By: Stephanie Perkins
Book Summary curtesy of Goodreads:
Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris—until she meets Étienne St. Claire: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home. As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near-misses end with the French kiss Anna—and readers—have long awaited?
For a while I thought this book was stalking me. I swear I saw it everywhere I went; on the shelves at work, goodreads, and amazon kept recommending it for me- so I figured "what the heck, might as well see what the hype's all about" and boy am I glad I did!
My Review:
Perkins' novel was a breath of fresh air from all the paranormal reads that have taken over YA fiction these days (not that I'm complaining). I think what I found most enjoyable about this read was Perkins' writing style. The teenage language didn't feel forced, and at the same time it didn't feel overly crude. It was realistic because let's face it, we all know the language teens use, especially when they're away from their parents. While Perkins' writing style was realistic, it was also incredibly engaging (I had the hardest time putting it down to even eat or take a bathroom break haha). Anna and the French Kiss, relies on it's dialogue to keep the story moving, there's very little action in this plot, but the fresh voices of Perkins' characters move the story along and keep the reader hooked from the very first page.
Anna is a strong character. She doesn't play games, she's flawed (like every teen) and is just trying to find her independence in a foreign city.
I can't give a full review of this book without mentioning the chemistry between the two main characters, Anna and St. Claire (excuse me I mean Étienne). I couldn't help but root for these two from the get go. The build up of their relationship is realistic, there's no love at first sight with these two (but perhaps lust at first sight). I actually had butterflies in my stomach at a few scenes between these two. If you like a fun light read with great writing then Anna and the French Kiss is the book for you. If you prefer paranormal reads then you might wanna pass this one up (although I'm sure glad I didn't).
My overall rating GGGG1/2 4.5/5
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