Title: Isla and the Happily Ever AfterAuthor: Stephanie Perkins
Series: Anna and the French Kiss, book #3
Publisher: Dutton
Publication Date: August 14, 2014
Source: purchased
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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.
It felt like we all waited ages for this book. The release date got pushed a couple times I thought. You would think I'd have read it right away.... but nope.. I didn't read it until almost a full year from release. I do that lot. I crave a book, buy it when it comes out, and then it sits forever. I still have Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey on my kindle. For shame! I loved the Fifth Wave and needed that book like immediately. Pathetic I tell ya.
I considered doing Audio with Isla, but changed my mind because some the the reviews on Audible didn't speak too highly of the narrator, so I went with the kindle version.
I liked it. I would almost say I loved it, but not as much as I had hoped I would. I adored Isla's character back when I read Anna and the French Kiss. We didn't see much of her back then, but I was intrigued and very excited when I saw she would be writing a book involving her.
It didn't hold the magic Anna held though. You see, Anna and the French Kiss was the first YA Contemporary I ever read. So it's like my first love. Nothing else compares. My favorite part about Isla was the cameo's all the previous characters made towards the end.
Now I'm not saying Isla and the Happily Ever After is a bad book. It's really quite good, but it's my least favorite so far of Perkins. While there were some really sweet swoony things, I didn't find Isla's relationship with Josh very realistic. Or even healthy at times. She was kind of obsessed with him to the point of creepy. I was cheering for her though. I had a huge crush for my last two years in highschool, and we finally hooked up once after graduation. It was awesome and disappointing all at the same time. lol. But mostly awesome because I always wondered. But anyway, I kinda knew how she was feeling when he finally saw her. ya know?
Overall, it was cute. Even if Isla was annoying sometimes. I will still read anything Perkins writes, because she popped my literary contemp cherry. :)
About the author:
Hi, there! I'm Steph, and I wrote ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS, LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR, and ISLA AND THE HAPPILY EVER AFTER. I also edited (and contributed a short story to) a romantic holiday anthology called MY TRUE LOVE GAVE TO ME. My next YA novel will be horror—a teen slasher published by Dutton.
Find Stephanie:
Website | Blog | Twitter | Tumblr | Goodreads
I loved Anna too... though I haven't read Lola and Isla, I have a feeling Anna will still be my favorite if I ever did. :D Great review, April! :)
ReplyDeleteBlessie @ Mischievous Reads
Gosh, I also bought this book a year ago, and still haven't read it, eek! You're right that nothing will match the magic of Anna and the French Kiss though - I really enjoyed it so much.
ReplyDeleteI think I agree with you that this was my least favorite Stephanie Perkins book. But that is okay because I loved the other 2 and this one I still really liked. I think it was the hard-core crush that she had that did it for me. It was a little creepy/stalkerish there for a while. At the same time I fell in love with the atmosphere in the book. Great review!
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