Book Review: Anna and the French Kiss

Title: Anna and the French Kiss

Author: Stephanie Perkins

Genre: Young adult, romance, realistic fiction  

Publisher: Dutton

Publication Date: December 2, 2010

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. Read more ... 

Review: Umm, so I would really like this book review to be a critical analysis, an in-depth exploration of themes and characters, and insightful profound examination. Unfortunately I am basically going to use this space to GUSH, because I LOVED THIS BOOK! Anna and the French Kiss, by Stephanie Perkins, was adorable, addicting, awkward, amusing, and amazing. And that’s only the A’s! 

I know the 5 people on the planet, that haven’t read this novel are looking at this review, at the cover, at the title, even at the synopsis, and going, ‘Seriously? How can this be good?’ I know, I completely understand. I was there too. It looks like it will be an overdose of cheesiness. Hello! It is called Anna and the French Kiss, could it seem anymore juvenile? But its not; it is just so lovely.

When I first picked up Anna and the French Kiss (because how could I not after JOHN GREEN recommended it?), I was literally expecting some kind of dumb teen girl novel about a girl who tries to French kiss as many boys as she can in France, or something similarity stupid. (Side note: there is a reason why I do not write books, and only read them – my ideas are not the best). Anyways I was so surprised when the novel was so much more grown-up and original, than the title made it seem.

From the characters to the plot, the setting to the narration, this novel was just …. *searches for the right word, and gives up* … *sigh*. Anna was such a wonderful character. I loved her humor, kindness, and just ‘relatablness’. I adored her narration and thought that it added so much to my enjoyment of the novel. If Anna was the perfect narrator though, Etienne St. Clair was the ultimate male lead. Honestly, I don’t think I have ever fallen so solidly in love with a fictional character. I feel like I cannot even do a good job discussing St. Clair, in fear of just becoming an embarrassing fan girl in the process. He was just such an amazing, sweet, smart, sarcastic, perfect boy. Seriously, Sarah Dessen, watch out because Stephanie Perkins has unlocked the ultimate recipe for creating the perfect boy on paper.

Anna and Etienne were not the only top-notch characters either. You frequently come across young adult novels, and even adult novels, where the author spends a lot of time on making the two or so main characters three-dimensional and falls short on the rest. I loved that Perkins gave all of her secondary characters quite a bit of depth as well, with their own problems and passions. I love when people are passionate about something, anything (but books especially), and it was so nice to see that each character was passionate about something, whether it was films, history, or sketching.

The plot was also completely surprisingly and complex. It dealt with a lot of different themes and emotions, and encompassed quite a bit of substance. Yes, the novel does primary revolve around Anne and St. Clair’s relationship, but there are many other components to the storyline that make it more than just a light romance. And all of this takes place in Paris. Could this be a better setting for this story of adorableness? Perkins did a really wonderful job of capturing the allure of Paris, not to mention describing the wonderful cuisine. Yum!

And this novel was yummy, and I bet you will just gobble it up like me. So go, run, get your hands on a copy of Anna and the French Kiss, and head to off to Paree! Au revoir et bon voyage! 

Warning: This book may make you smile uncontrollably for weeks after you finish it. And, constantly re-read it, and re-read it.  

You may also enjoy: The Queen of Babble trilogy by Meg Cabot, or any of the Sophie Kinsella books.

What to look forward to from Stephanie Perkins: Lola and the Boy Next Door  and Isla and the Happily Ever After (2013)

My Rating: 5.0/5.0