Wednesday Review--Anna and the French Kiss

I read a lot. So much that when I was entering Stephanie Perkin's contest to win an ARC of Gayle Forman's WHERE SHE WENT I did something really dumb. You see, one of the things we were supposed to do for the contest was describe something we loved about IF I STAY (Gayle's first book). So I described something I appreciated about the book and then went on my merry way, dreaming of reading the second book after winning the ARC.

In the middle of a game of bejeweled blitz, out of nowhere, I realized I had described a scene from a completely DIFFERENT BOOK. Granted, there was a similar scene in the book I was describing, but still.....STILL. I felt so stupid. So of course I went back to her blog and explained the real scene, knowing that I had blown my chances of winning (even though it is a completely random drawing).

But if I didn't know it before, this drove home the point that I read so much that I get my books confused. My brain can probably come up with some really good mash ups, mixing up several books to create a ridiculous one. (Hmmmm.....idea......a mash up segment on my blog......I can do that)

Anyway, as thoughts of my lameness swished around in my head, I realized something else. I hadn't yet reviewed Stephanie Perkin's ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS! This is a tragedy. It was truly one of my favorite reads of 2010.



This book is amazing!! It is cute, fun, romantic, beautiful (and every other happy adjective you can think of). Aside from that, it is deep and thought provoking. And clever. Several times I laughed out loud, not just because something funny was said, but because that something funny was also something very unexpected. I just wrote and then erased one of those very passages. I erased it because I want it to be unexpected for you too. And how did I say all that without mentioning the boy?? Oh, the BOY! He's so adorable. Just an all around great read. (I know some of you like to hear my rating. I would say this is for older teens due to some language, drinking, and sexual references.)

Here is a blurb of the book from Stephanie's blog: "Anna was 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. So she's 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? Stephanie Perkins keeps the romantic tension crackling and the attraction high in a debut guaranteed to make toes tingle and hearts melt."

Tell me that doesn't sound so great. It is. You should read it. You should also enter her contest.