Book Review: 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 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?"

Genre: Contemporary, Romance, YA
Published: December 2nd 2010
Pages: 372

Anna and the French Kiss is an adorable YA novel, written in first person P.O.V. and a very quick read.
It's about Anna, a seventeen-year-old girl from Atlanta who is suddenly shipped off to boarding school in Paris, France. An absolute tragic, that is how she looks at is. She has to leave behind her little brother, her caring mom, her best friend and her almost-boyfriend..
Once in Paris, she meets her roommate and two hours later she also bumps into the most gorgeous boy she has ever seen.


This books follows a feel-good storyline, one that you pick up immediately and one that will not create difficult questions that fly around in your head while reading the book.
It's such a fast, light and adorable read, something I needed. After reading multiple dystopian and adult books, I needed something that would take my thoughts away, something that would take me to a new world without raising the most difficult questions because I didn't understand something.

The characters have backgrounds, which we get to know throughout the book. One for one, we learn more about the reasons for Anna's friends being at boarding school and how it has affected their lives.
So there is more depth to the story, which I really appreciated. For example Étienne, who is Anna's new lover, isn't just a handsome boy. He has a past and Anna has a past and their problems with their fathers is one of the many things that brings them together.

I read this novel within three hours, which shows how light the book is. Anna is a great character, Étienne is cute and admirable and all of her other friends also have qualities that contribute to the story.
I also loved the references and the mix of British, American and French accents, which was especially funny when Étienne was talking, and also the amazing description of taking a walk around Paris.
Paris will always be one of my favourite capitals of the world (been there five times) and reading about the beauty just makes this book even better.

So, if you are ready to read a light and cute contemporary novel, go and pick this up. Anna is funny, realistic and she is a character to which young girls can easily relate. Étienne is awesome, since he is nothing like his pricky father and he knows what's up. Okay, not always but we'll forgive him for those mistakes.

I already have 'Lola and the Boy Next Door' in my hands I will start reading this one tonight. Anna and the French Kiss is an absolute YES for those who want to read not a literary piece of work, but a light and adorable novel which will lighten their mood and make them want to hug the book and smile.