Wanderlust Wednesday: Books Set in France

 

Since June marks the 2-year anniversary of my big UK/European adventure, I'm feeling nostalgic...and I'm also feeling the need to read alllll the books with settings of places I love. Last week, this week, and next week I'll be recommending books set in each of the countries I visited: England, France, and Italy. I love travelling vicariously through stories when I can't actually travel myself, and I know I'm not the only one, so I hope you'll enjoy these lists!

Last week I shared recommendations for books set in England, and this week it's books set in France.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins ~ One of my favourite books ever. It makes me giggly and swoony and just all around happy. I love the Parisian setting and getting to explore the city with Anna.

The Beautiful and the Cursed (The Dispossessed #1) by Page Morgan ~ Set in 1899 in Paris, this book features gargoyles - something I haven’t encountered in YA before or since reading this book. It’s got lots of action and romance, plus interesting lore about gargoyles.

The Chateau of Happily Ever Afters by Jaimie Admans ~ This book completely transported me to Normandy. I could picture myself at the chateau and living a quiet, simple life surrounded by nature, and shopping at the market every week.

Fleur de Lies (Passport to Peril #9) by Maddy Hunter ~ Each of the books in the Passport to Peril series (my favourite cozy mystery series - actually, one of my favourite series, period) is set in a different country, and Fleur de Lies is set in France. You get to see different areas of the country, and I loved it!

The Conspiracy of Us (The Conspiracy of Us #1) and Map of Fates (The Conspiracy of Us #2) by Maggie Hall ~ These books take place in a few different countries and cities, but Paris is a main setting. Having been to Paris twice, I loved reading about so many familiar places. I could picture it all with perfect clarity. These books are action packed and keep you guessing. I can’t wait for the third book, The Ends of the World.

Just One Day by Gayle Forman ~  Like the Conspiracy of Us series, this book takes place in a few different countries and cities, but Paris is an important one. 

One Paris Summer by Denise Grover Swank ~ I’ll be honest, this isn’t my favourite book, but I added it to the list because of the setting (and cover) and because I like to encourage people to decide for themselves. This book is good if you’re looking for a light book with a fun setting.

What are some of your favourite books set in France? Do you have any recommendations for books set in France (especially Paris)?

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Wanderlust Wednesday #1

Wanderlust Wednesday combines my love of books with my love of/desire to travel. I've had a wicked case of wanderlust lately, and I've been reading a lot of travel books, so I thought a new blog feature that combines travel and books would be fun! This is going to be a weekly feature; if anyone would like to join in, let me know and I'll set up a Linky so we can visit each other's posts.

For Week #1 I'm going to spotlight an old/all-time favourite: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. I've read this book twice - first in 2011 and again last year. I love this book so much. It's cute and funny and romantic and IT'S SET IN PARIS. I really connected to Anna and saw a lot of myself in her. I went to France when I was 17, so it was exciting to recognize a lot of the places in the book.

When reading a 'destination book', I love it when a city has so much life and personality that it's like a character itself.  It's rare that an author actually pulls it off, but Perkins did it with finesse. She made Paris come alive on the pages, and I felt like I was right there with Anna, falling in love with the city...and a super cute boy. ;-) Also, my head is full of random facts, so I loved that Perkins threaded in interesting little tidbits about the city. It made me connect with the setting and the story even more.

I've been itching to go back to Paris, but since it doesn't look like it'll happen anytime soon, I'm thinking another reread of Anna is in order. 

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~A couple years ago, I wrote a letter to my 17-year-old self before I left for France - you can check it out here~

  

Have you read Anna and the French Kiss? Do you love it as much as I do? Have you ever been to Paris? Read any books set in Paris that are must reads?

 

 

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Anna and the French Kiss Read-Along Discussion #3

The Anna and the French Kiss Read-a-long is hosted by Molli from Once Upon a Prologue and Suz from A Soul Unsung

St Clair knows he needs to make a decision about his relationship with Anna, but his hesitation only hurts her. Do you sympathize with him?

I do. If it were real life, I guarantee you I wouldn’t be so sympathetic, but seeing it from the outside, I can definitely see where he’s coming from. He’s hurting, he’s scared for his mother, he’s mad at his father, and he just wants to hold on to what’s familiar - and that happens to be Ellie. And even though Anna’s there and has been there all year, for some reason it’s just easier to keep things as they are and not have one more big change in his life. My heart hurts for him...even though, like I said, if it were real life, I wouldn't be nearly as patient or understanding - I'd tell him to make up his mind (and preferably choose me...I mean come on, it's St. Clair).

