Published by Dutton on August 14th 2014
Pages: 339
Source: Purchased Physical Copy
Goodreads
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.
2015 was a sad and sorry year for my blog. Isla and the Happily Ever After, written by one of my favorite authors, was the first book I read in 2015, and yet, I’m not reviewing it until 2016. As a result, I’m going to bullet my thoughts and make it quick. And let’s go ahead and call this a readaversary post, since it’s been a year since I read it.
- This is the final book in the three-book companion series that started with Anna and the French Kiss. I loved that we were back in Paris, but appreciated seeing a different side of the city as Isla and Josh are so different from Anna and Etienne.
- The first two books really explore a romance where someone else stands in the way. Anna meets Etienne when he is dating someone else, while Lola is dating a jerk when her childhood friend, Cricket, comes back into her life. For Isla, the obstacle isn’t another person, it’s herself. This made the book the most unique of the three, and, for me, the most difficult to read. I love Isla and Josh, but they were always their own worst enemies.
- The book also deals with crushes and the obsessive love of your teenage years (I do not miss that phase of my life, for the record!) and how that translates to a real relationship. Perkins did a wonderful job of showing how hard it can be to get to know a person when you are already in love with the idea of them.
- There are cameos of characters we know and love from other books! Including, View Spoiler »
- Of the three books, Lola and the Boy Next Door is my favorite. Maybe I’ll articulate my reasons in the future.
Have you read these? Which one is your favorite?
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I read all three companion books in 2015. Stephanie Perkins became my favorite author. Well, she tied in first place with Jenny Han.
My favorites, in order are, Anna, Isla, and Lola. It’s really close between Anna and Isla though.
I LOVE THE CAMEOS! Made the whole series so fun and the end of Isla with YOU KNOW WHO AND YOU ALSO KNOW WHO!! *HEART EYES*!!!!
I can’t wait for more from Stephanie Perkins!
Kate @Midnight Book Girl says
Oooh, I don’t know which is my favorite… Anna and the French Kiss kind of made me a Ya Contemporary Romance fan, but Lola’s romance is almost perfect, but I’m probably more of an Isla myself, so nope, not picking. I love all 3. 😉
Kate @Midnight Book Girl says
Oooh, I don’t know which is my favorite… Anna and the French Kiss kind of made me a YA Contemporary Romance fan, but Lola’s romance is almost perfect, but I’m probably more of an Isla myself, so nope, not picking. I love all 3. 😉
You can’t make me pick!
I still haven’t read this one. My favorite so far was Lola too. I’m not sure that’s going to change when I read this one. One day we’ll see.