Anna and the French Kiss / Stephanie Perkins

3/5

I'd heard passionate praise over Anna and the French Kiss, which is why I deigned to read a novel with such a cheesy title. It is also why I stuck through the entirety of the book, despite its lack of plot. 

Anna and the French Kiss was enjoyable, and I did burn through the book quickly. But I spent most of the journey wondering when a plot line other than Anna and St. Clair's relationship was going to be introduced. Spoiler: there isn't any. This novel deals with these two characters only. I don't mind a small cast, but when the novel is this long and the cast is two average teenagers set in a nonfiction world, the reading gets a little monotonous. Anna and St. Clair were interesting, but there were definitely aspects to their characters that were cliche and overly-dramatic. Daddy problems are trite, along with St. Clair's overwhelming fear of heights. The two lovers were charming and realistic enough to carry me through four hundred pages, but I was disappointed that the supporting characters did not receive more attention. Their circle of friends all interested me, and Perkins' poor treatment of them is a shame.

Anna and the French Kiss would have earned a higher rating from me if it contained more hard substance than fluff. I went in expecting a complete novel, a text that would cover different aspects of Anna's life. I imagined a coming-of-age novel that would confront Anna's personal growth and development, especially because she is now in a completely new environment, facing the ending of one chapter of her life and the beginning of another. But instead, Anna's exploration of her new surroundings are made into romantic opportunities for her relationship with St. Clair to develop, and her passion for movies is merely a side plot. Yes, I enjoyed her Parisian dates and the movie-critiquing interest that made her human, but looking back those weren't enough to bring Anna above average.

Perkins' novel details a sweet relationship and will definitely appeal to romantics and dreamers, or to young teens looking for a light mood booster. But if you're like me and prefer more complete plots, perhaps look for another book (a similar but better novel would be Morgan Matson's Since You've Been Gone).