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Wednesday 2 November 2011

A review for Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins


Posted by: Jess
Published Date: December 2nd, 2010
Finished Date: October 31st, 2011
Publishers: Speak (UK publishers)
Source: RAK
Format: Paperback
Pages: 372


The Blurb from Stephanie Perkins' blog: 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.

The Review: He takes my hands into his.Those perfect hands, that fit mine just so. “Anna?” Our foreheads touch. “Yes?” “Will you please tell me you love me? I’m dying here.”


Well what can I say. I'd been wanting to read this book since a Goodreads friend quoted some lines to me. And, finally, Siobhan RAK'ed this to me and I started it the day it arrived at my house. What a wonderful book. 


I wanted to read something light, and I don't normally like contemp romances but I'd heard only good things about it, and I wasn't disappointed one bit! I was completely hooked from the beginning of this book to the very end. I think the only times I put it down was to pee, eat, sleep, and work during the day. Other than that I was reading (and watching Glee). 


Stephanie Perkins has created a fantastic story set in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Paris. With all her wonderful descriptions of the locals, using the French language in parts, it really felt like I was there with Anna. She makes new friends nice and easily after her divorced parents leave her there to finish off her school year. All the characters were great, extremely funny. There are a lot of 'laugh out load' moments in this book, that I once had to stifle laughter because I was on the bus on the way to work. Anyway Anna is a great heroine, she's pretty strong throughout most of the book, she starts off shy and unwise to the workings of the American school in Paris, but once she befriends Meredith and the rest of them she slowly comes out of her shell and we see a new side to her. Gradually, as she settles in to her new surroundings, classes, and gets to know her friends (including the very gorgeous Etienne St. Clair-see Book Boyfriend for full details); she starts to feel more comfortable with everything and in the end (right at the end) she realises that she has fallen in love with the very sexy (and taken) Etienne St. Clair. Ahh Etienne. What can I say, he's everything you could wish for  in a boyfriend. Smart, handsome, funny (seriously he's hilarious), has a British accent (naturally I don't hear it because I'm English), born in America but has a French name, is fluent in French. He's pretty damn perfect, and I thank Stephanie for creating him, but also curse her for making him totally...not real. *sigh*.


Anyway, moving on. Everything about this book was wonderful, it was fast paced, funny, the plot was great and I did sort of see some of it coming but it was still a shock as to how it came out.


So, if you haven't read Anna and the French Kiss yet, then you really should. You won't be disappointed. There's plenty of romance, plenty of funny phrases, funny innuendos, a gorgeous boy to fawn over for all time. It has it all, and I really am looking forward to reading Lola and the Boy Next Door the companion to this novel.


Awesome. Read it!



4 comments:

April said...

I really liked this one too. I finally bought it after reading everyone talking about how great it was, and they were right.

I'm american, so the accent was very swoon worthy for me! :o) Great review !

Liz. R said...

Yaaay! So glad you liked it. St. Clair is definitely one of my favourite love interests of all time (though the whole accent thing washes over me too). Great review! I can't wait to read Lola either :).

Anna @ Literary Exploration said...

Ohh I have Anna and Lola sitting on my shelf, so I should really get to them :) Great review, I'm excited for Anna now!

Anna @ Literary Exploration

Giselle said...

Aaaawww! Anna is sooo romantic. I plan to read Lola next week and I heard it was just as good and that Anna makes an appearance! :D

Giselle
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