Review: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Title: Anna and the French Kiss

Author: Stephanie Perkins

Release Date: December 2, 2010

My Rating:  

Book Description: 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. As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near - misses end with the French kiss Anna - and readers - have long awaited?

Review:     So this book kept showing up on recommended for you lists for me. I ignored it for quite some time because the title sounded corny and I'm not even really sure why. But thankfully, for whatever reason, I decided to give it a chance. And boy am I glad I did!! This book blew my socks off! I fell in love with St. Claire almost the second he was introduced. 

           Anna, our protagonist is a 17 year old girl from Atlanta, GA. Her parents are sending her to a boarding school in Paris(!!!) for her senior year. She isn't looking forward to this at all. I totally understand her point because who wants to move to a school half-way across the world your senior year of high school??  However, Anna soon starts to settle in and makes some friends, St. Claire included. The chemistry between St. Claire and Anna is undeniable and I was rooting for them from the start. 

           This book is beautifully written. I literally was laughing out loud at parts. The characters are very realistic. They have insecurities, fights, and tough relationships with their parents. You can sympathize with Anna's homesickness as she struggles to learn French. The characters aren't perfect. They each have their own flaws making them more realistic and easier to relate to. This book is such a cute read! The storyline is original and sucks you in from the beginning. I would recommend this to anyone - it is a definite must read!