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The story of the School of America in Paris continues with two new characters who are intertwined with the lovable characters you never wanted to give up in the previous two books. In Isla and the Happily Ever After, Stephanie Perkins does what she does best: she gets you to love two human and lovably flawed characters you can't live without even after the last page is turned.
Isla has always had a crush on Josh her entire time in Paris. Unfortunately, he has never noticed her. Or so she thought. After a chance encounter, it appears she may have misjudged Josh all along. And he has definitely misjudged her relationship with her best friend Kurt. With all the information set straight, Isla and Josh start spending more and more time together, and their connection is undeniable to everyone around them, even friends like Kurt who begin to feel like the third wheel in a whirlwind romance.
Like most real adolescent romances, not the kind in books, Isla and Josh's future is uncertain and paved with bumps and bruises. Isla is used to life with Kurt, her socially awkward but devoted best friend who can spend the night in her room and not set off any red flags. She is used to always being herself and having Kurt, who has Asperger's, tell her the truth even when she doesn't want it. But a relationship is different. Especially when she already has one very important person in her life. And Josh's life is no easier. The son of a politician engaged in a fierce campaign, his antics have landed him on his final warning at the school, and expulsion would most certainly embarrass his family in ways only the son of a politician could understand. But Josh is daring. And he can't resist showing sheltered Isla a little taste of the world, even if the consequences could tear them apart.
This is a romance story for the realist in you. Don't expect a perfect story all wrapped up in a bow, but then again, if you like real characters who could be your own friends and family in all their flawed glory, this is the right romance for you! Stephanie Perkins has been as special to me as Sarah Dessen for a long time, and I waited what felt like an eternity for this book, and I wasn't disappointed, but I was definitely surprised by it! Perkins' realism is standard, but this relationship felt so real for two teenagers, I was actually surprised! While some might be turned off by this approach, I also think there are enough teenagers out there who are interested in seeing their own bumbling, awkward, passionate, life-or-death feelings aren't abnormal. Do you remember what it meant to be a teenager in love? I was strange, exhilarating, awkward, and fabulous all in one breath. And that is why I loved Isla so much. It was like being transported to that place all over again (without having to be the actual punching bag for emotions and hormones we all were! So much more fun from afar!).
There was this one part where Josh sends Isla his comic book memoir, and it truly chronicles everything in his life- even the girls before Isla. It is so honest and vulnerable, yet the unforeseen consequence was that it was more than Isla really wanted to know. Just the idea that Josh would bare his soul to her and not see how hurtful it could be to an insecure young woman was so real, it was palpable. This is just one small example of why this book was such a great story for all those young adults in your life. It may look like a cushy romance on the outside, but once you get into the thick of it, you realize just how special the story is. Perkins hits another one out of the park!
Every teenage girl is drawn to the bad boy, right? The boy who plays in the band and is covered in tattoos. The boy with spiky bed head and always looks like he just rolled out of bed. But what about the boy next door? What is a girl to do when caught between the rocker guy and the adorable boy next door? Stephanie Perkins answers that very question in Lola and the Boy Next Door.
Lola Nolan was born to a woman who could never get her act together, but raised by her uncle and his husband. Her two fathers are super strict and definitely don't approve of her 22 year old boyfriend who is in a band. Lola loves to wear crazy, kooky, funky outfits and never looks the same twice 9complete with wigs and false eyelashes). Everything in Lola's life is as fine as it could be until the Bell's return to town. The house next door, to be exact. Calliope Bell is Lola's former friend turned figure skating champion and her twin brother Cricket was Lola's first love and first heartbreak.
At first, Lola thinks she is impervious to all that makes Cricket Bell, but pretty soon, she can't stop thinking about him. She looks for him outside her window every night and thinks about him when he is at Berkeley for classes. When Cricket announces his feelings for her right in front of her boyfriend, Max, Lola still can't admit her feelings for Cricket. When Lola's mom returns in all her messed up, sickly thin, drug abusing glory, Lola just can't take it anymore. What she does not only makes her look deeply at her relationship with Max, but also the entire life she chooses to live from crazy beehive wigs down to the Marie Antoinette prom dress.
Another fun story from Perkins that is just as good as the best Sarah Dessen book. She knows how to create spunky heroines and boys you can't wait to see them with. I loved Lola's kooky outfits and love for fashion, and there was an interesting part where she was called out as being fake and hiding behind her costumes. It was a real eye-opener for her and questioned everything she loved and lived for. I also really loved that Lola had two dads. Lola was part of a happy, healthy family that wasn't glorified or overdone. It was just a normal, happy family. It is nice to see same-sex parenting in young adult novels and treated as it should be- like any other normal, happy family.
This is a good young adult novel for your typical young adult ages. It is perfect for those girls who love a good romantic comedy and just want a happy ending. If anyone read Anna and the French Kiss, they will be happy to find Anna and Entienne in this story as supporting characters. it is nice to see some friendly faces in the new book, but this is definitely a companion book, not a sequel. Anyone could read this book without having read the first one and understand everything just fine. But don't forgo Anna for very long if you haven't read her yet. Both Anna and Lola are perfect for that warm, fuzzy read we all need in our lives!
Paris. Beautiful, foreign, historic, romantic Paris. It's been at almost 15 years since I was in Paris, but I haven't forgotten such an amazing city. And the food... mmmm... the food! So imagine a story about young love in Paris, and Stephanie Perkins has hit the literary jackpot with Anna and the French Kiss.
Anna's annoying father decided she needed to experience a new culture... for her senior year! The last thing Anna wants is to leave her friends, her school, her little brother, and her new possibly-future boyfriend for a country where she doesn't even speak the language. When she is dropped off at SOAP (School of America at Paris), she realizes just how alone she is. Luckily, she isn't alone for long. Quickly she meets a group of friends who includes a very cute, and very unavailable guy named Etienne St. Clair. Anna knows St. Clair is dating someone, but she can't help but stare at him with those dreamy eyes and think about him every time he is gone. She knows Toph is home, hopefully waiting for her, but she can't stop thinking about St. Clair.
As the months pass, Anna realizes just St. Clair is, but he seems to be miserable in his relationship. When they spend Thanksgiving break together, just the two of them, Anna realizes she feels more for St. Clair than she ever did for Toph. When she finally goes home to see her family for Christmas, she has a rude awakening waiting for her. While she was in Paris, life went on without her, including Toph. The only thing that holds her together for the 2 weeks she is home is St. Clair's emails and phone calls. When she returns to Paris, she realizes true feelings for St. Clair, but he is still dating another girl. Can Anna bring herself to just be friends with him? Can she forgive the people who all but forgot about her when she moved to Paris? How far will she go to be with St. Clair?
Oh, Sarah Dessen fans of the world! I introduce you to the author who is just as amazing as Sarah Dessen- Stephanie Perkins! Oh, Perkins creates the same amazing characters that you can't get enough of and the most amazing stories you will want to read again and again. In fact, you will become just as obsessed with Perkins as you have with Dessen- I know I have! Oh Anna was every bit as confused young woman as I wanted her to be (and remember being when I was her age). And all that swoony, wonderful young love? You will fall right into it with this book, just like Anna and St. Clair.
This is a great book for those young women who like to read romantic books full of stolen glances, hoped-for kisses, and fiery contact of a leg brushed up against another leg in the movie theater or a hand brushed against another hand at a cafe. This will appeal to a wide range of girls, from older middle school student through high school students. It is a fairly clean story, perfect for the young adult circuit. I don't imagine many boys being interested in it purely for superficial reasons, but you never know! Oh Stephanie Perkins! Thank God(dess) you decided to start writing!
