REVIEW: Isla and the Happily Ever After (Anna and the French Kiss #3)

Isla and the Happily Ever After (Anna and the French Kiss #3), by Stephanie Perkins
Published August 14, 2014
Publisher: Dutton
Format: hardback, gifted
Genre: young adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon * Barnes & Noble
 
Rating: 5 STARS

(From Goodreads) 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.

Etienne. Cricket. JOSH. Boy, does Stephanie Perkins know how to write 'em. Isla and the Happily Ever After brings the story of these three boys back full circle, as we return to the city where it all started - Paris. 

Isla has had a crush on Josh for, like, EVER. But, he never noticed her. And then he had a girlfriend... and STILL never noticed her. Until one fateful summer day in NYC, while under the influence of pain meds, Isla runs into Josh in a coffee shop, and she actually strikes up a conversation with him. That leads to a friendship, which leads to... more. You'd think Isla would be ecstatic, and she is. But, some old insecurities die hard, and in Isla's case, they may just prove that love isn't enough.

My gosh, I love these books. I admit, I don't usually go for the YA contemporary romance genre. I've dabbled here and there. Tried a little Dessen. A little Kenneally. They're just a little too fluffy for my tastes. But, I am completely addicted to Stephanie's writing and her characters.What is it about her that sets her apart from the others? 

Isla and the Happily Ever After was so witty and sweet. I laughed a lot. I cried too. I was completely sucked in to the story from the beginning. Isla was an unlikely heroine. Painfully shy and introverted, she has set boundaries for herself when it comes to others. The only person she's close to is her BFF, Kurt, a high-functioning autistic guy with a love for maps. People don't understand him, and because she's always with him, they don't understand her too. I think it's too much work for Isla to always defend him or explain him, so she just accepts her lack of friends or social life. The only thing she's not happy about is not having the courage to approach Josh, whom she has loved for years. 

As it turns out, her perceptions of Josh are not entirely accurate. That one night when her guard is lowered enough to start a conversation with him was the start of something great. All Josh needed was a little nudge that Isla had never been able to provide before. Their romance took off very quickly, and seriously, it was the absolute BEST. He was sincere and sweet and attentive. He's an artist and somewhat of a writer, so he's creative and spontaneous too. He was just what Isla needed. 

Isla has a hard time with Josh's life away from school. She gets too far inside her head and convinces herself that she doesn't belong in his world of politicians and fancy parties. She doesn't listen to Josh. And because of that (and some boarding school shenanigans), she and Josh are separated. 

Josh, however, is the absolute best hero, because he never gives up. The end brings Etienne and Anna, Cricket and Lola and Josh and Isla together at the same place in Paris during the Olympics for a truly epic series finale. I have loved learning about these couples so much. The characters were lovable, the stories compelling, and the HEAs PERFECT.   

REVIEW: Lola and the Boy Next Door (Anna and the French Kiss #2)

Lola and the Boy Next Door (Anna and the French Kiss #2), by Stephanie Perkins
Published September 29, 2011
Publisher: Dutton Books
Format: paperback, gifted
Genre: young adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon * Barnes & Noble
 
Rating: 4 STARS

(From Goodreads) Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion...she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit--more sparkly, more fun, more wild--the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.

When Cricket--a gifted inventor--steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

It was past time for me to get caught up on this series. I had read Anna and the French Kiss months ago, and just hadn't gotten around to reading Lola and the Boy Next Door. With Isla and the Happily Ever After set to come out in only two weeks, I decided it was time. 

Lola is dating Alex and trying to forget her next door neighbor Cricket who left town two years earlier after hurting her terribly. Suddenly, Cricket returns along with his sister Calliope, and now Lola is forced to stop and examine her feelings, which turn out to not be as black and white as she thought they were. 

Cricket was just the absolute best book boyfriend in YA contemporary fiction I've ever met. He was funny and awkward and adorable and sweet. He cares about Lola so much and has so many different ways of showing it. Cricket is, by no means, perfect, which is actually, pretty perfect. He made mistakes in the past with Lola, and now he wants to set them to rights. He knows she now has a boyfriend, and despite his best efforts at remaining platonic, he soon realizes that's just not possible. He's honest with Lola about how he feels, which can't be easy for him. 

