cammendez's review against another edition
2.0
➜ 2.75/5 ★
Lo disfruté, ok?
Pero tiene varios fallos.
“I cheated on her every day. In my mind, I thought of you in ways I shouldn’t have, again and again. She was nothing compared to you. I’ve never felt this way about anybody before—”
Empecemos con los "clichés" que aborda:
Engaño emocional [quote], rivalidad entre chicas por un chico (ew) y personas populares siendo bullies porque sí.
El libro tampoco tiene una gran protagonista e incluso en varios momentos llega a ser muy molesta, además que es una *pésima* amiga. ELLA EN SERIO SE LLEGÓ A QUEJAR DE BRIDGE Y SE SINTIÓ TRAICIONADA CUANDO LO QUE ELLA HACÍA ERA INCLUSO PEOR? THE AUDACITY.
(No solo con el love interest, con sus amigos y familiares también era... cuestionable)
Aún así lo disfruté xd
La ambientación que imaginé fue preciosa, pues los salones de clases, habitaciones y comedores me los imagina como una mezcla de Hatty Potter, Dead Poets Society y Kill Your Darlings.
(aka dark academia)
Además, las conversasiones que tenían los protagonistas más el simple hecho de estar en París solo mejoraba la experiencia.
Creo que el libro me hubiera gustado mucho más si hubiese ido con las expectativas bajas, pero fue el libro favorito de una de mis booktokers favoritas en agosto (¿?) y me ilusioné.
Lo disfruté, ok?
Pero tiene varios fallos.
“I cheated on her every day. In my mind, I thought of you in ways I shouldn’t have, again and again. She was nothing compared to you. I’ve never felt this way about anybody before—”
Empecemos con los "clichés" que aborda:
Engaño emocional [quote], rivalidad entre chicas por un chico (ew) y personas populares siendo bullies porque sí.
El libro tampoco tiene una gran protagonista e incluso en varios momentos llega a ser muy molesta, además que es una *pésima* amiga. ELLA EN SERIO SE LLEGÓ A QUEJAR DE BRIDGE Y SE SINTIÓ TRAICIONADA CUANDO LO QUE ELLA HACÍA ERA INCLUSO PEOR? THE AUDACITY.
(No solo con el love interest, con sus amigos y familiares también era... cuestionable)
Aún así lo disfruté xd
La ambientación que imaginé fue preciosa, pues los salones de clases, habitaciones y comedores me los imagina como una mezcla de Hatty Potter, Dead Poets Society y Kill Your Darlings.
(aka dark academia)
Además, las conversasiones que tenían los protagonistas más el simple hecho de estar en París solo mejoraba la experiencia.
Creo que el libro me hubiera gustado mucho más si hubiese ido con las expectativas bajas, pero fue el libro favorito de una de mis booktokers favoritas en agosto (¿?) y me ilusioné.
seventhaurora's review against another edition
4.0
I don’t remember the last time I actually finished a book (as you might be able to tell from the 5 books in my ‘currently reading’ pile), but yesterday I got the urge to read a happy, fluffy contemporary, and Anna and the French Kiss was staring me down from across my room. I finished it today, and I must say, I’m quite impressed.
It’s not like I was expecting the book to be bad—all the reviews I’d seen about it had been raving—but it’s certainly true that books affect you differently depending on your own state of mind when you read them. I really needed a lighthearted love story with a character-focussed arc and solid writing, and that’s exactly what I got.
I really enjoyed Stephanie Perkins’ writing. It was easy to read, but captivating at the same time. Her dialogue was funny and endearing, and her descriptions made me feel like I was in Paris alongside her characters. Just thinking about the book makes me feel all warm and cosy inside.
One nit-picky thing I do have to say is about the protagonist, Anna. This has nothing to do with Stephanie’s writing really, but, at times, I found Anna to be a bit unlikeable. She was self-centred at times and—I do realise this is a young adult book but—quite immature. I do believe this was part of her character arc though, as she became self-aware of these things towards the end of the novel, but still... Did she /have/ to cry every 3 pages?
Even this, however, did not take away from the magical whirlwind that was this book. It was a lovely read overall, and I definitely recommend it for a cosy day inside, wrapped up with a blanket and a cuppa.
