Saturday, March 19, 2011

Anna & the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins


Published: December 2, 2010 by Dutton
Received: gifted by Melanie from Reclusive Bibliophile
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? {taken from goodreads.com}

I received this book from my good friend Melanie at Reclusive Bibliophile back in early December.  After witnessing so many people gushing about it, I decided to hold off & read it when the hype died down a little bit.  Anna and the French Kiss sat on my bookshelf for months.  This poor lonely book kept getting passed over for something else.  In an attempt to cut down my TBR pile, I decided to finally pick it up.  And let me just say.. I am so, so glad I did!  Yes, all those comments you've read about how amazing this book is - are true!!!  There's a reason (many reasons) why Stephanie Perkins' debut novel has gotten so much attention among the YA realm.  Let me just tell you a few...

If you're a fan of quirky, humorous, yet realistic YA fiction then Anna and the French Kiss is the perfect book for you.  The story follows an American teenage girl who is sent to boarding school in Paris, France by her pompous father & hands-off mother.  The reality of leaving behind her best friend Bridgette, her little brother Sean, & the potential of a new boyfriend Toph devastates Anna.  How could her parents do this to her??  Immediately Anna feels helpless & alone in one of the largest & supposedly most romantic cities in the world.  She does not speak the language, eat the food, or dare to venture out past her school's grounds.  Just as she's settled herself in to become the hermit that she's trying to be, Anna meets Etienne St. Claire.  Oh Etienne (or is it St. Claire??)... *swoon*  He is half British, half American, half Parisian - a mut if you will!  But a beautiful mut, with beautiful hair.  Immediately Anna is drawn to him.  She becomes friends with his friends, a close-knit group who have grown to know one another at this American boarding school in Paris.

Slowly Anna emerges from her shell & attempts to experience Paris.  With the help of Etienne & her other new friends, Anna begins to come around & appreciate Paris & all it has to offer.  Anna's personality is what stole the show for me.  I loved how honest she was, mainly in her thoughts to herself.  Her lust for Etienne made me laugh so much!  From the inappropriate thoughts about the way he bit his pinky nail, to the smell of his freshly shampooed hair.  I was right there, inside her mind, experiencing it all just as she was.

The build up between Anna & Etienne was unreal!  Yes, it was obvious where this story was taking us; however, I loved loved LOVED the path it took us on to get there.  The relationship between the two of them started out as friends, which any good stable relationship should begin as.  They took the time to really get to know each other.  Then the heat began to rise slowly between the two.  I could literally feel the tension when Etienne's arm would graze Anna's arm.  The jolt of electricity that shot right through her body, simply because his knee touched hers.  The stolen glances & irresistible grins.  It was the small moments which escalated to much bigger, more grand moments in their relationship.

Stephanie Perkins' writing style is fresh & upbeat.  After reading this book I will definitely pick up another book of hers in the future.  And good news!  A companion novel for Anna and the French Kiss will be published September 2011 titled Lola and the Boy Next Door.  Along with the rest of the YA book blogging community, I am very eager to get my hands on that book!  The wait in reading Anna and the French Kiss was so worth it!  If you were reluctant, like I was, I suggest you stop holding off & pick up this book NOW.  If you're a fan of Megan McCafferty's Jessica Darling series, then you may come to like this story & Stephanie's writing as well.  How's that for persuasion??

Now I must go find me a British/American/Parisian man with beautiful hair!





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24 comments:

  1. hahah. Great Review:) I need to read this one

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  2. I might be the only person hype doesn't bother, lol. Great review Ginger! This is one book that a may pick up again in the future.

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  3. Love your review!

    This one is up next on my TBR and I'm so excited to read it. I hope I love it as much as everybody else does!

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  4. Great review! I really enjoyed this book as well. It was one of my favorites of 2010. I enjoyed Perkins' writing style as well. I can't wait for Lola and The Boy Next Door!

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  5. Fab review! I already want to read it again! It oozed so much cuteness! :)

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  6. I just finished this last night. I can't believe I waited so long to read it. ;_; I borrowed it from the library, but I definitely think I'm going to be buying a copy. And forcing it on everyone.

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  7. I really need to read this one, I've read so many rave reviews and love Paris! Glad you enjoyed it, and thanks for the review. :)

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  8. One of my friends just read this and she loved it, so I'm thinking I'll give it a try. Haven't read "normal" YA in a while. :)

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  9. Gahhhh SO many good reviews for this one! I really need to read it...but you know me and contemps ;) love/hate all the way! Nice review, G!

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  10. You mentioned that you waited until all the hype surrounding the book had died down a little. The funny part is that in the last couple weeks, I've seen talk about this book EVERYWHERE! I'll have to add this to my TBR list. I've been reading so much dystopia lately that I'm going to need something much more upbeat pretty soon. Great review! Hope you're having a great Saturday!

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  11. Sounds like this book truly is a good as all the hype around it. Will have to read it!

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  12. Can't wait to read. It is sadly sitting on my "to read" shelf. Too many books, too little time. Thanks for the great review.
    Amy @ www.bookgoonie.com

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  13. I LOVED this book. I bought my own copy, gave one away on the blog, and have given two as R.A.K.s.

    It needs to be September now, because I really want Lola and the Boy Next Door! Awesome review!

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  14. "But a beautiful mut, with beautiful hair." Haaaaa :) You crack me up! Great review!

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  15. Love the review! I was wary of this book, more because it isn't really what I normally read. But I am so glad I did! I borrowed a copy and seriously need to buy my own! I loved it! Can't wait for Lola!

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  16. I adore this book and would give just about anything for Lola and the Boy Next Door

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  17. And yet another blogger joins the fan hoards...Lol! I also have a copy of Anna sitting on my shelf, but I've been waiting 'til the hype dies down, like you did! I wonder how long it will take me to cave...lol

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  18. The chemistry between Anna and St. Clair was seriously electrifying...I got goosebumps right along with them! I also loved Anna's way of thinking and her thoughts reminded me of when I was that age, making me connect to the book and love it even more. Can't wait for Lola to come out!!

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  19. This one is STILL in my pile...:( I MUST get to it soon! Great review! :)

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  20. LOOOOVED this book...but you already knew that since I gushed about it. I was so surprised at how much I liked it. But I loved it something fierce! I'm with you..Anna's personality took the cake! She would be someone I'd probably have been bff's with! Great review! Glad this didn't disappoint you!

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  21. I didn't love love love St. Clair like everyone else did, but the author's writing style was fabulouso!

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  22. "A beautiful mutt, with beautiful hair." Haha you crack me up, G. I'm slowly making my way through this one, and so far it's brought a smile to my face.

    My favorite quote so far -- "We broke up when I learned about France, but it wasn't a big deal. I didn't cry or send him weepy emails or key his mom's station wagon."

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  23. Great review! This book totally surprised me by turning me into a swooning, giggling maniac. I laughed reading your review as I remembered how awesome "Anna and the French Kiss" is!
    I am SO looking forward to "Lola and the Boy Next Door!" :)

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  24. I'm so glad you liked it! Such a great book!!!

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