Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Reviewed by: Susie Rivera, Reference and Adult Services
Genre: YA, Audiobook
Suggested Age: Teens
What is the book about?: Anna is ready to start her senior year in Atlanta when she is unexpectedly sent to Paris to attend boarding school. She speaks no French, has no friends, and experiences a bit of a culture shock at the beginning of the novel. Things start to change as she adjusts to her new surroundings and begins to form friendships with other students at the boarding school. One person Anna starts to spend time with is the handsome Etienne St. Clair. Etienne and Anna find they can talk easily to each other. But, Anna begins to feel more than friendship for Etienne as they spend more and more time together. The only obstacle in the way of their relationship is his girlfriend.
My Review: I listened to the audio for this novel via the library’s Overdrive app. Kim Mai Guest narrates and does a nice job transitioning from Anna’s seventeen-year-old girl voice to Etienne’s British accent. Guest is an acclaimed voice performer who has narrated other young adult novels including Meg Rosoff’s How I Live Now. Her voice is a good match for Perkins’s introspective writing style. Listening to this book made me feel like I was in Paris myself, stopping in small creperies and cafes. Though I felt the novel a little drawn out in terms of pacing, teens will enjoy the exotic Parisian setting as well as the budding romance between Anna and Etienne.
Rating: 4/5
About FDL Reads
Welcome to FDL Reads, weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library. Librarians (and possibly some other guest reviewers) review all types of books, from children’s picture books, young adult favorites, to the latest adult thriller, and share their thoughts each week at fondulaclibrary.org. If the book is owned by Fondulac District Library (or another local library), you’ll see a direct link to the catalog entry and whether or not it is available. If it is checked out or at another local library, you will be able to place a hold as long as you have your library card and PIN numbers. As with any book review, these are our opinions…we disagree amongst ourselves about books frequently. We all have different likes and dislikes, which is what makes the world an interesting place. Please enjoy, and keep on reading!