Lola, by contrast, is pretty much the opposite of Cricket. It was hard for me to relate to her in any way. I don't really understand her incredible desire to hide what she looked like underneath crazy clothes, gaudy accessories and wild wigs. It's obvious she has a wicked talent for design, which I actually loved. But, to me, design isn't covering yourself in so much stuff that you can't see the girl underneath.

On top of that, she spends most of the book in denial, stringing Cricket along, as well as Alex. Turns out, Alex was a jerk of the highest order anyway, but that's besides the point. I get that Lola was confused - that she was convinced that Cricket was her past and Alex was her future, despite every blaring warning inside her head to the contrary. Lola was not brave. She was definitely not perfect. 

I did love the ending very much. As Lola finally comes to realize who she really is and what she really wants, she makes the first mature decisions of the entire book. It was then that I built the first traces of respect for her. She gives of herself to help someone who had only ever done things to tear her down. She comes clean to Alex and finds closure. She also comes clean to Cricket and puts the ball firmly in his court, and is okay with that. And, she realizes that quirky is okay as long as you can continue to shine through it all. Now THAT is the kind of heroine I can get behind. 

I loved so much that we saw a lot of Anna and Etienne in Lola and the Boy Next Door. They are both back state-side, and it turns out that Lola and Anna work at the same place. They forge a solid friendship, and Etienne and Cricket do the same, as they are staying on the same floor of the dorm at Berkley. Things were also set up quite nicely for all four of them to go back to Paris for Isla and the Happily Ever After. Stephanie Perkins is a fantastic writer and the stories she invents are compelling and interesting. I can't wait to see how it ends for all these beloved characters.  

REVIEW: Anna and the French Kiss (Anna and the French Kiss #1)

Anna and the French Kiss (Anna and the French Kiss #1), by Stephanie Perkins
Published December 2, 2010
Publisher:  Penguin Group
Format: paperback, I own
Genre:  young adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon * Barnes & Noble
 
Rating:  5 STARS

(From Goodreads) Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris--until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Étienne has it all...including a serious girlfriend.

But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss?

I finally did it! After seeing Anna and the French Kiss on countless Top Ten Tuesday lists and having it recommended to me time and time again by friends, I finally got around to reading it (and a special thank you to my good friend Anna for gifting it to me and giving me that final nudge). And, as expected, I'm kicking myself for not reading it sooner. 

Anna is shipped off to boarding school in Paris by her self-centered father and when her loneliness threatens to overwhelm her, she is introduced to a group of friends who start to show her how good Paris really is. One of those group members is Etienne St. Clair, a beautiful boy with a gorgeous accent with whom she develops an instant connection. Problem is, he has a girlfriend and doesn't seem too eager to dump her. 

My previous experience with young adult contemporary romance novels was very "meh." I didn't expect to be wowed. Or thoroughly engrossed. Or to fall completely in love with these characters. I now have a set a very high bar by which all other YA contemporaries will be judged. 

Anna made me so emotional. Her dad is a douche. Her mom is spineless. And I cannot fathom what it feels like to be a 17-year-old just dumped in a foreign country all by yourself where you don't speak the language. I would be terrified. And pissed beyond belief. And I felt it all for her. 

St. Clair - le sigh. I frickin' frackin' love this guy. He's amazingly sweet, yet, thankfully, not too sweet. I hate it when guys in books are just too damn perfect. You know? Etienne is awesome because he's flawed. He keeps secrets from Anna. He's moody sometimes and doesn't always treat her as sweetly as perfect book boyfriends should. In other words, he was TOTALLY believable. 

The slow burn romance between Anna and Etienne was perfectly paced. The sexual tension was off the charts for the majority of the book. The payoff didn't come until the very end. And, when it did come, it was so very sweet. 

Perkins' writing is flawless. Seriously - it was absolutely perfect. These characters talked and acted like 17- and 18-year-olds. The internal musings were so cleverly crafted. The dialog was sharp and intelligent. I want more. On to Lola and the Boy Next Door...