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Anna and the French Kiss

by Stephanie Perkins (Goodreads Author)

4.34 · rating details · 16,998 ratings · 4,128 reviews

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 irre...more

Hardcover, 372 pages

Published December 2nd 2010 by Dutton

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Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Best Young Adult Realistic Novels

1st out of 392 books — 1,185 voters

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

ONE DAY Best Summer Reads

15th out of 1,752 books — 6,399 voters

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Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 38,849)

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Nov 13, 2011

Nina ♥ rated it

Shelves: favorites, ridiculously-hot-guys, first-in-series

I found this online...NOW WHY COULDN'T THIS BE THE ACTUAL COVER?

description

St. Clair. St. Clair. St. Clair. St. Clair. St. Clair. St. Clair. St. Clair. St. Clair. St. Clair. St. Clair. St. Clair. St. Clair. St. Clair. St. Clair. St. Clair. St. Clair. St. Clair. St. Clair. St. Clair. St. Clair. ST. CLAIR!!!!

Can’t I just fill this review with his name instead of explaining how much I effing LOVED this book and trying to describe in vivid detail how beautiful and amazing an...more

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Dec 21, 2010

Arlene rated it

Shelves: favorites, read-2010, ya-contemporary, street-corner-pick, autographed, books-i-own

GOD! I’m giddy... I’m actually giddy after reading this book! Oh and I’m officially a Nook hugger. This book made me a chronic giddy Nook hugger. What a hot mess! But so what I ♥ it. Jolly good book indeed!

Anna and the French Kiss is an absolute hit. It immediately takes top rank in my fave YA romance, chicky-type lit reads and there is absolutely no doubt I’ll be reading this book every year over and over again. The blokes and blokettes are loveable, the storyline is perfect, and t...more

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Dec 28, 2011

Tatiana rated it

Recommends it for: fans of Meg Cabot

Shelves: 2010, ya, chick-lit, rc-let-s-celebrate, ala-ya-2012, 2011, romancelandia, rc-winter, wishlist

If you are looking for a feel-good chick-lit to read by your Christmas tree, Anna and the French Kiss is a book for you. This novel is as chick-y a lit as it gets.

Anna is sent to Paris to spend her senior year at a boarding school. Of course she doesn't want to go - her life, her best friend, her potential boyfriend, her little brother and mom are in Atlanta. But Anna doesn't sulk for long, she quickly meets new friends and this one totally hot and totally unavailable boy Etienne St....more

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Dec 07, 2011

Lyndsey rated it

Shelves: about-school-boarding-school, 1st-person, romance-forbidden, genre-ya-contemporary, made-me-giddy, made-me-laugh, present-tense, reviewed-2011, reviewed-5-stars, favorites, pov-snippets-of-diary-journal-email, pov-primarily-female, about-slow-burn-romance, my-top-ya-contemporary

The Hardcover is on sale for $6.80 with free shipping HERE!!

Holy St Clair, hypothetical Batman!

This book put me in a whole new state of consciousness. It put me in the life of Anna. It took me straight to Paris and I never looked back.

When I get desperately into the groove of a book, I literally (okay, fine, figuratively) transform into a hermit crab.

I curl up so tight in the shell of my blanket in that special nook carved out in my chair, so tight...more

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Jan 13, 2011

Lora rated it

Recommends it for: anyone looking for a good, fun, QUALITY chick lit novel

Recommended to Lora by: too many people to name

Shelves: g-ya-realistic, favorites

I absolutely, completely, utterly love this novel!

You say too many adverbs, I say enthusiasm!

This novel makes me question why I don't read YA contemporary more often. I mean, it's not like I don't enjoy the genre, it's just that I don't seem to pick up a contemporary novel nearly as often as I do other genres. Anna and the French Kiss has definitely changed that! I'll be reading many more contemps this year, for sure.

Now, on to the good stuff: ~~Etienne!~~ Anna an...more

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Dec 04, 2011

Cory rated it

Recommends it for: Fans of Twilight, Formulaic Romances, and Annoying "Quirky" Hypocritical Heroines Like Bianca Piper

Recommended to Cory by: Everyone

Edited to Add a Disgruntled Reader's Reply at the Bottom. Apparently, I don't know how to write reviews.

The best thing about this book? The end.

I don't read chick-lit. In fact, I avoid it like the plague. But this book received rave reviews from every single person on my friendlist. So I thought, hey, why not? Maybe this won't be like the formulaic Mary Kate and Ashley movies my teachers made me watch in first grade. Maybe Anna will be smart and witty. And maybe Etienne w...more

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Sep 08, 2011

Jo rated it

Shelves: 2011, oh-how-we-laugh, ya

Note: Apologies that I have no accents on my Frenchie vowels... my laptop was having a mare. You get the gist.

