Monday 22 December 2014

And they lived Happily Ever After

Title: Isla and the Happily Ever After
AuthorStephanie Perkins
Pages: 375
Publisher: Usborne 
Source: Bought
Rating: 5/5

Summary (from Good Reads): 
Love ignites in the City That Never Sleeps, but can it last?

Hopeless romantic Isla has had a crush on introspective cartoonist Josh since their first year at the School of America in Paris. And after a chance encounter in Manhattan over the summer, romance might be closer than Isla imagined. But as they begin their senior year back in France, Isla and Josh are forced to confront the challenges every young couple must face, including family drama, uncertainty about their college futures, and the very real possibility of being apart.  

I finished this book a few days after it had come out however have been avoiding writing this (and all the other reviews of books I've read..) since. I don't know why, considering you should all know by now that I absolutely love all 3 books by Stephanie Perkins, it's no secret how much I adored Anna and the French Kiss!

Isla and the Happily Ever After is the perfect conclusion to the Anna and the French Kiss trilogy. Although I still can't decide which book I enjoyed the most, it's most definitely a tie between Anna and Isla.

I can't express to you how happy I was to finally get my mitts on this, neither can I express to you how much I enjoyed this book. There were so many different elements that I enjoyed - the starting location of the book which then moved to Paris and then from there to a few places. I enjoy planning my travels and reading about travel in books so the way this was incorporated was something that I really enjoyed and felt like it added another dimension to the story. 

One thing I can't understand, is how Perkins creates such dynamic and great characters. I really just don't get it, but I love it. I feel like I can really connect to the characters in Perkins' books, and Isla is no different. I particularly like the fact that our main male character is Josh who we were originally introduced to in Anna. Having been introduced previously to this character and already knowing some things about him, I felt that this book was interesting because it really formed Josh and helped us to see his background, which I thought was a great idea. If you've read Anna and Isla, you've probably also noticed that Isla is featured briefly in Anna, so seeing how Perkins has done a crossover between the stories is a great feature!

I absolutely loved Isla, the pace was perfect, there was just enough of everything from romance to comedy. Oh, and that ending! The ending was really perfect for me. I couldn't believe what I was reading but it really brought the story to a close and left me feeling satisfied. I am sad that the trilogy is over, but knowing that there is a short story out by Stephanie Perkins (My True Love Gave to Me) does ease the pain!

Monday 1 December 2014

Bye November, Hello December!


If you read my November update post, you'll know that lately I've been quite busy with University and assignments - I had three in for the same day so I haven't really read too much this month! I'm just waiting to get my last deadline (5th December) out of the way and then I'm going to be reading as much as possible, even though I do actually have 2 essays in for a few weeks after the Christmas break! Also, this month I finally started my Christmas shopping! It hasn't gone too well, I'm still stuck on what to buy people, especially Myles, my boyfriend, however I think I'm finally getting there!
This month I read a total of 5 books, those being...Christmas with Billy and Me by Giovanna Fletcher, The Rain by Virginia Bergin, The Hunger Games: Mockingly by Suzanne Collins, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin and Solitaire by Alice Oseman.

I feel like this is pretty successful for me after looking back at previous months reading, so I'm really happy that I've read 5 books throughout November! I'm hoping to read above this in December - I have too really if I want to beat my Good Reads goal for this year! I must mention that I am currently reading Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell and Thirty-Thre and a Half Shenanigans by Denise Grover Swank!


I know I love to see people's TBR lists for the month, so here's mine! I've noticed that I don't tend to stick to mine very much as I'm starting to find that I pick books I want to read next based on what mood I'm in (unless it's a series), but hey ho! Here's my TBR list for December!
2) Let's Get Lost|Adi Alsaid
3) A Mad, Wicked Folly|Sharon Biggs Waller
4) The Great Gatsby|F. Scott Fitzgerald
5) The Evolution of Mara Dyer|Michelle Hodkin
6) Siege and Storm|Leigh Bardugo
7) Code Name Verity|Elizabeth Wein

That's 7 books on my list to read this month. It's certainly doable, although I am kinda hoping that I read more than this number..we'll see! 

As said in my last post, I will be uploading my reviews of books I've read since...August, oh dear. It will be soon! As also said, I've got one more deadline to get out of the way, and then I am free to get back into blogging and reading more, yay! Anyway, how was your November? Are you excited for Christmas? I really cannot wait, although I am stressing a bit over Christmas presents and what to buy for people!