Review: Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins.
Series: Anna and the French Kiss #3
Source: Bought hardcover
Publisher: Dutton
Publication Date: August 14, 2014
Age Genre: Young Adult

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.

Honestly, it pains me to write this review. I've read and loved Anna and Lola, and I've been eagerly awaiting and expecting Isla. The many five stars reviews that flooded the net before and after the publication stoked my excitement even more. I couldn't wait! I opened the book the very same day I got it, and at first, it seemed perfect. But then, something shifted. The veil has lifted, if I was to be dramatic about it, and I realized... well, I realized this book was nothing special.

At first, I was thrilled (and, honestly, surprised) we didn't have to wait the whole book for them to get together. They were so sweet and adorkable, and it made me happy. But I guess here is the problem with this book; because it didn't have 300 pages of not being together to occupy the plot, there had to be some other problems ahead of them--and those "problems" were really annoying, and made me hate Isla, the main character.

From the moment their "problems" started popping up (mainly Isla being impossible and stupid and mad at the silliest things that Josh couldn't help any more than she can! He has a past! So do you! Get over it and stop being a bitch!) it was SO hard for me to read this book. And those are words I never thought I'd use for a Stephanie Perkins novel. I had to convince myself to continue, and mostly I found other things to occupy my time (like, the internet). It took me five days to finish the book, and for me that's a lot. Especially for a book I was so excited for, whose seniors I've finished in a day each.

At the end, this book never managed to get me to fall in love together with Josh and Isla. Frankly, it couldn't even convince me of that love. That's right - I didn't believe the love in a Stephanie Perkins book. I know, this is probably blasphemy. But it's the unfortunate truth. At a certain point I was just like "why are they so in love? Like, seriously. What's holding them together?"

Also, book-wise, it felt to me like this book tried too hard to be... sexy? And I know, the word "adorkable" and "sexy" sound weird in the same context, but there you have it anyway. The "heat" in this book is umped up, and I can't say I loved it because it didn't feel natural to me.
Plus, I really disliked Isla telling Josh's story through his memoir. I don't know, it kind of bored me, even though it shouldn't have.

BUT, all that being said, I did enjoy the beginning and end of the book (from the moment Isla got over herself). And I do think this is a fun contemporary. It just didn't live up to the standard I've come to expect from Stephanie. And, I'm a minority, so don't let my rant-ish review to deter you from reading this book, okay? ;-)

   Nitzan★

Related

Who Wore it Better: Anna and the French Kiss

Who Wore it Better is an original meme I brought with me from Drugs Called Books. In it, instead of discussing fashion or cloths, we discuss book covers from different countries, and who has the best cover. The meme is co-hosted with the lovely Amanda from The Book Badger and will be featured on her blog every other week, so check her out as well!  

This Thursday, I'll be discussing different covers for Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins, in celebration of Isla and the Happily Ever After finally releasing (I've been waiting for sooo long!!)

1. English - so this is the original and most well known cover for this book. It's also the reason it took me years to decide to read the book. I really don't like it. I don't like the colors, I don't like the composition, I don't like the models... It looks very childish (to me) and doesn't attract me at all. If it wasn't for winning a giveaway and this book being the prize, I probably would never have read the book, which is such a huge shame as I loved it. 

2. English 2 - Probably my favorite of the bunch. It's a lot more mature looking, with the gradient composition and the focal point being the title, but it also gives off the cutesy, adorable vibe of the story with the color choice, the little heart and the serene scene of Paris in the background. If this was the cover out to begin with, I never would've put off reading the book. 

3. French - I really like this cover. I like the colors, I like we don't really see Anna, but we do see the bag that shows she's not from around. I like that she's standing on the solid purple background and not on the French scenery, looking at it from afar, as a stranger to the city would. I think whoever designed this cover did a really good job!

4.German - If you asked me "yay" or "nay", then Nay, but kudos to the designers for coming up with something new, interesting and cutesy to say "Paris" and "Love" without showing the Eiffel Tower!

5. German 2 - This one pretty much tried to copy the idea of the original, and if not for the fact everything looks so photoshoped and her legs look cut off, it could be cute. But all those exist, so... nope. 

6. Indonesian- I really really like this one. It's simple and cute and there's not much else to say about it. 

After all this talking, I'll sum things up for you - the second English cover is my fave. Then come the French and Indonesian.

Nitzan★