Book Review: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Publisher: Usbourne (1st Jan 2014)

Amazon || Goodreads 

Purchased.

Blurb:

Anna had everything figured out – she was about to start senior year with her best friend, she had a great weekend job and her huge work crush looked as if it might finally be going somewhere... Until her dad decides to send her 4383 miles away to Paris.

But despite not speaking a word of French, Anna finds herself making new friends, including Étienne, the smart, beautiful boy from the floor above. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with the French kiss Anna's been waiting for?

I’ve always had a soft spot for books set in Paris. The beauty and culture of said city never fails to draw in my attention and after searching high and low for Anna and the French Kiss, I finally found a bookstore that stocks it. Hallelujah! A few of my blogger friends have recommended me Stephanie Perkins’s books when I asked for YA girl-meets-boy love stories. Thank God I got the chance to read it – I flipping loved Anna and the French Kiss!

In Anna and the French Kiss, the protagonist of the book, Anna Oliphant finds herself rooted from her life in Atlanta and planted in a foreign country: Paris. Missing her life back home, she decides to give Paris a chance and when she befriends a gang of friends, she finally lets go of her reservations on Paris and start enjoying herself. Well, the handsome and charming Etienne St. Clair is definitely a good distraction. As she tries to not fall for Etienne and decide where her home is, Anna’s adventures in Paris are nothing if not exciting! When the growing attraction between her and Etienne blossoms, will Anna get the heart-stopping French kiss from the gorgeous boy?

I ADORED this book. Absolutely fell in love with every bit of it. I love the setting of the book: Paris (whoop!), the fantastic characters, especially the beautifully described Etienne St. Clair (swoon!) and the wonderful love story between Anna and Etienne (sigh!). Right from the start, I knew I was going to really enjoy it. I never thought I’d fall hook, line and sinker for the book. Yes, I’ve been French kissed by the amazingly written books, and a particular American-French boy with a British accent.

I particularly enjoyed the first person narrative. Stephanie Perkins has a very sharp and witty sense of humour and it can be clearly seen through her characters’ dialogues. I like how relatable Anna is, as a teenager and a girl who has fallen irrevocably in love with a guy. I like how Etienne is easygoing and funny, clever and incredibly likeable. Paris, is described with such vividness and intricately detailed that the words jump out of the pages and make themselves at home in my mind. 

Anna and the French Kiss is edgy, fast-paced and sweet. It’s a coming of age novel which focuses on the tenderness of first love and discovering where your heart truly lies. The book is as romantic as the city it is set in. Beautifully written, laced with humour and adorable dialogue between a set of brilliant characters, you mustn’t miss this gem! Stephanie Perkins is definitely my current favourite YA author! Her next book, Lola and the Boy Next Door is on my “Books I Must Read” list!

Rating: 10/10

Emma Watson as Anna and Grant Gustin (SQUUUUUUUUUUEAL!) as Etienne