Author: Stephanie Perkins
Genre: YA/Romance
Publication: Usborne Publishing
Release Date: Jan 1st, 2014
Pages: 400
Spoilers: Nope, spoiler free! I wanna keep it a secret and let you have all the feels.
Rating: 
(4.5 / 5)
Starting this review, I have to honestly tell you that even though the book got some amazing reviews, and I was mildly excited to start reading it, I never was hyped about it. I saved the book for the week I was going to Paris. And let me tell you this: we had a 2.5 hour train ride to Paris, and that night I got the read some and the night after that… I finished it. So that says a lot, since I was walking around Paris for most of the time I was there. Okay, enough talking. Let’s start on telling you WHY you should read this book.
“Anna has everything figured out – she was about to start senior year with her best friend, she had a great weekend job, and her huge work crush looked as if it might finally be going somewhere… Until her dad decides to send her 4383 miles away to Paris. On her own.
But despite not speaking a word of French, Anna finds herself making new friends, including Etienne, the smart, beautiful boy from the floor above. But he’s taken – and Anna might be too. Will a year of romantic near-missed end with the French kiss she’s been waiting for?” [Goodreads]
So this story takes place in Paris, which is one of my favorite cities in the world. It has this romantic vibe that no other city has. Paris is everything you want and more, and the funny thing is that Anna doesn’t really want to go to Paris. She’s sent there by her parents and has to go to a boarding school that scares the hell out of Anna. New people, new city and mostly… being on her own for the first time in a country that speaks another language.
Luckily, Anna finds out that Paris has a lot to offer. They have cinemas, good food and very handsome boys. Her eye falls on St. Clair, a beautiful boy that is not really American, French or British, but more a mix of all of these three things. She doesn’t want to fall for him, because every girl in her class has a crush on him, including one of her new best friends. But as I fell in love with him… you can probably guess Anna did as well. So what’s the problem? – you might ask. Well… he’s been in a relationship with a girl for years. And St. Clair’s girlfriend isn’t the nicest person to be around.
As Anna gets to know Paris, the language and the people who live there, she also gets to know herself. And this is interesting, because you’ll see how a new city can change a person. Anne loves Paris, and Paris finally seems to love Anna back. Character development is present, but it’s not Anna who changes the most. It’s someone else. Stephanie really created characters that influence each other. There’s not just one main character, one round character, but there are multiple of them. And that is, I think, what makes this book interesting.
The storyline isn’t too impressive, but it’s just about right. It’s realistic, cute and funny. And sometimes that’s all we need from a novel to be lovable. And that is what this book is all about. A normal girl in a normal city falling in love with a normal boy. And all the struggles that come along with it.
A thing I fell in love with as well is Stephanie Perkin’s writing style. It’s funny, realistic and you feel like the words could’ve come from you and not just from an author that has been thinking about that line for ages. It all feels as if you know Anna, as if she could be your best friend. Only just a little bit more romantic because the story is set in the most romantic city of the world – Paris. Fun fact: I visited almost every place Anna went to in the book. You can find some pictures on my Instagram account!
In short, “Anna and the French Kiss” has been a surprise for me. I never thought I’d enjoy it as much as I did. It’s funny, cute, romantic and yet, it has a realistic feel to it. You will fall in love with Paris, but you’ll also learn that no matter how perfect or how bad things may seem, there’s always more to it. And don’t forget that after the rain, the sun will always shine. That’s what this novel thought me. And it gave me butterflies, because, come on, cute British/American boy in Paris? What more do I have to say? I recommend this to anybody who loves romance stories that have a realistic touch, but also to people who need a break from dramatic fantasy/scifi/endoftheworld novels. Je t’aime!
