Anna and the French Kiss
By Stephanie Perkins
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Personal Rating: 7/10

This is a book that's been around for a while but one I've avoided reading until now. It never seemed like it would be my type of book, though, honestly, I was probably just  judging it based of it's title.This book kept getting recommended to me, especially lately, so I finally broke down and checked it out from the library last week. And, let me tell you, I did not regret it. This book is fun, lighthearted, and basically the chicklit of all chicklits. I haven't laughed out loud while reading this much since I read...well, nothing. I can't think of a single novel that made me laugh more than this fantastic contemporary.

Anna and the French Kiss is the story of Anna's senior year. Her senior year in Paris! Anna's father, against her wishes, sends her off to spend her senior year in an American boarding school in the city of lights. Anna isn't thrilled about the situation, until she meats Etiennne St. Clair. Etienne is a French/American boy with an English accent, a charming personality, great sense of humor and, of course, dashing good looks. He is Stephanie Perkins' gift to the female race. (Yes, he is that dreamy.) So, although Etienne has a serious girl friend, and Anna swears she will never try to be more than a friend to him, she can't help but fall for him.

This book did not sound that interesting to me when I first picked it up, but I started loving it by the time I had finished the first chapter. The details in the book--details about Paris, and boarding school, and everything in between--are so real and vibrant, you can't help but get sucked into character's world. Stephanie Perkins really did her homework on Parisian lifestyle, and it shows. I feel like I could move to France right now and be totally prepared.

The thing that really makes this story are the characters. They are all so dynamic and diverse, and just so lovingly real. The authors gives little details about the characters through out the book that just really set them apart from characters in other novels--details like the gap between Anna's two front teeth, or how Mer wears rings on everyone of her fingers. She did a fantastic job of showing us who the characters are instead of telling us.

All in all, this is a fantastic book. The perfect thing to read when you just need a getaway. Normally, this would get a solid 10 in my book, but I did knock is down a few points for language and some vulgar comments. There wasn't anything graphic or excessively vulgar, but I do feel the need to point out that it would definitely be higher on the PG-13 scale.