Isla and the Happily Ever After

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Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins is the last book in the Anna and the French Kiss Trilogy.  The books focuses on three girls who attend the School of America in Paris. This one is about Isla, a quiet girl in her final year of high school. She has a three year long crush on Josh Wasserstein, a boy in her class who she thinks doesn’t know she exists. A chance encounter with Josh leads to love.  As the pair start to know get to know each other problems arises. Josh is the son of a senator and must play the role of the perfect son in public. He knows what he wants in life and Isla doesn’t. Isla is plagued by doubts about their relationship and feels that she is not good enough for him. She wonders whether he loves her for her or he wants her because she’s there.

The book is set in Paris and New York, two gorgeous settings which adds to the romance. I think it’s makes for great escapism and perfect for holiday reading. I found myself wanting to visit both cities after reading this book and visiting all the places mentioned.

After reading this book, I judge the first book as the best out of the three. The relationship between Isla and Josh was a little too passionate for me. The two fall in love very fast, like Romeo and Juliet fast. The couple do a lot of frantic kissing and making love. They are ready to do anything for the other. I don’t think it’s unrealistic though because teenaged love can be like that. I would have liked for their relationship to be a slow build, starting with friendship and leading to love.  

As a prudish crusty old person, I didn’t think like all the sex that they were having. I didn’t think it was appropriate for the young audience. However, I can also reason that young people have sex and the sex is handled responsibly (they practice safe sex) and delicately in the book. I would recommend this book for older teenagers.

I didn’t relate to Isla at all. In the book, Isla doesn’t know who she is or what she wants to do in college. I didn’t see her problem as an issue at all. She’s rich and can go to any college she wants, she could take a whole bunch of classes to find herself. She doesn’t have to go to college either.

I would have liked to have read more of Isla’s life outside of her relationship with Josh. Isla’s relationships with her friends and family are mentioned in the book but I would have liked more. I liked Isla’s best friend Kurt who has autism and is obsessed with maps. I think he deserve his own book. I also liked Isla’s sisters and her relationship with them.

Despite these flaws, I still think that Perkins is a talented writer who writes beautifully. Her descriptions are gorgeous. I wish I could write like her. This book is entertaining and fun to read. I recommend it for older teenagers.