Isla and the Happily Ever After

This, personally, is my favorite Stephanie Perkins book. I liked it far better than Anna And The French Kiss and Lola And The Boy Next Door. Perhaps it's because I felt more of a connection with Isla.
This book is genuinely amazing. It had me laughing out loud and then sniveling in the sad scenes. Being 22, I don't think that I was the target audience for IATHEA, but regardless, I think people of all ages will enjoy it.
So, basically this book follows Isla Martin who has been in love with Josh Wasserstein since her freshman year at SOAP. (If you had paid attention in Anna and the French Kiss, you would remember Isla from a brief scene when Anna was in class and also when Anna got into a fight with that awful Amanda character and also we all know Josh was Etienne's best friend). Anyway, so it follows Isla's insanely cute crush on Josh and then them finally starting to talk and fall in love. I liked that in this book Stephanie Perkins didn't wait until the last two chapters to FINALLY get the characters together. They actually got together pretty early on in the book, which was awesome, because I felt like we had more time to fall in love with them as a couple.
It goes over the struggles that the couple faces as Josh get's expelled from SOAP and sent back to New York. It goes over Isla's friendship with the lovely Kurt Donald Cobain Bacon, whom I personally love. He's probably my favorite character out of ANY introduced in Stephanie's three novels. He's been Isla's best friend since they were children and he has very high functioning autism and most people who come into Isla's life don't understand him. Being someone who works with kids and adults with develop mental disabilities, this was really close to my heart.
I loved that they from Anna and Etienne and Cricket and Lola in for a little cameo towards the end of the book. That was so damn cute. Just WAIT till you read it. It made me squeal like a preteen at a Justin Beiber concert. Lol.
I thought it was well written and overall was a really great read for anyone. It took me about six hours to read this, probably because I was engrossed that I literally could not put it down. I would recommend this to anyone. It was cute and heart wrenching in parts and funny. Absolutely great!

Loved the characters in this book. For me, this is my favorite of the series. I think teenage girls will swoon over this love story. I would say it is more age appropriate for older teens because of some sexual references. But, super great read! I love Paris! Perfect setting for a novel.

This book is absolutely amazing. I loved every single thing of it and the details make you feel so into the story. I recommend, of course, reading first "Anna and the French Kiss" and "Lola and the Boy Next Door", for a better understanding of the plot. I enjoyed this book a lot!

A great conclusion to this collaboration of books. Stephanie Perkins is an amazing author and I would gladly read anything she writes. I've been waiting for this book and ate up every moment of it. I laughed, I cried and I fell in love. Truly amazing!

Love all the "characters" from all 3 books in the series! Reminds me of my year in Paris, Art school and growing up in Cali! Will miss them all but am looking forward to new books from Stephanie Perkins-hopefully soon! (The wait for Isla was painful!:) but so worth it, thank you!)

It felt like a cliché book with a cliché ending and was certainly a let down, especially coming from the author who wrote Anna and the French Kiss and Lola and the Boy Next Door. Was disappointingand I wish I could get a refund.

THIS IS HANDS DOWN THE BESF STEPHANIE PERKINS BOOK (although all of them are perfect) IF YOU HAVE READ ANY OTHERS BY HER, YOU MUST READ THIS. If you haven't read any others by her, YOU MUST READ THIS. For anyone 12-13+ (bc several sex scenes and cursing)

Swoon~i love Perkin's work of arts..Encapsulates love story as we've experienced it.And those gorgeous boys don't hurt either..im glad that ive finally gotten Isla and the happily ever after in my hands!

Came in perfect condition and faster than I thought! Was supposed to come after Christmas but arrived only a week after my purchase. I love them. So cheap for three books and excellent quality thank u

I love, LOVE this series, these characters, and their settings. I hope this isn't the end.

The story is back in Paris, the school for Americans. Our adventure begins with one red headed short girl, Isla, who is high on medication from having her wisdom teeth removed. She walks into a cafe only to see her crush for the last 3 years sitting in a booth. Her drugged mind finds the courage to talk to him, flirt and make him laugh. This is the beginning of a sweet, hot and heartbreaking romance.
Isla is shy, set in her life style and a bit insecure. She has issues about her body's height challenge and wears high heels even if it makes her feet hurt. She loves with her whole being, but she also fears with her whole heart. This fear, and her giving into it will break your heart.

Josh is the man of her dreams. He was the one she watched love another girl in their circle at school. He is an artist with a reputation of not living by the rules of the school. He gets in trouble, spends a lot of time in detention and seems aloof. He has many little secrets, and some issues of his own to grow through. He is also deeply romantic.
Together these two slowly develop their story. It is paced maidenly slow sometimes and too fast at others. Life steps in and their path is disrupted. He opens his soul to her and the magic happens. There is no violence, no disrespect, no abuse, no typically written High School rudeness. This is a good story/series that needs none of the shock gimmicks to hold it up. They all end in a HEA, and this one was even more deserved than the others IMHO.

Isla Martin has had a hopeless, all-consuming crush on Josh Wassertein since their first year at the School of America in Paris. After years of pining, Isla has grown used to watching Josh from afar.

Then one magical, painkiller-fueled, chance encounter in New York the summer before their senior year changes everything.

After years of bad timing and missed connections, Josh and Isla are finally together. But with false-starts and near-misses aplenty, neither of them is sure this relationship is meant to last. Isla doesn't understand how someone like Josh can ever feel as deeply for her as she does for him. Neither is sure how to deal with the growing pains and doubts that stem from their new, intense relationship.

With uncertain plans for college and the future looming, Josh and Isla will have to learn to be apart before they have any chance of staying together in Isla and the Happily Ever After (2014) by Stephanie Perkins.

Isla and the Happily Ever After is the highly anticipated conclusion to Perkins' loose trilogy that began with Anna and the French Kiss and continued with Lola and the Boy Next Door. These books function as perfect companions to each other but Isla's story is very much her own and functions as a standalone. Readers who have followed these books from the start, however, will be pleased with cameos from all the obvious suspects toward the end of the novel.

While much of the story focuses on Isla and Josh's fledgling relationship, Perkins also artfully explores changing friendships as well as the complexities relationships with sisters. Kurt, Isla's best friend, is an especially wonderful addition to the story. Isla's panic at facing her future both in terms of college and life beyond is authentic and well-handled throughout the story.

Although Josh and Isla are perfect together, Isla's growth is happily a solo endeavor as she is forced to acknowledge her flaws as well as her strengths and wants. Isla (and Josh) are often foolish and make mistakes but they also both learn and begin to thrive because of them.

Perkins is a master when it comes to writing clever, swoony romances. Josh and Isla are perfect counterpoints to each other in this story about first love and growing up. Isla and the Happily Ever After is an apt conclusion for these characters and a perfect romance for anyone looking for a smile.

Possible Pairings: Girl Overboard by Justina Chen, Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley, When It Happens by Susane Colasanti, Better Off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg, King of the Screwups by K. L. Going, To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han, Alice, I Think by Susan Juby, The Piper's Son by Melina Marhcetta, The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith