Anna and the French Kiss

This book in one word? Fantastique! Seriously, I loved everything about this book. The characters were great, the setting was great, the writing was great. I'm could just go on and on about this book. Why have I not read it before now?!?

First off, I absolutely loved the characters in this book. Anna had such a great voice. I thought I'd read books with believable high school girls, but she totally blows everyone else right off the page. Her thoughts were the kind almost everyone can relate to. Especially the inner SCREAMING in capital letters. Of course, I want to hit her on the head and tell her she was a dummy sometimes, but I'm sure others would have been doing the same to me had they been following me around and listening to my every thought. Everyone else was great too. So great, in fact, I wanted them to be my friends instead of Anna's sometimes. And, of course, who could forget St. Clair? Personally, I prefer his first name, but I shall not delve into French on the keyboard. He's totally droolworthy, but not just in the looks department. He's funny and just naturally charming. And amazing. Enough about Euro boy though.

How could someone not love a book set in Paris? All of the descriptions whether it be about the weather or Notre Dame were great. I also loved the little peppering of French words throughout the story. It really helped in making me feel like I was actually in Paris. Plus, the whole French thing adds to the hilarity of Anna's situation (I love when she orders lunch for herself the first time!). And speaking of food: the descriptions alone made me want to shove some things in a bag and board a plane for the City of Light immediately.

I absolutely loved the relationship drama in Anna and the French Kiss. It was a totally new take on the high school boy-meets-girl scenario for me. It was much more emotional and engrossing than I ever could have possibly imagined. I hurt for Anna when she hurt and was pulling out my hair right along with her in frustration.

Final thoughts: This book was amazing. You absolutely must read it. I was cracking up all over the place and loving every minute. This book is a great escape that takes you not only to the City of Light, but captures your heart in the process.

I must say, Stephanie Perkins has seriously outdone herself here. This book was absolutely amazing. I'm not one to read a teen romance without any magic involved. I picked up this book because of all the rave it was receiving from fellow YA bloggers. After getting into the first few chapters, I set the book aside saying "Why do people even write this crap?". But, that was when I thought this would be you're average 'girl-loves-boy', 'boy-likes-girl', 'boy-breaks-girls-heart' story. After really getting into it, I realized it was that plus so much more. I found I couldn't put the book down! I laughed at Anna's experiences, I cried at her heartache. Along with the romance, I actually felt like I was in Paris! Perkins packed in so many facts about the city along with some French language. After reading this, I felt like I could have an easy conversation in French. This book was excellently written and left me wanting more of Etienne St. Clair. Ohh-la-laa!

I am going to do the unthinkable and say that I have mixed feelings about this review. Ack. Go ahead and gasp and tell me how horrid I am. I’m ready for it. Now, don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy this book; however, there were some things that keep me from proclaiming my undying love for it.
First off, I’m one of those pesky people that want all lose ends wrapped up. So when I didn’t find out what happened with the Dave and Amanda situation, it left me a little disappointed. Of course, this was such a minor element in the story that it didn’t take away from the overall book, but still. There were a few other minor things, but they aren’t really worth mentioning. Besides, I’m pretty sure it’s just me. I honestly think it’s my lack of interest in contemporary novels that kept me from proclaiming the utter and complete awesomeness of this book. For me to say that a contemporary read is phenomenal, slap yourself wonderful, it has to leave me speechless. Anna and the French Kiss did not leave me speechless, but it did make me smile at times.
What did I love about this book? Many, many things! First off, the setting. OMG. The author did such an amazing job with the setting. It was like I was back in France. Every little detail was so wonderfully descriptive. I could picture everything in my mind as I read. Instant love. In fact, it made me wish I was catching a flight to Paris right now so I could relive everything Anna and Etienne experienced. The way the catacombs in Notre Dame were described was perfect. The author was spot on… the entire time. I think I can safely say that Stephanie Jenkins did one of the best jobs EVER in setting the stage for a novel.
She did an equally amazing job with the characters. Seriously, what is there not to adore about Anna and her crew? Anna was witty and self-conscious. She was great. I loved her and her raisin sized front tooth gap. Then there is Etienne St. Clair. Le sigh. Simply charming. I swear he makes me want to go around calling everyone “mate” and “bloke” while I wear knickers and stare at wankers. So much fun! He is a perfect book boyfriend. The remainder of the crew is also fun… very Joyluck Club-ish. They were a perfect complement to one another.
I also think it’s worth mentioning that there is a subtle theme in this story. It was a little unclear at first, but it became clear by the end of the story. I also loved that the English Literature teacher helped deliver this theme. Her lectures on translated works helped Anna discover a huge secret about herself, which translates beautifully to real life.
This was a great contemporary read. I’m not a huge fan of contemporary works, but I did enjoy Anna and the French Kiss. It’s a well-developed story with fantastic characters. A perfect beach read.

I enjoyed laughing with this book. I enjoy laughing with any book really but this one had a different air of humor. I loved the characters especially Anna. St. Claire irritates me a lot...well I might be exaggerating. But he irritated me enough. It actually had REAL teenagers in here, unlike other books. These characters all had different flaws, and were all confused. I really enjoyed reading this

Anna and the French Kiss is what I call a truly magical book. This book captured the true feeling of being in love and all the troubles that come with it. This book has a sparkling plot with glowing characters that I just fell in love with. This book makes me want to sing, cry, laugh and scream, its so beautiful.

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 Etienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Etienne has it all . . . including a serious girlfriend. But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true.

This book made my heart melt from when I read the very first page. I loved this so much and its one of my most favorite young adult books so far. I wanted to be Anna half the time, with that beautiful English/American boy. All the characters had so much more than some books that I have read. They all had their own personalities instead of being just names that had no feeling.

In this book was set in the eyes of Anna herself, so there was a lot more insight into her life, emotions and reasons. When reading this book I actually felt everything Anna was feeling, the good parts, the bad parts and everything in between. I could understand her actions quite but sometimes I was clueless. Unexpected parts made me think and react differently to the characters but after I could understand them.

My favorite character was definitely Etienne St. Clair. All his quirks and his description made me fall in love with him. I loved how Stephanie Perkin made him English, I thought that was pretty funny. This was one of the books that me want to be in a character's boots. His character felt real, unlike some other books. He isn't perfect but everything he does has a hidden meaning behind it, which doesn't happen often. Sometimes people do things for the sake of it. His relationship with Anna is beautiful and purely real, not because of her beauty or his looks, real love.

The idea of this book set in Paris is brilliant. What place is better for romance than Paris? The troubles and fights between the characters is real as all friends fight. The plot was vibrant and stunning. I loved this so much. I may read Lola and the Boy Next Door, I hope its as amazing as this one. This great a book is super rare and don't miss this amazing opportunity.

There are some books that make you cry. There are some books that make you laugh. Then there are those that make you laugh so hard that you cry. Anna and the French Kiss falls under the last category. I'm not the biggest fan of contemporary. It was all I really read in High School and Middle School. It's like eating too much cheesecake. You love cheesecake, but since it's the only dessert you ever ate for four years you start to get a little sick of it. Then by the time you reach college the very sight of cheesecake makes you want to gag.


Okay, so the cheesecake metaphor isn't a true story...but you get my gist, right?
I have been dodging contemporary for some time now, but am I glad that I finally dove back in with Stephanie Perkin's novel! It was funny and it felt REAL! All the awkward moments made me feel so bad for Anna and I too felt that awkwardness. It's also very rare (at least for me) to find a light read that has depth. This book had depth. The characters were three dimensional and had emotions and feelings. They weren't there just to throw out some quips. In short, they weren't caricatures...and sometimes I feel like many YA characters become just that.


So yeah, I loved it. I adored it. I want to go to Paris and fall magically in love with an English man. If only. I'm actually from Atlanta, GA...which made it that much more entertaining since Anna is from Atlanta. There is a line about how everyone from GA goes to Panama City Beach...well this is soooo true! I have been to PCB (yes we abbreviate it) or around PCB every year for every Spring Break along with the rest of the state.


