Review : Anna and the French Kiss
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Pages : 372
Genre : YA, Fiction, Romance
Stand alone
My Rating : 
What it’s about :
Despite her protests, Anna has been forced to leave behind all of her plans for her last year of high-school, her friends and her love interest. She lands in her private French school with absolutely no clue about being a Parisian, and no knowledge of the language. Anna fears she won’t get over missing home when she meets beautiful, mysterious St-Clair.
As she ans St-Clair become friends, Anna is forced to admit that maybe Paris won’t be so bad, after all.
My Thoughts :
So, just to be clear : this is the kind of book that makes you go “SQUEEE!!!!”, totally. Be prepared for it! It’s really not about the writing (though it is good), or the originality of the plot (regular will-they-won’t-they type of romance). It’s a mix of both, in fact, added to the wonderful setting of Paris and a set of characters that felt real, that makes this novel an exquisite candy-read that will warm your heart.
Even though she is trapped in a typical romance, Anna is such a breath of fresh air! She does some rights and wrongs, she’s kind of a clean freak, and has a wonderful sense of humor that is particularly present in her relationship with St-Clair. What I loved was that, even though the book is clearly about her romance with this beautiful boy, it’s also about her personal journey. Anna arrives in Paris not speaking French and is, of course, insecure about going out by herself. But she is no lady in distress, and as she learns about the Parisian life, she gets out by herself to do her own things. I liked that.
As for the romance, ah! There is so much to be said, but my words are missing. St-Clair is charming and has a British accent and is a bit tortured and is intelligent and has a great sense of humor too and… see, he’s kind of hard to resist. But most of all, his connection to Anna felt real, from the start. And their friendship too; even though there was a physical attraction, it was obvious that there was a lot more going on between the two.
Having been to Paris last year, I can’t tell you how much fun I had revisiting the city through Perkins’ words. You see, I have been missing Paris like one misses home ever since we went (we are already in the planning for a second trip there!) And every time Anna discovered a new aspect of Paris, I exclaimed in delight “OMG! I’ve been there! OMG! I’ve done this!” I have only love for an author who mentions Victor Noir (I’ve done this!) and Shakespeare & Co (I’ve been there!)
I loved this book. Can you tell?
It would be hard to pinpoint one particular aspect that made me fall for it this much, because there were many. It doesn’t reinvent the genre : but it presents it in such a delightful, fun, heartwarming way that I wanted to read it again as soon as I turned the last page. This book will be my ray of sunshine for the next gray day of my life.
Oh yay! I grabbed this book when it was free for the Kindle and you’ve made me excited about it now!
I’ve heard nothing but awesome things about this book, but I still haven’t read it! I sooo need to!
Loved, loved, loved this book. It was one of my “Best of the Year” books as well and I can’t wait for the two companion novels coming out.
It sounds like the combination of romance and what I almost see as a type of travel fiction really worked well for you in this book. I admit to not having heard a lot about it, but it sounds as if it’s something that may make for a really interesting and lighter read for the summer. I loved your unbridled enthusiasm for this book and am going to be adding it to my wish list right away. Thanks for the excellent and thoughtful review!
hahah! i had so much fun reading your review. i’m definitely adding this to my wish list now.
Ha! You weren’t kidding about wanting to write about this book right away. I totally agree with you about Anna, she was a fantastic breath of fresh air and I loved her inner monologue. So glad you loved the book!
Totally with you — no particular component of Anna blew me away, but the complete make-up of the story (and ST. CLAIR!) combined to make me into a seriously squeeing fan girl. Of all the books I’ve read and loved lately, this one definitely tops the list!
Paris is my favourite city in the world so I’m immediately drawn to this book. Hehe. And I absolutely love stories about people moving and adjusting to new surroundings – whether it’s a memoir or a work of fiction. I’m going to have to read this. I love the sound of it. 😀
Okay. Your review sold me on this one! 🙂 I’m going to London and Paris for the first time this summer, so I just might want to take this one along with me. It sounds like the perfect companion read for my trip! Thanks for your enthusiastic, honest review. I loved it!