Synopsis: 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.
Must read! Must have! Must buy! Must fall in love with!
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance
Recommended to: Romance lovers
Previous books in the series:
Anna and The French Kiss Lola and The Boy Next Door
My thoughts:
Brilliant, swoony, laugh-out-loud
perfection. Instant favorite. Current obsession. Romance heaven. Isla and The Happily Ever After is
exactly that and so much more! I'm shocked to say that -- wait for it -- it
might top Anna and the French Kiss. *gulp* I know, I'm betraying Anna right now, but my love for both of
these books knows no bounds and I'll gladly succumb to their enchantment.
I've prayed and prayed some more that this
book would be more Anna-esque and
less Lola-esque, because,
unfortunately, Lola didn't get me
fangirlish -- on the opposite really. But rest assured, Isla far exceeded my
expectations!
“Josh looks out
over the sea of passengers and through the metal cage. And his eyes go from
blank to seeing. They see me.
The elevator door closes.”
The elevator door closes.”
I adored Isla. She's just so perfectly
imperfect by having insecurities and fears and dreams. Isla is driven and smart
and loving. But she's also a helpless romantic and I was giddy with excitement
every time she started to daydream. She underestimates herself and although she
tends to ruin her own happiness, you can see she's evolving into a great young
woman. She's acknowledging her mistakes. She's finally taking risks. She's
facing her fears straight-on. Plus, she's hella fun.
“I can’t imagine
Josh falling for someone vanilla.
Not that Josh would ever fall for me.
But I wouldn’t want to ruin any chance.
Even though I don’t have a chance.
But just in case I do.
Even though I don’t.”
Not that Josh would ever fall for me.
But I wouldn’t want to ruin any chance.
Even though I don’t have a chance.
But just in case I do.
Even though I don’t.”
Now I need to confess another thing.
Ready?
Drumrolls, please.
Here goes nothing. *gulp*
I think I love Josh Wasserstein more than I
do Etienne St. Clair. Ohmygod, please
forgive me, Etienne. *pleads for mercy*
You want to know why I love this boy so so
much? More than I probably do Etienne? *cringes*
I mean, I liked Josh a lot in the first book, but now? I'm on glorious fangirl
mode. Let's start by saying that the best thing about him is his honesty. He's
a brooding artist so describing him as hard to crack would be an
understatement, but despite him being all mysterious and alluring, he's
honorable, kind and sincere. Not as charming or as hilarious as pretty boy St.
Clair (see, baby, I still love you)
but definitely smexy on a whole other level.
His talent is astounding. His loneliness is
gut-wrenching. And his love is all-consuming. My heart ached for him so much
and it did a back-flip whenever he smiled or blushed or got a bit jealous.
Ahhh, and he's so romantic! Book boyfriends everywhere, you mind want to step
down because the King of swoons arrived. Also, it might help that he's very
good-looking (understatement of the year) and stylish (he loves clothes without
saying it) and abso-freaking-lutely drool worthy in his adorable self. *happy sigh*
“I cleared off
the bed, though, and the sheets are clean.”
My eyebrows practically hit my hairline.
“To sit on.” His accusation is made jokingly, but his skin turns melon pink. “Nice shoes, by the way.”
I’m wearing flats. “Nice deflection, by the way.”
“Nice to see you, by the way.”
“Nice save, by the way.”
My eyebrows practically hit my hairline.
“To sit on.” His accusation is made jokingly, but his skin turns melon pink. “Nice shoes, by the way.”
I’m wearing flats. “Nice deflection, by the way.”
“Nice to see you, by the way.”
“Nice save, by the way.”
I loved that we got to see the whole
relationship between Josh and Isla unfold. A crush turned to love. A romance
turned to a choice of self-discovery. From the early stages of awkwardness and
shyness to the full-on passion and yearning, Perkins allows us to see it
develop in a heartwarming but also realistic way: we see the ups and downs, the
beautiful and the ugly, the contentment and the drama.
“Josh is a
beautiful, messy, passionate work of art, and I’m…a blank canvas.
There’s nothing here to love.”
There’s nothing here to love.”
