Genre: Young
Adult
Back of the Book
(Source: 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. 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?
What’s it about?
Anna is shipped off to a fancy French boarding school and
she’s not happy. The school also houses British accented, French speaking,
American citizen Etienne St.Clair. With a name like that and a charm that wins
over everyone within a five mile radius, Etienne may be able to make Anna’s
senior year in magical Paris a worthy one. The only problem is he has a
girlfriend. L
My Review:
So I found the review of this book on my favourite Young Adult
review blog and honestly, the review itself was cute. It didn’t take me long to
download the book onto my kindle and excitedly dive into the magical story that
is set in Paris. And boy did I like it!
Anna enters SOAP (School of America in Paris) with a less
than excited attitude as she has left behind a baby brother, a best friend and
a potential boyfriend back home in Atlanta. What does she have to look forward
to in Paris where she doesn’t know the language or the people? Right? Wrong!
She becomes friends with Meredith easily on the first day. But things become a
lot more interesting when she runs into the gorgeous school sweetheart, Etienne
St.Clair.
There are several winning aspects to this amazing book. I’ll
start with the characters. Anna is sweet, relatable, self-conscious and caring.
Etienne St.Clair takes the cake though. He is one of the best characters I have
read in the latest list of YA books. Right from his unusual name to his adorable
imperfections to his easy charm, it is nearly impossible to not fall in love
with him. There are a host of other supporting characters who are all well
written. Among them, I really like Meredith and Rashmi. Meredith is really
sweet and I can see why anyone would want to be her friend. It takes time for
me to warm up to Rashmi but she’s an interesting character with her heart in
the right place.
The book has the advantage of a beautiful backdrop of Paris
with fascinating encounters all over the city described in enriching detail.
The conversations totally won me over. Whether it was in person or in
electronic form, I would always have a smile on my face while reading.
Stephanie Perkins’ writing is probably the only thing that
is more beautiful than Etienne St.Clair. As a writer myself, I aspire to be
able to capture the essence of first love in such an elegant and evocative
manner in a book.
I would suggest Anna and the French Kiss to readers of older
age groups as well. It is both good writing and a great romance. I have read
Lola and the Boy Next Door as well and Stephanie Perkins is easily the latest
to join my “PLEASE READ NOW!” list of recommendations.
Favourite Character: Etienne
St.Clair (Duh)
Favourite Quote: There
are so many. I will make a little list.
1)
“I wish friends held hands more often, like the
children I see on the streets sometimes. I'm not sure why we have to grow up
and get embarrassed about it.”
2)
I'm a little distracted by this English French
American Boy Masterpiece.”
3)
“Is it possible for home to be a person and not
a place?”
Onto the next book!
Until it’s done,
The Perennial Reader J
No comments:
Post a Comment