The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde - UPDATED REVIEW

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde  Genre : Classics Blurb (on back of book) : Oscar Wilde’s only novel is the dreamlike story of a young man who sells his soul for eternal youth and beauty. In this celebrated work Wilde forged a devastating portrait of the effects of evil and debauchery on a young aesthete in late-19th-century England. Combining elements of the Gothic horror novel and decadent French fiction, the book centers on a striking premise: As Dorian Gray sinks into a life of crime and gross sensuality, his body retains perfect youth and vigor while his recently painted portrait grows day by day into a hideous record of evil, which he must keep hidden from the world. For over a century, this mesmerizing tale of horror and suspense has enjoyed wide popularity. It ranks as one of Wilde's most important creations and among the classic achievements of its kind. UPDATED REVIEW MY OPINION : ****** I would like to start out this review by stating that this is undoubtedly m...
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Isla and the Happily Ever After - Stephanie Perkins - UPDATED REVIEW

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins 
Genre: YA Realistic Fiction
Image result for isla and the happily ever after
Blurb (on back of book): Love ignites in the City That Never Sleeps, but can it last? 
Hopeless romantic Isla has had a crush on introspective cartoonist Josh since their first year at the School of America in Paris. And after a chance encounter in Manhattan over the summer, romance might be closer than Isla imagined. But as they begin their senior year back in France, Isla and Josh are forced to confront the challenges every young couple must face, including family drama, uncertainty about their college futures, and the very real possibility of being apart. 
Featuring cameos from fan-favorites Anna, Étienne, Lola, and Cricket, this sweet and sexy story of true love—set against the stunning backdrops of New York City, Paris, and Barcelona—is a swoonworthy conclusion to Stephanie Perkins’s beloved series.

 MY OPINION: *****

This is definitely one of those books that grow on you as you read further in. I started out not as interested but by the end, I was crying and in love!

I vaguely remember this book from reading it the first time but this time was so much better. I feel like I didn't love it as much before like I did Anna and the French Kiss but I honestly think this one was almost better than the first one, which is amazing. I loved the first one, the second one was not as amazing.

Isla was not my favorite character because there were things about her that I didn't love. I thought she was very boring and her personality lacked flavor. However, I never like the protagonists so that didn't deter me too much. She has no ambition and doesn't know what she wants to do in life and even though Josh never uses it against her, she thinks he will and so is stupid and overly self-conscious about it. I didn't like that.

Also, she's considered "smart" but to me, she was one of the stupidest people I've ever met. She convinces herself that Josh doesn't love her as much as she loves him (like what?!) and breaks up with him "before he can break up with her". She's also incredibly mean to his art. It literally felt like she was jealous of his art because he had something that she didn't and I couldn't stand her.

She was also overly possessive of Josh. Like, great, he's your boyfriend, not your object to play along with and toy around. I hated her jealousy of him talking to his ex-girlfriend and I hated how afraid he was to talk to Rashmi.

Josh was so sweet. I didn't like him in the beginning but he grew on me. I wouldn't date him personally because he's just not who I dream for but he's adorable! I loved how passionate he was about his art but I did wish he cared a bit more about school. Not to be a goody-two-shoes but that's kind of important. To your life. Okay?

I love how caring he was for Isla (even when she didn't deserve it!). I loved the way he always asks if she's okay with what he's doing and what he's saying.

I don't think they should have gone to Barcelona together but that's just my opinion. It was really stupid on their part and they spent the whole time needing to go back to the hotel and it was like, okay y'all, you're seniors in high school.

Anyways, moving on, I love the little segments with Etienne and Anna and Lola and Cricket. AHHHH ANNA AND ST CLAIR AT THE END I WAS CRYING

This book made me cry. I'm going to be honest here. I wasn't expecting to cry but I guess I was just feeling emotional or something because I was sobbing when she breaks up with him. And I'm not counting that as a spoiler because that happens in literally every romance novel (they get together break up and get back together again) so...

I loved Josh's book. Let's be real, I would read that book any day. The whole graphic novel of his life sounds so interesting and I loved the whole idea behind it. I did think Isla was overly critical of it but you know, in life, you gotta take the criticism.

Though she could have been nicer.

I'm also going to say that I did not like Kurt. It has nothing to do with his having high-functioning autism. It was more like he was too possessive over Isla. And their relationship was forced 99% of the time and I felt none of the friendship chemistry I was supposed to have felt.

I would recommend this book to readers looking for cute romance novels!

Main Character: Isla
Sidekick(s): Josh, Kurt, etc
Villain(s): Love, misunderstandings, etc
Realistic Fiction Elements: This book is all very real to life.

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