And oh, what delicious drama! Just a drop
to keep it interesting and to trigger a great character-development. Sure, it
shadowed the overall happy atmosphere, but it was necessary to both the story
and the characters. Plus, it made the ending so much sweeter!
“He tastes like
champagne. He tastes like desire. He tastes like my deepest craving fulfilled.”
You know what else I completely loved about
this book? The sexiness. Don't get me wrong, Anna and Lola had their fair share
of romantic moments with St. Clair and Cricket, but it was never, you know,
downright sexy. In this book, Stephanie Perkins brings out her A-game! The
chemistry between Josh and Isla is sizzling and smoking HOT. Like
hyperventilating HOT. Blush-worthy HOT. Uber-duber-crazy HOT.
“You know,” I
tease, “you still haven’t told me why you’re here. You were…passing by? Wanted
to brag about getting a week off from school?”
“Oh. Uh, right.” Josh sort of laughs and glances out my window. “I was just wondering if you wanted to go out.”
Holy.
Shit.”
“Oh. Uh, right.” Josh sort of laughs and glances out my window. “I was just wondering if you wanted to go out.”
Holy.
Shit.”
The secondary characters were, simply put,
awesome. I loved Kurt to the hell and back. It takes guts to create such a
unique character and I couldn't be more grateful that the author included him.
Isla's parents are supportive and proud of their girl and I loved that little
aspect if the story. Her older sister, Gen, is a crazy lovable person. And I
grew to love her younger sister, Hattie, as well, even though she proved to be
very difficult at first. Then there are Josh's parents that are a bit
double-faced, but at least baby-steps were made in the relationship between
them and Isla.
You already know that I omitted someone.
I'm sneaky like that and I saved the best for the last. We get to reunite with
our favorite gang of SOAP students and two of San Francisco's fashion
trend-setters. Yeah, you heard that right: Anna and Etienne with Lola and
Cricket and even Meredith are all there! I was reminded why I loved their
friendship so much in the first place. The bromance between St. Clair and Josh
is so heartwarming and seeing Josh's admiration and respect for his best friend
turned me into mush. Aaaand there's a scene so incredibly swoon-worthy that
brings the books to full circle that you won't be able to keep your emotions in
check.
Anything else that I loved about this last
book? Well, locations were again spot-on and completely enrapturing. Paris, New
York, Barcelona. They surrounded the story in a surreal atmosphere, in perfect
sync with the romance portrayed. It was like Josh and Isla's own little perfect
bubble.
“We talk about
the shiny little nothings we see – people and cars and cathedrals, even la Tour
Eiffel – but it’s not that we don’t have anything meaningful to say. The
feeling is that we have everything to say.
And where do you begin with everything?”
And where do you begin with everything?”
Stephanie Perkins did her magic with words
yet again and I was constantly craving them like a junkie! I'm in awe of her
writing skills; the story she created is just so captivating and real. This
book might be her best one yet and I cannot recommend it enough. I fell in love
with the characters, I met again with my precious babies from the previous
books, I laughed, I swooned, I smiled till my cheeks hurt, I cried some happy
and some not-so-happy tears. Give it to her to craft such an incredible,
gorgeous and emotional roller-coaster. I'm so grateful she took her time with
it, because the wait was worth it.
“For some
reason, now is the moment I blush. “You like?”
“I love.”
“I love.”
Isla
and The Happily Ever After gave me all the happy
sighs, swoons and goofy smiles a romantic book lover could hope for. This book
is heart-melting, knee-wobbling, squeal-worthy and everything in between! I'll
forever hold it close to my heart, right there along with the first book in the
series, even though my encounter with Lola
and The Boy Next Door was a tad bit disappointing. But honestly, start this
series. And if you already did, then grab this third and last book and prepare
for the FEELS. You're in for a wonderful, sexy and addictive ride.
“It’s beautiful.
But what comes next?”
“The best part.” And he pulls me back into his arms. “The happily ever after.”
“The best part.” And he pulls me back into his arms. “The happily ever after.”
ENJOY! ©
P.S. I'd love an epilogue with all the couples. Pleeeeease.
0 comentarii:
Trimiteți un comentariu