Anna and the French Kiss

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've been following Stephanie Perkins on Twitter for a while now, and after reading her tweets as well as those of her fans, I decided I needed to check Anna out for myself. I was definitely not disappointed. Anna's story was at times deliciously funny, but heart-wrenchingly sad at others. As someone who has lived in Europe (and is dying to go back as soon as humanly possible), I appreciated the exotic flair of the setting. The book also reignited my interest in the French language (I really need to brush up on that...like, now).

One of my favorite parts of the book by far was Etienne. I loved that he was short! Most YA books have cookie cutter guys in them. They're always tall, with dark hair and piercing eyes and perfect teeth, and honestly, it's frustrating. There's such a wide range of people on this earth! Make use of them! Etienne is unique because he's short, and has crooked teeth, and bites his nails. He's a real guy, brought to life by Perkins' writing. I loved watching him evolve as he explored his relationships with Anna and his friends.

Anna herself was a wonderfully witty young woman, and her story was a delight to read. I recommend this book to any and all of you looking for a light read at any time of the year. If nothing else, it'll allow you to pretend like you're getting away to beautiful Paree. :P

J