Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins Series: Anna and the French Kiss #3
Published by Dutton Juvenile on August 14, 2014
Genres: Contemporary YA, Relationships, Romance
Pages: 352
Format: Hardcover
Source: Bought it
Amazon • Barnes & Noble • Goodreads
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.
Guys, forgive me for being a little behind the times with my reviews. I’m working my way through a reading backlog from the summer! Of course, this lag has given me plenty of time to ruminate on my endless love for the long-awaited ISLA AND THE HAPPILY EVER AFTER. True story: I preordered this book on Christmas Day 2012. I’ve been salivating for it for years, and it was beyond worth whatever time Stephanie Perkins needed to birth this beautiful baby. I thought that ISLA AND THE HAPPILY EVER AFTER was basically perfect.
If you remember, back in ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS, we met Etienne’s best friend, Josh, and a very shy girl who crushed on him silently, Isla. Thankfully, we meet up with them in their shared home of New York City before they begin their last year at SOAP. They flirt, sort of, and it’s adorable. When they return to Paris, their hesitant friendship quickly blossoms, but Isla and Josh each have their own baggage and demons that conspire to dash their passionate romance to pieces. GASPPPPPPP!!!
I just…I die. I can’t with these two, and with these books, and with the swoons and butterflies and emotions. Josh and Isla, even though they are very different people, harken back to Anna and Etienne for me in terms of being forever burned onto my brain with their love. Lola and Cricket were awesome, but they didn’t hold a candle to Anna and Etienne for me. Isla and Josh DO. They do, they do, they do.
One of my favorite things about Stephanie Perkins’ characters is that they are so unique and real. Isla and Josh are no exception. Isla is shy and lacking some confidence in herself and her desirability. She’s unsure of her future, and her self-esteem issues often trip her up. HOW IS THIS NOT EVERY HUMAN. The only thing that she’s pretty much sure of after all this time is her serious crush on Josh. Josh the artist. Josh the senator’s son. Josh the rebel, the newly single. Josh is an emo, stone-cold FOX. A panty-melting, heartbreaking FOX. Sometimes I wanted to hug him, sometimes I wanted to smack him, sometimes I wanted to tackle him. I would never do that to Isla though. She’s too lovely and adorable.
As much as I loved Josh and Isla separately, it’s obviously their romance that makes ISLA AND THE HAPPILY EVER AFTER go. Their chemistry is palpable and fun, and I couldn’t help but be caught up in the whirlwind of their feelings right from the start. It made the roadblocks they have to overcome that much more wrenching because these two together are IT. There’s so much EMOTION in their relationship that it sometimes seems like things happen really quickly, but it feels so right between them. Also, I love how Stephanie Perkins incorporated Josh’s drawing into both his own story and their relationship. In fact, there’s one scene in particular that made my butterflies FLIP OUTTT. SO GOOD.
There are other relationships in ISLA AND THE HAPPILY EVER AFTER, though. I know, I know. We all love the swoons. But there are friendships (I adored Isla’s best friend, Kurt), sibling relationships (Isla’s with her younger sister is particularly important and fraught), and parental relationships (Josh and his parents are in a not-good place). Having these other people feature prominently in their lives fleshes the story of Isla and Josh out, and adds really great dimension to their characters. They make their relationship something that they need to fight for even more. And as we know, a relationship worth fighting for is always satisfying and intense and a pleasure to read.
Of course, it was AWESOME to be back in Paris again! I love Paris. It’s the perfect setting for these super romantic books. I love how Isla and Josh explore different parts of the city from Anna and Etienne, parts that are just theirs. Secret places, hidden gem places, modern weird places. It’s the best atmosphere. Plus, speaking of Anna and Etienne, it was THE BEST to see them again. THE ACTUAL BEST. I do love those two something fierce.
Really, though, all of the best things about ISLA AND THE HAPPILY EVER AFTER orbit Isla and Josh. They’re the emotional center, and their relationship feels exactly like two people are holding each other’s hands and spinning in circles until they’re both dizzy: the world around them is a blur, they spin faster and faster, out of breath from laughing, and the only thing keeping them from falling down is the other’s grip. I just loved this book. JUST LOVED IT. Instant favorite.
Haha. Yes, Josh is a fox! I loved Josh. I didn’t love this book as much as Anna and the French Kiss, but I did really like it. And I can’t even when they first meet up in NYC and Isla is out of it. SOOOO FREAKING FUNNY!!
I love this review, Amy! Isla is my favorite of the three – I like how we jump almost immediately into their relationship (because that does happen in real life, too!) and then we watch as they try to make it work. Josh is ADORABLE – love that boy – and while Isla is no Anna, I did like her a lot better than Lola. 😛