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

Stephanie Perkins

Start date: October 3, 2014

Finish date: October 31, 2014

Discussion: Best Reads (Monthly)

Why we're reading this: BOTM Series continuation
[close] BOTM Series continuation

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Best Reads (Monthly)

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What Members Thought

Jun 10, 2014 Alma (Diary of a Booklover) rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2015

4.99 stars.
The characters are SO relatable, I don't even know. Their hopes, insecurities, just all of it. I loved them together, and the trip to Barcelona -I knew that something bad was going to happen, but I really just wanted to savor those beautiful moments.. When we met, Anna, Lola, and everybody else, I actually squealed, because GOSH. SO HAPPY. So sad that this series-companion thing is ending, but I'm also excited for more of Stephanie Perkins :) ...more

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Aug 12, 2014 Brooke ♥booklife4life♥ rated it really liked it

Shelves: girl-pov, compeleted-series, read-in-2014

Title: Isla and the Happily Ever After
Series: Anna and the French Kiss #3
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Format: Hardback, 352 pages
Rating: 3.75 stars
Recommend it to?: Again anyone who liked the ones before this :]

My Review: As much as i wanted to like this one as well as the others, i just couldn't.

This story was so not okay with me. First, why did Isla suddenly freak out so badly on Josh?! she went all crazy eye and lashed out!

i just had trouble believing this story.

Overall, it was okay, n ...more

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Jul 31, 2014 Holly rated it really liked it

Shelves: cover-love, made-me-cry, i-loved-it, favorite-series, laugh-out-loud-funny

I was looking forward to this book ever since I met Josh in Anna and the French Kiss. From the mysteriousness to the tortured artist vibe, the adorable relationship between him and St. Clair to Whyareyougivingawaythecookies, I sort of fell in love with him and all that I had yet to learn about him. Like why he doesn't care about school, what his relationship with his parents is like, and who he is outside of the group. I was not disappointed with his story, at all! But Cricket is my soulmate. SO I was looking forward to this book ever since I met Josh in Anna and the French Kiss. From the mysteriousness to the tortured artist vibe, the adorable relationship between him and St. Clair to Whyareyougivingawaythecookies, I sort of fell in love with him and all that I had yet to learn about him. Like why he doesn't care about school, what his relationship with his parents is like, and who he is outside of the group. I was not disappointed with his story, at all! But Cricket is my soulmate. SORRY JOSH I STILL LOVE YOUUUUU.

And I loved Isla too! I knew I would love this girl from the start; I just didn't expect to feel such a connection with her character. She's a middle child too; shy, awkward, reserved, quiet. She questions who she is and what she wants out of life. Even with having no clue, she still manages to keep true to herself. Her character felt so real and genuine to me, though I almost wish she'd realized sooner that what she had with Josh was the real thing. But that's not Isla. Isla questions everything, but mostly herself. She's harder on herself more than anything, and because of her fear that she'll get heartbroken, Isla almost loses the one person who understands and loves her for who she is—who loves the girl she hides from everyone but mostly herself. Her growth as a character was so beautiful to watch unfold, even if I wanted to shake her and yell at her for not taking a risk.

Hers and Josh's relationship was not full of the longing and angst like Anna's and Étienne's or the slow burn of Lola's and Cricket's. And even though I'd expected a slower start, I should have realized that wouldn't work for Isla and Josh. Through a courageous move by Isla when she was hopped up on painkillers, they confess to each other that they've had crushes on the other one since they met that day in the cafeteria three years ago. They'd waited long enough, so they jumped headfirst into heat and passion and need and love. But not everything was easy or rosy for the two of them. Like with the other two couples, there were obstacles standing in the way of Isla and Josh's happily ever after. They both had to come to terms with what was holding them back—Isla's fear and Josh's life in the States. But they found their way back to each other in the end, and that's all that matters.

My God, I'm going to miss these characters. I'm going to miss this series. I don't think I've read books that have made me this incredibly happy before. They made me laugh. I hurt my cheeks from smiling at the adorableness. I cursed when things weren't going their way and felt for them when they were trying to figure out who they were and what they wanted out of life. I even cried in Isla and the Happily Ever After. Why? I'm not exactly sure, since the part was so lovely and beautiful. I think I just had so many feelings and the only way to release them were through tears.

Yes, I'm fully aware that these books are fictional. That I won't be able to hang out with this awesome group of people since I'm finished. That Cricket Bell is not real. I'm totally okay with that. Mostly. Does this make me sound crazy? Probably. Hell, I still feel like a poser because I wasn't one of those readers who waited two years for this book to publish. I'm late to the Stephanie Perkins fangirl train and only now did I realize how incredibly amazing, wonderful, and engaging these stories were. So what do I do now that I'm finished with this series? Reread them, of course. Also, this review was supposed to be a mini. But clearly, I underestimated myself.

Dear Stephanie Perkins,
Thank you for writing this series. And for bringing these characters to life. But mostly for Cricket Bell. Is he real?
Sincerely from the bottom of my heart,
Holly (aka Your Newest Fangirl)

There isn't really anything more to say, except read this series! They are everything that I love about young adult contemporary. Realistically written with captivating details and amazing characters who are discovering their identities while chasing their dreams and falling in love. <3 ...more

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Jan 01, 2015 B rated it it was amazing

I loved how Stephanie Perkins books always had me hooked until the last page. I love her characters and how she could make me happy then sad in a mere page. I loved seeing all the characters together at the end, it really brought the series full circle. The story tied itself up nicely. :)

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Feb 15, 2014 Delia rated it liked it

Lloro. Lloro de lo perfecto que fue este libro. Lo perfecta que fue esta serie. Lloro porque fue un final perfecto. Lloro porque quiero más. Lloro porque tengo que decirle adiós a todos esos hermosos personajes que Stephanie Perkins creó. Los voy a echar de menos.

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