As a general rule, I don't like soppy teen romance. I don't like soppy romance. I don't like romance novels with their 2D characters and the predictability and the fact that when I finish the book I don't feel like I've achieved anything. Did I like Anna and the French Kiss?
No. I loved it.
Anna is an American girl sent to an American boarding school in Paris for senior year. Throw in her super hot best friend and adventures in Paris and you have Anna and the French Kiss.
I was gripped immediately but it took me until thanksgiving to warm to the characters as people. That is probably my only complaint with this book. Oh and I had a little bit of trouble with the "nasty" girl. (When girls are nasty they do not name call. They undermine your confidence in a toxic way and make you doubt yourself. Their greatest weapon is you.) However everything that I don't like about romance and this book's clichéd flaws actually warm me to the book.
The characters had faults. 3D female characters with both strength and love and that was amazing. I feel often as a feminist that I can't feel certain things because it's not supporting my views as a feminist but this book makes these gorgeous characters that bust these myths. Anna is wonderful and oh so relatable as a teenage girl. She is smart and has interests in films and Paris.
At first I was wary about the text and how it was written. I am not a fan of capital letters in novels. Capitals are strictly reserved for Sherlock Tumblr posts and Facebook chat. I'm not big on exclamation marks in text. Ever. Anna and the French Kiss pulls this off somehow because you are reading Anna's inner monolouge and she sounds like me and other girls I know and no other book quite captires being a teenage girl like this book.
I went to Paris when I was 14 and I was in love with the idea of Paris and the Eiffel Tower and little streets. Paris let me down a bit. It was dirty (oh so dirty) and the way the metro gates slam scared me. This book portrays Paris well and not just in that Devil Wears Prada way. Also I have an incredible passion for London. This book portrays this passion but for Paris. I loved the way it promoted enthusiasm. As a teenager it is regarded as "cool" to not get enthusiastic. This book was enthusiastic.
The best thing about this book is the aftermath. That warm glow inside of you. A glorious ecstatic feeling. You feel like you are in love and that is glorious.
I gave this five stars.
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