Book Review: Isla and the Happily Ever After (Anna and the French Kiss, #3) by Stephanie Perkins

Read from January 16 to 18, 2016

The café is boiling. The atmosphere is clouded with bittersweet coffee. Three years of desire rip through my body and burst from my lips: “Josh!”His head jolts up. For a long time, a very long time, he just stares at me. And then…he blinks. “Isla?”Hopeless romantic Isla has had a crush on brooding artist Josh since their first year at the School of America in Paris. And, after a chance encounter in Manhattan over the summer break, romance might be closer than Isla imagined. But as they begin their senior year back in France, Isla and Josh are forced to face uncertainty about their futures, and the very real possibility of being apart.Set against the stunning backdrops of New York, Paris and Barcelona, this is a gorgeous, heart-wrenching and irresistible story of true love, and the perfect conclusion to Stephanie Perkins’s beloved series.

I've got to admit that Isla is the most heartbreaking book in the trilogy. I knew it was gonna be much more angsty from the moment I started reading it! Haha!

So, Isla... I loved Isla's character! I could relate to her in many ways and that made understanding her and empathising with her all the more easier! Her insecurities were real; I'm even guessing I'll end up a lot like her if I ever get into a relationship! Haha! Her character was a 100% different from Anna and Lola, and that just made her all the more real!

Then Josh! I loved him since reading Anna and I've always wanted to know more about him. This book just made me love him all the more and I'm stuck between him and Etienne when it comes to my fave guy in this trilogy! Haha! Anyway, Josh's character was much more solid than he was before and I'll admit I fell in love with him the moment this book started!

And then him and Isla together? They had more chemistry than most book characters I've read of! I loved how they complemented each other, how they got through troubles together, and how they learnt more and more about each other. I personally I found it painful to read some parts of the book because of how much they got hurt! *sob*

The ending though! Whoa! I loved the reunion with everyone else and how everyone played into the story. Then those big surprises at the end blew me away and sucked me deeper into the story! This ending left me near tears! And then that last scene... I died reading it. It was just so beautiful and I couldn't have imagined a better ending for Isla and Josh!

This book was the climatic ending that Perkins' trilogy deserved! It left me breathless, hopeful and hopelessly yearning for more!

my Goodreads review

Book Review: Lola and the Boy Next Door (Anna and the French Kiss, #2) by Stephanie Perkins

Read from January 14 to 16, 2016

Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn't believe in fashion... she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit – the more sparkly, more wild – the better. And life is pretty close to perfect for Lola, especially with her hot rocker boyfriend.That is, until the Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket return to the neighbourhood and unearth a past of hurt that Lola thought was long buried. So when talented inventor Cricket steps out from his twin sister's shadow and back into Lola's life, she must finally face up to a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door. Could the boy from Lola's past be the love of her future?

So I'll admit that LOLA wasn't as "magical" as ANNA, but it had its own singular charm that captured my attention!

The first thing I'll like to point out is Perkins is one hell of a writer! She switched voices from Anna to Lola completely, leaving behind no trace of Anna's voice where Lola's should be. I think that's an amazing talent in a writer that has to be appreciated! This tiny fact both astounded and delighted me.

I loved Lola's character. Her unique fashion sense had me visualising her dress multiple times. I liked her immaturity and I loved watching her grow wiser and stronger from beginning till the end.

As for Cricket, I once again loved his uniqueness and how he got integrated into the story after all that history between him and Lola. The story progressed flawlessly between them, as far as I'm concerned, and I absolutely adored the romance.

Lastly, I loved how Anna and Etienne appeared in the story, and I was positively ecstatic when even Josh made a cameo! So good to see the old buddies back!

my Goodreads review

Book Review: Anna and the French Kiss (Anna and the French Kiss, #1) by Stephanie Perkins

Read from January 12 to 14, 2016

Can Anna find love in the City of Light?Anna is happy in Atlanta. She has a loyal best friend and a crush on her coworker at the movie theater, who is just starting to return her affection. So she's not too pleased when her father decides to send her to a boarding school in Paris for her senior year. But despite not speaking a word of French, Anna meets some cool new friends, including the handsome Étienne St. Clair, who quickly becomes her best friend. Unfortunately, he's taken--and Anna might be too. Will a year of romantic near misses end with the French kiss she's been waiting for?

This book ruined me! I'm absolutely in love with this book! And I understand what all the hype surrounding this book was all about!

