Curmudgeon's Corner: Review of Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins and a Rant about Dumb Boys

Goodreads Book Description: 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?

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

My Review:
 I've heard such great things about this book that I knew eventually I'd have to read it. When it went on sale at Amazon, I snapped it up. And I'm glad I did. I award this book 4.5 stars.

Anna, the star of Anna and the French Kiss, is shipped off to a French boarding school for her senior year. She is lonely and friendless, but immediately finds a good friend in Meredith, a girl in her dorm. From there, she meets St. Clair, who she is drawn to the moment they meet. Then she finds out that he has a girlfriend that he's been with FOREVER. What transpires next is her journey not only navigating the tricky waters of adolescent love, but finding herself, and what it means to be a true friend.

I really loved this book. The biggest reason I do is because of Anna herself. She is a terrific protagonist, flawed, but likeable, and grows throughout the book as she realizes things about herself and how she interacts with other people. The dialogue and prose is witty, sharp, and clear, and I couldn't stop reading until the end even though I desperately needed sleep. I loved all of the characters and everything seemed so real to me. I loved the descriptions of Paris and the places that Anna visited. I know now why everyone gushes about this book, because it really is a gem.

There's only one small thing that is more of a personal observation than anything else. How many of you have had a St. Clair in your past? I just have my doubts about how this all resolved from my own experience, but I'll have to leave it at that to not put any spoilers up here.

Overall, a witty and beautifully written YA contemporary novel with a winning protagonist.

More thoughts (SPOILER ALERT)
I want to go more in depth about my doubts about this resolution. Don't get me wrong, you can tell by my review that I loved this book. And I did-- it was charming, witty, and everything you want a love story to be. But a raise of hands of anyone who has ever been in this situation where you are in love with a boy who already has a long term girlfriend? *raises hand*

Let me tell you, guys rarely leave their long term girlfriends for whatever reason-- safety, ease, avoidance of drama, you name it. You can kind of compare it to married men-- they don't usually break up a marriage for someone they are having an affair with.

I had my own experience with this many years ago. I had a hopeless crush on a guy. His girlfriend was long distance and they were on the road to breaking up ever since he broke off their engagement two years prior (this should have sent warning bells through my head). But somehow, they kept staying together anyway. We spent every day together, watching movies, going out to dinner, etc. It was like we were together without the kissing part (sound like St. Clair)? I finally confronted him about it, and he said that I was the kind of girl he had always dreamed of dating, but he had a girlfriend. He also said we weren't doing anything wrong, we were being friends (I have my doubts about this statement as well). I knew then that this wasn't going anywhere. I was crushed and heartbroken. But I took a chance and went out on a date with another guy, just for kicks. That guy turned out to be hot, sweet, intelligent, and AVAILABLE. He became my husband a year later and we've been happily married every since!

I thought it kind of lame that as soon as Anna kisses St. Clair and it is absolutely crystal clear that she is in love with him, St. Clair then runs off and dumps his girlfriend. Erm. Ok. Why didn't he do that a long time ago instead of making it so complicated? I'm sorry, but the "I'm scared of being alone," while is true for many guys, isn't the greatest excuse. And for him AND Anna to compare her trying to date other guys to branch out because St. Clair is being so wishy washy to his not getting the balls to break up with his girlfriend is hogwash.

OK, rant done. I just wanted to explain my vague statements in my review to those of you who have read the book already :-)

What did you think of the book? Did this part of the book bother you like it did me?