Anna and the French Kiss

Title: Anna and the French Kiss
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Published: Januray 1st 2010

Blurb: Can Anna find love in the City of Light?

Anna is happy in Atlanta. She has a loyal best friend and a crush on her coworker at the movie theater, who is just starting to return her affection. So she's less than thrilled when her father decides to send her to a boarding school in Paris for her senior year.

But despite not speaking a word of French, Anna meets some cool new people, including the handsome Étienne St. Clair, who quickly becomes her best friend. Unfortunately, he's taken —and Anna might be, too. Will a year of romantic near misses end with the French kiss she's waiting for?

Review: I know I am late to the party but I have been meaning to read this book for a while now. It wasn't until the third book of this series was released this summer that I finally bought all three of them and all I can say is why, oh why, did it take me so long to read this book? I had read fantastic reviews about this story so my expectations were quite high. But I was not disappointed at all. I loved this book.

Since page one I was totally engrossed with Anna's story. It was very interesting to read all about her arrival at Paris and how she was coping with the new surroundings and new people around her. I instantly warmed to her because she was very down to earth and funny without realising. And then, there was Étienne St. Clair, the american boy with an English accent and the French name, who all the girls were in love with. I really enjoyed all the banter between the two of them. And I loved some of his gestures, you could tell he was a good guy. But circunstances and very bad timing kept getting between them.

But what I loved most about this book was that it was not only a love story between two teenagers. It's a story about confronting your fears, learning to accept change and growing up to be more independent, stronger and more mature because you have no other choice, because life is unfair. This story had a depth I was not expecting when I started it and that made it more special. Anna and Étienne are not perfect, they make mistakes and even if sometimes you forget it during the book, they are teenagers and when you are seventeen or eighteen you are allowed to make bad choices, the key is accepting them and move on. Always fight for what you want and that's what they do and that's why I loved them so much.

I am really looking forward to reading the next two books in this series, Lola and the Boy Next Door and Isla and the Happily Ever After. We actually meet Isla in Anna's story, so I can't wait to find out more about her story.

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