ISLA: PLAYLIST (SPOLIERS)
Visit my 8 track page to listen to the official Isla and the Happily Ever After playlist.
Most of these songs are presented in the order of the events of the novel. All of them were listened to during the creation of the novel itself.
For the spoiler-free version of this playlist, visit this page.
(1) I Always Knew — The Vaccines
"'Cause it's you, oh it's always you, oh I always knew, it's you . . ." If books had music, this song would start playing the moment that Isla discovers Josh sitting in the café.
(2) Little Red-Haired Girl — Ezra Furman & the Harpoons
"Little red-haired girl, don't pass right by my table, I am so unable to conceal my lust . . ." Meanwhile, this is what happens when Josh sees Isla.
(3) Maple Leaves — Jens Lekman
A swirly, strange song filled with misunderstanding.
(4) Parentheses — The Blow
"When you're holding me, we make a pair of parentheses." The relationship begins.
(5) All I Need — Radiohead
Their passion quickly grows deeper, desperate, carnal.
(6) Private Room — Hunx
The school is too crowded. It's time to escape. Barcelona.
(7) Chemical Reaction — Sucre
The beauty of finally connecting in all the ways that it is possible to connect.
(8) The Other Side of Mt. Heart Attack — Liars
And then . . . the fallout. The shock and sadness of complete upheaval. Promises are made.
(9) Myxomatosis — Radiohead
Isla's long-distance paranoia grows. Her happiness is destroyed by her own hand.
(10) Blue Skies — Noah & the Whale
"This is the last song that I write while still in love with you. This is the last song that I write while you're even on my mind." Isla mourns for what she's lost.
(11) Heart — Stars
"I'm still in love with you. I'm still in love with you." Isla and Josh simultaneously reckon with their feelings.
(12) I Don’t Want to Get Over You — The Magnetic Fields
The reckoning continues.
(13) Shake It Out — Florence + the Machine
Hope. At last. Isla races across Paris, heart pounding, to meet Josh.
(14) On Your Side — Pete Yorn
"I am on your side. It's taken me a long time . . . And I listen." Isla and Josh finally open back up.
(15) Everywhere I Go — Caitlin Rose
"No matter where I go, no matter where you go. There we are, there we are." The future is beautiful.
(16) Bonded to You — Bill Fox
I discovered this song toward the very, very end of revising Isla, so it was never a part of my original playlist. But it's such a sweet little coda that I had to add it here.