Monday, June 11, 2012

Review: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Synopsis (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 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?
My Thoughts: This is one of those books that grabbed me from the beginning and made me love the characters so hard that I couldn't stop reading. Stephanie Perkins' writing is fun and witty and she got me firmly inside Anna's head as she's dealing with a whole new culture, all new friends and one very sexy boy who could be more than a friend if the stars align. *swoon*

Anna... Oh, Anna. I really did love this girl. She's lovely and sweet and she's thrown for a loop when her parents ship her off to a foreign country without giving her any say in the matter. I know that I would have been petrified to be in a strange place where I couldn't speak the language so Anna's first week of school really struck a chord with me. Her slow evolution from a girl afraid to leave the school campus into someone who routinely strikes out on her own felt very real to me. Her slow romance with St. Clair was both nerve wracking and incredibly sweet. I wanted them to get together so badly and it was hard watching St. Clair cling to his old girlfriend just because she was something he was comfortable with.

I honestly put this book down and immediately started eyeballing book 2 because I was so very in love with both the world Stephanie Perkins created and with her writing. This was simply one of those books that made me smile and, at points, get a little teary eyed. <3 <3 <3

Books in this series
1. Anna and the French Kiss - Hardcover | Paperback | Kindle
2. Lola and the Boy Next Door
3. Isla and the Happily Ever After

Author Links
| Website | Twitter | Amazon |

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

36 comments:

  1. *swoon swoon*

    Your review makes me want to pick this book back up again. Or, you know, read Lola.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's an easy book to swoon over, isn't it? *swooooon*

      Lola's on the list. WE COULD READ IT!

      Delete
    2. I think I'm going to block off July 16th for the review. Whenever you're ready, we can read it!

      Delete
    3. I could block off July 16th for my review, too and we could be REVIEW TWINSIES THAT DAY!

      Delete
    4. Let me know when you're free to read it!

      Delete
  2. Lovely review, Kelly! I feel like the only person in the world who hasn't read this one yet. I'll definitely have to get to it soon! :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm not a huge fan of contemporary non-paranormal books and I LOVED this one. So... READ IT!

      Delete
  3. OOOOoooO I LOVED this one... it was cute and fun and awesome! Glad you loved it so much too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am ridiculously in love with this book. It's almost embarrassing. <3 <3 <3

      Delete
  4. Wooooo! More ANNA love! :) Such a great book.

    However, I was in the minority that wasn't impressed with LOLA.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is a great book! I'm gearing up to read Lola. I'll see what camp I fall into (but I'm leaning toward the "love it" camp simply based on how much I enjoyed this one!).

      Delete
  5. Geez both of you? That is just like totally unfair :) I bought it and will read it----y'all are "unbeknowist to yourselves" bullies!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lol! We sort of read it together. And it was soooooo goooood! *huggles it*

      Delete
    2. Correction: we started it together. You "accidentally" finished it the same night we started.

      Delete
    3. It's not my fault. It was really good. Clearly it's Stephanie Perkins' fault for writing such an awesometastic book. *shakes fist at Stephanie Perkins while covertly stroking the book behind Amanda's back*

      PS: I'm not the only person who's accidentally finished a book before! IT HAPPENS!

      Delete
    4. You're the "I accidentally finished a book" expert.

      Delete
    5. Or rather: Kelly "I accidentally finished that book" Rubidoux.

      Delete
    6. O.O How did you know that was my middle name?

      Delete
    7. Wait a sec. I distinctly recall you accidentally finishing a book one time with Smash. IT HAPPENS!

      Delete
    8. The next time I mail you something, I'm going to address it to Kelly "I accidentally finished that book" Rubidoux. I bet that would amuse the mailman.

      I have no idea what you're talking about. Me accidentally finish a book? 0=)

      Delete
    9. Ha! Yes, that would ROCK! DO IT!

      Stop with the innocent act. Your halo is wobbling.

      Delete
    10. Okay.... now what do I have to send to you? Hmm...

      I'm totally innocent. TOTALLY.

      Delete
    11. I like #NakedWerewolves. *hint hint*

      Delete
    12. Speaking of #NakedWerewolves, I had to explain to the boyfriend today why they must take off their clothes before shifting. I don't think he's a #NakedWerewolf fan.

      Delete
    13. What? WHAT??? I don't understand. How can he not be a #NakedWerewolf fan when he's peripherally connected to me through you?

      Delete
    14. I think it was because the #NakedWerewolf in question was a guy. Had it been a female... he may have had a different opinion.

      Delete
    15. Lol! Okay. I guess I can understand that line of thinking!

      Delete
  6. I did like this story but something about Anna rubbed me the wrong way and I just wasn't as in love with it as the rest of the entire world is. I really really LOVED Lola's story though because Cricket is just downright amazing and it was better than Anna in my opinion.

    Can't wait till July to see what both you and Amanda think about it. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We're finalizing our plans to get it read! Excited!

      Delete
  7. I felt the same way you did after reading this page-turner: happy and eager to read Lola. Some didn't like Lola as much but I really enjoyed it, and can't wait for Isla!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Loved it. It was like a warm mug of cocoa. Lola is haunting me from the shelf.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lol! I'm waiting impatiently for Amanda to clear room on her schedule to read Lola!

      Delete