Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Anna and the French Kiss
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Publisher: Dutton (a part of Penguin Group)
Release Date: December 2, 2010
Edition: Hardcover
* Purchased on my own.

Summary from 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 Étienne St. Claire: 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:

Anna didn't want to get shipped to the School of America in Paris (affectionately known as SOAP); it was her father's idea for her to attend and Anna doesn't exactly like her father to begin with. On top of this, she knows no French--having taken Spanish in prior years of high school--and having left her friends in Atlanta, she knows no one at school. Happily, this is quickly resolved when Anna meets Meredith--and thus also meets St. Clair (Étienne), Josh, and Rashimi. Needless to say, she's immediately taken with by Etienne and well, his English accent--let's face it, I'd do the same. However, she technically has a boy back home in Atlanta waiting for her (Toph) and well, Etienne has a girlfriend named Ellie who graduated the year before; so for a time, Anna is relatively content being his friend although feelings do develop and over the holiday season, things become more apparent. 


It really was a fun read and Anna's thoughts (and thus, commentary) were thoroughly entertaining; also, well, what girl wouldn't want her own Étienne? Er, granted, I too am a sucker for a British accent and I love that Stephanie had Etienne spouting British slang throughout the book. Can you tell that I enjoyed Anna and the French Kiss? The characters were likable--in my opinion--as they had flaws (Étienne's fear of heights as an example) and I wish I could share with you why I picked his fear of heights as an example, but that'd include a pretty big spoiler, so I shall resist. The fact that when Anna first arrived she tried to avoid ordering food from the cafeteria also made me laugh a bit as it sounds like something I would do too--although I don't think I could go as long as she did on bread.


Anna and the French Kiss had me smiling as I read--quite a few times--and I really loved the ending. It was one of those books that I started reading and then didn't put down until I'd finished and if you're thinking about picking up a copy, I'd like to give you that (gentle) little push to go for it. Granted of course, that now I'm craving decent coffee, amazing pastries, and well, Girl Scout cookies. Yes, Girl Scout cookies. In particular Thin Mints. Why do I mention this? Because they do appear in Anna and the French Kiss and they manage to draw students out like fresh meat would draw out zombies. Anyways, really, if you're looking for something new and fun to read, get thee hence and pick up a copy--or if you're still skeptical, read a little of the first chapter. 

Overall Rating:  ★★★★★