Another Anna I loved! Like I said in previous posts, Anna Dressed in Blood was my favorite read of 2011 (It was beyond phenomenal!). Now, Anna and the French Kiss has rocked my world, so I'm just thinking MC's named Anna are probably a sign of a great book J.
Why'd I wait so long to read this one??? I have no idea. Great title to draw you in, great cover art…honestly, it was probably b/c it's set in France. Usually, I find stories set in the real world but outside the U.S. give too much description. I don't love reading long, sweeping paragraphs about landscapes/setting; they usually take me out of the story instead of putting me in it.
I'm happy to say that this book gave just the right amount of detail. I think part of this is b/c we see/learn everything with Anna, who's new to the country as well. Anna is the heart and soul of this book, and I was a fan of hers from the beginning. Her crap dad just sent her to bordering school for her senior year where she has no friends and doesn't speak the language. But when she meets Etienne St. Clair, the ridiculously handsome French/British American with the incredible hair, things start looking up. Too bad he has a girlfriend. And Anna's new best girl friend has a huge crush on him. And Anna may or may not have left her heart in Atlanta. With all these obstacles, will Anna and Etienne ever get their happily ever after?
It's YA romance, people--of course, they do!
But the reason to read this book is to see how they finally get together. If you haven't read Anna, get ready to meet your new book boyfriend. Etienne: great sense of humor, fun-loving, hint-dropping, drop-dead gorgeous heartthrob with to-die-for hair (note: Anna has a thing about great hair)…and he's short. This is mentioned several times throughout the novel. Think a shortie can't be as attractive as the tall-ies? Get ready to be proven wrong ladies b/c Etienne was one of the best male love interests I've come across.
Anna was hilarious, and her friendship with Etienne rang true. Their "near misses" rang true as well. They'll make you want to rip your hair out sometimes, but when they finally do get together, it seems all the more satisfying. Their first kiss is electric. If nothing else (the humor, the great friendships, the great characters), read the book for that kiss. With all the build up, it's guaranteed to make you melt. The scenes with Anna and Etienne were my favorites. It's like Perkins took everything you'd want to find in a YA romance and packed it all into this book. The longing, the almost-having, the heartbreak, and the long-awaited HEA.
This one's a definite keeper. I'd recommend Anna and the French Kiss to anyone who loves great romance. Honestly, though it was one of the first books I've read in 2012, it'll be hard to top this read J
Happy Friday all and happy reading,
Ninja Girl
I absolutely love this book. It was one of my favorites read in 2011. The chemistry was perfect, the setting was perfect in that it didn't become the focus of the story and Etienne was perfect because he wasn't perfect.
ReplyDeleteAnna is actually the name of one of my MC's (Named her before ever hearing about Anna and the French Kiss) so here's hoping your theory is true :)
I loved this book and glad to see you finally read it. I think it is probably one of my favorite all around reads. Dont stop now..run and go read Lola and the Boy Next door..you will love it also and Anna and St Clair make a few appearances in it!
ReplyDeleteI love this book. Can't wait to read Lola.
ReplyDeleteThis one has been getting nothing but great reviews and I hope it lives up to it when I finally read it. I'm a bit hesitant because of Etienne already having a gf as it's hard to authors to give me a good enough resolution that doesn't feel like cheating. I shall read and see.
ReplyDeleteI really need to read this one, I'm sure I'll be the last person who haven't read it yet. I keep hearing a lot of amazing things about it. I'm glad you enjoyed it too!
ReplyDeleteI got to meet Stephanie at Leaky Con's lit day. She's awesome. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to read any of her books yet. Will soon though :) Thanks for the rec :)
ReplyDeletei really enjoyed this book, which is saying a lot since i usually don't read romance
ReplyDelete@Theresa Awesome!! Passing you good Anna vibes~ I can't wait to read your book :)
ReplyDelete@Tee Actually, I bought Lola first ;) After this stellar debut, I can't wait to read the it...and anything else Perkins writes
@Prerna Ditto!
@Lan The already-having-a-gf thing would usually bug me, too, but it didn't in this book. I think it was b/c Etienne's gf was absent (for the most part), and things with her were already in trouble. But I REALLY loved this one, so I think I'm biased :p
@Mellanie Yes, you do! I thought I was the last person to read it, glad to see it isn't so. Hope you like Anna as well
@Lynn(e) That's so awesome. I wish I could get out more to hear author's speak--especially the ones I really enjoy.
@Falen Whoop! I'm so happy you liked it. (P.S. That's kind of how I feel when I find a great Dystopian)
The storyline was well written and well paced. I love the setting and the descriptions. I want to go to France SO bad now! The picture Ms. Perkins created in my mind was incredible. The descriptions were delicious. I felt as though I was really there.
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