Anna is hurt by St Clair, and makes some bad decisions, relationship wise. Do you sympathize with her, or not?

Again, I do. She can’t understand St. Clair’s hesitation. She’s hurt, and people don’t always make the smartest decisions when they’re hurting or angry.

How would you have reacted in the park if you were Meredith? How do you think Anna handles the fall out with Meredith?

I’m not the type to make a scene, so I don’t think I would have reacted the way Meredith did. If I’d seen them, I likely would have left without them knowing I’d been there and then confront Anna privately or be really cool and not talk to her until she realized what was going on. I think Anna handles it to the best of her ability - it’s a sticky situation. She cares about Meredith and doesn’t want to hurt her, but she’s in love with St. Clair. What do you do in that situation? I don’t know if there’s any right or wrong, and Anna does initially try, but when it doesn’t go well, she kind of gives up, which maybe wasn’t the best way to handle it, but I bet that’s how a lot of people would deal with it.

Anna has a meltdown in chapter 42 – do you think this was a break-through for her?  St Clair tells her that he isn’t the only one who is afraid of being alone. Do you think Anna ever realized this before now?

I think it’s definitely a breath-through. She learns some things about herself, including that she’s afraid of being alone, just like St. Clair. It’s always interesting to watch a character you really like have these big realizations about themselves, and then grow from it.

Were you proud of Anna for the steps she takes to repair the relationships in her life?

Absolutely. I think it takes courage to mend a broken relationship when you feel like you’ve been wronged, or when you know you hurt someone yourself. Hurt feelings and guilt can seem insurmountable, and some people would rather let a friendship go than face things, be honest, forgive, or be forgiven - especially at that age, when everything seems like it's the end of the world. 

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Second Impression Review: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Series: Technically a standalone, but companion to Lola and the Boy Next Door and Isla and the Happily Ever After

Published: December 2nd, 2010

Publisher: Dutton

372 pages (paperback)

Genre: Contemporary young adult

Acquired this book: Bought

Warning: May contain spoilers

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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?

 

When I first read Anna and the French Kiss in late 2011, I fell in love instantly - with the characters, the setting, the dialogue, the romance, just absolutely everything about it. In my eyes, it was perfection, and there were very few books I loved more - or talked about more - than this one.

Jump ahead a year and a half to one of my besties, Molli, telling me she was going to be co-hosting an Anna and the French Kiss Read-Along. I’d wanted to reread the book for awhile, but hadn’t made time, so I jumped at the chance for an excuse to reread this book. There was a little part of me that was afraid I wouldn’t enjoy the book as much the second time around - my reading tastes have evolved and I’ve become a bit pickier - but I loved this book even more upon rereading it. To me, it is still perfection.

Because I already wrote a review for this book in November 2011, I’m going to do this one a bit differently by breaking down what I loved about it and why.

Anna: Anna is the type of character who is easy for most people to relate to. She’s down-to-earth, loyal, funny, and a bit nervous in her own skin. Her awkwardness made her so endearing, and that was part of what made it so easy for me to connect with her. Her inner dialogue and reactions to things reminded me so much of myself. 

St. Clair: The perfectly imperfect boy. On the surface he seems perfect - beautiful, great hair, cute accent…I could go (and on and on), but he’s not perfect - he made mistakes, he did stupid things, he had flaws, but all of that made me love him even more. He was one of the rare boys in YA books that is truly good. He’s kind, thoughtful, a good friend, nice to just about everyone, doesn’t think he’s better than anyone else, and he would do anything for the people he cares about.

Anna and St. Clair together: I’ve already said it, but seriously: perfection. Their interactions were alternately hilarious, infuriating, sensual, and heartbreaking. I loved watching their friendship evolve, and seeing them get to know little things about each other, and slowly, somehow, becoming best friends. I honestly think that was my favourite part - as much as I wanted them to get together, it was really touching that they considered each other best friends. They needed each other, and the underlying romantic tension just made their whole relationship even better because it wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t all sunshine and roses.