Lastly, don't think I forgot...Etienne St. Clair. Who has now taken the position as one of my all time favorite guys in YA. He's English, he's hot, and he's not perfect. Yeah, that last line may be weird...but I adore guys who aren't perfect in books. Because let's face it - that guy DOES NOT exist. Etienne isn't perfect, which makes him more real and give his character more depth. His relationship with Anna is really natural and definitely not insta-love, which is a plus. I swoon. He's the best almost-perfect guy you could get.


I have Lola and the Boy Next Door on my shelf, so I'll be reading that soon. I recommend this book for anyone who wants a good laugh, loves Paris, and who has a soft spot for accents. If you're hesitant to read contemporary like I was, this book may be the best pick-me-up for the genre! Be brave and take a chance! I know I did, and it sure as hell paid off !

I can't think of another book that made me SMILE this much. ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS had me giggling and swooning at the same time. The writing was fantastic, and the romance was pitch perfect. I am prepared to devour the next book.

What a sweet book. It’s long and there are lots of secondary plot lines, but the main takeaway is that this is a sweet book. Anna is bummed when her newly rich dad decides to impress his friends by sending her to Paris for a school year. Sure it’s Paris and all, but she has a life at home in Atlanta. It’s hard to start over in a new school, especially when you don’t even speak the language.

She’s immediately drawn to St. Clair (as is every single girl in the school). He’s handsome and nice and they have lots in common. The only problem is, not only does he have a girlfriend, but the one girl who’s been nice to Anna is secretly madly in love with him. Plus, Anna maybe has a boyfriend back home. It’s best if she and St. Clair are just friends.

Best laid plans and all that jazz…

I love how nice Meredith is to Anna on her first day and every day thereafter. She made all the difference in Anna’s first few days. There are a lot of supporting characters and they are all great. Every one of them is believable, with quirks and personalities. As the friends grow closer as a group, there are lots of opportunities for them to get along and fight and make up, all in very real ways. They make mistakes and learn from them, especially Anna.

The dialogue is perfect, everyone has their own personalities and the dialogue is a great reflection of that. Snappy comebacks and not-so-snappy comebacks. Friendly banter and the more serious stuff. All of it is realistic.

I think Stephanie Perkins must have been a foodie in a past life, because she can paint a yummy picture with her words.

Anyone with a sweet tooth or a love of French food will enjoy this book.

This book is so romantic, it is like a perfect depiction of falling in love. Seriously, this has everything you could want in a teen romance book. It’s sweet and tender, but has typical teenage issues like friendship, jealousy and immaturity.

The Sum Up: A wonderful story about falling in love and growing up. It’s long, but you’ll love every minute of it. This is contemporary ya at its finest.

This was such a fun book to read! It only took me a few hours to get through it. This is a coming of age story that's full of fun, humor, romance and hot boys with accents...with ACCENTS! Doesn't get much hotter than that?!

Anna Oliphant is our main character and she gets sent to Paris for her senior year of high school by her dad. Dad is a novelist whose books (which have been made into movies) make women swoon and who left Anna and her brother Sean when he was a baby. She and Dad don't have the best relationship but the one thing they do share is their OCD for cleanliness. Besides her OCD, Anna is a HUGE movie buff and an aspiring movie critic, writing reviews on her blog. Anna is not too happy about having to leave behind her best friend, Bridgette and a budding relationship with hot boy #1, Topher. Topher works with Anna at the local cinema and she's had a major crush on him forever and just when he starts to show interest, Dad springs the Paris thing on her. Way to go Dad!

Topher is a rocker boy (rocker = automatic hotboyness) and is in his own band. He has that bad boy attitude too which makes him all the more appealing to Anna but he's in America and she's in Paris. Kinda gives new meaning to "long distance relationship", huh? He e-mails and calls her reassures her that he can't wait to see her at Christmas.

Bridgette is Anna's BFF! She's bold, brassy and an awesome drummer and she's also taken over as babysitter for Anna's 7yr old brother Seany while she's in Paris. She makes some interesting choices that affect their friendship in a way neither ever expected.