"Girl Scouts didn’t teach me what to do with emotionally unstable boys."

Initial Final Page Thoughts.
Urgh, fine. Whatever. I’ll admit it. I swooned… a little. Can we move on?!

High Points.
Anna. Etienne. Paris. Boarding school. Swoon. Clomping boots. Convenient breezes. Canadian flags. Shakespeare & Company (I have a book from there!...more

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Dec 14, 2010

Jessica rated it

Shelves: 09-corner-bookclub, 01-faves, 02-hall-of-fame-♥, 05-literary-crush-worthy, 07-freakin-hilarious, 16-chick-lit

Oh.My.God. Have I ever loved a book???

This is hands-down one of the best books I've read this year. 5 stars are not enough, I want to rate it 10 stars! Bloody hell! I'm in love... ♥

Mum, Dad, could you please send me to a Boarding School in Paris? What? Me being 25 years old is a problem? Noooo, come on guys, I do look really young. I will pass for an 18-year-old!

Full review will probably follow...

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Dec 02, 2011

Simeon rated it

Shelves: chick-lit

This book is adorable, I’m not gonna lie.

Wealthy white teenagers having first-world problems.

Anna, the valiant, is plucked from Georgia and “abandoned” by her parents in a boarding school for rich American teens living in Paris, where she collapses into tears at the injustice of it all.

Intrigued? That's only the beginning of this incredible tale.

Sadly, my hopes for a dramatic twist of the Taken variety came to naught as the entire nov...more

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Apr 07, 2011

Cara rated it

Shelves: 2011, realistic-fiction, to-re-read

SCORE! I had seriously thought maybe this wasn't my year, but I finally finally read a book this year that I wanted to give five stars to. That may or may not be a result of reading less this year *hangs head in shame*, and I know I need to remedy that ASAP. That aside though this story really just left me thinking this is a debut author? I'm telling you Perkins writes like a pro.

I wasn't always so elated about this story. Frankly I had no intention of reading this in the first place...moreSCORE! I had seriously thought maybe this wasn't my year, but I finally finally read a book this year that I wanted to give five stars to. That may or may not be a result of reading less this year *hangs head in shame*, and I know I need to remedy that ASAP. That aside though this story really just left me thinking this is a debut author? I'm telling you Perkins writes like a pro.

I wasn't always so elated about this story. Frankly I had no intention of reading this in the first place. I didn't like the cover or the title. On top of that I don't like stories about boarding schools, Paris (highly overrated in my opinion), and I despise when girls like guys that are already taken. Then I saw so many people giving it high-ratings and my interest was peaked. I wanted to go in with an open mind, but I thought I had the story pegged. You know the girl is going to have a learning experience in Paris, make some new friends, see who she really is, and along the way meet a great guy. Though that's not really far from what the book is like, the author spun the story into something that had me thinking long after I finished reading it.

So here we have Anna and for some reason her Nicholas Spark dad has in it his head that she needs to go to SOAP (School of America in Paris) for her senior year. Of course Anna doesn't like the idea but her dad is firm, she has to go. Anna leaves her best friend, crush, little brother and mother and makes a new life for herself an ocean away. The year is filled with lots of things she couldn't see coming, and all in the background of Paris.

The backbone of this story is the realtionship building. I mean seriously the interactions between Etienne (aka St.Clair) and Anna were so perfect. You can feel and see what they are like but more importantly I don't just feel like I know them, I know that I know them. Does that make sense? They both make mistakes, and they both did things right as well. And the author does a good job of showing us how little things happen to be the big things sometimes. The side characters really added to the story and there is so much that happens. I don't want to give away what happens because that would take away from the reading experience, but you actually forget that this book really doesn't have a clear cut plot. It just follows Anna's year and you see the ups and downs, and you grow to love and root for her. Thankfully you also get to laugh a lot as well.

Stephanie Perkins just got herself a new fan and I'm expecting Lola and the Boy Next Door to leave me with another story to gush and gush about.

Extra side note: I link Sara Bareilles song Uncharted with this book. You can listen to the song here. I think the reason I put these two together is because they are both have a lightness, but at the same time have a great depth to them as well. That or they both just make me have a big smile.(less)

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Aug 16, 2011

Joyzi rated it

Recommends it for: Teenagers who loves romance and teen drama

Recommended to Joyzi by: Goodreads

Shelves: ya-books, fiction, e-book, reviewed, chick-lit, realistic-fiction, author-american, paranormal-romance, contemporary-romance

Before I'm going to write my review I want to greet all of you Happy Valentines Day!

Yep I just finished reading this today, on Valentine's Day. Can you believe it? And what can I say it's a nice treat to read something like this in the Month of Love.

Anna and the French Kiss reminds me so much of High School. I mean come on! Have you not experience falling in love with a guy who happens to have a girlfriend and worse he's your best friend? *Awkward silence* ...more

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Jan 05, 2011

oliviasbooks rated it

Shelves: young-adult-fiction, ya-contemporary, read-2010, favorites, stays-with-me, to-re-read, love-story, hug-them-lick-them-favorites

Let me tell you: There is nothing too special about the storyline:
Seventeen years old girl is sent to attend a posh American boarding school in Paris against her will, gets included in a circle of close-knit friends she would not have befriended under different circumstances and falls for a nice boy of the sexy variety who isn't really available, supposedly out of her league and who has a waiting line of interested parties – including one of the heroine’s new friends - queued up should a miracle...moreLet me tell you: There is nothing too special about the storyline:
Seventeen years old girl is sent to attend a posh American boarding school in Paris against her will, gets included in a circle of close-knit friends she would not have befriended under different circumstances and falls for a nice boy of the sexy variety who isn't really available, supposedly out of her league and who has a waiting line of interested parties – including one of the heroine’s new friends - queued up should a miracle aka break-up occur.
In addition I usually despise unimaginative titles beginning with FIRST NAME AND. I have wanted to read it very badly inspite of that since I had read the two-lines-review author Laini Taylor wrote on her Goodreads page in October 2009. Good for me, because although the story is pretty "normal" for a contemporary young adult novel, the excecution is not. The writing is not fluffy, but cute, realistic, but not depressing or grey. As the author writes in her blog, "Anna and the French Kiss" is "serious and fun".
I have to re-read "Anna" soon to get the gist of it, but Stephanie Perkins skill in displaying the miraculously realistic actions, reactions, emotions and thoughts is so masterful you cannot help investing your whole heart into the characters and their lives.
Confession time: I am neither Anna, nor Étienne (I really do not like calling people by their last name only, b.t.w. and ... I immediately played the 80s' hit Eitienne by Guesch Patti in my head when he was introduced to Anna and to me), nor Meredith, but a lot of scences and a lot of Anna's inner turmoil triggered good and bad memories of my own - which perhaps enhanced the powerful impact the book had on me.
- There are these scenes in which Anna and Étienne share a bed or in which Étienne bumps into Anna on her first evening in the dorm. Anna is so very self-concious and has difficulties to remember how to breathe. She berates herself for the silly things she said because she was so flustered. They made me remember the tiny moment it took me to recognise „This is it: We are going to kiss. Oh, my God“ or my futile efforts to subtly get the attention of the boy of my dreams each Saturday at a church group, who seldom noticed my presence; but when he did, I turned tongue-tied and had to look away. Shaking his hand when making the round at the beginning switched off all my life-supporting organs. And ... holding hands in secret at the cinema? I've been there! Hasn't everybody?
- The infatuated giddyness Anna is drenched in when she spends time with Étienne and she notices that he seems to enjoy her presence, too. It took me back to uncountable points in my life: Teasing a boy I liked as a ten-years-old, behaving like a drunk without a drop of alcohol working on my system ... I almost cannot believe that my husband, back whe he still was my boyfriend ripped out a PAGE out of his PASSPORT to write down his home address for me when he went home for the holidays, which has caused us several awkward discussions with airport officers since. Or that I wasn't shocked or angry when in the middle of a makeout session at night next to a beltway I found my own naked butt exposed to the world, because that impossibly giddy guy wanted to test if I'd notice that he pulled my jeans – and panties down. Imagine: I just laughed happily and rearranged my clothes.
- Étienne's reluctance to finally split up with Ellie and his guilt when he comes back after his first non-date with Anna: I have to admit: After six years with a former boyfriend I took flight and selected an internship in a far away city telling him that I rather did not want him to visit instead of making a clean cut at home. There were the good times still fixed in my head and a tiny pull to make it right and maybe also the fear to be alone again. Like Anna, who accepted the admiration of Dave and its consequences up to a certain point, I took to cuddling up with at least a handful of boys in my dorm for TV or board games.
- Anna is hurt by the reactions of her little brother when she returns home at Christmas. She deems him fickle, because in her absence he transferred his affections to Anna's best friend Bridge. Oh, how I missed MY seven-year-old brother when I left home for university at nineteen. We were really close whe he was in Kindergarden and now at 23 - and ravishing - in my eyes he is still the cute kid grinning his cheeky grin at me, begging for a story.
- Meredith is in love with her friend's boyfriend. So she settles for being a good friend to him, but hopes he will somehow see her worth and change his mind. I’ve been in love once with a friend from a very pious family. I tried to convince his familiy of my purely "friendly" intentions by behaving chummy, because I knew I would have been banned from the house otherwise. But in secret I always hoped he would say "Screw my parents and their strange views on sex. I want to be with you." I am sure if they would have looked at my face closely, I would have been as easy to read as Meredith is.
- The Anna-Bridge-Thoph thing. I also almost lost a very good friend, because my former boyfriend told me he fell in love with her, which made me behave distanced toward her. Silly me.
- Anna feeling uncomfortable because of her friend's public dispay of affections (Rashmi and Josh), but when she is the one kissing in the park she doesn't care what happens around her. Oh, I remember not knowing where to look when my best friend from school acquired her first boyfriend and spent the whole evening of a garage party on a mattress in a corner with him. We arrived together and I thought "How can she do this to me?" But later, when I had my first boyfriend I got thrown out of a church in Taizé (hey, I WAS a teenager), because my kissing offended the congregation (said the orderly).
- The whole dorm life. In spite of the noise and the gritty kitchen and the mold growing inside the waste bins, I loved it!!!!

Powerful memories like that stay with you always but time takes away their luster and their thrill. Reading Anna polished the dust from the emotions that came with them. Thank you Stephanie Perkins fort he roller-coaster-ride and the memory trip. How did you do that? Where did you buy your magic wand?

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Jun 12, 2011

Nomes rated it

Shelves: read-it-in-a-page-flipping-frenzy, fave-reads-of-2010, i-own, 2010, i-so-want-to-go-there, rainy-day-comfort-reads, swoon-worthy-crushes, want-to-hang-out-with-the-gang, you-make-me-smile

if there's one book you can crush on - Anna and the French Kiss would be it.

It's completely charming and utterly fun.

It's hilarious, smashingly brilliant dialogue, grin worthy moments and laugh-out loud goodness.

Characters that are flawed, 3 dimensional, that you want to hang out with. A rich cast surrounds the main characters, all uniquely drawn and portrayed. I love these guys.

A setting that you feel immersed in. Scenes that you want to be in.

A...more

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Dec 16, 2010

Janina rated it

Shelves: young-adult-fiction, lovestory-romance, contemporary, street-corner, books-i-own, fictional-crushes, unputdownable, favourites, favourite-characters, books-i-won-t-forget, fluff, love-triangle, paris, comfort-reads, want-to-be-your-friend, older-ya-vibe, books-to-hug

Hach ... I am in love with this book, I think ;).

You know, there is this thing about books that have a lot of hype around them prior to their release date. Even if I am looking forward to reading them, there is always a little doubt. Because, let’s face it, if you are expecting too much from a book it is much more likely to disappoint you. That being said, I proceeded with caution when starting Anna and the French Kiss although it sounded so much like a book I would love.

Thi...more

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Aug 28, 2011

Giselle rated it

Awwwww *le sigh*. What an adorably romantic book. This is just a feel good, perfectly blissful story. I had a smile on my face the whole time.

Against her wishes, Anna gets sent to Paris by her dad. Paris!! What the heck is she going to do? She doesn't even know a word of French and all her friends are here. In Atlanta. Plus, she just kissed Toph! Let's just say she isn't too happy about this. Though things change when she meets the gorgeous English accent speaking St-Clair. That's wh...more

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Jan 11, 2011

Lucy rated it

Shelves: recommended-by-an-author, romance, young-adult, coming-of-age

So my New Year's Resolution is to read 150 books this year. I finished this on New Year's day and it was a really great way to start the year off. I bought it on a buying binge where I picked up most of the works of John Green. He'd recommended this book heavily in one of his youtube videos. I found myself slightly unimpressed with some of Green's stuff, but this book had everything I'd been looking for in Green's novels. A modern, lovely, and well-written coming of age story with humor and roma...more

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Jun 24, 2011

Merle rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I’m going to be right up front and honest: I really, really, really did not like this book.

Before I get into why I’m going to start off with the parts I did like. This won’t take long because there aren’t many. Perkins is definitely a talented writer as far as the technical stuff goes. Her prose flows nicely, Anna has a distinct voice (the only distinct voice in the novel, sadly), and not once did her writing feel strained or forced. She’s actually good, which is why my intense dis...moreI’m going to be right up front and honest: I really, really, really did not like this book.

