Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Dutton, December 2010
Summary from Goodreads:
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. Claire: 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.I read this as soon as I could get my hands on a library copy, and I just have to agree with everyone who's raved about this book. It is just that incre adibly awesome. It's got a lot going for it: boarding school (always fun), Paris, yummy food, and a yummy would-be boyfriend named Etienne St. Clair (swoon).
As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near-misses end with the French kiss Anna—and readers—have long awaited?
Seriously, aside from all the drama and romance involving St. Clair (and I love how Anna's mood determines which name she calls him, St. Clair like almost everyone else, or Etienne, which she uses almost as a secret pet name), what got to me was Paris itself. I can understand Anna's reluctance to spend her senior year of high school at a boarding school in a foreign country where she knows no one, but this isn't any ordinary boarding school! Anna's fellow students all speak English and are just. Awesome. And she's in such a culturally rich city! And the food! My lord, Perkins makes even yogurt and granola with honey sound decadent!
I apologize for the overuse of exclamation points above, but suddenly a trip to Paris seems crucial and necessary for my survival. I would absolutely rate this 5 out of 5 croissants. Best part? Stephanie's got 2 companion books in the works: Lola and the Boy Next Door (September 29, 2011) and Isla and the Happily Ever After (Fall 2012). Cannot. Wait.
Enjoy your reading!
Christi
This has gotten such rave reviews from every angle that, even though this wouldn't usually be my thing, I'm definitely going to try and pick it up. And trips to Paris being crucial and necessary for survival? Absolutely! =D
ReplyDeleteI enjoy contemporary romances every now and again, but I really, really liked this book. Everything just...worked. And yeah, this book has definitely made me want to visit Paris! hope you like it!
ReplyDeleteGreat review! I have this one in my TBR pile and I can't wait to read it.
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