Mundie Moms

Monday, August 11, 2014

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins, Book Review



By: Stephanie Perkins
Published by: Dutton
To Be Released on: 8/14/14
Series: Anna and the French Kiss #3
Source: arc from publisher to review
Pre-Order it from: One of over 50 Indie Book Stores | Amazon | B&N | The Book Depository 
Add it Goodreads

From the glittering streets of Manhattan to the moonlit rooftops of Paris, falling in love is easy for hopeless dreamer Isla and introspective artist Josh. But as they begin their senior year in France, Isla and Josh are quickly forced to confront the heartbreaking reality that happily-ever-afters aren’t always forever.

Their romantic journey is skillfully intertwined with those of beloved couples Anna and Étienne and Lola and Cricket, whose paths are destined to collide in a sweeping finale certain to please fans old and new.


The short review:

I LOVED IT! This book was one that invoked so many emotions. It's a beautifully told love story with two realistically, flawed characters that I enjoyed getting to know, and totally fell in love with. Isla and the Happily Ever After surpassed every expectation I had for the book. This book is Stephanie Perkins perfection! 

My Full Review:

First there was Anna & Etienne, then there was Lola & Cricket, and now there's Isla and Josh. Like the first two couples, I loved everything about Isla & Josh's story. Perkins does such a beautiful job at capturing the moments, and feelings that come with falling in love. The excitement, the shyness, the awkwardness, the unsurety, the newness of it all, and everything else that comes with it. She wraps up all the emotions, and those first moments so elegantly. It reminded me of those first moments of my own personal experiences. 

Like with each of her books, this is my new favorite Stephanie Perkins book.  

Reading the Isla and the Happily Ever After sneak peak gave me a just enough pages to be mesmerized by the romantic, writing magic that only Stephanie Perkins possess, but not enough pages to satisfy my addiction to her characters, and her beautiful story telling. Reading the full story surpassed every expectation I had for the book. Isla and the Happily Ever After is Stephanie Perkins perfection! I loved every moment of it. From the excitement of Josh and Isla falling in love, to the things that unfolded through out their story, to that perfect Josh & Isla ending. I couldn't get enough of their story or Perkins's writing.

In true Stephanie Perkins fashion, by the time I got to the end of page one I was already hooked. Right off the bat I drawn to Isla and Josh, and wanted to read more of their story. Stephanie has a way of creating such realistic characters that makes me love them, laugh with them, and ache for them and with them. I loved the way Stephanie made me feel Isla's awkwardness, and that daring side her shows within the first few pages of the book around Josh. That cafe scene is brilliant! I couldn't help myself from laughing a few times within these brief pages at the situations that arise between Isla and Josh. I think there's something there that many readers will relate to. I enjoyed getting to know Isla and watching her transform into a stronger, more secure/confident women as the story progresses, and her relationship with Josh develops. I loved it. 

Josh is just as exciting to get to know as Isla. From the get go there was something about him that made me get why Isla feels the way she does about him. Like Etienne and Cricket, there's much more to Josh than even Isla knows, and I loved the way Perkins's allowed me to get to know him as well. One of my favorite things about him, was seeing that unsurety he has about how much Isla really liked him, in the beginning of their relationship. This made him more of a real character. While it's great reading about strong guys (don't get me wrong, Josh is in his own way), it's nice to read a story that shows readers the vulnerable side guys also have. In Josh's case, it made him easier to get to know, and adore. Trust me, he's also a strong character like Isla, and like her, once he knows what he wants, he goes for it and doesn't hold back. 

Josh and Isla's story reminded me of the feelings that come with falling in love, and all the feelings that come with being in love. Josh and Isla have a lot they offer each other, which like any love story, also makes them vulnerable in a very realistic way. Through that, Perkins allowed me to emotionally get attached to her characters and their story. I love the way Perkins's described all the feelings that come with being in a relationship, on paper, and the way she captured their unforgettable moments together. Perkins's gives her readers an epic love story from beginning to end. No little moment or big moment is left out.  

