-->
young adult book reviews & more

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

The last thing that Anna Oliphant wants is to spend her senior year of high school at the School of America in Paris. Sure, Europe seems glamorous, but no one seems to be taking into account that Europe means leaving her friends and family back in Atlanta. Besides, Anna can barely speak a word of French. Anna’s convinced that her one and only boarding school experience is going to be nothing short of a nightmare—that is, until she meets Étienne St. Clair. He is probably the most prefect specimen of a guy that Anna has ever met: charismatic, charming, gorgeous, effortlessly Parisian, and with a sexy British accent—just utterly irresistible. Too bad Étienne already has a girlfriend. Too bad Anna is still kind of involved with a guy back home. But as the year progresses, Anna and Étienne’s easy friendship starts to turn into something more. Will they be able to weather all the drama and find the courage to go after what they really want?

I was a little wary of reading Anna and the French Kiss, only because I have seen people literally go gaga for this book, and I was afraid that I would be disappointed if my own reading experience was nothing short of spectacular. I am pleased to say that while I wasn’t totally and completely blown away, I was still wholeheartedly charmed by this sweet and romantic story. Young adult romances are usually my go-to books whenever I feel like smiling (which is basically all the time), and there’s no doubt that Anna and the French Kiss should be situated somewhere at the pinnacle of this subgenre. This romance really defies any of my previous conceptions of what YA romance should be; Perkins works around stereotypes and clichés so that her story settles comfortably within the realm of completely realistic. And the best part is that all her characters fit so well there: both Anna and Étienne are perfectly flawed. No emotion is left unexplored, for either Anna or Étienne (finally, a guy not afraid to express his feelings!). In all, Anna and the French Kiss sure is an utterly delightful and truly charming story that gives a good name to frothy romance.

Anna and the French Kiss will appeal to readers who enjoyed Sixteenth Summer by Michelle Dalton, Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, and Beautiful Americans by Lucy Silag.

Rating: 4.5

Review copy from personal collection

1 munch(es) :

Unknown said...

I am glad that Anna & The French Kiss did not disappoint you! I can totally relate to not going gaga over a book that others have raved about - but Anna and Etienne are hard to dislike :)

Lola will be equally as frothy if you care to try it! Also, I think I love Stephanie's sophomore release a little bit more :)

Post a Comment

Let the munching begin.