Anna and the French Kiss- Stephanie Perkins

Synopsis:

"Anna was 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. So she's less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris—until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Étienne has it all . . . including a serious girlfriend.

But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss? Stephanie Perkins keeps the romantic tension crackling and the attraction high in a debut guaranteed to make toes tingle and hearts melt."


Review:

I absolutely loved this book. The characters, especially main characters Anna and St. Clair were wonderful. They were real and each made mistakes and had flaws and that was one of the most wonderful things about them. All the emotions Anna expresses, from falling for a taken guy, to dealing with moving to Paris, to the betrayals she faces from friends and the fights she gets into are all incredibly realistic. I found myself siding with Anna on most occasions, but I could also frequently sympathize with friends she hurts along the way.

Even though the ending may be a bit predictable, everything along the way is too wonderful and funny not to miss. Some of the things I liked best about this book: Anna's love of theater. She wants to grow up to review movies and that interest of hers is featured prominently in this book. As someone who loves reading books and reviewing them, I liked this side of Anna's personality.

I also liked that St. Clair was short and had a fear of heights. Too many teen books feature guys that are absolutely perfect and St. Clair isn't.

I loved how St. Clair and Anna became best friends as the story went on. It was a nice way to progress their relationship and I liked seeing that side of things.

I also loved the other minor characters. They are funny and they really help bring the story to light.

Oh and did I mention the setting? This book definitely makes me want to visit Paris to see all the sights mentioned and eat all of the great food.

Stephanie Perkins has two companion novels coming out this year and next: Lola and the Boy Next Door and Isla and the Happily Ever After that I will certainly be buying as soon as they come out.

Rating: A

Other recommended reads:
The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen
Just Listen by Sarah Dessen
Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta