Book Review: Isla and the Happily Ever After is PERFECT

I can't promise that this review will be coherent (because I'm an emotional mess right now). Or that it will be short (I can go on and on until you beg me to stop), unbiased (I worship Stephanie Perkins and I love all of her characters, including the mean girls and the douchey boys), and spoiler-free (but I will try my best to make it as vague as possible). Bear with me, friends.

I have been counting the days since June. I was anticipating, waiting, definitely excited for Isla's arrival. But I was also terrified because I knew it meant that my Anna-Lola-Isla experience will finally end. I didn't want it to end. I wanted it so badly to start but I didn't want it to end.



If you've my posts back in June/July, you'll know that I'm OBSESSED with Stephanie Perkins' books. It's like I have a relationship with the characters. They're so close to my heart that sometimes, it's actually painful to read the sad parts and overwhelming to go through the happy ones. I'm not exaggerating and I'm sure readers will understand (I'm sure you've had this experience before with other books).

So it was foolish of me to not think of pre-ordering Isla. I just realized that when August 14 came and to my dismay, the local bookstores don't have it yet. But I'm lucky because my internet friend and fellow Perkins fan, Laila, has an ebook copy and she shared it with me. I still want the paperback because my Anna and Lola paperbacks are waiting for their sister, but for now, I have the ebook.

And so it's here. It's finally here. I wanted to devour it in one sitting but work beckons and I couldn't stay up the whole night because I'd get cranky in the morning. I'm babbling. Anyway, I did finish it yesterday morning and I was right when I guessed that I would cry when it ends. I did, I even cried while I was on a bus on my way to work. I probably looked like a freak. Remind me to not read books in public again.



Isla and the Happily Ever After is so different from the first two books, and not just because of the characters. The writing was the same, but the voice was very different. Both Anna and Lola were confident and self-assured. But Isla was not. She's insecure and love-struck. Meanwhile, Josh is like a yummy combination of Etienne and Cricket. He's not charming like Etienne, but he is just as passionate, an artist through and through just like Etienne. And he really has no shortage of grand gestures, a certified romantic like Cricket. It didn't seem that way at first, but Isla and Josh strike a balance that makes them perfect for each other.

This novel also didn't employ the same tried-and-tested formula that the first two books used, wherein boy meets girl and they become friends and they fall in love and get together in the end. No. You can't expect that with Isla. Of course if you read enough YA romance novels and rom-com movies, you know that the boy and the girl ends up together in the end... BUT it's the HOW that happens that you should watch out for. In this case, Stephanie Perkins made the journey so much worth it. I was skeptical with the first few chapters of the book and then I realized that that was what I supposed to feel. At first I was questioning the actions of the characters but later I'd realized that there were reasons why they had to act that way, and it wouldn't be this delicious, amazing book if they didn't do what they did. Everything in this book is laid out in exactly the way they should be and where exactly they should be. Even the minor characters -- both the endearing and annoying ones -- were placed with purpose. It's perfect.

Also, I was surprised by how much kissing (and more than kissing!) there is in this book. Which makes it all the more beautiful, if you ask me. Both Isla and Josh were surprising, and each chapter held discoveries for me. Character development is something that Stephanie Perkins doesn't seem to have a problem with. She just makes the characters believable, identifiable, and REAL.

I know I shouldn't compare but I can't help it. I didn't think it was possible to love Isla and the Happily Ever After more than I loved Anna and the French Kiss because man, I love that book so much. But Isla is just everything that I can ever hope for in a book. Isla Martin is so much more relatable. She's beautiful and she's smart... but like me, she has a lot of insecurities and uncertainties. She doesn't take risks and she feels that she's a nobody and that she doesn't belong anywhere. She can't decide what she wants to be and who she wants to be. She reads a lot, too. But what I can identify with most is her surprise at the idea that she can be loved by the person she loves. That it's not impossible. Basically, the story of my life. But she learns, as I did a few years back, that it's ok to take your time to figure things out.

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If you've been following all the Q & As and interviews of Stephanie Perkins, then you already know that the characters we love from the previous books also appeared in this book. This was actually the main reason why I was excited about this book. Which is funny to me now, because I got sucked in by Isla and Josh's story that I forgot that I was waiting for Anna and the gang to appear! When I got to that part though, I can't tell you how happy I was. It's like reuniting with friends! It felt like Christmas came early and I received lots of gifts!



They didn't change and I love that about them. Etienne was still charming. Lola's still sparkly. And I have no words for the end of chapter 30. It was surreal. I still get teary-eyed just thinking about it. Oh my god, please, when you read it, can you tweet me and let's gush about it together???!!!

I can go on and on about how much I love Isla and the Happily Ever After. But I'm taking up too much of your time, I'm sure. So let me just say this: Buy it. Get a copy. Read it. You won't regret doing so because Stephanie not only did a brilliant job here, but she also outdid her previous works. You'll learn so much about love, friendship and self-worth, and you get to cap off your Anna and Lola journey with the best finale ever. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. :)

P.S. Found this Anna-Lola-Isla artwork somewhere and I thought it was so cool and spot-on. Don't you agree?

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