I loved reading Isla and Josh's story. They have a lot that they offer to each other. There are many scenes in this book that I absolutely loved. There were moments that made me sigh, had me smiling, made me laugh out loud, and as you guessed it, got me a little teary eyed. You know I won't say much else about those scenes, due to spoilers. You know what I will tell you? That aside from Isla and Josh there is a wonderful character whom I think fans of Perkins's books will also love, Kurt, whom plays an important role in Isla's life and in the story. 

If you have ever wondered why characters with autism have an absence in YA books, you'll wish more authors could write an autistic character like Kurt, the way Stephanie Perkins can. Kurt's character is so realistically portrayed and beautifully done. I love that connection and understand Isla and Kurt had, and the way Josh treated and respected him. Kurt is one of those supporting characters who has his own spotlight in the story, and I loved getting to know him. Speaking of characters, I love that my favorite Perkins characters also make appearances in this book.

Like Stephanie's previous two books, I think Isla and the Happily Ever After will be a love story equal to those of the classic kind. You know the ones I'm talking about. The kind that you can't read one time through, nor can you stop thinking about it when you finish it. I can't tell you guys how excited I am about this book being released soon. Stephanie's books were the first YA contemporary books I read, and completely fell head over heels in love with. She has this ability to create epic love stories that are slow burning, perfectly paced, real stories that emotionally pull me into her story, and fall in love with the way the characters fall in love. With out fail, she always leaves me wanting more, even though I'm more than completely happy and satisfied with how each story ends. 

This books gets 5+ stars from me!!

Go here to read the first couple of chapters of Isla and the Happily Ever After.

Tweet with Some of Your Contemporary Authors via Fierce Reads's #FierceContemporary Chat Happening TONIGHT!


Are you a fan of Contemporary YA books? Don't miss tonight's #FierceContemporary chat hosted by the fabulous team over at Fierce Reads (aka MacMillan). They'll be chatting with all the authors featured above! Join the fun starting at 9 pm EST / 8 pm CST. Get more details here.

Mundane Monday #221- Simon & Clary



 *Click to enlarge (Shared via Cassandra Clare, work by Walkingnorth)

I've realized how little we've done of Simon & Clary with this weekly feature. Today we're featuring one of our favorite BFF couples. 

“I wouldn't change it," Simon said. "I wouldn't give up loving you. Not for anything. You know what Raphael told me? That I didn't know how to be a good vampire, that vampires accept that they're dead. But as long as I remember what it was like to love you, I'll always feel like I'm alive.”
- City of Glass

Shadowhunter Academy Titles


Exciting news for Shadowhunter fans, this weekend Cassie shared the titles for Shadowhunter Academy. Here's what she shared via Tumblr:
COHF SPOILERS
Hello, CC! Do you have any news for us about The Secret Treasons and The Shadowhunter Academy? Thank youuu! <3 font="" yssaoeyt="">
Well, TST is a big art project, so, it happens when it happens. I don’t know when it’ll be exactly.
I’m holding off also on saying too much about Academy until we nail down dates — it will be ten stories, like the Bane Chronicles, and like the Bane Chronicles will end up as a print book eventually. The stories cover Simon’s arrival at the Academy through to his Ascension Ceremony, but a lot of them also time-hop: back to 1830, 1893, 1900, to the time of the Circle and some switch perspectives. I’ll say more when we make the actual announcement but for now have the list of titles to play with!
1) Welcome to the Shadowhunter Academy.
2) The Lost Herondale.
3) The Whitechapel Fiend.
4) Nothing But Shadows
5) The Evil We Love
6) Pale Kings and Princes
7) Bitter of Tongue
8) The Fiery Trial
9) Born to Endless Night
10) Angels Twice Descending

I love that we'll be getting more Simon. I'm looking forward to hearing more news on Simon's story. 

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