Isla and The Happily Ever After (Anna and the French Kiss #3) by: Stephanie Perkins

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance 

Published: August 14, 2014 by: Dutton

Pages: 352

Rating: 3/5 stars
*highlight white text to reveal spoilers*

Isla and The Happily Ever After is the final instalment in Stephanie Perkin’s trio of love stories. This time, we follow Isla, a senior of the School of America in Paris, who is dealing with her crush on artist Josh. The two experience ups and downs, as Isla tries to get a grip on Josh’s glamorous world.

I’m not going to lie; it took me a while to get through this book. Once I got into it, I did enjoy it; however it started off really slow. I do think that it was a great final to the series though.

To the positives first, Isla was my favourite girl of the three books. She was a bit shy and quirky, and she had a great heart. She was also very smart and responsible. My issue with romance novels is that sometimes the girls can be too ditzy and dependent, but I did not find that with Isla. Josh was also my favourite guy of the books. He was so incredibly cute and such a gentlemen. Isla and Josh were by far, my favourite couple.

 I loved the little details in the book. Perkins brought back all of the other couples at the end of the book, and it was nice to see all of them back together again. In the middle of the book, she even referenced that Calliope Bell was now an Olympic skater, which I found to be so clever. Overall, I loved how she incorporated the other books into the story.

One thing that I did not like about this book is that it was a bit cliché. Not only with Josh and Isla, but with the other couples. St. Clair and Anna end up getting engaged, which I found to be more cheesy than cute. It was just so expected that he would propose once the gang was all together. With Isla and Josh, I found their story to be a bit predictable. Boy meets girl, they fall in love, they have fallout, they get back together. While there were a few plot twists to keep things interesting, the main theme fell flat.

Like I said before, while the middle picked up in action, the beginning was quite slow. It almost turned me off of the book. I understand that it was supposed to be rising action, but it took a while for me to get into it.

Overall, this book was okay. Josh and Isla were my personal favourite couple, and I enjoyed reading about them; however I found things to be very cookie-cutter. This is an issue that I found with all three books. That is why Isla  got a 3/5 star rating.

Have you read this series? What did you think? 

Emily @ Paperback Princess

Lola and The Boy Next Door (Anna and The French Kiss #2) by: Stephanie Perkins

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Romance
Published: September 29, 2011 by: Dutton Books

So I FINALLY finished this book, after about a month of trying. I posted my halfway review of the book about a week ago, and after that I sat myself down and didn't do anything but finish it. I need to move on to another book. I have to say that I was a bit under-whelmed with this book.

First to the positives: The characters! I loved the characters with a passion. Everyone (except Max and sometimes Calliope) put me in a good mood. I loved how unique Lola was. She was confident in what she wore and how she acted. I loved how she didn't have an average style of a typical teenager in other books. Now to Cricket! Everything down to his name, was different and I loved that. He wasn't a typical teenage heartthrob in other books. His style was unique like Lola's, and he was such a gentleman! The author did a great job with the characters.

Now to the negatives :(. It took me a long time to get through this book. It dragged on, and I feel like there were a lot of details to the book that were irrelevant to the plot. The book started off very slow, and didn't really pick up until the end. But by then, I  had lost interest. I was looking forward to this book because a lot of people told me that it was even better than the first in the series. I felt as if it was a bit boring and it didn't really even have an interesting plot.

I am now hoping that Isla and The Happily Ever After, the third book does not let me down. So far, I've had a love-hate relationship with this series. Isla however, has been the book that I've been looking forward to since her character was introduced in the first book. I don't know why, but she reminds me of Eleanor from Eleanor and Park, which is one of my favourite books.

Overall, this novel was a bit predictable and boring. The first book, in my opinion, was definitely better, however I feel like the last book will be the best. The characters were great, although I wish I had read more plot twists or suspense. I would rate it 2 out of 5 stars.

Bye For Now!
Emily @ Paperback Princess

Halfway Review of Lola and The Boy Next Door by: Stephanie Perkins

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Romance

I have started the second Anna and The French Kiss book. I did like the first one, so I decided to give the second one a go. I have to say that this book is going by really slowly for me.

Usually if I get really into a book, I could easily finish it in 2-3 days. However, I have been stuck on this book for more than a month now. I don't know why, but I just can't seem to get into it. I think that the problem is that it takes a while for something interesting to happen. The book's introduction and the first few chapters were very hard to get through.

Now I know that I shouldn't judge a book based on the first few chapters, so I have continued reading. However it is still taking a while to get through. Once Cricket Bell was introduced into the story, things started to pick up. I am loving his character, there's a bit of cheekiness to him, and I feel like he's such a sweetheart. Lola's character is sweet as well, she has a unique style that I like, and she doesn't take crap from anyone. I liked how the author put a different twist on a character, rather than just having her wear clothes like the average teenager. Lola is her own person.

The book is different, and that's what I like about it. I also like how the author wrote Lola to have two dads. This is the first book I have read that features a homosexual couple, so I applaud the author for showing that not everyone has just a mom and a dad.

So overall, the positives of this books are the uniqueness of the characters, however I will say that the books is still very slow. I hope that by the time I finish the book, things will change.

Bye for Now!

Emily @ Paperback Princess 2014

Anna and The French Kiss (Anna and The French Kiss #1) By: Stephanie Perkins

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Romance
Published: December  2, 2010 by Dutton Juvenile

I feel like I am the last blogger on this earth to have read this book. I have heard countless reviews on this book, but never got the chance to read it. Until a couple of weeks ago when I finally took the plunge and got it! I do understand why everyone loved this book, however it was not one of my favourites.

The book follows high school senior Anna Oliphant, and her struggles to adjust to life at a boarding school in Paris. There, she meets St. Clair, a student who is everything she could have ever wanted in a guy. However, he has friendzoned her. Anna and St.Clair's journey throughout the year leads to some surprising discoveries about themselves, and about their past lives.

Now to the positives of the book. I have a love-hate relationship with romance novels. Sometimes they can be really boring, and have no plot. This book was interesting. The book contained some plot twists, which kept it interesting. I loved the characters, especially St. Clair. He was such a gentlemen, and the way he treated his closest friends was adorable. I liked how the author kept up with a good plot, and how she didn't make things too focused on the romance. There was a bit of drama in the mix as well.

However, there were some things that I did not enjoy. The book, while containing some plot twists, was a bit predictable. I find this with most romance novels. Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for a happy ending, however it kind of ruins the purpose of the book if you know how it will all turn out. The book could be, at times, a little slow especially during the beginning. However, once I got to the middle of the book, it picked up and I actually quite enjoyed it.

Overall, this book is great if you love strictly romance novels. I would not say that you would find action and suspense in this book. However, everyone has their favourite genre of book. Not all books are for everyone. I did like this book. By the middle, it was quite enjoyable and I actually admired the way the author wrote the characters. They were great! However, I am always drawn to suspense and books that are a bit more unpredictable. I would rate this book 3 out of 5 stars.

Bye For Now!
Paperback Princess