One huge thing that jumped out at me was all the relatable experiences Anna had. Having moved abroad for my uni studies just last year, reading this was like reliving so many of the same experiences that I had! Except for all the romance! *sob!*

And of course, the romance in this book was so real life to me! I've never fallen in love, but this book gave me hope! All the awkwardness, precious moments and heartbreak were all made me believe in love again, and so, this book is gonna hold a special part of my heart!

I loved all the characters too! Their less-than-perfect personalities made it all the more relatable, fun and amazing! I'm in love with these characters and was so reluctant to let them go at the end!

All in all, this book gave me legit feels and restored all the reading hype I've missed for too long! Who knows, maybe I'll end up in Paris someday too! *wink wink*

my Goodreads review

Book Review: Spy for the Queen of Scots by Theresa Breslin

Read from January 09 to 12, 2016

As lady-in-waiting to Mary, Queen of Scots, the beautiful Ginette—known as Jenny—is the young queen’s closest childhood friend. Growing up in the elegant but ruthless French court, surrounded by enemies and traitors—not least the jealous, manipulative Catherine de Medici, and Mary’s own scheming half-brother, James—Jenny has always been fiercely loyal to her mistress. But when she overhears a mysterious whispered plot, closely followed by several unexplained deaths at court, she puts her own life in danger and turns spy for Mary.Jenny quickly realises not a soul at court can be trusted, and when she and Mary return to their Scottish homeland for Mary to claim her throne, they face even greater peril. Desperate to protect her friend from those who would slit her throat to steal her crown, while battling her feelings for the charismatic nobleman Duncan Alexander, Jenny becomes embroiled in a dangerous web of secrets, betrayals and lies.

OH MY GOD I'M IN LOVE WITH THIS BOOK!!!

When I got ahold of this book, I honestly didn't think I'll be a 100% into it, but surprise surprise, I was hooked from the beginning!

I loved the politics, scandals and scheming in this! The main thing I loved though, was the romance between Ginette and Duncan! I was rooting for them from the beginning and I'm ecstatic with how they ended up! My one disappointment though was that there wasn't much about what life was like for Ginette and Duncan once they got the chance to get together.

Anyway, I'm definitely picking up more of Breslin's books coz this one was fricking amazing!

my Goodreads review

Book Review: Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones by R. A. Salvatore

Read from January 06 to 09, 2016

There is a great disturbance in the Force. . . . From the sleek ships of the glimmering Coruscant skyscape to the lush gardens of pastoral Naboo, dissent is roiling. The Republic is failing, even under the leadership of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, elected ten years earlier to save the crumbling government. Separatists threaten war, and the Senate is hopelessly divided, unable to determine whether to raise an army for battle or keep the fragile peace. It is a stalemate that once broken, could lead to galactic chaos.Mischievous and resolved, courageous to the point of recklessness, Anakin Skywalker has come of age in a time of great upheaval. The nineteen-year-old apprentice to Obi-Wan Kenobi is an enigma to the Jedi Council, and a challenge to his Jedi Master. Time has not dulled Anakin’s ambition, nor has his Jedi training tamed his independent streak. When an attempt on Senator Padmé Amidala’s life brings them together for the first time in ten years, it is clear that time also has not dulled Anakin’s intense feelings for the beautiful diplomat.The attack on Senator Amidala just before a crucial vote thrusts the Republic even closer to the edge of disaster. Masters Yoda and Mace Windu sense enormous unease. The dark side is growing, clouding the Jedi’s perception of the events. Unbeknownst to the Jedi, a slow rumble is building into the roar of thousands of soldiers readying for battle. But even as the Republic falters around them, Anakin and Padmé find a connection so intense that all else begins to fall away. Anakin will lose himself—and his way—in emotions a Jedi, sworn to hold allegiance only to the Order, is forbidden to have.

Once again, I love these novelisations!

This book gave me more insight into the movie and I'm really glad it did! Everything seemed to carry much more depth than it did when I watched the movie.

Love the fight scenes; the writing is really good and fast paced! I noticed that these fight scene seemed to be Salvatore's strong point. The writing seemed to have a flow that was very much like a real fight scene! Loved the imagery there; I could feel their movements in my body!

Also, I feel like I got a better look into how Anakin & Padme started off; and I love them together! Of course, seeing Anakin's connection to the Dark Side growing was painful to read. I kept mentally screaming at him whenever he did something more Dark Side than Jedi!

I'm currently waiting for my order of the third novelization to make it to my doorstep! Can't wait for the rest of this saga!

my Goodreads review