Secondary characters: Meredith, Josh, and Rashmi were all really well fleshed-out characters. They each taught Anna something about herself, and helped in her character development. They were diverse and all had distinctive voices, and I loved that. All the other secondary characters, big and small, had a purpose in the book. All of them were three-dimensional, whether they only made a couple appearances, or were present throughout the book.

Paris: Ahh, Paris. *wistful sigh* I went to Paris when I was the same age as Anna, and fell in love with the city. I was only there for a few days, but the city left an impression on me, just as it did with Anna. Perkins did a fantastic job of highlighting the city, making it come to life, and making me feel like I was there.

Overall, Anna and the French Kiss encompasses everything I love about contemporary young adult: the romance, the humour, the growth, the friendships, the real life issues, the emotions. It made me laugh, made me cry, and made me feel. There’s a reason this book turns girls into squeeing fangirls, and if you haven’t read it yet, I can’t say it enough: you need to read this book. Now. And then feel free to come to me and we can be squeeing fangirls together, because I can never get enough of taking about the awesomeness that is Anna and the French Kiss.

 

  Thank you to Molli from Once Upon a Prologue and Suz from A Soul Unsung for hosting the Anna and the French Kiss Read-Along and giving me an excuse to reread this book and remember why it’s one of my favourites. 

{Read my review of Lola and the Boy Next Door}
 
Have you read Anna and the French Kiss? What did you think?

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Anna and the French Kiss Read-Along Challenge #2

The Anna and the French Kiss Read-a-long is hosted by Molli from Once Upon a Prologue and Suz from A Soul Unsung. The second challenge is to share a story from a time in your life when you identified with Anna.

Anna reminds me so much of myself, and I can relate to her in many ways. One specific way is her realization that ‘home’ isn’t necessarily a place, it can be a person.

First I just want to say that I was lucky enough to come from a very loving home, and I don’t want to downplay that. Now...I didn’t realize this at the time - it wasn’t a concept that had occurred to me - but for many years, ‘home’ was my best friend Suleena. We met in Kindergarten and were casual friends until the sixth grade when we became best friends. My dad died at the end of grade five, so by the beginning of grade six, I was really in need of a good friend, and there she was. I don’t know how it happened, but we suddenly became inseparable and we did everything together. She was the first person who I felt really accepted me for me, even when I was an emotional wreck, even when I was a jerk, and even when I sometimes made it really difficult to even want to be friends with me (I didn’t realize that at the time but I look back and think 'man, I was lucky I had any friends'). 

Suleena and me, around age 16

In high school, we traveled a lot together - we went on a number of bus trips, overnight trips, and we even went to France together when we were seventeen. I don’t think I would have gone if it weren’t for her, and I know I wouldn’t have had as amazing a time as I did without her. All my best memories of France involve her. Every single one of them. 

Suleena and me at the Louvre in Paris, age 17

We had our issues…god knows we had our issues. We fought, we stopped speaking, there were times when we hated each other, but we always came back together. We were like sisters. In the summer between high school and college, we were together almost all the time. She practically lived at my house. We went to college together - same program and everything - and it was eventually a boy that was our undoing. A boy we both liked, who liked us both…but I wouldn’t date him because I didn’t want to hurt her. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop her. That's when the first of the irreparable cracks formed in our friendship. When they broke up, she dropped out of college, and a few months later, ended up pregnant. Everything changed for us then. The last ten years have been rocky for us, but we’re still friends. We've gone through births and deaths and everything in between in the last 24 years. And whenever we’re together - even though it’s not often these days - I still feel like a seventeen-year-old. For a little while, I can pretend that nothing has changed and that we still have our whole lives ahead of us, and that we’ll be best friends forever. 

On a road trip, in a photo booth, around age 18

Since then I’ve had a few other friends who have shown me that ‘home’ can be a person. But Suleena was the first, and no matter what happens, or how much we drift apart, there will always be a part of me that considers her home. She’ll always have a piece of my heart - and isn’t that really what home is?

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Anna and the French Kiss Read-Along Week 2 Discussion

The Anna and the French Kiss Read-a-long is hosted by Molli from Once Upon a Prologue and Suz from A Soul Unsung

At the end of what we read last, St Clair asked Anna a question that could change their friendship. Would you answer the same way?

I think so. As much as I might want to answer differently, and as much as it’s like ‘hello, he just gave you the opening you needed, TAKE IT’, St. Clair clearly needs a friend right now, and doesn’t need extra crap heaped on top of him to worry about.

Anna realizes in Chapter 17 that she and St Clair will both be spending their Thanksgiving break at school, basically alone. How do you think this changes their relationship?

It’s the first time they’ve been truly alone. They hang out together and even do stuff on their own, but this is different. They’re ALONE and they know they won’t be interrupted/distracted. I don’t see how it could help but change their relationship. Plus, Anna was the first person who was really able to reach St. Clair after the news about his mum, and I think that’s pretty meaningful. 

BTW, those few days alone in the dorm = one of my favourite parts of the book. 

Anna and St Clair’s relationship changes even more over the Christmas holiday. Do you think either of them realizes just HOW much?

I think they both sense it. Things had been a bit strained between them since Thanksgiving, but over Christmas break, they talk constantly and get closer. They share things, confide in each other, and lean on each other when they have nobody else. I think it’s a real eye-opener for both of them.

Anna has a big realization about her relationship with St Clair at the end of chapter 30. Discuss!

It’s kind of funny to me that it hit her like a frying pan in the face. It made me love her even more because it was this totally believable OMG moment that a lot of us have probably had. She knew she liked him, she knew she liked him and wanted him, but it was so much more than that. 

How do you think Anna will deal with her new feelings for St Clair?

I think it could potentially make things really awkward. If you’ve ever kinda-sorta liked someone and then realized it was more than that, you feel different, you wonder if they can sense it, you wonder if they feel the same - it’s just a whole lot of nervousness and wondering and worrying and everything else. Throw in the fact that St. Clair still has a girlfriend, and it’s even more of a mess, because as far as Anna knows, their relationship can never go further than friendship. If I were her and all of sudden realized I had these really strong feelings and was pretty sure he did too but he stayed with Ellie...well, I'd be pissed and it would be hard not to show it, and I think a lot of other girls would feel the same.

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Anna and the French Kiss Read-a-Long: Discussion #1

The Anna and the French Kiss Read-a-long is hosted by Molli from Once Upon a Prologue and Suz from A Soul Unsung

Anna is afraid to really experience Paris when she arrives. Would you be, or would you look at it as an adventure?

Well, I was Anna's age when I went to Paris...mind you, it was with a group of people, including my childhood best friend, Suleena, and it was only for four days. By then we'd been in France for six days and had discovered that despite our age and the four chaperones on the trip, we pretty much had free reign. We had group tours and activities but at least half the time, we were allowed to do whatever we wanted. Suleena and I were pretty much fearless (I don't know what happened to that girl because I'm far from fearless now), and we weren't afraid to take the métro (where we were almost pick-pocketed by a pair of smelly boys), go shopping, see the sites, or just wander the streets. We had made friends with a set of triplets and a guy from the other school we were touring with, so we did quite a bit with them.

I have no idea how I would have felt if I'd been on my own, or had to live there to go to school. I'd like to think I would have been adventurous and gone out on my own, but I honestly don't know.

Which of the characters we meet – Anna, St Clair, Josh, Rashmi, or Meredith – do you most identify with? Why?


Definitely Anna. She's kind of awkward and self-conscious and her train of thought could totally be mine. Plus she has a gap in her front teeth, and I do too (blech)!

"My smile wavers and I return to my natural state of being: nervous and weird." ~ Anna 

Anna is drawn to St Clair, as well, everyone is. She wants to be “just friends” with him.  Do you think this will be possible for her? Can a guy and a girl BE just friends?


I think it's possible, but not likely (I've read the book before so I know what happens, but I'm going to pretend I don't for the sake of this question lol). Anna develops feelings for St. Clair quickly, and even though he has a girlfriend, it's obvious he likes her too. Could they remain friends and nothing more? Sure. I think it's possible for a guy and a girl to be just friends, but it's hard when one likes the other or when both have feelings but one is already taken. 

Anna sums it up pretty well: "Any girl faced with daily attention from a gorgeous boy with a cute accent and perfect hair would be hard-pressed not to develop a big, stinking, painful, all-the-time, all-consuming crush." Yep.

What are your first impressions of Anna? Of St Clair?