P.S. I reallllllllyyy like Isla’s character so far. She seems sweet and shy and very different to Anna. I’m excited to eventually get to hear her story.
It’s not like I was expecting the book to be bad—all the reviews I’d seen about it had been raving—but it’s certainly true that books affect you differently depending on your own state of mind when you read them. I really needed a lighthearted love story with a character-focussed arc and solid writing, and that’s exactly what I got.
I really enjoyed Stephanie Perkins’ writing. It was easy to read, but captivating at the same time. Her dialogue was funny and endearing, and her descriptions made me feel like I was in Paris alongside her characters. Just thinking about the book makes me feel all warm and cosy inside.
One nit-picky thing I do have to say is about the protagonist, Anna. This has nothing to do with Stephanie’s writing really, but, at times, I found Anna to be a bit unlikeable. She was self-centred at times and—I do realise this is a young adult book but—quite immature. I do believe this was part of her character arc though, as she became self-aware of these things towards the end of the novel, but still... Did she /have/ to cry every 3 pages?
Even this, however, did not take away from the magical whirlwind that was this book. It was a lovely read overall, and I definitely recommend it for a cosy day inside, wrapped up with a blanket and a cuppa.
P.S. I reallllllllyyy like Isla’s character so far. She seems sweet and shy and very different to Anna. I’m excited to eventually get to hear her story.
rsarnelli's review against another edition
5.0
This book is one of my ultimate comfort reads. Cute and swoony with a likable main character. Definitely one of my favorite contemporaries.
twiinklex's review against another edition
2.0
Not a bad book per se, just not the one for me as I found it to be a very problematic read.
I love the Parisian setting (duh) and can actually picture the romantic scenes, so it's a damn shame. Neither the story nor writing were engaging, and all the characters sucked.
Having read several reviews, I knew to expect cheating so that didn't bother me as much as it should have. I appreciate the author exploring an issue and situation that many people go through but don't talk about, but definitely not how the book seems to justify infidelity.
What bugged me more, however, was all the unnecessary women bashing and ridiculous girl-on-girl hate:
- 62%, Chapter 28: "I have nothing to say about prostitutes (other than you'd make a terrible prostitute, the profession is much to unclean)." Why would you write this?? Why???
- 68%, Chapter 32, Anna fantasizes about wanting to hurt Ellie, whom she hardly knows: "I want to grab her Parisian-styled hair and yank it so hard it rips from her skull. I want to sink my claws into her eyeballs and scrape."
- Also Anna in 72,% Chapter 34: "'She hates me?' I'm confused. What did I do to her? I haven't even seen her in months."
Wtf Anna. She also starts the book by making dumb assumptions and comments about Paris and French people, then snubs Americans when she's back in the States. There was plenty of slut-shaming and stereotyping as well, which was a huge turn-off.
Maybe I would have enjoyed this book more when I was younger?
I love the Parisian setting (duh) and can actually picture the romantic scenes, so it's a damn shame. Neither the story nor writing were engaging, and all the characters sucked.
Having read several reviews, I knew to expect cheating so that didn't bother me as much as it should have. I appreciate the author exploring an issue and situation that many people go through but don't talk about, but definitely not how the book seems to justify infidelity.
What bugged me more, however, was all the unnecessary women bashing and ridiculous girl-on-girl hate:
- 62%, Chapter 28: "I have nothing to say about prostitutes (other than you'd make a terrible prostitute, the profession is much to unclean)." Why would you write this?? Why???
- 68%, Chapter 32, Anna fantasizes about wanting to hurt Ellie, whom she hardly knows: "I want to grab her Parisian-styled hair and yank it so hard it rips from her skull. I want to sink my claws into her eyeballs and scrape."
- Also Anna in 72,% Chapter 34: "'She hates me?' I'm confused. What did I do to her? I haven't even seen her in months."
Wtf Anna. She also starts the book by making dumb assumptions and comments about Paris and French people, then snubs Americans when she's back in the States. There was plenty of slut-shaming and stereotyping as well, which was a huge turn-off.
