Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Title: Anna and the French Kiss

Author: Stephenie Perkins

Series: 1st (but I think the next will be companion)

Pages: 372

Published: December 2, 2010 by Dutton

ISBN: 9780525423270

Source: Around The World Tours

 

Description: Anna was 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. So she's 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? Stephanie Perkins keeps the romantic tension crackling and the attraction high in a debut guaranteed to make toes tingle and hearts melt. 

 I Give This ...

I don't read a lot of contemporary fictions.  And I read even less contemporary young adult fiction.  I think because this is a common type of book and I just don't know how to pick the good from the ok and from the bad.  I hate to say it wasn't really even on my radar until I saw a few glowing reviews for it.  I thought I would give it a try and see what all the fuss was about it.  I think it made me realize that I need to be more open to anything.  I might not like it, but by not giving it a shot, I might miss out on something fantastic.  

I was pulled in from the first page.  I liked Anna.  She's smart, acts like a normal teenager, and has a typical (sort of) family.  It's something everybody will identify with. I also liked her quirks.  She's overly neat, seems to be afraid of new situations/people which makes her set in her routines.  But, I loved that she was able to step of her comfort zones and really start to explore Paris.  As a character, she one of the best I've seen.  I really understood every action she made.  She just jumped off the pages.

 Étienne was just as fantastic.  He wasn't perfect and even Anna acknowledges that.  He's fun and has a quirky sense of humor.  Some of his antics had me laughing out loud.  I also enjoyed that added drama of his relationship with his father.  I think what was added was a perfect amount and too much more might have brought the story down.  I also really liked their group of friends.  They entire group struck my as real and would be people I would like to hang out with.  

I really liked that Anna and Étienne's relationship isn't the instant over the top and madly in love that seems very common in young adult these days.  It makes everything concerning how the feel about each other genuine.  They're friends first and foremost.  They learn about each other, their families, and everything else that goes into making a real and lasting relationship.  It reminded me of falling love for the first time.  It isn't always easy.  

As you can tell, I really loved this book.  It made me giddy and wanting more.  I can't wait to see what Stephenie Perkins has up her sleeve for us next!