Before I get into why I’m going to start off with the parts I did like. This won’t take long because there aren’t many. Perkins is definitely a talented writer as far as the technical stuff goes. Her prose flows nicely, Anna has a distinct voice (the only distinct voice in the novel, sadly), and not once did her writing feel strained or forced. She’s actually good, which is why my intense dislike of this book is disappointing. There was also a scene in the novel between Anna and her little brother Seany that made me smile because it was sweet and touching and realistic, and a few jokes here and there that made me laugh. But otherwise a lot of my feelings towards Anna and the French Kiss consist of intense dislike... okay I’ll be honest, more like actual hate. There were several times when I honestly had to put the book down and walk away for a while because I was getting so angry.

I don’t generally have a problem with books or movies that concern themselves solely with how the main characters get together. I find that the key to getting me interested in giving me good characters who work wonderfully together and level each other out. But I have to actually like the characters and their type of relationship if I’m going to spend a few hours reading their journey together.

I did not like Anna and St. Clair’s relationship, and you can pretty much blame St. Clair for that.

St. Clair, or Étienne, is pretty much a jerk. He’s not intended to come across that way--in fact he’s written to be the most perfect boyfriend a girl or guy could ever ask for. For most of the novel he comes across as too perfect, actually. Until we get to the reason why he and Anna can’t get together for most of the novel: He won’t break up with his current girlfriend, Ellie. Even though it’s extremely obvious to everyone, probably even Ellie herself, that he’s no longer in love with her, he won’t call it off. He would rather be miserable with her than initiate a change in his life, since it’s stated in the book that he’s afraid of change.

I’m sorry but that’s the worst thing to do to a person. It’s disrespectful, to put it quite frankly, and it’s wrong to treat a person you supposedly loved at some point like that. For much of the book, while Anna was hating on Ellie (which I’ll get to in a moment, oh will I ever), I just kept thinking “Just wait, Anna. If he’s doing this to Ellie, he’ll do it to you one day.” As one would expect, that kind of put a huge damper on the whole romantic storyline. The plot line with Ellie just felt like a very weak, very convenient way to keep Étienne and Anna from getting together too fast.

So given my intense dislike for Étienne, the book was already kind of doomed for me. After all, I have to like the other half of the couple if I’m going to be invested in a romance novel.

But I could handle disliking Étienne if the rest of the book could make up for his jerkitude. Unfortunately there was more that irritated me than just Étienne.

The secondary characters were pretty much just that. They came in and said stuff when the plot needed it (this is especially apparent in Meredith’s case) and then left so the book could focus on Anna and Étienne again. In the case of Meredith, Anna’s first new friend when she arrives in Paris, she’s in love with Étienne as well. I was hopeful that Meredith and Anna could settle things peacefully, or Meredith would admit her feelings to Étienne and then back off to let him decide who he wanted to be with. But no, of course Meredith takes it out on Anna instead of being cross with Étienne that he never discouraged her or made it plain that he wasn’t interested in being anything other than friends. Every time Anna and Étienne are remotely romantic with each other in front of their group of friends, Meredith gets jealous and pouty. These are pretty much the only times she’s present so it stands out.

Then of course there’s Ellie, who meets Anna once and seems to like her okay. But then when Étienne is asking for Anna when he’s drunk, Ellie gets jealous and hateful towards Anna. Of course. Because we can’t have just one girl being all possessive and jealous to another girl over a guy; no, we have to have two! At one point Anna actually imagines causing Ellie bodily harm, when she should be angry with Étienne for stringing Ellie and her along for close to a year. Then there’s the stereotypical “slutty,” “bitchy,” rich popular girl Amanda who dislikes Anna on sight because Étienne is paying more attention to Anna than her. I don’t think it’s a mere coincidence, either, that “slutty” is used often in conjunction with Ellie and Amanda. Ellie dresses up as a slutty nurse for Halloween, Amanda is mentioned to have revealing clothing on most of the time. Anna, it’s mentioned, is still a virgin. I don’t think I’m wrong in believing the comparisons were deliberate there.

I’m sorry but can we put these tropes/cliches to bed, already? I am tired of seeing girls fighting each other for a guy, especially a jerk like Étienne. It reinforces so, so many unpleasant stereotypes about women, and it teaches us that we should fight instead of supporting each other, while the guy gets away with bad behaviour, and I’m just sick of it. Yes, eventually Anna does stand up for Meredith against Amanda, but by that point it was too little, too late.

I wish I could have liked Anna and the French Kiss more than I did. I suppose it’s a good thing it made me feel something, even if that something was intense hatred for all the cliches and offensive stereotypes the novel used. Despite the fact that I was not impressed with this novel, I’d be interested in seeing what else Perkins has to offer due to her talented writing. I can only hope she creates better, more sympathetic characters for her next novel, and doesn’t reinforce so many unpleasant stereotypes about women and romance.(less)

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Jan 25, 2011

Brooke rated it

Shelves: corner-bookers-reads, i-own-a-copy, favourites, summer-reads, swoon-worthy-males, fun-fun-fun, lovey-mushy-stuff, realistic-fiction, cover-love

Love. Love. Love. Love. LOVE!

