Isla and the Happily Ever After

by Stephanie Perkins
published: Dutton, 2014
pages: 352

Isla Martin has had a crush on Josh since she first laid eyes on him in their freshman year.  So when she sees him in a cafe the summer before their senior year, she takes a chance and finally talks to him.  This is where their love story starts, but can it last when real life begins to push its way into their fairytale?

I've been waiting for a book that told Josh's story! Josh was one of my favorite characters in Anna and the French Kiss and I'm so glad I got to see so much more of him in this book.  I always liked his artistry but we never saw too much of it in either of the previous books but now that he is one of the central characters, we get to see so much more of his art. 

Isla on the other hand, seems to be incredibly immature.  I get the whole three year crush thing, but the way she reacted to everything seemed a little bit out of place for her age.  (Although, there is some character development in that area.)

I'm going to say it, I've never seen such an incredible display of insta-love.  The way the book plays out, it feels like more should have passed, but it's astonishing the time span in which we're supposed to believe all this happened.  That was the most disappointing thing about this book.

Paris! Again we visit Paris as well as a couple other places in this book.  The descriptions are so vivid and done well for all the cities, however, Barcelona was by far the most vivid city of the book.  It was breathtaking and quirky; I felt the need to jump on a plane so I could experience the city with them.

One of my favorite things about these books is that the characters show up in each others lives.  I was wondering how it would work out this time and I wasn't disappointed.  It's great to see characters I love living their lives outside the view of the main character.  In this particular moment, everyone is together and it's beautiful.

Despite my issues with this book, I really enjoyed reading it.  It gave me good closure to this entire world and cast of characters.  It's safe to say that I will pick up any book that Stephanie Perkins writes.

Stars: 3.5 Stars

Praise:

"It's hard to imagine a more romantic tale than Isa and the Happily Ever After."
     --Bookpage, teen top pick

"Engaging teen characters with page-turning love lives offer ample vicarious pleasures...A satisfying dose of first love's physical and emotional thralls."
     --Kirkus Reviews

"Realistic characters, spot-on dialogue, and a truly delightful romance make for a novel that will delight the author's fans and win her legions of new ones."
     --School Library Journal, starred review.


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