Book Review : Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

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Anna and the French Kiss
by
Hardcover, 372 pages
Published December 2nd 2010 by Dutton
Available on The Book Depository for $9.70

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 Etienne St. Clair: 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.

Review
I don't usually read chick-lit, but all over the blogosphere, fellow bloggers are raving about Anna and the French Kiss' excellence. I couldn't resist, so I got myself a copy of this book.

Anna didn't let me down. Or more precisely, the French setting didn't let me down. I was immediately enraptured with the beautiful places portrayed in the novel. The Kilometer Zero, the Notre Dame cathedral, the Eiffel Tower, the cafés, bistros, and pâtisserie. Everything is so descriptive and lovely.

Anna's love interest - Étienne St. Clair is a main topic in this novel. He's a gorgeous (albeit a little short) French-American who's attending the the same school as Anna. No matter how wonderful St. Clair is, Anna is afraid of getting to close with him as he has a girlfriend called Ellie, and Anna's new best friend Meredith is really interested in him. St. Clair openly shows his interest in Anna, but she's not sure whether he is only joking with her like he does with everyone else, or does he really likes her?

Étienne St. Clair is a flawed character despite his outstanding appearance. He has his moments of weakness and helplessness. He gives me the impression of being someone who's indecisive when it comes to matters of relationship. He is afraid of change and acknowledging his own heart. Sometimes, I feel like slapping him and telling him to wake up, and that he should start acting like a man.

I understand Anna's fears of becoming the third party in St. Clair's relationship with his girlfriend, but I also understand how frustrated she feels when St. Clair kisses her a second and then ditches her the next. She loves him, but she is uncertain about how he feels.

Anna grows, emotionally and mentally, as she lives through her senior year in France. She discovers that love cannot be forced, it just happens. We don't usually have full control of our hearts and who we fall in love in. She also learns to forgive and receives forgiveness from others in return.

Will Anna and St. Clair have a fin heureuse? Read this book and find out for yourselves!

Contents Warning: This book contains some kissing scenes and mentions of sex (though there are no actual scenes of it). Recommended to readers age 15 and above.

Rating: 4.000 Je l'aime vraiment!

About THe Author
http://www.stephanieperkins.com/images/stephanieperkins2.jpg

http://www.danielmatthews.net/images/inverted_commas.gifHi there! I'm Steph, and I wrote ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS. It has funny bits and kissing, so you should totally read it. If you're into that sort of thing. There will be two companions: LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR (2011) and ISLA AND THE HAPPILY EVER AFTER (2012).

4 creative remarks:

Heather said...

I keep hearing such great things about this that I've GOT to pick it up! Thanks for the reminder.

quirky girls said...

I loved Anna and St Clair for their flaws and overcoming them. I was surprised to like this book so much, but I did.

-jehara

Anonymous said...

This book is AMAZING!!!
St. Clair is so hot...

polaris said...

this is...chick-lit? i thought this is a YA contemporary book. no?

btw, i loved this book!i was quite skeptical whether i should read it or not (the cover, the name, SCREAM CHEESYTASTIC!) but i read it anyway. and to my surprise, the book is one of my favorites! it's light and fluffy <3