So... Yeah. It was okay. I guess ;o)

This book gave me nervous butterflies and tingles from my toes to my chest. And it happened a lot. Which to me equals an absolute, top notch, favourite read. I am officially in love.

I graduated high school 6 years ago. Do you think it's too late for me to go back - in France, of course - and repeat Year 12 and find my own Etienne?

I cannot believe how much I enjoyed this book. Seriou...more

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Oct 31, 2011

Jasprit rated it

Shelves: readalong, stayed-upto-read-in-the-early-hours, read-in-2011, tugged-at-the-heartstrings, literary-crushes, favourites, wish-i-could-go-there

You have been warned you may find this review full of non-stop gushing. I’m not going to go into the details of the plot summary of Anna and the French kiss, as by now most of you would have devoured this fabulous book and I’m probably one of the last people to read this book. Anna and the French kiss was one of those books which when I first heard about I knew I had to read, if you know me by now I’m one of those people who will buy a book as soon as it comes out, but then leave it on my books...moreYou have been warned you may find this review full of non-stop gushing. I’m not going to go into the details of the plot summary of Anna and the French kiss, as by now most of you would have devoured this fabulous book and I’m probably one of the last people to read this book. Anna and the French kiss was one of those books which when I first heard about I knew I had to read, if you know me by now I’m one of those people who will buy a book as soon as it comes out, but then leave it on my bookshelf, intending to read it some time or other, but never actually getting round to do so. I know what is wrong with me? Everyone I know absolutely loved this book, so why did I take so long to read it?? Like I said before I have no idea what is wrong with me?? As soon as I started reading it, I was kicking myself for not picking it up sooner as I absolutely loved this book!!!! It made me sigh; the romantic Paris setting, Etienne St. Claire, his gorgeous English accent, his beautiful hair, his crooked teeth smile, how he wasn’t afraid to show his weaknesses, he was sweet, caring, understanding... do I need to say anymore? It made me laugh; Josh and Rashmi’s relationship, Amanda with her flicky hair and St.Clair when he was drunk and it had my heart hammering in my chest around 100 miles an hour; will they or won’t they get together?? It had an awesome bunch of characters; Anna, Etienne, Josh, Rashmi, Mer, Matt, I adored them all. And I had so many favourite scenes which I couldn’t possibly name them all, some which include Dave asking out Anna and St. Clair’s reaction, the e-mails over the christmas holidays and the whole thanksgiving period.

Stephanie Perkins is my new favourite author, (I know how can I say this after only reading one of her books?, but a book that makes me feel so many different emotions, leaves me on a insane high, with a huge smile plastered on my face in the early hours of the morning definitely deserves so much credit)

After reading so many great reviews I came into this book, expecting so much, and my expectations were seriously blown away, it gave me so much more than I ever could have imagined. A few books come your way which are truly unputdownable, unforgettable and just leaves you wanting more! Anna and the French Kiss is one of those books, it is definitely one of my 2011 favourites of the year! And I just know I will be reading it again and again and never get enough.
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Dec 31, 2010

Ari rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, sweet-romance, great-books, ya-contemporary, laugh-aloud

'Oh heavens'... this book was hilarious!!

I loved reading it (twice) and I would read it again simply because is FUN, a lot of fun!
It reminded me of myself in high school, and it really felt natural, real.. it was such an amazing pleasure to read this book.

And it's so, so funny, my face hurts from so much laughing ;))

I loved the characters (all of them!), I loved the dialog (I just could picture those people in front of me talking, and laughi...more

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Sep 27, 2011

Martha rated it

Shelves: awesome-ya, 2011, great-characters, cachinnation-ensued, favorites, reread

Is it possible to be anymore absolutely in love with a book than I am with Anna and The French Kiss? The answer is easy.
NO.
Oh heck no.

This book was adorably fabulous. I loved it in every conceivable way. All of the characters contributed something that was very needed in the book.
The friends were not stereotypical; they were fun, and - get this - actually interesting human beings! *Everyone gasps*
Sure, there was loads of cheese. And though I am normally lacto...more

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Apr 14, 2011

Caitlin rated it

Shelves: young-adult, france, travel

I gave this book one star because:
1) Anna is a whiny hypocrite who has very different ideas about who she’s allowed to date/kiss and who everyone else is allowed to date/kiss. It’s simple: she can kiss and flirt with anyone even if they have a girlfriend (or she has a boyfriend); no one else can do the same.
2) Also, the girl is in France and is a huge film fanatic. Yet all she does is watch a bunch of American movies. In France. Because we all know French cinema has nothin...more

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Nov 11, 2011

Alyssa rated it

Recommends it for: For those who favor Valentine's Day above all other holidays.