Maybe I would have enjoyed this book more when I was younger?
vrainh20's review against another edition
4.0
4.5! 4.5! I LOOOOooooOOOoooVED this book! I must admit I didn't tell anybody I was reading it but I looved it! GAH I don't even know what was so amazing about it but for me it was like a sweet release from all of the other YA I have been reading. The romance was very sweet and not ridiculously cheesy and I wish this book was just re-titled so that more people would give it a chance! After reading and attempting to digest Amber House it was a palette cleanser for the mind (oooh). Now I feel mentally stable enough to start Shadow and Bone. Definitely doin a little bunny hop, Yay!
dominicanbookworm's review against another edition
4.0
4.5
I initially gave this book 4 stars because I thought a lot of the drama that was featured in the last chapters was unnecessary (I still do) and because And while those things still bother me, I love this book to bits. I read it 2 years ago and I still gush about it, it's definitely one of my favorites.
I initially gave this book 4 stars because I thought a lot of the drama that was featured in the last chapters was unnecessary (I still do) and because
Spoiler
no matter how much I loved Etienne/Anna it still bothered me so much how he practically cheated on Ellie with her.angeliqueazul's review against another edition
3.0
I recently started re-reading some of my books and made great discoveries re-visiting some of my favorite characters and stories. When I read Anna and the French Kiss for the first time (three years ago, although it seems like a lifetime), I was enchanted and completely loved it. While re-reading it, I saw why my younger self would react that way to this novel but I couldn't share in falling head-over-heels.
First of all, there is no doubt that Stephanie Perkins can write - the novel has a good flow and the dialogues are very well written. But unfortunately, from a European viewpoint, the story suffers from an overt American perspective. The beginning chapters were painful to read for Anna's lack of thinking outside the box of her American upbringing. I lived in the US for almost a year and reading about Anna's astonishment that France actually has movie theaters was awful and reminded me of prejudices against Europe and misconceptions about the greatness of the United States.
Anna. Oh, Anna. While she has some traits I can sympathize with, her reactions (both in thought and action) to St. Clair situations increase in ridiculousness throughout the book. She often acts very immature and I really could not understand why the PERFECT Étienne St. Clair would even fall in love with her because except for her beauty and friendly support she does not have much going for her. Perhaps that is the appeal of her character - to make girls relate to her because we all have that insecurity about ourselves and Anna is pretty much insecurity personified.
Étienne St. Clair is the reason this book works at all. He is a dream-guy - cute, sensitive, knight-in-shining-armor, clever, witty, funny, good-looking, confident, sincere, charming, fluent in French (hot), and has an English accent (really hot). He is not very tall - but that is hardly a problem for most of the girls reading this book. He is perfect - which is both a problem for real life (no guy could live up to that) and a relief for reality (this guy is so perfect it is unreal, so no getting one's hopes up).
I have recently been to Paris and Perkins' descriptions of sights seem well researched and I am pretty sure she has been to Paris before writing Anna and the French Kiss. However, you have to be unfamiliar with Paris to appreciate her way of describing the city. At one point in the novel, St. Clair and Anna duck into a bookstore because it starts to rain - and it turns out the store is Shakespeare and Company! You don't just accidentally walk inside the most famous bookstore in Paris - rain or no rain. Come. On.
So, overall, I am glad I re-read this novel and discovered that the last three years have made me grow as a person. This is no doubt still an entertaining read with a swoon-worthy male hero but its flaws make this far from a five-star book for me now.
3 stars for Étienne St. Clair
## ORIGINAL REVIEW ##
I rarely give a book five stars, and I am not saying this book is perfect but I had a great time reading it and it is a wonderful story that was close to what I experienced lately (without the happy end however). When I finished the book, I was like "4 stars? 5 stars? 4 stars? or 5?" And in the end: "What the hell, give it 5!" - As I said, I rarely do that especially when I disliked something about a book.
Now while I really enjoyed the conversations between St. Clair and Anna (good dialogue!), and I could relate well to Anna (narrator), sometimes the story just took a too childish or pink glasses or whatever-you-want-to-call-it turn. And that were moments when I thought: "Oh no, this could have been more sincere..." But then again, there was not a single moment in the whole book when I did not want to read on. The story really got me hooked and I am already looking forward to re-reading it!
