Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

This time, the passion has to be intense, because the conversational banter and buildup of romantic chemistry is replaced by the BOOM of crackling instant love. But there's something to be said for the slow burn from friends-to-more that formed the basis of her first two literary couples. It's no surprise that Perkins saved the steamiest romance for this final book. Isla has always wanted Josh, and now that Josh is finally single (he had a serious girlfriend all through junior year), everything comes together rather perfectly at first - until Josh's risk-taking and broody family life (and Isla's crippling insecurities) get in the way. The wait is finally over, and Perkins' third protagonist, Isla, doesn't fall in love after months of platonic friendship like Anna did or reconnect with a childhood crush like Lola did but rather immediately after years of unrequited longing. Her swoon-worthy first two novels came out less than a year apart in 20, but, due to the author's self-acknowledged depression, fans had to wait nearly three years for the last book to get published. (Aug.Perkins is extremely adept at describing adolescent romance, expressing the profound way in which attraction and desire can overpower and overwhelm the senses.

Agent: Kate Schafer Testerman, kt literary. The supporting cast, including Isla's high-functioning autistic friend Kurt, her prickly younger sister, and Josh himself are equally well realized, and the author's fans will enjoy appearances from characters from past books, too. Isla's vulnerability, coupled with her burgeoning sense of identity and desire to maintain her individuality in life and in love, makes her an especially rich character. When Josh gets expelled and the couple becomes estranged, Isla spirals into despair that Perkins explores with aching intensity. Perkins takes full advantage of her romantic Parisian setting, though the intimacy she establishes between her characters through penetrating dialogue and insight into the agonies and ecstasies of first love would shine anywhere.

Isla, a senior at the School of America in Paris, has had a crush on fellow senior Josh since freshman year, but it is only now that he reciprocates her feelings their relationship quickly gathers steam. Perkins (Anna and the French Kiss) completes her trilogy of interlinked romances with a strong finale that examines the emotional intensity of a relationship from its earliest stages.

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins