Title: Anna and the French Kiss
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Genre: Contemporary Young Adult
Source: free Kindle read
Published: December 2010 by Dutton’s Children’s
Anna was 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. So she's 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? Stephanie Perkins keeps the romantic tension crackling and the attraction high in a debut guaranteed to make toes tingle and hearts melt.
Why I Read this Book: I first heard the buzz about this book about a year ago. Everyone was raving about it or they were anxious to get their hands on a copy to read it. So when it came up as a free Kindle read, I jumped all over it. Now, it has been sitting on my Kindle since last November. While I was anxious to read it (and see what all the fuss was about), at the same time I was afraid to read it because of all the hype the book has received. I was worried that it wouldn’t live up to my high expectations and unfortunately that’s exactly what happened.
What I Liked: Anna is likeable; she’s relatable. She’s thrown into this whirlwind adventure of being sent to a boarding school in a different country. And the best part of all – she’s a film reviewer/blogger.
The secondary characters brought interest to the overall storyline. I found myself caring about them as much as I did the main characters. And the writing and storytelling flowed in such a way that made Anna and the French Kiss a good read.
I loved the declaration St. Clair made to his best friend at the end of the book. It gave me chills. Very sweet ending.
What I Didn’t Like: I enjoyed reading Anna and the French Kiss but it didn’t blow me away. It seemed as though everyone who has read this book loved it. They rave and gush over this book, over Anna, over St. Clair, and over their relationship. But I just thought it was okay. I didn’t read any of the reviews on this book because I didn’t want to have a tainted opinion going into it but I did have high expectations and I was expecting to be blown away. Sadly, I wasn’t.
And there were parts of the storyline that were predictable, especially with what happened with Bridge, Anna’s BFF from back home.
Overall Impression: I enjoyed reading Anna and the French Kiss but it just didn’t WOW me. It was a cute story about friends and relationships but it didn’t live up to the hype in my case. I am still interested in reading Lola and the Boy Next Door.
The Book Vixen’s Rating:
I've got to agree with you. I had people rave about it when it was free, by the time I got around to it the book was not free and my thoughts always were "maybe if I didn't pay for it I'd like it more?"
ReplyDeleteIt's okay but it's not knocking my socks off as a YA.
I felt exactly the same way! I liked it but didn't love it. And it was free for me as I got it from the library. I kept wondering what all the fuss was about...
ReplyDeleteI'm kind of glad you weren't "WOWed" by this one. I have a copy sitting on my shelf, and I've been excited about reading it, but at this point, I don't think the book can live up to my expectations! Lol. Thanks for bringing me back down to earth a bit.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry this one wasn't great for you! I think what made it so amazing to me -- and maybe to others? -- was how normal Anna and Etienne and their friends were. They didn't have superpowers, they weren't movie stars. They seemed like people you could see on the street. They were best friends and they fell in love. It's a nice change of pace from the love-at-first-sight-omg-is-he-a-vampire-why-does-he-hate-me romance LOL
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you gave it an honest review; which I know is tough with a book that it seems EVERYONE loves.
ReplyDeleteFor me? What gave it so much WOW was that it's so real; that they started out as friends, and that they are normal. That aside from boarding school? There was nothing super fabulous or far fetched about it.
It's a cute story. Too bad it didn't live up to all the hype. Disappointing when that happens.
ReplyDelete@Casey (The Bookish Type)
ReplyDeleteI liked that they were best friends before falling in love. I think that gives more strength to a relationship since you get to know the person more before being in an actual relationship with them. And I'm glad Anna didn't constantly swoon over St. Clair.
I love you! Because you are on my level! I did not like this. I was sad that I did not since I have heard nothing but ranting and raving of how fabulous it is. It was okay but mostly I was driven nuts and the love story was a vicious cycle of poor communication. The characters droveme nuts. I liked Lola and the Boy Next Door better.
ReplyDelete