Anna And The French Kiss
Anna and The French Kiss
by Stephanie Perkins
Hardcover, 372 pages
Published December 2, 2010
by Dutton
ISBN0525423273
5 stars
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?
I started this book on Valentine’s Day hoping for a light fun romantic read and ended up way past my bedtime finishing it. Then re-reading it in the morning. You know I enjoy a book if I re-open it at all, let alone the very next day! This is my favorite so far of 2011. Stephanie Perkins does an amazing job as tour guide in the city of love…she sweeps you off your feet with breathtaking scenery and real as life characters. I think what I connected with the most were the every day happenings in the life of Anna and her interactions with her new group of friends at the SOAP- School of America in Paris. Readers will feel like a part of their clan.
Anna isn‘t thrilled to be there, she’s been shipped off by her novel writing father in her senior year, leaving best friend and newly budding boyfriend behind. She doesn’t know a word of French or how to order her own meals. Luckily she meets dorm mate Meridith the same day she arrives and is welcomed in to their circle. Which by the way, includes completely swoon worthy Etienne St Clair. Part British, part French… American citizen who takes your breath away. The only hitch is that he already has a girlfriend.
Both Anna and St Clair have an awkward go of things trying to communicate how they really feel and in the process become best friends. Their time spent touring the city, going to the cinema and perusing an old bookstore are among my favorite scenes. And girls, who can go wrong with a boy that buys you a book of Neruda poetry?
Anna and the French Kiss has plenty of surprises and serves up a heaping dose of spicy flirting, heartbreaking life trials and contemporary teen life. There are a couple of punches thrown, a few F bombs dropped and some sexual innuendos; so if that bothers you, now you know. I personally loved the book. It is absolute genius!
Here’s a trailer author Stephanie Perkins shared on her site that fits perfectly…
EF – Live The Language – Paris from Niklas Johansson, FSF on Vimeo.