Review - Anna and the French Kiss

Anna and the French Kiss was a fun and easy read filled with romance, humor and fun cultural references.  I have to say that I loved Stephanie Perkins’ writing and look forward to more works by the author, especially Lola and the Boy Next Door due out on September 29th.  I loved the Parisian setting.  Personally, I was never the type to want to travel to a country where English isn’t commonly spoken (yes, I’m lame), but, thanks to Steph Perkins, Paris is definitely on my list of top places to travel.

I liked that all the characters had their own issues to deal with and grow from.  Anna’s homesickness and issues with loneliness. Etienne’s family issues, fear of heights, and his own fear of being alone.  I felt like all of the major characters in the book had their own subplots and I enjoyed being able to take a sneak peak into their lives.  I really liked Anna.  She started out scared and unsure of herself and slowly gained confidence and much needed insight into her relationships with others.  I enjoyed watching these relationships grow, especially the parallel between Anna’s relationship with Bridgette and her relationship with Meredith.  But mostly, I LOVED Anna’s relationship with Etienne.  So many times, we read about love at first sight, which I love and often fantasize about; But it was refreshing to watch Anna’s and Etienne’s relationship grow from a strong foundation of friendship over a long period of time.  It was very realistic.  The awkward moments.   The fights.  The flirtation.  But I really believed in their friendship.  No matter how Anna and Etienne felt about each other, they always had each others backs.  They helped each other grow.  

I like to base books on how often i find myself laughing out loud, or blushing, or crying.  Basically, how emotional a book can make me.  I loved this book!  

Some fun things I got out of the book:

• Pablo Neruda - Jenn and I had to look him up and instantly fell in love with his poetry.  Thank you, Steph, for broadening our horizons.
• Banana and Elephant figurines - Anna Oliphant (banana elephant) and Bridgette get each other figurines that match their names.  This reminded me of Jenn and our friend Joanna.  Jenn always gets her little owl toys and trinkets, not because of her name, but because she sleeps during the day.  I think it’s cute.  
• The beginning of everything - There’s a star that Anna and Etienne make wishes on that marks the center of which all the distances are measured in France.  There’s a center point in Disneyland, where Jenn and I are season passholders (yup, disney lovers), where I will now be making wishes on.  I know it’s not the same, but it’s worth a shot.

5 out of 5 Stars

Review by @MaryMunar

Author: Stephanie Perkins
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Release Date: December 2, 2010
Pages: 372

BONUS Scene for Anna and the French Kiss!

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Fortunately, the awesome Stephanie Perkins has a companion novel coming out on September 29, 2011! Pre-Order Lola and the Boy Next Door!

Summary of Lola and the Boy Next Door

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In this companion novel to Anna and the French Kiss, two teens discover that true love may be closer than they think For budding costume designer Lola Nolan, the more outrageous, the outfit - more sparkly, more fun, more wild - the better. But even though Lola's style is outrageous, she's a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins move back into the house next door. When the family returns and Cricket - a gifted inventor and engineer - steps out from his twin sister's shadow and back into Lola's life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.