Shelves: must-get-asap, wait-for-paperback, own, 2011-read, emotional, great-books, great-realistic-fiction, highly-anticipated, really-excited-for, ya-romance, ya-loved

Books should take you somewhere you haven’t been before. As much as I love my paranormal worlds, dying dystopian cities, and difficult real-life situations, these types of books don’t always sate my traveling mind and curiosity. ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS took me to the heart of Paris, France, and also led me into a whirlwind – yet sweet – teenage romance.

Life as Anna knew it was left behind in Atlanta when her father convinced his ex-wife to send her off to the School of America in Pa...moreBooks should take you somewhere you haven’t been before. As much as I love my paranormal worlds, dying dystopian cities, and difficult real-life situations, these types of books don’t always sate my traveling mind and curiosity. ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS took me to the heart of Paris, France, and also led me into a whirlwind – yet sweet – teenage romance.

Life as Anna knew it was left behind in Atlanta when her father convinced his ex-wife to send her off to the School of America in Paris in order for her to be exposed to more culture than Star Wars and elephant and banana jokes. Anna moves to Paris, and as quickly as she was shot out of her home, she finds friendship in a quirky group who’s missing their best pal, Ellie. Anna forms friendship as fast as she grows on the reader, but with one special guy, the beautiful Étienne St. Clair – and boyfriend of the infamous Ellie – she might be in for more than she bargained for.

ANNA made me smile, laugh out loud, teary and desperate. I swallowed the book up in a short amount of time – when the book wasn’t in my hands, it was on my mind – and when it was over, I just sat in my spot, rereading passages, for at least a half hour. I loved this book, nothing less. Hype can do crazy things to a reader’s POV – at least, it does crazy things to me - and I was pleased to discover that the good reviews for Perkins’ first novel very much matched my own opinion. I do frown upon the cover job, though – the book looks like a mindless read when it really does hide a punch behind the decorative purple font and blue-sky. I wasn’t expecting to care as much as I did about the characters I met – and didn’t.

Anna and St. Clair were both stunning characters. Their dialogue was fantastic, what with their sly comments and often emotional and serious comments, and I couldn’t get enough of it. Both Anna and St. Clair learned a lot about themselves as the book progressed, and I was grateful that their relationships with each other took reasonable time to develop. Anna and St. Clair had a friendship that I’m thoroughly jealous of, and with their friendship, a warm affection and hotter heat that made me feel like I was falling in love, too.

ANNA isn’t all just about Anna and her romance in Paris. The friends she makes in The Group are each layered characters and wonderful. Rashmi – especially Rashmi – Josh, and Meredith grew over the course of the book and truly couldn’t have been any more human. I also learned quite a bit about the history of France and actually felt like I was there, a feeling of which I couldn’t get enough.

Perkins has a gift for writing. Sure, she doesn’t have the prose or the natural flow that other choice contemporary authors – Dessen, Caletti, Summers’ – have, but she certainly can write hilarious and heartfelt passages, as well as many 3D characters. Even her not-so-descriptive writing was beautiful because I could tell that she had a story to tell and really, the essence of it was worth more than pretty words. Her pacing was fantastic because even when something wasn’t happening, damn it, something was happening. Anna, her flaws and excellence, was excellently written and truly was a voice I’ll remember. ANNA gave me inspiration both realistically and creatively – after closing the book, after a long hour of reflection, I ran for the nearest notebook and began working with fresh vigor on my latest story. I can’t wait to see more from this new author on the block.

Oh, how I want to visit Paris. As I type out this review, I’m sitting in bed in Portugal, relaxing after my day of climbing in and out of cafes and on and off of cobblestones. I read ANNA while on a trip to Europe myself, and I could really tell that Perkins knew her scenery and knew what she was doing when putting Anna and the gang into Paris. To sum it up: be it you’re a romantic at heart or a travel bug, I bet you’ll love ANNA as much as I did, and that you too won’t be able to stand it until LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR is in your hands.

4.5/5 stars.(less)

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Nov 11, 2011

Hira rated it

Shelves: ya, ongoing-series, romance

3.5 stars

My thoughts while reading Anna and the French Kiss: Why am I not liking this more?!

This was a fun read and i liked it. I really did. It's just not for me though, a tad too fluffy.

Why did i not like it?

