Saturday, September 13, 2014

Review: Isla and the Happily Ever After

Isla and the Happily Ever After
By: Stephanie Perkins
Release Date: August 14, 2014
Series: Anna and the French Kiss #3

Description:
Love ignites in the City That Never Sleeps, but can it last?

Hopeless romantic Isla has had a crush on introspective cartoonist Josh since their first year at the School of America in Paris. And after a chance encounter in Manhattan over the summer, romance might be closer than Isla imagined. But as they begin their senior year back in France, Isla and Josh are forced to confront the challenges every young couple must face, including family drama, uncertainty about their college futures, and the very real possibility of being apart.

Featuring cameos from fan-favorites Anna, Étienne, Lola, and Cricket, this sweet and sexy story of true love—set against the stunning backdrops of New York City, Paris, and Barcelona—is a swoonworthy conclusion to Stephanie Perkins’s beloved series.


Review:


The much anticipated third book in the Stephanie Perkins series Anna and the French Kiss – Isla and the Happily Ever After has finally landed on my lap and I can honestly say that Stephanie Perkins again has not disappointed me in the very least.  We still have the amazing setting of France and the US (NY) and some amazingly artistic and different characters.  There is love, confusion, friendship and a beautiful appearance from all previous characters which brings this series full circle. 

We are reintroduced to Josh and Isla.  (You can pronounce my name.” Most people call me Iz-la, but I’m Eye-la. Island without the nd.) Isla has been in love with Josh forever but he’s never considered her at all until that one loopy day they meet at Kismet in NY and the next day when there is a bit of a misunderstanding with Isla’s best friend Kurt.   It was all very cute how they meet up and finally talk again after the one time they did many years ago and it’s also fun to watch as the rediscover one another in different ways and Josh learns to love Kurt as Isla does, or at least be a good friend to him.

Josh is very set on his plan for the future and Isla is lost in the wind, unknowing where her future will lead her and what she will be doing but the two of them feed off each other and again it’s very cute and adorable.  The one thing that got me the most about Josh was his art, his passion and his love for it.  I wish we could see his graphic novel (well maybe not all the parts, you’ll see what I’m talking about) but I can imagine a truly talented young artist thoroughly exposing himself on these blank pages.  Isla on the other hand is really just trying to find who she is, and it is okay to know that you don’t have a plan for the future because one day it will come to you. 

This was a very good ending to the series and bought all the friends together in the end.  Overall I really enjoyed the up and down relationship between Josh and Isla and the secondary characters of her sister and best friend Kurt.  It was interesting to see the different dynamics between all of them.  The settings again I could only imagine are as beautiful as described in this book and one day I will make it there.  The storyline was very good in that it was not all quick and fast love but there was development and there was a bit of turmoil which always makes thing interesting but I think what I came out with in the end was to remember to believe in yourself, you are as worthy as the person next to you.  Great story, the cover is okay but it’s still very eye catching.

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