Synopsis (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. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Étienne has it all...including a serious girlfriend.
But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss?
But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss?
My Thoughts
This
book has been on my wishlist for more than a year. I‘ve read many blog
posts and watched several videos on YouTube raving this book and saying
it was amazing and that it had a really sweet story. Needless to say I
was intrigued and wanted to read it as soon as possible.
Before I start my review let me just say that I’m not the biggest fan of this type of novels, where teenagers’ hormones seem to dominate and cheesy things come out of their mouths at an incredible speed. Fortunately, Anna and the French Kiss didn’t fall into that category and really kept me hooked on it for two days straight.
First let’s talk about the setting. I really enjoyed the way Stephanie Perkins described the city and how she managed to give us a little bit of the magic and charm of Paris through her words. It was nice to revisit some of the places mentioned on the book and how it became a lot easier to picture the characters there.
As for the characters - I have to say - I think it is nearly impossible not to like them. They are rather lovable and relatable and even though Anna and St. Clair stand out – which is more than understandable since they are the main characters -, Meredith, Josh and Rashmi are key to make the story even more engrossing and to make it seem more realistic. Of course we tend to crush a little bit on St. Clair because he seems so charming and smart, but the rest of the gang also earned a special place in my heart because they were so lovable and united as friends.
I also liked how issues such as friendship, family, school and college life were addressed because it was easy to relate to the way the character’s felt about them and how they dealt with these matters.
I knew this book would be good but I didn’t expect to get this hooked on its story and characters. Stephanie Perkins' writing style really pleased me. Even though it is quite simple, it has this amazing ability to really pull us into the story, to make us want to hang out with the characters and hit the streets of Paris with them.
It is a light and fun read that is clearly meant to make us feel better and to put a smile on our faces. I thought it would be a lot cheesier than it actually was and I really enjoyed that because I think it is quite easy for these types of books to go down that road. I would definitely recommend this book; it’s sweet and spellbinding to the point that you won’t be able to put it down until you finish it.
Before I start my review let me just say that I’m not the biggest fan of this type of novels, where teenagers’ hormones seem to dominate and cheesy things come out of their mouths at an incredible speed. Fortunately, Anna and the French Kiss didn’t fall into that category and really kept me hooked on it for two days straight.
First let’s talk about the setting. I really enjoyed the way Stephanie Perkins described the city and how she managed to give us a little bit of the magic and charm of Paris through her words. It was nice to revisit some of the places mentioned on the book and how it became a lot easier to picture the characters there.
As for the characters - I have to say - I think it is nearly impossible not to like them. They are rather lovable and relatable and even though Anna and St. Clair stand out – which is more than understandable since they are the main characters -, Meredith, Josh and Rashmi are key to make the story even more engrossing and to make it seem more realistic. Of course we tend to crush a little bit on St. Clair because he seems so charming and smart, but the rest of the gang also earned a special place in my heart because they were so lovable and united as friends.
I also liked how issues such as friendship, family, school and college life were addressed because it was easy to relate to the way the character’s felt about them and how they dealt with these matters.
I knew this book would be good but I didn’t expect to get this hooked on its story and characters. Stephanie Perkins' writing style really pleased me. Even though it is quite simple, it has this amazing ability to really pull us into the story, to make us want to hang out with the characters and hit the streets of Paris with them.
It is a light and fun read that is clearly meant to make us feel better and to put a smile on our faces. I thought it would be a lot cheesier than it actually was and I really enjoyed that because I think it is quite easy for these types of books to go down that road. I would definitely recommend this book; it’s sweet and spellbinding to the point that you won’t be able to put it down until you finish it.
I give it 4,5 stars.
NOTE: I'll be posting a review for The Eyre Affair later this week.
