Review: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

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?

I loved this book so, so, so much! I finally got around to reading it after seeing it about a 294829748248 times on other blogs. I'm so glad I did!

This is one of the few real chick-lit type books I've read. Partly because I generally don't read books set in a real-life setting in the present day, and partly because I haven't bothered to read many books that are mainly focused on romance. This book is changing that, though!

It's definitely a feel-good kind of book, one for when you just want a book that makes you feel all warm and happy. It's not one of those books that makes your brain stretch or completely changes your perspective, so don't read it if you are looking for that. 

As for characters, I found Anna fun and relatable (from a teenage girls' perspective, anyways, as well as I'm no good at speaking French either, despite my best efforts), her new friends interesting and awesome, and the love interest (Étienne St. Clair) is absolutely the best.

So many of the scenes in this book made me want to jump right in and be there with the characters, especially the ones where the characters are out in the city. (Side note: I've been to Paris, and even though it was my least favourite of the four European cities I visited, this book made me want to go back like RIGHT NOW.)

The plot was, I'll admit, predictable at times. However, this didn't make a negative impact on my opinion of the book. Anna and the French Kiss does deal with some serious issues, too, not all just fluffy stuff. There's some bullying, bad friends, and a few other things.

If you are looking for a fun read, a romance, or something light, I would definitely recommend this book.

Another side note: I've noticed a trend in the blogosphere that lots of people aren't particularly fond of this cover, and I've seen several other versions pop up, many of which are fan-made. Of all the covers I've seen, I actually like the original (the one up there) the most. I like how it's simple and pretty and sophisticated and elegant all at once.

The Good: The setting, the characters, and Étienne. Can I just- I can't even- can I... *grabby hands*
The Bad: Somewhat predictable (although that's not necessarily a bad thing)
The Verdict: 5/5. (Actually, on my notes page where I have things jotted down quick about all the books I've read, I wrote 10/5. So if that doesn't say anything about what I thought about it right after I read the book, I don't know what will.)

Rachel