Book Review: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

I don't dig the cover

At First Sight: Spending her last year of high school at a snobby school in Paris is neither Anna's idea of fun or her idea at all, but her parents have shipped her off, and Anna finds herself alone in a a strange city where she knows no one, doesn't speak the language, and she's lost.

But, before she knows it, she has made friends with four fellow students who help her take to Paris better than she had hoped, even if she still doesn't quite understand a word of French. 

Among her new friends, it's Etienne St. Clair who stands up. He's on the shortish side, he has slightly crooked teeth and a English accent, and he exudes charm. He also has a girlfriend and is way off limits.

But their friendship - and attraction - is still there as they wander through Paris, watch old movies and discover that home might not mean a place, after all.

Second Glance: I was both reluctant and very stubborn about reading Anna and the French Kiss since glowing reviews tend to put me off; and it really wasn't until I saw some less than stellar reviews of it that I took the plunge and read it. And I'm glad I did. 

Anna was very easy to like, she's a bit lost, and angry and misses her brother and friends back in Atlanta; but she loves movies, constantly makes jabs at her best selling-Nicholas-Sparks-like father, and at being an American in France. 

I didn't fall head over heels with Etienne as others have. He was nice, but also capable of great ass-hattery and wussiness, though I kind of liked him more for it. I don't think I would have been able to stand it if he was 'perfect'. 

And they did have good chemistry together.

I had some issues with the book, which are personal and I'm trying not to hold against it - to be completely, absolutely honest I found some things in the book a bit pseudo-intellectual-snobby.

Bottom Line: While I'm not a fan girl, of this book, I have to say that I did get the story full of sweetness, awesome and Paris that I was promised. So I do recommend it, I'm just not in love with it.

Favorite Quote: "Some people are finicky about going to the theater alone, but I’m not. Because when the lights go down, the only relationship left in the room is the one between the movie and me." - Anna (I guess I chose it because it reminded me of myself)