ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS by Stephanie Perkins

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: 5 stars.

MY THOUGHTS:

Anna and the French Kiss? It’s just going to be another cliche, right? WRONG! Despite the cutesy title and summary, Anna and the French Kiss has depth. Lots of depth – specifically the relationship/friendship kind. It’s a whirlwind of wonderful.

The story’s progression immediately caught me by surprise; it doesn’t transpire in a short amount of time. Instead, it paces itself over roughly a year of time. Sounds crazy slow, but it isn’t. It actually works like a big puzzle in which you can’t wait to find the next piece to plug into place. It’s this pacing that gives the plot sustenance. Without it, and in a much shorter timespan, the plot would come off cliche.

But the characters are supporting that long timeframe. Without them, the story would drag. The relations between Anna and her friends just work, to put it simply; their actions aren’t forced or unflattering or awkward – although they are a tad predictable. They merely mesh together, and they’re all imperfect. In fact, they seem real. What they say to one another is not unlike what you’d hear you or your friends saying (except maybe minus the French and British slang).

So essentially Anna and the French Kiss provides both good story and believability. And a charming love interest: Etienne St. Clair. (Warning: You won’t be able to keep yourself from swooning just from seeing his name. He’s that special.) What’s best about him is that he’s so unlike other male characters. He’s not simply the Knight in Shining Armor or the Bad Boy or anything inbetween. He’s a collaboration – really well-rounded.

My advice? Don’t knock it for the romance-y premise. At all. Go read it!