Anna And The French Kiss by Stephenie Perkins does not fit into my usual genre of paranormal romance, but that criteria did not affect how much I enjoyed this book.
This is the story of a girl, Anna, who is forced to attend school in Paris for her senior year in high school because her emotionally distant, rich father feels it would be a good "cultural" experience for her. Forced to leave her regular school, family, and her best friend, Anna is preparing to hate every moment of her time in Paris. That is, until she notices the very attractive St. Claire who is part of her new circle of friends. Maybe Paris is not quite as bad as she thought.
What makes this book stand out and makes it so much fun to read is the writing. Stephenie Perkins writes like I talk and blog. I purchased this book hesitantly, but I was totally sold in the first chapter. The daily antics and conversations between Anna and her friends make you feel like you are part of her circle. For example, Here's an excerpt:
"Here is everything I know about France: Madeline and Amélie and Moulin Rouge. The Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe, although I have no idea what the function of either actually is. Napoleon, Marie Antoinette, and a lot of kings named Louis. I'm not sure what they did either, but I think it has something to do with the French Revolution, which has something to do with Bastille Day. The art museum is called the Louvre and it's shaped like a pyramid and the Mona Lisa lives there along with that statue of the woman missing her arms. And there are cafés or bistros or whatever they call them on every street corner. And mimes. The food is supposed to be good, and the people drink a lot of wine and smoke a lot of cigarettes. I've heard they don't like Americans and they don't like white sneakers."
This book is a stand-alone book, so it won't leave you on a cliffhanger while waiting years for the next book to come out. While I love several book series, it is refreshing to read a book that begins and wraps up all in the same book.
Like I always say, I only read books I'm willing to trade sleep for, and this was no exception. If you, like me, usually only read books in the paranormal genre, I challenge you to take my word for it, and read this book. You will thank me later.
