Review - Anna and the French Kiss

Need to Know Info:

Title: Anna and the French Kiss
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Format: Hardcover, 372 pages
Publisher: Dutton Books
Release Date: December 2nd, 2010
Ratings: 5 out of 5 HEARTS

Synopsis 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 Étienne St. Claire: 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 has long awaited?

My Always Spoiler-Free* Review (*unless otherwise noted)
There was/is a lot of hype surrounding this novel, which is not only completely justified but doesn't nearly do it justice either.

Anna is the best kind of protagonist because she's so easy to relate to. She's a smart girl with a quick wit, that often leaves other people speechless. She also talks to herself constantly, which makes for some pretty hilarious moments when her thoughts come spilling out. I laughed out loud several times with the different things Anna would say and do.

Anna becomes fast friends with a quartet of amusing characters. Meredith the shy, sweet girl who loves sports and is harboring a secret crush on St. Clair. St. Clair the handsome, charming Brit that can match Anna's humor like no one else. Rashmi the brutally honest, straight A student desperate to attend Brown University and Josh, Rashmi's laid back artist boyfriend, who loves to cut class. 

No one in this novel is perfect, not even St. Clair with his amazing accent and beautiful hair. Every character has their own set of problems, which makes them all the more real. I don't want to spoil anything that happens between the various characters, but I will say that I loved all the ups and downs. Sure sometimes I wanted to smack the sense into a few people, but isn't that what your suppose to want to do? Stephanie Perkins had me fully invested in these characters and allowed me to feel like I was part of their group.

Paris is like another character in this novel, it literally breathes. You can see, hear, and taste the city in every word the author writes. As someone that's been to Paris, I can tell you that this is an incredible feat and allows the city to be truly magical.

I adore this novel and I will definitely be reading more from Ms Perkins! She has a real gift for showing the honesty, heartache and humor that love can bring!