I am honestly at a loss as to where I should even begin with this review! All of these books were just so amazing that I have had a hard time in collecting all my thoughts about them!
The trilogy is made up of Anna and the French Kiss, Lola and the Boy Next Door, and Isla and the Happily Ever After. Despite their slightly cheesy titles, these books were incredibly heart-warming and such a delight to read. If you haven't read them, I seriously suggest that you pick them up as soon as possible and delve into the gorgeous stories because you're really missing out!
Anna Oliphant barely knows a single word of French, but this doesn't stop her father from sending her all the way to Paris to finish High School on her own, tearing her away from her job, friends, and crush-who-may-soon-become-boyfriend. Alone in an unfamiliar country, Anna is forced to make new friends, including the irresistible Étienne St. Clair. However, he's already taken, and Anna might be too. Can she find romance in the City of Love, and after almost a year of failed attempts, will she get her French kiss?I have got to admit, I expected this book to be insanely cheesy from the beginning to the end. I didn't expect to like it, and I suspected that it would just be another of those silly and unrealistic romances. Thankfully, I was completely wrong!
Yes, okay, the first few chapters gave off a few cheesy touches, but after everything was set out and the story really began, things really picked up.
It normally takes me quite a while to really fall in love with characters, but I quickly grew to love Anna, and fell in love with St. Clair even faster! They were just perfect! In fact, everything about this book was stunning- the writing, the characters, the plot... Need I go on?
Like all books, there were a few flaws in Anna and the French Kiss. I personally felt that Anna could sometimes be a little abrupt with people, and I got irritated with St. Clair on occasions for remaining with Ellie, however, these problems didn't last and were resolved by the end of the book, when everything ended in such a perfect way!
What I really liked about this book was that, even though it was a romance and it was incredibly cute, it wasn't just a romance. Anna, St. Clair and all the characters really, faced real life issues and had to deal with a lot more than many people. Both the characters and their loves were completely relatable, and I think they're probably as true to real life as you're going to get from a fiction book!
I'm not including a 'spoiler alert' into this review because all of the books centred on different characters and don't completely follow on from each other, but if you really don't want to know what happens in the sequels, this is the point where you should stop reading this review!
Lola and the Boy Next Door is set in the sunny San Francisco, where Lola Nolan, a budding creator of crazy outfits, lives with her two Dads. With her rockstar boyfriend and unconventional family, Lola's life has never been normal, however, when the Bell twins - Cricket and Calliope - move back next door and uncover a part of Lola's past that she'd spent so long trying to forget, her life becomes as unpredictable as her outfits!I personally didn't enjoy this book quite as much as the first one. Don't get me wrong, it was a perfectly good book, and had I not already read Anna and the French Kiss, I probably would have given it 5 stars instead of only 4. However, comparing it to Anna, I wasn't as in love with this book.
I really loved the story line of this book; the whole thing was really enjoyable to read and I thought all the twists and turns of the plotline were really fitting to and made it a great read. I particularly liked the whole situation with Lola's birth mum, even if it wasn't great for Lola, because, like in Anna and the French Kiss, it meant that the book revolved around real-life issues as opposed to just focusing on a love story.
I was never really sure what to make of Lola's relationship with Max- I didn't hate him (well, until the end!), but I never really liked him either. It wasn't as if I was completely against their relationship, because at the start of the book, they seemed good together, but I suppose I just didn't see it working.
What let this book down for me was actually the characters. I really did like Lola, but I just wasn't able to relate to her as well as I had related to Anna. Cricket was my main issue, though. I really don't know why I didn't like him as much because there wasn't anything wrong with him that I could see. He did seem like a really nice person altogether and felt right for Lola, so I really don't know why I didn't like him all that much, but there was just something that I wasn't a fan of within him.
That being said, I think that if I hadn't already have read Anna I would have rated this book a lot higher, because it really was a great book for me, and I did thoroughly enjoy it. But with having something to compare it to, it just didn't reach the standard the first book had set. I'm hoping this will change, as it often does, when I read the series again!
Isla and the Happily Ever After is the last book in the trilogy, and like the first book, the main setting is in the School of America in Paris. In fact, the main characters in this book were also in the first, however they had less of a role in that book.
Hopeless romantic Isla has had a crush on Josh since she laid eyes on him. After an unexpected encounter in a Manhattan Café, romance may be closer than Isla thinks. However, as they begin their senior years in France, they're faced with threat new threat and uncertainty of their futures, and the possibility of being forced apart. Will there be a happily ever after for Isla?
I cannot even being to describe my love for this book. It was everything I wanted and everything I didn't know I wanted! It really was the icing on the cake for this trilogy!Like in all of the books of this series, the plotline was absolutely stunning. I was gripped from the first page and read with such intensity that I'm actually quite surprised I didn't damage my eyes! The writing in these books is also incredible- it really made the books what they are!
I really loved the whole idea of their trip to Barcelona for a night; it was rather unexpected but still fit with the rest of the story, and even though I did suspect what the consequences of this trip would be, it didn't stop my heart from thumping so loudly that I swear people could actually hear it when it actually happened and they went home.
And as for the ending... (SPOILERS!!!)
When the inevitable occurred, I could almost feel my heart breaking into two. I was so angry at Isla for being too suspicious and I think I did actually yell out loud to her at one point! I was so desperate for her to pick up Josh's calls and apologise.
But that whole ending just blew me away. When she finally met up with Josh again and met the rest of the 'gang', I sensed that everything would resolve in a good way, so when (SPOILER ALERT!!!) St. Clair proposed to Anna on the top of that hill, my eyes did well up! But finally, when Josh gave Isla his finished graphic novel, and everything just played out the same way I was just too happy for words!!
This whole series really blew me away with how fantastic it was. I hadn't expected much from this series, so its amazingness sneaked up on me for a little while! I really can't put into words as to how much I adore this series, so you'll just have to try it for yourself!
If you're a fan of romances, I'm confident that you'll fall head-over-heels in love with these books, as I did, but even if you're not too fussed about them, I really recommend that you give this series a try - you never know what will happen!
That's all for now but I'll have more reviews up soon!
Bye!
Charlotte xxx
I was exactly the same. I was so put off by the title! But I loved the entire series in the end.
ReplyDeleteYep, they are slightly cheesy titles! Glad to hear you enjoyed them though!
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