February Read: “Anna and the French Kiss” by Stephanie Perkins

Welcome to another edition of my mini book review series, February Read. Before you check out this book review for “Anna and the French Kiss,” click here to check out last week’s February Read post.

This book review contains some spoilers.

Stephanie Perkins what have you done with my heart? My heart exploded with so many feels that I can’t even properly comprehend what I just finished reading. Why did I wait so long to finally start this series? I don’t know even know why. But I am so glad that I finally did.

Stephanie Perkin’s trilogy is without a doubt one of the most talked about Young Adult Romances out there. But trust me, it lives up to the bookish hype. So clearly I had to have “Anna and the French Kiss” be a part of this year’s February Reads series.

“Anna and the French Kiss” was everything and so much more than what I initially expected.The romanticism was eloquently told; it was young love at its best. But it was not only the story that sucked me in. Even the setting was very romantic! There is no better city to fall in love in than Paris.

I really enjoyed reading the push and pull relationship between Anna and Étienne. The way Stephanie told their story was very fluid and effortless. She created two young characters who had their own unique set of qualities, yet fit together perfectly. 

Anna is smart, beautiful, but does not carry the confidence nor see her own self worth. Étienne is opposite. He is charming, popular, and all the girls love hi. But who can blame anyone! Étienne is not only sweet, but he has a nice accent that goes along with it.

But despite the their dynamic personalities, they both possessed similar flaws.

Both were afraid of being a lone. I found this to be a common theme throughout the book. Anna is far from home and misses her family and friends. Étienne’ has an emotional distant relationship and the lack of parental guidance (and at times, misguidance) leaves him feeling deserted. Both of their lives crossed despite coming from completely different lives. Their relationship ebbed and flowed. There was an undeniable mutual attraction that fueled the push and pull relationship.

But perhaps all of the drama could have been cleared up in this book if Anna and Étienne clearly communicated their feelings. It’s funny when your actions say one thing but your words can mean another. Étienne clearly had feelings for Anna from the start. When he thought the signs he was giving was clear, it only left Anna confused. But Anna was the same way. She was quickly falling over Étienne. However, she thought she had no chance given Étienne’s current relationship status at the time. But if Etienne and Anna just told each other point and blank they loved each other, we wouldn’t have this entertaining, heart wrenching story now would we? Welcome to the world of overthinking my friends.

If you have not read a Stephanie Perkins book then I highly suggest that you start with this one. It is the first of the romantic trilogy and it begins the series on a high note. Also, it was a quick read! The characters, romantic setting, and modern love will pull your heartstrings in no time.

On the comments below, let me know what you think of the book! You can also suggest other Romantic YAs that I should be checking out this month! Happy reading!

Rating:  10 out of 10

Length: 400 pages

Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group (August 4th, 2011)

Genre: Teen Fiction, Contemporary, Romance