When Anna lands in Pairs at her new school, the first person she meets is Meredith, another senior. They meet when Meredith hears Anna sobbing after her parents leave her and head back home to Atlanta. Meredith is kind and selfless, putting others first. She's big into sports and spending time with her small group of friends which she readily introduces Anna too.

Upon leaving Meredith's room that first night, Anna runs into, like literally runs into, Etienne...hot boy #2 (w/an accent!) Beautiful, British, brown eyed, perfect haired, Etienne St. Clair...sigh. He's funny, charming, beautiful, kind, has a girlfriend, is fluent in French and, you caught that, didn't you? Yeah, I thought so...he has a girlfriend - boo! Even so, he and Anna become fast friends, he helping her find her way around Paris and she with his family stuff. They quickly realize that they have a lot in common and they also have feelings for each other that go beyond friendship. They ARE in the city of love, but there's Topher and Ellie (Etienne's gf) to consider.

Anna also meets Rashmi and Josh who all part of the her new circle of friends and a couple too. (I enjoyed these two even if I don't agree with what they're up to all the time) Josh (hot boy #3) is an artist and Etienne's BFF. He has a great sense of humor but is also a tortured soul (criteria for hotness). Rashmi appears to be cold and only interested in playing tonsil hockey with Josh all the time but once we get to know her, we see that she puts up a wall to protect herself.

During her jet setting journey through her senior year, Anna learns some hard lessons about love, friendship, trust and betrayal, forcing her to take a good look at herself and the hot boys. It wouldn't be high school without the teenage angst, secret crushes, unrequited love, nasty rumor mills, budding romances, break-ups and make-ups and talks of sex. There's also the occasional bad word yelled out of frustration or anger and they're in Paris where the legal drinking age is under 21 so some of the characters have an unpleasant experience with alcohol. Been there. Done that. Blech!

There was a sweetness to this story which is what I enjoyed the most. That and all the details of Paris which really make me want to go!

Let me just start off by saying that "I only read paranormal" or "I only read fantasy" is not a legit excuse for not reading this book. I've never been a fan of published general fiction for some unknown reason, but I don't think I've met a single person yet who hasn't liked this book.

Of course, it helps that this takes place at a boarding school. In France. I think that ought to get anyone interested.

The book starts off with Anna's parents leaving her at her school in France. Practically abandoning her. I found it kind of funny, because really, whose parents just abandon you on a different continent when your kid knows nothing about her school?

Anyways. The characters. Definitely the best part of this book. Anna's narrative is so easy to read and understand, even easier to connect to. Her emotions seemed real and realistic.

I still can't get used to calling St. Clair Etienne, though. That was a problem of mine -- for more than half the book, Anna calls him St. Clair, but then suddenly it's Etienne every time she's talking to him. It seemed to come out of nowhere.

Anna and St. Clair's relationship was never dull. From the moment Anna met him, she was practically in love. (Not that she knew that. But still.) And St. Clair was always so nice and funny . . . . The only problem was his girlfriend.

Throughout the book, St. Clair takes Anna all around Paris, especially to the theaters, since Anna is a film freak. That's another thing I liked about the book - how realistic Anna was. She had a hobby, she wasn't perfect, she didn't understand any French, her emotions were almost never irrational. And St. Clair was that way, too. Maybe not at first. At first, he seemed perfect, and that irritated me, but then you started to see that he was just as human as Anna, that he had his hobbies too.

Another great thing - Etienne had flaws. He was clinging to his old life while basically having an emotional affair the entire book, which you really don't see much of these days.

The only complaint I have about the book is that there was a lot of unnecessary drama. Okay, obviously St. Clair couldn't dump his girlfriend right in the beginning. What kind of story would that be? But like Michelle said, there were about twenty unnecessary pages at the end, all because of a very stupid and pointless thing that St. Clair did. I felt like Perkins was trying to make everything that could go wrong actually go wrong.

But that's the only thing I didn't like. Which is saying something. And on top of being adorable and realistic, Anna and the French Kiss was funny, too. Anna's got some subtle sarcasm that I absolutely loved.

I feel like you'd have to be insane not to like this book.