Review - Anna and the French Kiss

ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS
Stephanie Perkins

This is a love story of the highest, best quality. Sent to an American boarding school in Paris for her senior year, Anna has to leave behind the boy she likes, her best friend, and her adorable little brother to live in a country where she doesn't know the language. Of course, Anna quickly finds friends in the form of the girl next door, an overly-PDA couple, and the amazing, beautiful, wonderful Etienne St. Claire... who has a girlfriend. Though this is a love story between Anna and Etienne St. Claire (and what a love story it is!), it's also the story of her senior year in Paris: exploring the city, dealing with her new and old friendships, and all the while hopping from theater to theater as she learns to love her new city.

The characters that fill Anna's world are incredibly well-written. From our film-obsessed and slightly awkward protagonist, to slacker-boy Josh, to the terrified-of-heights, adored-by-everyone St. Claire. It's been said by others before, but these characters and their interactions are incredibly authentic. This book does away with all the staple cliches and stereotypes of the YA love story in favor of incredibly adorable relationships and realistic dialogue. Somehow Perkins manages to write everyday conversations without making them boring or annoying, but instead utterly charming.

Anna's relationships and feelings in this book are not clear-cut. There are shades of grey in the things she wants (or thinks she wants), the decisions she makes, and the ways she acts. Though this means that there are a few times I was less-than-pleased with her actions, it also makes for an incredibly realistic and authentic read.

And if the characters are lovely and realistic, the setting is... well, the setting is magical. This is Paris, just as beautiful and wonderful and yummy as you'd ever imagine it, and Perkins does an incredible job of building Anna's world without getting in the way of story. The descriptions are intense and beautiful, pulling the reader into the world and the story.  So much about this book - the characters, setting, and Anna's amazingly authentic voice - is perfect. Funny, warm, magical, and unforgettable. I love it. I love it, and I didn't expect to. Read this book ASAP; it really is that good.