Perkins, Stephanie. Anna and the French Kiss. New York: Dutton Juvenile (Penguin), 2010.
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Recommended Audience: 14 and up
Personal reaction to the book
In Anna and the French Kiss, the first of a trilogy of YA romance books by Stephanie Perkins, we meet young Anna, whose dad has shipped her off to an international boarding school in Paris for her final year of high school.
Anna falls in with a semi-popular crowd and centers her attention around the adorable Etienne St. Clair, a French-British guy who is charming, attractive, and whimsical. So begins their romance.
This book was pure fluff, and I didn’t mind that for most of the book as sometimes fluff is just what you need. What I didn’t appreciate, however, was how immature Anna acted at the end. I get really frustrated with books that push the potential couple apart and delay their relationship as long as possible because I think it stems from this piece of well-known writing advice doled out to aspiring writers: in order to keep your readers from putting the book down, have the character(s) really want something and then deny, deny, deny them from getting what they want. I think that’s rather cheap advice because I honestly don’t think there’s anything wrong with stories where the couple is happy together. Nobody likes unnecessary drama in a real-world relationship, so why would we want to read about that?
Plus let’s be honest. How often does the couple not end up together? I guess some want that frustration, but I can’t be counted in that crowd. That being said, this book did kindle a fire in my heart reminding me of first love and what it’s like to wonder, “Does he like me? He doesn’t! Or does he?” when you’re 17. I was cheering Anna on even as I was rolling my eyes at her behavior because St. Clair did sincerely seem like a great guy. Also, I enjoyed that Anna was a film buff because there’s a part of me that really cares about film, so I could relate to that. It gave her character depth. Plus, Paris! Who doesn’t want to read about that city and picture themselves there? I’ve seen some complaints on Goodreads about this book being all about #firstworldproblems, but I find that really problematic and a big oversimplification.
Author Facts
- Perkins met her husband when she was a senior in high school, though he was in his early twenties.
- Some YA authors Perkins admires are Meg Cabot, Rainbow Rowell, Gayle Forman, and Kiersten White.
- Perkins’ restaurant recommendation for those visiting paris is the restaurant “Pain, Vin, Fromages”
Related Websites
