Title: Isla and the Happily Ever AfterAuthor:Stephanie Perkins
Series: Anna and the French Kiss (#3)
Pages: 339 (hardcover)
Published: August 2014 by Dutton
(All links below lead to the respective books' goodreads pages)
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.
My Thoughts: Oh boy, where to begin with this book. I'm such a huge fan of the other books in this series. They're a couple of my favorite contemporary young adult books so when I got this book, let's just say that I had high expectations that were sadly not all met. I didn't hate it but I certainly didn't love it either, however I had a lot to say about it. Warning: this is sort of a long post. Ye be warned.
Let's start with the setting shall we? In the previous books of this series, the setting was a character in and of itself. With Anna and the French Kiss it was Paris and in Lola and the Boy Next Door it was San Francisco, but here in Isla and the Happily Ever After it could have taken place anywhere. The only time I felt in touch with the setting was when they were in Barcelona, which was only about a few chapters of the book. The setting to me felt about as distant as Isla did to her own self-awareness.
Which brings me to my next point: the characters. I didn't have too many problems with the other characters, it was just Isla who drove me up the wall. I've never had this problem with any of Stephanie Perkins other works, but I just couldn't relate or even like Isla as a character.
Oh goodness where to start with Isla. She was selfish and it was like she was trying to guilt trip Josh any time she caught a whiff of his past life before they started dating because of her deep rooted jealousy. She wanted to be a part of something that has already happened so badly that she was willing to be act out by being needy and high maintenance while at the same time sabotage her mostly physical relationship with Josh (Why did they even like each other again? No really remind me, I can't remember.)
And when it came to her interactions with her family, it was as though they were just side-side-4th-party characters that didn't have much say in the matter of the story whatsoever. They're vague and stereotypical for the most part so why is it that I prefer these blurry images over Isla, our narrator of the story? I barely felt any attachment towards Isla, but I did enjoy Josh's and Kurt's characters a little more since they seemed a lot more reasonable and levelheaded as people. I didn't hate the book and I quite liked pretty much all the other characters, but I can honestly say that Isla might be my least favorite character. Do you see my problem?
I mean for someone who doesn't like and shies away from attention Isla certainly is dramatic. She often goes into soap-opera-worthy hysterics especially when it comes to Josh, that seem sort of over the top for someone who's only been dating this guy for a couple months. And I think that's what bothers me the most about this book: the instant head-over-heels, I-would-die-for-you-in-an-instant love between Josh and Isla.
Their love doesn't feel real. It feels staged and forced on Isla's side, like she's trying to fly thru their relationship just so she can get to the good parts even tho she says time and time again that when it comes to Josh, she wants the good with the bad yet acts out like a pouting child when she finds out details about his life that she doesn't like.
But like I said, I didn't hate this book. It was the cute, melt-your-heart moments between Isla and Josh that really drove and ultimately saved this book. Like I mentioned earlier, the Barcelona scene was like something out of a loveable rom-com and so were most of the scenes near the beginning when Isla and Josh were just getting to know each other better. And let's not forget the scenes with Lola, Anna, and the gang. Omg O. M. G. When they came into the story I had to step away from the book because it was so darn cute and I missed them so much, I just couldn't even handle it.
In general, this is hands down my least favorite book of this series, with Anna and the French Kiss in first place and Lola and the Boy Next Door in second. However, I'm not upset that I took the time to read it. I didn't feel like I wasted my time with it and honestly I couldn't put it down most of the time, which gives me hope for the next Stephanie Perkins novel, whatever it may have in store for us.
My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
