Tar Heel Bibliobabe: Review: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Anna and the French Kiss by: Stephanie Perkins

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. 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?

I am not sure what urged me to get this book, but I am beyond glad I did. This quickly became my favorite contemporary ever and Stephanie Perkins made my list of top ten auto buy authors. To say the least, I was enamored with every single thing about this book.

Anna is being shipped off to Paris at the request of her absentee father. When she arrives, she is thrust into a group of tight-knit friends, which includes Étienne St. Clair, a gorgeous American boy with a British accent with a French family. But he comes with a catch…a long-term girlfriend. Anna and Étienne find themselves bonding like they never have before. But they have a couple obstacles in their way. Can they finally get on the same page and have their forever-anticipated French kiss?

Anna was such an amazing protagonist. She was quirky and funny, a great and loyal friend. She was very pretty and had a very cool bleached strip in her hair I only wish I could pull off. I loved her inner monologue. I could relate to her so easily. She went through many things I have or people I know have, and I just loved the reality of Anna and her situations.

Étienne is…wow, total perfection. He is British. (I have a very well established thing for British men) He is gorgeous. He is friendly and charming. But he’s also really short and deathly afraid of heights. But all his seeming flaws make him absolutely wonderful. I fell for Étienne so very fast, just like Anna. It’s pretty impossible not to. You’ll see. :)

I loved their motely crew of friends. Meredith was a sweet friend who has harbored a crush on St. Clair, but she was completely understanding of Anna. I liked Josh and Rashmi by themselves, but as a couple, they clearly didn’t work out. Well, of course, since Josh is the love interest in Isla and the Happily Ever After, which I can’t wait for!

The writing was so relatable. Being inside Anna’s head was hilarious. The plot was sweet, and it captivated my interests until the end of the book. It wasn’t action packed or anything, but that didn’t matter at all. The setting was beautiful. Paris, and all of its' landmarks, were portrayed so vividly I felt as if I was there. Of course, the romance is the best part of this book. They start out as really close friends. Their friendship was invaluable to them, and it’s true when people say they fall in love with their best friends. They had a knack for understanding the other person inexplicably. I loved their banter and every encounter they had. They also have some very swoon-worthy moments, mixed in with some really adorable moments.

Luckily, readers see more Anna and Étienne in Lola and the Boy Next Door, which is an equally endearing story. I highly suggest this totally sweet and light series by a delightful author.

Favorite Swoon-worthy Quote: We are kissing like crazy. Like our lives depend on it. His tongue slips inside my mouth, gentle but demanding, and it’s nothing like I’ve ever experienced, and I suddenly understand why people describe kissing as melting because every square inch of my body dissolves into his. My fingers grip his hair, pulling him closer. My veins throb and my heart explodes. I have never wanted anyone like this before. Ever.