I see why there were a lot of negative reviews for this book- it's got problems, especially lots of corniness. But the quirky characters from the other books are here in full force too (especially Josh the graphic novelist-- I loved the descriptions of his book!) and that's a great strength in Perkins's writing. Isla was a bit of a cipher: she was cute but when she wonders what Josh sees in her or why she's special the reader kinda wonders too, I think. That was the main problem with this book. Lola was over the top, but at least that made her distinctive and remarkable, whereas Isla is a little vanilla. Besides that the Paris setting is great and the writing is really smart. Definitely worth reading for the sheer charm factor!