- The hype over it. I expected to love this, after reading many gushing reviews. (After making this mistake a few times now, i've decided to keep my expectations low except for a few choice books.)

- The characters. I wasn't involv...more

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Dec 12, 2010

Michelle, the Bookshelf Stalking rated it

Shelves: genre-ya, favorites

I'm not the contemporary romance type of girl. I find them cheesy and boring. I hate how they usually revolve around a misunderstanding between boy and girl usually involving girl 2 or boy 2. I didn't come into this book with a bad attitude but I came with very low expectations.

I’m probably STILL not the contemporary romance type of the girl but I will easily say that I am now a HUGE fan of Stephanie Perkins and Anna and the French Kiss . My face hurts from smiling. I was sitting by...more

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Nov 21, 2011

Heidi rated it

· review of another edition

Four stars: You need to get this book and whisk away to Paris!

The door to her tiny dorm room snicks shut, signaling her parent's departure. Anna finds herself alone. Alone in Paris! She doesn't speak French and she only knows the typical, touristy details about France. She is to start her senior year at an elite boarding school for American students in Paris, a city where she does not know a single soul. Tears and choking, snuffling sobs ensue as she thinks of her friends, famil...more

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Nov 28, 2011

Penny rated it

Recommends it for: anyone looking for a good fluffy YA romance and/or a quick escape from reality

Recommended to Penny by: Tatiana

Shelves: chick-lit, guilty-pleasures, ya-fiction, fluff

I wasn't going to read this book. Really, I wasn't. The title of this book alone is enough to make me run screaming in the opposite direction. And the cover art? Is even worse--I'm not your stereotypical girl in that I don't dream of visiting Paris, for any reason, ever. Though I can't help but admit that all positive reviews from trusted Goodreaders did make me a little curious. I mean, it sounded like this book was a really fun YA romance. But for me YA & Romance are never a good match. ...more

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Jan 20, 2011

Mia (Gripped into Books) rated it

Shelves: reviews, favorites, books-i-own, contemporary, re-readable

This is now one of my FAVOURITE books! I COMPLETELY LOVED IT!
From the very first page, Stephenie kept me completly engaged in a world revolving around romance, humour and suspense.

St.Claire or more perferabley Etienne is so very down-to-earth! The way he is described simply shows complete hotness. I really love the relationship he and Anna have, especially with all the teasing. It is soooo obvious that they LOVE each other and Etienne is too blind to see through it.

...more

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Feb 13, 2011

Kristi (The Story Siren) added it

Shelves: books-i-own

Why is this book good? Because it just is.

There was something very addicting about this book. Be warned you're going to pick it up to read a few chapters and you won't be able to stop. Have I ever mentioned how much I love, a love story. (Oh really... I've said that before? Like hundreds of times!?) This is the ultimate love story! It's such an wonderfully written contemporary YA... love story or not. It's fantastic. You need to read it. Seriously, go get a copy right now.

T...more

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Jul 19, 2011

Morgan F rated it

Shelves: young-adult, realistic, 2010, otis-library, romance, contemporary, france, boarding-school, medium-sized, goodreads-author, read-2011, dating, friendship, haha, its-a-girl

4.5 stars.

This may be the most perfect fluff novel I've ever read. This book takes everything I hate about sappy, cotton candy novels, and does them right.

This book is effing hilarious. When I wasn't laughing out loud, I had this ridiculous grin on my face that just wouldn't go away. I must have looked like an idiot. But a happy idiot.

Anna was just.....awesome. As far as teenagers go, she really is nothing special, but its this averageness that makes ...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
!The Young Adult ...: did u read it yet?	3	27	Feb 07, 2012 08:13pm
YA Book Club: Who's reading along?	62	144	Feb 04, 2012 06:08pm
YA Book Club: Romance	32	166	Feb 03, 2012 06:43pm
Anna and the French Kiss?	1	28	Feb 02, 2012 07:25pm
Madison Mega-Mara...: Anna and the French Kiss	1	5	Feb 02, 2012 11:58am
YA Book Club: Lola and the Boy Next Door	17	171	Jan 30, 2012 10:44pm
♥!The Young Adult...: Quotes that made you giddy	8	107	Jan 29, 2012 02:36pm

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About Stephanie Perkins

Hi, there! I'm Steph, and I wrote ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS and LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR. They have funny bits and kissing, so you should totally read them. If you're into that sort of thing. The final companion is called ISLA AND THE HAPPILY EVER AFTER, and it will be released in 2013.

I often miss blog comments made on Goodreads, so if you want to make sure that I receive your messag...more

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“The more you know who you are, and what you want, the less you let things upset you.” — 591 people liked it

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