Review: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Release Date: December 2nd 2010
Publisher: Dutton
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Quick thoughts: I absolutely adored this book! Definitely a must read. 

From Goodreads: "Anna is 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. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris - until she meets Etienne St. Clair: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.

As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near - misses end with the French kiss Anna - and readers - have long awaited?"

I have waited for my hold of this book to come into my library for (I kid you not) 3 months at the least. So I have been waiting a good long while to be able to read this one. When I finally got the email that it had come in I was so excited. I have read Lola and the Boy Next Door and really enjoyed it, though I would have liked to read this one first since both Anna and Etienne (<3<3<3 siiiiighhh) were mentioned.

Anna and the French Kiss follows the story of Anna and the gorgeous St. Clair, or as he is later known, Etienne (at the start of this book this really confused me, I thought they were two different people for a while... Oops! Pay attention Amy!) Anna is sent to Paris, against her wishes, to the American school there. She doesn't want to leave her friends, how will she survive a whole year away from her best friend when they do everything together? Her first night there, after her parents leave, she breaks down, she can't imagine what life will be like here and frankly she doesn't want to. That is until Meredith knocks on her door to check on her. The walls are paper thin and Meredith is her neighbour, she heard Anna crying. She invites Anna to her room where Anna discovers walls of endless posters. On leaving Merediths room for the night she (literally) runs in to Etienne, the most dreamy boy at the school. Later she finds out that Etienne is the St. Clair that Meredith told her about. Meredith introduces Anna to the rest of her friends and they integrate Anna into the group.

Along the way Anna finds herself falling for Etienne, er - St. Clair.. Even though she knows he has a girlfriend (booo!) and that Meredith likes him and has liked him for long time. All of that aside she and Etienne spend more and more time together. Especially when they are two of only a few who stay at the school over the break. They become best friends. He becomes the one who knows her better than anyone else there, and he is the one who steals her heart.

Stephanie Perkins has succeeded in creating a contemporary YA novel that is light hearted but at the same time invigorating. Anna and the French Kiss is a book that I could easily read over and over, which I rarely do, without getting bored. I anxiously await Isla and the Happy Ever After, said to be released in 2013. How on earth will I wait that long??!!

For those of you who have read both Anna and Lola, I ask you this: Etienne or Cricket?
Tough question for myself to answer... I think would have to say Etienne <3

Happy reading!
- Amy