Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Review - Anna and The French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Title and Author: Anna and The French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Publisher: Dutton
Publication Date: December 2, 2010
Paperback/Hardcover: 372 Pages
Genre: Young Adult, Romance
Summary:
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?

Review:
There’s a certain je ne sais quoi to this book that makes it an amazingly cute and romantic read.
Anna, an all-American girl is shipped off to School of America in Paris by her father. She doesn’t speak French and she feels completely lost until she meets a group of friends who immediately welcome her. They drag her out of her dorm room so she can see Paris and she slowly starts to feel comfortable.
As the main character Anna is extremely relatable and reliable. She's definitely not perfect and I like that in a character. Her emotions are real and so are the ways in which she expresses them.
Etienne St Clair is a great character as well. He’s adorable, loyal, sensitive, fun and irresistible in his own way. He has this British accent but he’s actually American and a little French as well. One thing I really liked about him is that he’s not described as being perfect like so many other main male characters. He’s short, he is afraid of heights and he bites his nail. All of his faults only make him more adorable, though. He’s caring and attentive, plus he clearly loves his mother. How cute is that? I simple feel in love with Etienne.
All the secondary characters were very well written as well and added something to the story.
I loved the way Anna and Etienne’s relationship developed. They didn’t immediately fell in love. They started out as friends. They talked, they flirted and eventually, they realized they were in love. There was no rushing and it was all very realistic.
Anna did realize Etienne was good looking right from the start but she also quickly realized he was much more than just another pretty face.
This book isn’t all about romance, though. There’s also some drama thrown in there to make things more interesting.
The whole book is very well written and I especially love the way Stephanie Perkins managed to describe several famous places in Paris.
All in all, Anna and The French Kiss is a very well written and realistic romance. The characters and their emotions feel real and it’s easy to relate to them.
I was afraid this book wouldn’t live up to the hype surrounding it but it definitely did. Anna and The French Kiss is a wonderful read.

Rating: Must Read


CymLowell

17 comments:

  1. Great review ;) !! I loved this book, I couldn't put it down either and I'm totally under the spell of Etienne St Clair too ;) !! Can't wait for Lola and the Boy Next Door !!

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  2. I can't wait until this book is released in the UK, I've heard so many great things about it. =]

    I have an award for you! http://cheezyfeetbooks.blogspot.com/2011/02/one-lovely-blog-award.html

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  3. Wasn't this such an AWESOME read?! I loved everything about it :)and i completely agree with you... All of St. Claire's faults make him that much more adorable *swoon*... if only he weren't made up of ink and paper!...

    Diana

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  4. I loved this book too. I felt the same way you did that there wasn't anything new about the story line but this book was just amazing and hard to put down.

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  5. I love, love, loved this book. Your review was fantastic. I also loved being able to experience Paris through Anna's eyes. It makes me want to go to Paris even more than I already did. :)

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  6. I am stopping by from Cym Lowell's Book Party Review.

    Hope you can stop by mine as well.

    http://silversolara.blogspot.com

    There is also a book blog giveaway ending tonight, February 23, on my blog if you want to stop by.

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  7. ^.^ I'm really looking forward to reading this!

    stopping by from the Book Party~~

    Sniffly Kitty
    Sniffly Kitty's Mostly Books
    Loving the Reviews Challenge

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  8. @The Lovely Getaway
    It definitely was. St Claire is an amazing character!

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  9. Wonderful review! I loved that Etienne was a showty, and I agree that Anna is quite relatable. Great observation about seeing Paris through Anna's eyes.

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  10. *sigh* Stephanie Perkins is a true genius. Her books are perfection.

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  11. Great review! i loved this book as well! Eitenne sounds like a dreamy guy to have!
    -Cali W.

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  12. It seem like everyone has read and loved this book! I should read it soon. :)

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  13. This is my go-to adorable read when I want some happy feels.

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