Anna and the French Kiss

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

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 Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Étienne has it all...including a serious girlfriend. 

But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss? {goodreads summary}

Anna and the French Kiss is a fun, fast read that will have you researching French hotels and Eurostar prices as soon as you reach the last page.

“French name, English accent, American school. Anna confused.”

The last thing Anna wants is to be sent half way around the world to complete her senior year, in a school where everyone has already known each other for three years and a country where she doesn't speak the language. But 

“I wish friends held hands more often, like the children I see on the streets sometimes. I'm not sure why we have to grow up and get embarrassed about it.”

This novel is really cute. It reminded me a bit of Dairy of a Crush in terms of how I felt about the characters and the ups and downs of the romantic plot line. 

“I mean, really. Who sends their kid to boarding school? It's so Hogwarts. Only mine doesn't have cute boy wizards or magic candy or flying lessons.”

My favourite thing about this novel was definitely the setting: Perkins brings Paris to life through her narrative and the setting is fundamental to the plot throughout. 

“How many times can our emotions be tied to someone else's - be pulled and stretched and twisted - before they snap? Before they can never be mended again?” 

Anna is the first book in a trilogy and I'm really keen to read the rest when I get a chance.