First impressions of Anna: she's the type of girl I'd be friends with. I read some reviews in the past that said they couldn't believe she was whining about being in Paris - like 'oh poor you' - but I can kind of understand her point. Having to go to a new school for senior year would blow, especially if it was thousands of miles away from your family and friends. She had no say in the matter, and that would piss me off, too. 

St. Clair...I literally just gave a swoony sigh while typing his name. I love him. He's funny and honest and I LOVE that he's nice to pretty much everyone. He's cool and hot but he's not full of himself and he doesn't think he's better than anyone else just because he happened to win the genetic lottery. I knew a guy like that in high school - he was a football player, one of the most popular kids in school, plus drop-dead gorgeous, and he was nice to EVERYONE. It always shocked me when he talked to me because I was shy and awkward and overweight and pretty much a nobody except in my own very small group of friends. I'm sure there are people who read the book and think guys like St. Clair don't exist, but they do.

I made this for a post I did last Valentine's Day about book boyfriends

What’s your favorite moment or quote from what we’ve read so far?

Gah, there are so many! I've been tweeting quotes like crazy because there are so many parts I love. Basically any interaction at all between Anna and St. Clair. I particularly love when he gives her the Canada flag patch so she won't feel like she stands out so much. When I went to France, I wore a Canadian flag pin on my jacket and people were definitely nicer to us when they found out we were Canadian. 

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Anna and the French Kiss Read-a-long: Me and Anna

The Anna and the French Kiss Read-a-long is hosted by Molli from Once Upon a Prologue and Suz from A Soul Unsung

Today's challenge is to post a picture of ourselves with our copy of Anna and the French Kiss and talk about how we got our copy.

Here I am! I got into the spirit by wearing a Paris shirt and Eiffel Tower necklace. Yes, I'm a geek.

And because Anna and the French Kiss is partially about a beautiful boy, I had a beautiful boy join me...

How I got my copy of ANNA:
After the book was published, everywhere I went in the blogosphere people were talking about it. It looked cute, and I love books that are set in Paris, but there was SO MUCH HYPE, I wondered how good it could really be. It was like 'come on, people, really? ALL OF YOU love it? People who don't agree on anything agree on this one book?!' I'm pretty easy to please when it comes to books - I'm not super picky, and there are times when the issues a lot of people have don't bother me, but nobody was even having issues with this book. Everyone claimed it was perfect and hilarious and romantic and had a totally swoonworthy boy. 

So I waited for my library to get it. At the time (late 2011), I wasn't buying books because I was poor and couldn't afford it and got all my books at the library or won them from other blogs. Then I won Lola and the Boy Next Door and I thought 'ok now I have to read Anna'. My library still didn't have a copy, so I still went back and forth about it, watched the price fluctuate almost daily on The Book Depository, and then finally bought a copy.

And wouldn't you know, the hype was right. It really was one of the best books ever. It really was cute and hilarious with a swoonworthy boy. And I felt like an idiot for not reading it sooner. Lesson learned!


If you're participating, be sure to link me up so I can stop by and see you and Anna!

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Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Recommend The Most

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Top Ten Books I Spend a Lot of Time Pimping

 
The Harry Potter series
The Harry Potter books are pretty much my favourite books ever. I talk about them a lot and I’m always stunned when I find out there are people left in the world who haven’t read them. My ten-year-old nephew loves the movies but doesn’t like to read, but I’m thinking of trying him on Harry Potter and seeing if I can make a bibliophile out of him yet!

Under the Never Sky and Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

I’m not a die hard fan of post-apocalyptic books (I’ve enjoyed the ones I’ve read but they’re not usually my first choice), but Under the Never Sky and Through the Ever Night are not just my favorite post-apocalyptic books, they’re among my favourite books ever.

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

An incredible, beautiful, swoonworthy contemporary YA. Books like this are the reason YA contemp is my favourite genre.

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

Another example of YA contemporary at its finest.

Scarlet by AC Gaughen

Robin Hood. Need I say more? This is told from the perspective of Robin’s friend Will Scarlet, except that Scarlet is a girl. Full of twists and turns, romance, and action, this book is just plain amazing.

Splintered by AG Howard

A brilliant spin on Alice in Wonderland. This is up there with my favourite books ever.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Do I really need to say why this book is worth recommending? There’s just something magical about it - maybe it’s Paris, maybe it’s Etienne St. Clair, maybe it’s the fact that Stephanie Perkins has the ability to make me giggle harder than my 3-year-old nephew. It’s just amazing. AND if you haven’t read it yet or if you’ve read it and want to reread it, my friend Molli from Once Upon a Prologue is co-hosting an ANNA Read-Along starting April 1st!

Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery

This is a classic for a reason. Funny, charming, quirky - Anne of Green Gables is a Canadian staple, and I grew up with her. To me this is one of those books that everyone should read at least once in their life.

The Passport to Peril series by Maddy Hunter

This is a series I discovered before I started book blogging. It’s cozy mystery and it satisfies both my funny bone and my travel bug since each book is set in a different country. This is a series that, unfortunately, most of the people I know haven’t even heard of, let alone read, so I’m always trying to pimp it.

Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

Another example of why contemporary YA is my favourite genre. Road trip + music + cute boy + relatable girl + amazing secondary characters + surprisingly emotional = one of the best books ever.

Honourable mentions

Most of the time I have trouble coming up with 10 but this time I had trouble narrowing it down, so I'm cheating a little. A few other books I’m constantly telling people they should read: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor, Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson, Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler, and Catching Jordan and Stealing Parker by Miranda Kenneally. 

And of course I spend quite a bit of time pimping my own books. Does that count? *cough* WAITING FOR THE STORM comes out two weeks from today *cough*

What are some of the books you recommend the most? Tell me below or leave a comment to your TTT and I'll come visit!

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Review: Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Series: Companion to Anna and the French Kiss

Published: September 29th, 2011

Publisher: Dutton Books

338 pages (hardcover)

Genre: Contemporary young adult

Acquired this book: Won from Kathy at I Write, I Read, I Review

Warning: May contain spoilers

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Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion...she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit--more sparkly, more fun, more wild--the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.

When Cricket--a gifted inventor--steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

 

I loved Anna and the French Kiss so much, I was almost afraid to read Lola and the Boy Next Door. Despite many of my friends raving about it, I seem to have encountered a bit of a sophomore slump this year - books by authors whose first books I adored, but whose second books were kind of meh. It was disappointing, and I was worried the same thing would happen with Lola and the Boy Next Door, which is probably why it sat untouched on my shelf this entire year.

Turns out I worried for nothing. Lola and the Boy Next Door had all the charm and wit of Anna and the French Kiss while managing to be completely different yet equally awesome.

Lola was a flawed character, and I loved that. There were so many times I wanted to shake her, but I also wanted to hug her and assure her everything would be okay. She was blinded by love and the excitement of having an older boyfriend who was a bad boy, and it led her to make a lot of mistakes. The interactions between her and Cricket had me alternately giggling, sighing, and breathless with anticipation. Sometimes when they were together, the longing there was absolute agony, and it made my heart ache like crazy. I could feel the yearning, the uncertainty, the tenderness - it was all conveyed with perfect clarity, and it made me love Lola and Cricket even more. Their journey made me laugh, cry, and fall in love.

And can I just say: Cricket. My god, Cricket. I didn’t think I could possibly love a book boy as much as Etienne St. Clair in Anna and the French Kiss, but Cricket definitely won a big piece of my heart.  

There were so many other things I loved about this book: the fact that Anna and Etienne weren’t just mentioned in passing, which is what usually happens in companion novels. They were secondary characters, and we got to see the love between them, and that same banter and affection that made me fall in love with them in their own story. I appreciated that the story dealt with real issues that we don’t see often in books - Lola’s parents were gay men, and her birth mother, who was semi-present in her life, was an addict who was constantly screwing up and wreaking havoc in their lives. I loved the family dynamics and how (over)protective Andy and Nathan were, but it was clear that it came from a place of love and wanting to keep Lola safe, while preventing her from ending up like her birth mom. 

Stephanie Perkins has a real talent for creating tension and anticipation. She’s a master of hilarious interactions, embarrassing moments, creating swoonworthy boys, and quirky yet relatable heroines. She’s definitely an author to watch out for, and if you haven’t read Anna and the French Kiss and Lola and the Boy Next Door, you need to. It’s as simple as that. 

 

 Have you read Anna and the French Kiss or Lola and the Boy Next Door? Who are some of your favourite swoonworthy book boys?

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