Wednesday 22 May 2013

Anna And The French Kiss Review



                   

Hello everyone,

During the Bout of Books Readathon, I managed to start and finish Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins, which I rated 4 out of 5 stars.

Synopsis

Everything had seemed to be going Anna's way. She was going to start her senior year in Atlanta with her best friend Bridgette and her hot coworker Toph, who was just beginning to return her affections. Until her father sends her to boarding school in Paris, France, that is. Now she is stuck alone in a new city with no idea how to speak French, and she's certain this year is going to be terrible. Then she makes friends with Meredith, Josh, Rashmi, and the handsome Étienne St. Clair, wanted by every girl in the school and who is currently in a relationship. But in the city of love, anything can happen.

Review (Spoiler-free)

Anna and the French Kiss was your typical YA romance, but it was never cheesy or annoying. At 372 pages, I managed to finish it fairly quickly, and I quite enjoyed it. The writing style didn't blow my mind, but it was easy to understand and you got a clear feel for Anna's personality. It was filled with quips and witty banter, which was quite enjoyable, but it also had a serious side when it needed to. Overall, I quite liked Stephanie Perkins' style, and would probably read more of her books if I ever get the chance.

As for the characters, they were believable and likeable. Although the book did contain your typical one-dimensional mean girl (like the majority of YA novels), the rest of the characters seemed well thought out and were given sufficient back stories and character development. The focus of the book was, of course, on Anna and Étienne, but I found myself wishing for a little more information about the other characters. It is written from Anna's point of view, so we are always aware of what happens to her, but a lot of the time it can be unclear exactly what is going on with some of the side characters, and I enjoyed the secondary characters so much that I wanted to know a bit more about what they were doing.

Other than that, I had no problems with the characters. I liked that they were all very realistic, that they all had both good points and bad points. Anna is the protagonist and she was a likable character, but she wasn't perfect. She has her faults, as does Étienne, but these imperfections just make them more relatable and enjoyable. I really liked Anna's character. Her thoughts were amusing to read, and although she was awkward at times, she was also sharp and witty. As for Étienne, he was your perfect YA boy – the one who knows how to make you fall in love with him. He was cute, intelligent, kind, loved his mother, but was also afraid of heights, which probably just made him more adorable.

Plot-wise, the book was nothing too unique. As I stated above, it was a typical YA romance, but every girl needs a cute, fluffy pick-me-up kind of book every once in a while. For me, it was a welcome reprieve after reading The Catcher In The Rye. The Paris setting was a nice touch, though. There were some parts in the book that were quite predictable, but others caught me off guard. It's definitely a more light-hearted read, but it was balanced out with some serious moments so that it wasn't cheesy or overdone. Also, if there is one thing I hate in a book, it's instant romance. In Anna and The French Kiss, there is definitely an instant attraction between Anna and Étienne, but the real romance doesn't start until a little later in the book, so it was believable.

Overall, Anna and the French Kiss was entertaining and an easy way to pass the time. I gave it a four star rating because I really liked it, but it didn't blow my mind. If you hate romance, then I would avoid this book. But if you're looking for a quick, girly, romantic read, then this is the book for you.

Favourite Quotes

“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.”

“Seriously, I don't know any American girl who can resist an English accent.”

“What my parents never considered is that I just wanted a choice.”

Goodbye for now,
Emily Noel

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