Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

On
Monday, 20 July 2015
My edition: Speak Paperback
First published: 2014
Pages: 339
Source: Own book
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. 
Thoughts: A light, cute, summer read that somewhat lacks the character dimension we've previously seen in the Anna and the French Kiss trilogy.

I’ll admit it, this book disappointed me – mainly because of the characters, but also because of the rapid pacing of the plot. For example, almost immediately into the novel, after Josh offers to sketch her in a coffee shop, Isla claims to “love” Josh. She recounts how Josh and his ex girlfriend broke up only a month ago and starts comparing herself to his ex, reaching the conclusion that “His ex was tenacious and outspoken. My opposite.” Isla also admits they’ve “rarely spoken to each other at school and never outside of it”. This was perhaps my biggest annoyance with the novel; the pacing and the sheer dramatic nature of it all. Undoubtedly, Isla has admired and adored Josh from afar, a “love at first sight” kind of romance and honestly, I was sceptical of this almost false relationship she had created within her own head.

Isla as a narrator was dreary and bleak, her thoughts consisted of Josh and only Josh – a Josh, it should be noted, she has pretended to know for years and consequently “Googles” to keep up to date with his life. In all honesty, Isla’s obsession portrayed as childish and somewhat bizarre to me. Isla knew of Josh, his goals, family, friends, exes, (and even his home) before speaking a single word to him. Additionally, as an individual character, Isla remained flat and boring. Even after finishing the novel all I know of Isla is that she has two sisters and a best friend with asperger’s.

Kurt, Isla’s best friend, was by far my favourite character. I definitely believed he provided the voice of rationality in this book and reminded Isla throughout to stop living with her head in the clouds. However, I do believe his relationship with Isla narrowed towards the end of the novel where he was more of an old friend than a so-called “best friend”. I felt, although Isla stuck up for Kurt and stressed multiple times that the two were only best friends, he was replaced with Josh and forgotten.

As for Josh, he (alike Isla), was also somewhat boring and flat. I didn’t really fall for his character like I did with Etienne in Anna and the French Kiss and Cricket in Lola and the Boy Next Door

Overall, I am ambivalent about Isla and the Happily Ever After. Perkins’ fast-paced prose teamed with Isla and Josh’s whirlwind of a romance was highly intriguing but ultimately, I was left feeling disappointed with this novel and in most cases, aggravated and confused. Isla and the Happily Ever After turns all aspects of a beautiful love story on its head, and I’m unsure as to how I feel about it. There was some cute moments, and some no-holding-back moments which you don’t really see in Young Adult/Contemporary novels and I adored these scenes. But, the thing that ruined this novel was definitely Isla and her stalker tendencies and her rather rushed relationship with Josh; the quick pacing and lack of character development were a huge part of this story and thus, unfortunately, I can only rate this book 3 stars. I am, however, glad to have read and finished the Anna and the French Kiss trilogy and I will probably still recommend this book.

My rating: ★★★½
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