Review: Anna and the French Kiss by: Stephanie Perkins

Anna and the French Kiss by: Stephanie Perkins
Publisher: Dutton
Publication Date: December 2, 2010
Format: Paperback (with flaps)
Page Count: 372
Genre: Contemporary
Buy the Book: Amazon

Summary from Goodreads:

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 irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home. As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near - misses end with the French kiss Anna - and readers - have long awaited?

My Review:

This year I have set a goal to read more contemporary novels and this one was at the top of my list. I’ve heard that Stephanie Perkins is like the Queen of Contemporary, so I just had to read one of her books. Anna and the French Kiss did not disappoint! From the gorgeous and romantic Paris nightlife to the even more gorgeous Etienne St.Clair, this book was fabulous all around!

I was shocked at the beginning when Anna was being sent to a boarding school in Paris and she wasn’t happy about it. I mean, who wouldn’t want to live in Paris for a year? But then, as I got to know her life and character more, I understood that it was taking her away from her friends and her potential boyfriend, and that it was her parent’s wish, not hers.

Anna Oliphant is seemingly the only new student in the senior class of the School of America in Paris. She doesn’t know much in French besides the basics that everyone knows like merci, and au revoir. So, naturally, she stands out.

A group of artsy students take her under their wings and they become best friends fast. Among this group is the history buff and swoonworthy Etienne St. Clair (St. Clair for short). From first glance, he has Anna’s heart. She can play the whole best friends game, but for how long? The tension builds throughout the whole book and it was so frustrating (in the best way)!

While Anna is falling more and more in love with St. Clair in Paris, she has a life in Atlanta that’s nagging at her. Her co-worker at a movie theater there, Toph, and her were about to become serious just before she left. Her previous life across the pond is becoming less of a priority than her new Paris life, especially after she visits home on her break.

St. Clair shows her Paris and all of the places that inspire him. While they watch movies and explore the city, he lets her into his life in a way he doesn’t to most people. About his lame excuse for a father and how he’s American, British, and a little French. There’s a catch to him that Anna can’t stop herself from thinking about. St. Clair has a girlfriend, Ellie. Anna knows that he must feel something for her and wonders why he stays with Ellie.

The complexity of the characters in Anna and the French Kiss is outstanding to say the least. With Anna dealing with her feelings for St.Clair and him trying to figure out his personal life in general, I found that I had a profound connection with the main characters, as well as some of the minor ones.

As Anna lives and loves in the City of Light, she discovers a new part of herself as well. St. Clair and Anna make for a pair that will make you laugh hysterically and bring goosebumps to your skin.

Official Rating:

Five Un-Birthday Cakes!

 

 

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Fave Fridays (1) Female Protagonist

Fave Fridays is a meme exclusive to Through the Looking Glass where, each week, I feature a few of my favorite bookish things! Anything from books, authors, characters, etc is featured here.

Number Six (Six)

Seen in: I Am Number Four by: Pittacus Lore, The Power of Six by: Pittacus Lore, The Lost Files: Six's Legacy by: Pittacus Lore

Coming Soon: The Rise of Nine by: Pittacus Lore

Why is she my favorite?

Six is an alien, for one, which already makes her on the top. She has the power to produce storms and strike lightning whenever she wishes. Invisibility is her other power and she rocks them! She also has telekinesis, but that one's not unique to her. Six is my favorite female character because she is edgy and heroic. Nothing can stop her when she's after something. Spending her childhood learning defense and martial arts tactics, she can kick some serious butt. 

Review: I Hunt Killers by: Barry Lyga

I Hunt Killers by: Barry Lyga
Publication Date: April 3, 2012
Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Series: Jasper Dent #1
Page Count: 359
Format: Hardcover
Buy the Book: Amazon

Summary from Goodreads:

What if the world's worst serial killer...was your dad?
Jasper (Jazz) Dent is a likable teenager. A charmer, one might say.
But he's also the son of the world's most infamous serial killer, and for Dear Old Dad, Take Your Son to Work Day was year-round. Jazz has witnessed crime scenes the way cops wish they could--from the criminal's point of view.
And now bodies are piling up in Lobo's Nod.
In an effort to clear his name, Jazz joins the police in a hunt for a new serial killer. But Jazz has a secret--could he be more like his father than anyone knows?

My Review:

What compelled me to read this book was Jasper (Jazz). I love stories with characters who have to prove that they aren't who everybody assumes they are. Also, there's the murder mystery. You will be in for an adventure when you pick this one up.

To Jasper Francis Dent, taking up the family business is nothing to be proud of. His father, Billy Dent, also known as the Artist and several other nicknames, is America's worst and most widely heard of, serial killer. Everybody in the small town of Lobo's Nod looks at Jazz as if he's a ticking time bomb and it's only a matter of time before he picks up where Billy left off before he was locked up.

When a woman's body turns up with signs Jasper is frighteningly familiar with, he decides that he can't just sit around when he knows there is another serial killer active in his town. So he decides that if the police won't believe him, he'll take things into his own hands. Someone is copying his dad's pattern and he's the only one who can catch the killer. But he discovers some chilling things about himself and his past along the way.

Be forewarned if you are squeamish that this book contains a fair share of disturbing scenes. It got to be a bit much for me once or twice, but it was tolerable to me most of the time.

Jazz's determination to see who's behind the killings was one of my favorite things about the story. It held the message that no matter what people say about you, if you really want to and are willing to do what it takes, you can prove them wrong.


With his loyal companion and best friend, Howie, Jazz sets out to learn the pattern of the serial killer who calls himself the Impressionist. Meanwhile, he's dealing with his senile grandmother and his own issues. As he becomes closer and closer to the crimes, he learns some things about himself that he'd rather leave in the dark. Howie and Connie, his girlfriend, know his heart and have faith that he can pull through.

I Hunt Killers is full of crime and mystery and personal discovery. I am highly looking forward to the second installment of Jasper Dent's journey!

Official Rating:



Three and a Half Un-Birthday Cakes!

    Other Books by Barry Lyga: