. Not this girl, not on the week days. But Stephanie Perkins got me. And I'm exhausted, but it was worth it! I even woke up excited about this book, so I cant be mad at myself for how tired I am right now. Read it - please. You'll love it.

★★★★★

(5 stars)

Have you read Anna and the French Kiss? What did you think? Do you agree or disagree?

A.