Anna and the French Kiss.

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 Etienne St. Clair.

This. is. an. amazing. book.
I've never really been too much of a fan of chick-lit type of books, but this one changed that all in one short day. I really truly did not want this book to end, but it did and all too quickly.
Now enough gushing, let the true review begin:

Smart and Quirky Heroine: CHECK
Anna was really awkward. BUT, that was the best thing about her! I loved her quirky freak out moments, because that's honestly what goes on in my head most of the time... This book gave me hope for all the odd and just plain awkward girls out there. I loved her relationship with Etienne and how he accepted all of her craziness and added in some of his own.

Sweet and Brave Hero: CHECK

Etienne. St. Clair. Etienne St. Clair. Whatever you choose to call him (I prefer Etienne), he was one of the best romantic leads I have ever read. He was hilarious and sweet. I loved how he always stood up for Anna and how even though he loved Anna, how he refused to cheat on Ellie. I hated his father for causing him pain, but I appreciated how he grew up to be an awesome person despite that. Really, he was just a good guy (and reading it in an accent just added to his adorable-ness). Why can't boys like him exist in real life? Can't we all just have our own personal Etienne St. Clairs? because I'm sure no girl on the planet would object.

Original Setting and Unique Plot: CHECK
There are many books out there with the same sort of story line: girl meets boy, trouble ensues, boy and girl get together. However, Stephanie Perkins added a magic to it that cannot be dismissed or probably duplicated. It was its own story. It was so easy to fall into the setting of being in Paris that I think it took on a life of its own. And the plot moved just perfectly for the story. It was not too fast as to rush past important details, but it didn't drag on and on about the same old problems. New things were continuously added to the story so as to keep it interesting.

Extraordinary Supporting Characters: CHECK
Rashmi and Josh:
They were both awesome people. They were always good friends to St. Clair and Anna, but I love how Stephanie Perkins added in bits and pieces of a completely different story for them that added to the depth of the book. They were real three-dimensional characters with their own stories and lives. And though we didn't know all about them, we knew enough to love them.
Meredith and Bridge:
They, too, were awesome characters. They kind of reminded me of each other but they were also each their own person. They were funny and light and good people for Anna to be around.
Matt and Cherrie:I know they weren't in the story that much, but something in the way that Matt was there for Anna after the concert touched me. He knew it wasn't going to work out but he still cared about Anna and was man enough to show that. He was able to open up about how she hurt him and because of that he helped her a little with her problem. I found myself genuinely hoping that he would be happy with Cherrie, or find a girl who did make him happy. I wanted Stephanie to tell give us just a few details about what became of him.

Plot Twists and Action: CHECK

Okay. So while technically there wasn't any action (except maybe the two punches thrown by Anna and Etienne, but those hardly count). and again technically there weren't many "plot twists." but, come on, it's chick-lit. They had to end up together, didn't they? But the charm of this book was that I didn't care. The plot alone held enough intrigue and whimsicality (which I don't believe is actually a word) to keep me interested. And that was made it such a good read.

Quotes:

"Most girls laugh too hard at his jokes and find excuses to gently press his arm. To touch him. Instead, I argue and roll my eyes and act indifferent. And when I touch his arm, I shove it. Because that's what friends do."

"Well, for one thing, he looks like a Ken doll. And you're beautiful."

"I don't understand why things always go from perfect to weird with us. It's like we're incapable of normal human interactions"

"But he's still beautiful. I hate that. And I hate myself for desperately wanting him to look at me"

“For the two of us, home isn't a place. It is a person. And we are finally home.”

“Boys turns girls into such idiots.”

“I mean, really. Who sends their kid to boarding school? It's so Hogwarts. Only mine doesn't have cute boy wizards or magic candy or flying lessons.”

 “So what do I wish for? Something I'm not sure I want? Someone I'm not sure I need? Or someone I know I can't have?”

 “I don't want to feel this way around him. I want things to be normal. I want to be his friend, not another stupid girl holding out for something that will never happen.”

 "How many times can our emotions be tied to someone else's - be pulled and stretched and twisted - before they snap? Before they can never be mended again?”

 “Why do I care so much about him, and why do I wish I didn't? How can one person make me so confused all of the time?”