First of all, there is no doubt that Stephanie Perkins can write - the novel has a good flow and the dialogues are very well written. But unfortunately, from a European viewpoint, the story suffers from an overt American perspective. The beginning chapters were painful to read for Anna's lack of thinking outside the box of her American upbringing. I lived in the US for almost a year and reading about Anna's astonishment that France actually has movie theaters was awful and reminded me of prejudices against Europe and misconceptions about the greatness of the United States.
Anna. Oh, Anna. While she has some traits I can sympathize with, her reactions (both in thought and action) to St. Clair situations increase in ridiculousness throughout the book.
Spoiler
I mean, come on! One of the highlights was when St. Clair makes out on a public lawn with her and when he runs after completely upset Meredith, Anna thinks, "He chooses Mer over me?" Instead of maybe being a bit more concerned about hurting the feelings of the person she owes all her friendships and a lot of support to. Plus, of course a guy is rejecting you when he runs after an upset friend after making out with you. *Eye roll*.Étienne St. Clair is the reason this book works at all. He is a dream-guy - cute, sensitive, knight-in-shining-armor, clever, witty, funny, good-looking, confident, sincere, charming, fluent in French (hot), and has an English accent (really hot). He is not very tall - but that is hardly a problem for most of the girls reading this book. He is perfect - which is both a problem for real life (no guy could live up to that) and a relief for reality (this guy is so perfect it is unreal, so no getting one's hopes up).
I have recently been to Paris and Perkins' descriptions of sights seem well researched and I am pretty sure she has been to Paris before writing Anna and the French Kiss. However, you have to be unfamiliar with Paris to appreciate her way of describing the city. At one point in the novel, St. Clair and Anna duck into a bookstore because it starts to rain - and it turns out the store is Shakespeare and Company! You don't just accidentally walk inside the most famous bookstore in Paris - rain or no rain. Come. On.
So, overall, I am glad I re-read this novel and discovered that the last three years have made me grow as a person. This is no doubt still an entertaining read with a swoon-worthy male hero but its flaws make this far from a five-star book for me now.
3 stars for Étienne St. Clair
## ORIGINAL REVIEW ##
I rarely give a book five stars, and I am not saying this book is perfect but I had a great time reading it and it is a wonderful story that was close to what I experienced lately (without the happy end however). When I finished the book, I was like "4 stars? 5 stars? 4 stars? or 5?" And in the end: "What the hell, give it 5!" - As I said, I rarely do that especially when I disliked something about a book.
Now while I really enjoyed the conversations between St. Clair and Anna (good dialogue!), and I could relate well to Anna (narrator), sometimes the story just took a too childish or pink glasses or whatever-you-want-to-call-it turn. And that were moments when I thought: "Oh no, this could have been more sincere..." But then again, there was not a single moment in the whole book when I did not want to read on. The story really got me hooked and I am already looking forward to re-reading it!
vilma19's review against another edition
5.0
En utav de mest underbara & fantastiska böckerna jag någonsin läst. Har aldrig mer velat åka till Paris än nu och gå dit Anna & St. Clair var. Oh, just det. St. Clair är helt klart den swoonigaste karaktären någonsin i hela bokhistorien. Älskar honom väldigt väldigt mycket.
Kärleken mellan Anna och St. Clair känns så himla trovärdig, det är ingen insta-love utan här växer den fram. Så otroligt fint och gulligt.
Ni som inte har läst boken? LÄS DEN NU!
(Även om jag inte gillar Anna så värst mycket (detta beror kanske på att jag vill ha Ètienne för mig själv))
Kärleken mellan Anna och St. Clair känns så himla trovärdig, det är ingen insta-love utan här växer den fram. Så otroligt fint och gulligt.
Ni som inte har läst boken? LÄS DEN NU!
(Även om jag inte gillar Anna så värst mycket (detta beror kanske på att jag vill ha Ètienne för mig själv))
vilma19's review against another edition
5.0
Lika bra på svenska som på engelska. Rekommenderas varmt! (Men Étienne är min <3)