Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

Before I begin on my review, let’s go over some pronunciation. It is eye-la not is-la for Isla.  Thank you Stephanie Perkins for including this within the first 2 pages. I found it extremely helpful and I hope you do as well.

If Stephanie Perkins writes it, I will read it. I picked up Anna and the French Kiss in January of 2011 and I have been recommending Perkins and her books to anyone I can. These contemporary YA romances center around a group of teens that are in Paris at a boarding school (with the exception of Lola and Cricket from Lola and the Boy Next Door). The final installment in this series is Isla and the Happily Ever After. I have been waiting on this book for 3 long years! The release date was constantly pushed back and I was left in a state of despair. But finally, it arrived! Just in time for my September YA/NA Challenge. 

For Lola, being in love with Josh is like breathing. It just comes naturally. Now that they are in their senior year at their boarding school in Paris, maybe they will have the opportunity to grow closer…and they do. After a chance encounter over the Summer, the two begin to admit their feelings for one another. But obstacles are always present. Factor in an annoying sister, insecurities, and political parents and it seems that the universe is pulling Lola and Josh further away from each other. Will they be able to find their way back to each other?

Though it starts out a little rough around the edges, Perkins easily finds her groove and the story comes together beautifully. Isla is definitely individual, so it does take a little bit to understand her and how she operates...which is why it took me a few characters to figure her out. All of Perkins’ characters are completely unique. No better case than Lola (love love love her!). You will not find a stereotypical character anywhere in Perkins’ novels, which is another reason why I love her writing. In Isla all the characters are their own. From Josh who wants to be a cartoonist to Kurt, who has high functioning autism. They are all distinct and I find them more loveable that way.

Another favorite aspect is Perkins’ modern take on sex. I’ve mentioned before that I believe sex should be included in YA novels as long as it is relevant to the story and the growth of the characters. In Isla the characters have been previously sexually active and there is no shame in this. Actually Isla said it best when she said, “I mean, when you grow up half French, it’s not like sex is this big taboo. And yeah, you have to be careful and you need protection and blah blah blah, but it’s not that American Puritanical be-all, end-all.” (page 95).  

If you have not read Anna and the French Kiss or Lola and the Boy Next Door, then I suggest you wait on Isla and the Happily Ever After.  Though Isla and the Happily Ever can stand alone, I highly suggest you read them in order. You will enjoy them more that way (in my opinion).  For fans of Perkins, she wraps up the series beautifully in the ending of Isla. Also, the last paragraph in the acknowledgments is a great tribute to the fans. 

Stephanie Perkins signing my books at the Romantic Times Convention in New Orleans 2014. Eeek!

#RT14 here I come!

 

Adios, work! I'm heading to RT14! 

I have been looking forward to this for months. The Romantic Times Booklovers Convention in being held in New Orleans this year (just 5 hours from me!) and I'm going! I am not a romance writer at all, but this genre is by far my absolute favorite. I heard about this convention in November at my local RWA (Romance Writers of America) chapter's annual luncheon. I thought it would be pretty cool to go. What sealed the deal? When I saw that Lisa Kleypas would be there. Done!

Kleypas is right up there with Johanna Lindsey for me. After I had my initial fangirl freak out moment I began planning. I could not afford the entire convention. It was like $600 for the whole week, plus I'm not a writer. They have an extraordinary and massive book fair (perfectly named as the Giant Book Fair) at the end. Admission included the book fair (over 600 romance authors!) plus a day filled with workshops...all hosted by bestselling authors! The whole day is called FAN-tastic Day. How could I not go!  I was able to convince my sister, who has never read a romance book, that a weekend trip to NOLA was in order. 

Sadly, my sister had to back out a few weeks ago for work related issues. My friend, fellow librarian, and romance reader extraordinaire Morgan was able to step in and attend with me. We have planned a fun filled weekend with cemetery walking tours, ghost and vampire tours, and plenty of alcohol.  

To prepare for the Giant Book Fair, I have been strategizing over who I wanted to see. With over 600 authors, you cannot go in unplanned. Out of all the authors I have narrowed it down to 18 that I want to visit at the Giant Book Fair. I have also ordered them by who I should visit first. There are some pretty big names at the book fair and I don't want to spend the whole 3 hours in lines. 

1. Lisa Kleypas

2. Charlaine Harris

3. E.L. James

4.Jeaniene Frost

5. Maya Banks

6. Jamie McGuire

7. Tamora Pierce

8. Ilona and Gordon Andrews

9. Kresley Cole

10. Shayla Black

11. Cora Carmack

12. Stephanie Perkins

13. Jackie Morse Kessler

14. Tiffany Reisz

15. Jennifer Haymore

16. Tessa Dare

17. Melody Anne

18. Maya Rodale

If you are familiar with the list you might have realized that I left off some of the big names: Eloisa James, Lauren Willig, and Sylvia Day. I will be seeing these authors at smaller  events later on during the year so I wanted to save meeting them for those events. 

I have also been stockpiling on books. I originally thought I could only take two books. I agnoized over this decision and finally decided on Seduce Me at Sunrise by Lisa Kleypas and Colter's Woman by Maya Banks. A hard decision but these two are by far my favorites. Luckily though, my friend Morgan is an amazing librarian and did a better job at digger than I originally did. Instead of two books total, it is 2 per author. That takes it to a whole new ball game. I have been scouring amazon and my local used bookstore for weeks now. The final total is 24 books. 

• Dead to the World (Sookie Stackhouse #4) by Charlaine Harris - 2 copies - My personal copy and a copy for my BFF.
• The Duchess Hunt by Jennifer Haymore - Received this in my RWA Librarian Day Swag Bag last year and loved it!
• Magic Bites and Magic Burns (Kate Daniels #1 &2) by Ilona Andrews
• One Foot in the Grave and Grave's End (Night Huntress #2 & 3 - I already have number 1 and 7 signed) by Jeaniene Frost
• A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole
• All Lined Up by Cora Carmack - They pushed up the release of the book but they were not able to get any copies to RT. Luckily, Carmack let me know and I was able to get a copy before I left.
• Submit (Surrender #2) by Melody Anne 
• Hunger (Riders of the Apocalypse #1) by Jackie Morse Kessler
• Colter's Woman and Never Seduce a Scot by Maya Banks - I really wanted to bring Be With Me, which I have read several times, but I loved the romance in Never Seduce a Scot...I might bring Be With Me along anyways and change my mind. 
• Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James
• The Prince and the Angel by Tiffany Reisz
• Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire
• Seduce Me at Sunrise and Sugar Daddy by Lisa Kleypas - It Happened One Autumn was also a contender.
• Delicious by Shayla Black
• Beka Cooper: Terrier (for Morgan) and Alanna (not pictured - picking up from BAM in a few minutes) by Tamora Pierce. I have Trickster's Choice pictured but I've decided to take Alanna instead. 
• Anna and the French Kiss and Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins. 

See you next week! 

Discards find new home!

Oooh these were being deleted from my library bc we have multiple copies. I snagged them before they went to the friends! These are two of my favorite YA authors. Super excited! :)