It Really is That Good! A Review of Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Can Anna find love in the City of Light?

Anna is happy in Atlanta. She has a loyal best friend and a crush on her coworker at the movie theater, who is just starting to return her affection. So she’s less than thrilled when her father decides to send her to a boarding school in Paris for her senior year.

But despite not speaking a word of French, Anna meets some cool new people, including the handsome Étienne St. Clair, who quickly becomes her best friend. Unfortunately, he’s taken —and Anna might be, too. Will a year of romantic near misses end with the French kiss she’s waiting for?

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My Thoughts: After only seeing glowing reviews for this book, I finally read it and understand why people love it so much.  It is a really well written YA romance.  First of all, the characters are real and incredibly likable.  Anna is a great narrator and her arc throughout the story is slow moving, but full.  Her inner dialogue is hilarious and ridiculously entertaining.  St. Clair is totally swoon-worthy, even when he’s acting like an ass.  I loved their relationship, and while it was a slow burn the fire was always there and it was steamy and butterfly inducing.  The roller coaster of their emotions felt super realistic given the situations they were in, and I was totally invested.  Their friend group was full of diverse, interesting, and individual characters, with a couple cliché teenage villains thrown in as well.  It is a quick read, but it’s because the pacing is so great and the plot so well developed that it goes by in the blink of an eye.  I got so sucked in that I stayed in the bath tub reading until the water turned cold, and then continued to read way past my bedtime.  I really loved this book, and I’m happy I stopped putting it off.  You can believe the hype, it really is that good.