Anna and the French Kiss (Anna and the French Kiss, #1)

by Stephanie Perkins

[Nicole Lynn]

Review to follow but ugh so amazing :)

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*UPDATED: Finally posting my review from my blog :)*

This review was previously posted on my blog, PopCrunchBoom Books


My Review:


It’s Anna’s senior year and she’s definitely looking forward to it. That is until, her father decides to ship her off to Paris, France for the year. To any other teenager that might seem like the perfect adventure away from home, but all Anna can focus on is what she’s leaving behind: her perfect job at the movie theater, her best-friend Bridgette, her little brother Seany and the boy she just recently kissed: Toph. This is the worst possible time to move away.

Then she meets Étienne St. Clair–smart, charming, and beautiful Étienne. He seems to distract her from all her homesick woes. The only catch? He’s got a serious girlfriend. So can Anna stay away or will the City of Light make her wishes come true?

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Oh the Feels in this novel! It was absolutely adorable and I couldn’t put it down! I have no idea why I waited so long to jump on the Stephanie Perkins train. She’s got awesomeness going on.


Anna is an absolute joy. Yes, her character has some major growth to do throughout the novel, but you never hate her. Her passion for movies and witty inner thoughts had me connecting instantly. Her character wasn’t one-dimensional which I definitely appreciated. This novel could have been just above sub-par if it didn’t have strong characters. I enjoyed reading about Anna’s love for movies the most (I mean a part from the Anna/St. Clair scenes ;) ). When she mentions Robert Osborne, I’m like “YES! Someone else actually watches TCM!” It was great that Anna was able to continue enjoying her passion while in Paris.

St. Clair was a typical, but not so-typical teenage boy. I loved all his nationalities and how Perkins weaved them into his character description and actions. From the English accent to the French “shrug,” he was definitely swoon-worthy! I also loved that he was intelligent. It was great reading about his love of History and definitely made it a clever way to introduce some of the setting. But, as a teenage boy he did have some growing to do. He had me wanting to shake him sometimes (I was right there with Anna!). Though, Anna ended up having to grow just as much as St. Clair did by the end.

I have to admit one of my favorite things about this novel was the setting. I was fortunate enough to visit Pairs while I was studying abroad. I was only there two days and I’m dying to return for a longer stay. Being able to “see” it again through this novel was definitely a highlight. I was freaking out when they finally got to Shakespeare and Company! I basically spent a whole day in that bookstore. It was heaven and the feeling there is just indescribable. It’s like…feeling like you’re home. Anyway, Perkins does a fabulous job describing as well as utilizing the setting.

The romance part of this book was also well done. It wasn’t rushed and was definitely believable. There was uncertainty and road blocks and a lot of “ah-ha!” moments to be had. It made the whole journey worth while. There were tears and laughs and anger and overall good times. Basically a great first love kind of story.

So if you’re in the mood for a great YA Contemporary then I suggest you hop on the Stephanie Perkins train as well! Anna and the French Kiss won’t leave you disappointed!