Isla and the Happily Ever After (Anna and the French Kiss, #3)

by Stephanie Perkins

[Amanda]

For me, the shining part of Stephanie Perkins's writing is that she's able to tap into my memories of what it was like to be a teenager with a crush. And so there's angst---and not a small amount of it---but as painful as it is to read sometimes, it's real.

Or, it's real the way you'd imagined it'd be, if it were you.

Oh, this book. Isla has loved Josh forever. And she's never thought he'd be into her... until she is. Isla's crush on (obsession with?) Josh never bothered me much because I've been there, being awkward around crushes.

But even so, part of me wondered when the other shoe would drop because, well, this is book and it's not conflict without a little angst and drama. And it's the type of angst and drama I both dislike and completely understand. Also, the adult in me wondered who Isla was seeing: the Josh she'd romanticized or Josh-Josh. But... but...

THIS BOOK.

'Tis good. We got to see Anna and St. Clair (swoon), and Lola and Cricket. Also good. I'm happy with it. It was worth the wait for the happily ever after.

And yes, I totally went there.