I figured since I gave you that adorable kids travel book to Paris, Come With Me To Paris last Friday another Paris book review would be perfect. However, the book I am reviewing today reaches a completely different audience.
I have been seeing this series popping up on Instagram and all the bookstagrammers (a nerdy term book nerds call themselves on Instagram) stating how much they loved Anna and the French Kiss and the remaining 2 books in this teen romance/chick-lit series by Stephanie Perkins.
To be honest, I was expecting a book similar to Meg Cabot's romance books like All-American Girl or the Princess Diaries series, or possibly Sarah Dessen's young adult (YA) romance books with substance. However, I would definitely not put Anna and the French Kiss in the same category as either Cabot or Dessen; I may say it's somewhat similar to Twilight though the character development is not as well written. Though, now that I think about it Twilight had a cult like following so I guess it makes sense... sort of.
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins gets 3 out of 5 stars in my book review. I feel this book is great for teenage girls looking for a fun romance book, or a light fun read for the beach or pool. Anna, the main character, gets "abandoned" as she states it, at a US boarding school for rich kids. I really enjoy a lot of boarding school books, but this one had no surprise or interesting story line, at least according to me.
The teen angst Anna has with a "gorgeous" boy who has an English accent and speaks French whom she meets in chapter one and the build up of such sexual tension between the two of them is just too much for me. However, I think high school girls, especially those that don't like to read aka reluctant readers, or teens that like Pretty Little Liars and other light romance/chick-lit reads will enjoy this book. There is a place for this book, on a high school library shelf... though there is not a place in my collection for this series.
The super cheesy over the top dramatic first world problems teeny bopper book is too much for me. There was no deeper issues dealt with (like many of Sarah Dessen's books deal with eating disorders, parental divorce, and other issues high school kids could benefit from reading about), and there was no unique story line causing it to be a boring, predictable, and annoying read in my critical opinion.
As far as content is concern, the book is quite clean. There is drinking, but in France drinking at 16 is legal so they aren't breaking the law. There is no sex but there is mention of sex, and there is some language/swearing. I don't recall any violence, but there is bullying. All in all, I consider it a mostly clean book.
Amazon has the following book description:
"Anna can't wait for her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a good job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. So she's not too thrilled when her father unexpectedly ships her off to boarding school in Paris - until she meets Etienne St. Clair, the perfect boy. The only problem? He's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her crush back home. Will a year of romantic near-misses end in the French kiss Anna awaits?"
Have you read this series? Do you feel differently about this book? I'd love to hear your thoughts."
Happy Teen Beach Read Romantic Chick-Lit Reading!
No comments:
Post a Comment