Anna and the French Kiss Review

Title: Anna and the French Kiss
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Publisher: Dutton
Published Date: December 2, 2010
Price: Amazon ($10.56)
Synopsis:


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:

The magical and luxurious Paris, a scrumptious and sexy hot boy (with of course a British accent), and a sweet love story with flirtations exuding from the pages creates the perfect touch of a young adult chick romance novel, Anna and the French Kiss.

Anna Oliphant, a senior, is sent to School of America in Paris, losing her friends, her little brother, Seany, and the security of America. She expects to be a loner, teased for her minimal knowledge of French culture (consisting of oui). What she meets is a welcoming group of friends, which consists of the hottest guy, Étienne St. Claire, who’s not only kind and flirtatious with our narrator, but has a British accent. Anna and the French Kiss is their road to discovering what it means to not be alone and how to communicate love.

After finishing the book in one sitting, even at the cost of my homework, I felt so elated and excited. Maybe it was their constant flirtation that not only made Anna fall in love with St. Clair, but also myself. Or maybe it was the humorous relationship with her friends, Meredith, Rashami, and Josh who really shone in the spotlight, instead of being shunted to the sidelines. Maybe it was the journeys and the romantic aura of Paris (making me want to buy an airplane ticket to Paris and say au revoir, America high school). Or it could just be the simple fact I love British accents and with a sexy guy attached to it, who could resist?

What really makes Anna and the French Kiss distinctive of many YA chick romance novels that are becoming increasingly cliché is the sincerity in Anna’s and St. Claire’s love interest. The chemistry and love between them starts bubbling with the progression of their friendship, in which they comfort each other with their troubles and talk comfortably about their interests (Anna’s interest in film critiquing and St. Claire’s interest in art). And even though their relationship grows steadily, it goes on a roller coaster, as they both have to face their fears before realizing their love.

Plot: 5/5
Character: 5/5
Cover: 4/5

Simple, but gorgeous placement of the Eiffel Tower and the couple on the bench. I think the girl really looks like the Anna I imagined in my head, but I wish they could have bleached a part of her hair strand (or at least put some sort of hair extension) because that’s a characteristic that makes her stand out.

Overall: 5/5 

Stephanie Perkins does a fabulous job in bringing the cliché love story true, ringing with sincerity, giving readers the hope that they can find the perfect guy, sexy, kind, and loyal (maybe a British accent) in a true love story. Even though both Anna and Étienne have flaws, it’s constantly overshadowed by their humorous banters and romantic trips within Paris. You bloody hell should read this book, or you’re really missing out on true love. 

I also attached some pictures I took in Paris in my Europe trip, to help bring the Paris aura in America. I know, it's hard.