Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins | Book Review

TITLE: Isla and the Happily Ever After
AUTHOR: Stephanie Perkins
PUBLISHER/YEAR: Dutton / 2014
SERIES: Yes, but can be read as a stand alone. It follows Anna and the French Kiss and Lola and the Boy Next Door
SOURCE: Purchased

Goodreads / Author's Website

Summary
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 and Reactions
You Guys, I've loved everything I have ever read by Stephanie Perkins. I basically swooned my way through Anna and the French Kiss (it remains a favourite book of mine to this day) and while Lola and the Boy Next Door wasn't as memorable for me I still loved it at the time. I have been looking forward to reading Isla and the Happily Ever After for ages and I'm so glad I finally got the chance to. 

Isla and the Happily Ever After is set the year after Anna and the French Kiss. Isla is living in New York for the summer when she runs into Josh, the boy from school who she's had a crush on forever. Once they're back in Paris they're inseparable, but of course life gets in the way. They have a few romantic weeks, but Josh's issues with rules come back and threaten to separate them as does the looming possibility of going to separate countries for college. 

Isla isn't exactly what I was expecting when I first started reading it, but I don't think that's a criticism in the slightest. Both Anna and Isla were on the lighter side of reading for me; they dealt with real world issues, but the characters were fairly confident and I, as a reader, was confident in the happy ending. These were fictional characters that swept me off my feet, but they were still fictional characters living in a beautiful version of the modern world. These are a few of the reasons why I love the books so much. Isla was different in that way though; she felt more real, more grounded as a character. She hit very close to home for me. 

There were moments reading this book that I admit I had to put it down and it took me awhile to pick it back up again. This went on right until I was finished. The writing was as always spot on, but I saw a lot of myself in Isla and not always in the best way. She's a bright, academically motivated high school senior, but she doesn't have a plan and feels completely adrift. She has a lot of insecurities that just are. They don't really have an explanation, but they affect her decisions, her relationships, everything really. It was hard to read parts of it because I know that I myself have made and will continue to make a few of her poorer decisions. This was a girl I know well. Picking a fight with a boyfriend because of some fear that really only stems from your own mind? Yup, been there. Anna is one of my favourite books because it's escapism for me; I loved Isla, but because it felt REAL. This is a story that I know. 

The story line has none of the big dramas of the other two novels, again it felt more grounded in reality. At times the pace may have felt sluggish for some, but for me it was perfect. Josh is a senators son and talented artist who has some issues with school and rules and sure these kids can hop on a train to Barcelona, but nothing felt over dramatic. The tone was right and their reactions were those of high school students. Most of it focuses on the painful decisions you have to make once you graduate and separate from the people you've known for years. It's about trying to figure out your place in the larger world and how you react to it. 

One of my favourite things about Stephanie Perkins is her ability to weave humour and levity into her books that aren't always light and fluffy and that remains true with this one. I also love the settings. The worlds she creates are beautiful and filled with artwork and love. It's really our world as it should be. Anna inspired me to go to Paris the first time and Isla makes me want to revisit it. The beauty of the scenery is inspiring and it makes me want to live in this world with murals on the walls and trains through the countryside. Even getting drenched in the rain sounds romantic when it's on the pages of this novel. 

Isla was a harder read for me and I know I won't revisit it as much as I would with the other novels in this series, but only because it is so well written and spot on. If I didn't relate to it as much as I do it would be easier to read, but wouldn't be as real. This book affected me in ways that the other novels did not and I'm grateful for that. I'm so glad that I finally read it and I'm glad I persevered even when I found it difficult. It's a fantastic end to one of my favourite series. 

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins | Book Review

TITLE: Lola and the Boy Next Door
AUTHOR: Stephanie Perkins
PUBLISHER/YEAR: Dutton Books / 2011
SERIES: A sort of companion to Anna and the French Kiss, but with a different setting and main characters
SOURCE: Purchased

Goodreads / Author's Website

I fell in love with Stephanie Perkins when I read Anna and the French Kiss earlier this year. I immediately ran out and purchased Lola and the Boy Next Door, but then I was left with crippling, book related anxiety. What if it didn't live up to my expectations? What if I've built it up too much in my mind? You guys, I let it sit for months in my bedroom, just waiting around at the bottom of my giant stack of books. Well it turns out that all that worry was for nothing because Lola just confirms my love of Stephanie Perkins.

Lola and the Boy Next Door is exactly what I look for when I pick up a contemporary. It wasn't too heavy, but there were definite real world issues in play. Lola is a different kind of character; she definitely marches to the beat of her own drum. She doesn't believe in fashion, only in costume. She dreams of becoming a major Hollywood costume designer. Her boyfriend is an older guy in a rock band and she imagines them having the perfect bohemian life once she graduates. However, the Bell twins, Cricket and Calliope throw a bit of a wrench in her plans as old feelings pop up with Cricket's return.

Whenever I think of Stephanie Perkins' books so far I think of a romantic comedy in book form. She has this ability to bring the swoons, but create these problems that get in the way. Everybody can see these two characters are perfect for each other, but the story is in the telling of how they find each other. I personally love everything about it. Like sure maybe some of the situations are a little deus ex machina, but I love a good romance. These books just leave you feeling good at the end; how can you not love that?

There were times during Lola that I found myself rolling my eyes a little, but I was okay with it. Lola isn't the perfect character; she's got flaws and I can appreciate that as a reader. She's definitely got teenage girl mentality and she doesn't always see how her actions affect others. It was, at times, frustrating, but she shows growth as a character. And really, don't flaws just make a character more relatable anyways? Like who wants to read about somebody who's absolutely perfect? Lola is fun and spunky and she kind of does what she wants, but she's got emotions you guys. She's affected by her past, but not totally controlled by it and I really liked this girl.

Cricket too was fantastic. He's like the perfect geeky boy. So he's not as swoon worthy as Etienne, but he's got his own thing going on. He's quieter, but like pretty much a genius. He doesn't always say what he feels (hello miscommunications), but like overall, such a sweet and caring book boyfriend.

The thing I wasn't expecting, but really loved was the way Anna and Etienne were worked into this companion novel. Like I figured there might be a mention of them, but no, they were actually full on secondary characters who were good friends with both Lola and Cricket. It was nice to get a chance to see where they are now.

Family dynamics played a huge role in Lola which was just fantastic. Diversity was a thing; like it wasn't totally heteronormative which is a HUGE thing for me and I love love love that it wasn't treated like the biggest thing in the world. I also loved seeing the love and support from both Lola and Cricket's family. They weren't perfect and each character clearly had some family issues going on, but there was some genuine love there that just added an extra layer to the story that I really appreciated.

I can't really criticize much in Lola and the Boy Next Door. It was exactly what I was looking for when I picked it up. It was a light read, but it had enough weight to keep me fully engaged. It had some improbably situations, but Perkins' writing made them funny rather than annoying. Everything from the freak outs to the kisses were so well done that I absolutely devoured this book. I actually went back and re-read Anna after finishing this one, just because I needed more Perkins in my life. She writes characters that I can totally invest in and she does it in a way that makes me laugh and swoon. I honestly couldn't ask for more.