The beginning of this was on my flash drive.....I'd written it just after reading this wonderful book....about time I shared, don't you think? : )
Finally got to read Anna and the French Kiss by StephaniePerkins. It took being stuck sick in bed for days, but as I had finally ordered, and received it, I took advantage of the time to read it. This is another that I feel the need to preface. YA romantic-y stories are not my go-to genre. If you have read my blog at all you know that I tend toward stories with elements of magic and the fantastic, forgetting that the best written stories all have magic of one type or another, even if it is not the obvious type. Also, I became a fan of the author through her blog quite a while back and knew that she could write well.
The description from the author's website:
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.
Sounds a bit mushy, right? Plus, who wouldn't want to go off to school in another country? I would! Pick me! Having once been a teenager, I understand though. Senior year you want to spend with your friends doing all of those things that high school seniors do, not be up rooted and forced to go somewhere where you don't speak the language and you don't know anyone. I get that.
Anna makes some good friends in Paris, and discovers that her love of writing film reviews goes very well with the proximity of some great movie theaters within walking distance of her school. I'm happy to say that she does realize how wonderful the opportunity is for her, and how maybe her crush back home wasn't so great after all.
I found Anna very identifiable. I found Etienne very dreamy (English accent, handsome, fun, what's not to love?). The story was well crafted and paced just right. It may have been slightly predictable in that you kind of knew from the title that they were going to get together, I don't think that is a spoiler at all. It is such a beautiful story with intricacies that are very true to life. The dynamics of these two characters' families brought a lot to the story as well as their circle of friends at the school. In short, it was delightful. I immediately passed it along to my daughter who also enjoyed it, and isn't sharing a great story as fun as reading one? I think so.
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.
Sounds a bit mushy, right? Plus, who wouldn't want to go off to school in another country? I would! Pick me! Having once been a teenager, I understand though. Senior year you want to spend with your friends doing all of those things that high school seniors do, not be up rooted and forced to go somewhere where you don't speak the language and you don't know anyone. I get that.
Anna makes some good friends in Paris, and discovers that her love of writing film reviews goes very well with the proximity of some great movie theaters within walking distance of her school. I'm happy to say that she does realize how wonderful the opportunity is for her, and how maybe her crush back home wasn't so great after all.
I found Anna very identifiable. I found Etienne very dreamy (English accent, handsome, fun, what's not to love?). The story was well crafted and paced just right. It may have been slightly predictable in that you kind of knew from the title that they were going to get together, I don't think that is a spoiler at all. It is such a beautiful story with intricacies that are very true to life. The dynamics of these two characters' families brought a lot to the story as well as their circle of friends at the school. In short, it was delightful. I immediately passed it along to my daughter who also enjoyed it, and isn't sharing a great story as fun as reading one? I think so.
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