Review: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Hardcover, 372 pages

Released: December 2, 2010

Publisher: Dutton

Other places to find the book:
Amazon.com
Bookdepository.com
Add it to 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 Etienne St. Clair: 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?

My Rating: 4.5 / 5

My thoughts:
Much to her dismay, Anna's parents ship her off to an American boarding school...in Paris. Not only is it her last year of high school, but she doesn't even speak French! It doesn't take long for her to meet new friends, including the charismatic Etienne St. Clair whom everyone adores. They quickly become best friends but he has a long time girl friend off campus and Anna is still eager to see Toph back home. Their connection, along with her best friends betrayal, show us that you can't always help who you fall in love with.

St. Clair is a French/American with good hair, sweet, smart and speaks with a British accent but he's no perfect and I love that! He is short (OK, maybe his charisma will more then make up for this), he is insecure about being alone and his relationship with his parents is not the best (he loves his Mom but his Dad is the controlling kind). Anna also has family issues. Her father is a best-selling author who left her Mom soon after her brother was born and she basically feels abandoned. I love the message that nothing is perfect.

Anna is a great character, someone you'd love to have as a friend and hang out with. I could relate to her fear of new things. What we see though is that her originally terrifying situation leads to so much good! Not only does she find love, she discovers that home isn't just a place, it can be a person too. It makes me wonder what I miss out on by avoiding change.

This is the cutest story ever! I think Stephanie Perkins has captured perfectly the essence of what being a teen is, the hardships, the choices and the confusing feelings. Everyone needs an Etienne in their life at some point! Oh, and just to warn you: if you have ever thought of going to Paris, this book will make you want to fly there tomorrow ;)

The end of September can't come soon enough. I'm dying to read the companion book, Lola and the Boy Next Door .