anna x etienne – Zakiya N. Jamal

Man Crush Monday: Etienne St. Clair

Posted on February 1, 2016February 1, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog

*Spoiler alert: I don’t think I can do St. Clair justice without spoiling all the books in the Anna and the French Kiss trilogy. Therefore, read at your own risk.*

I can’t believe I haven’t talked about St. Clair yet. He’s amazing!

Admittedly, he’s not the best at first. When he meets Anna, who’s perfect for him, he’s in a relationship with someone else and he doesn’t handle that whole situation well at all. But once he does work that out he’s a great boyfriend to Anna. I honestly believed I loved Lola and the Boy Next Door more than Anna and the French Kiss because we got to see Anna and St. Clair being so coupley and it was adorable.

The way he tells Lola that Anna’s the one and he knows that he’ll marry her one day made my heart sing. Or the fact that he works in the movie theater with Anna even though he doesn’t have to (his dad is rich) just so he can buy Anna an engagement ring with his own money. *happy tears*

And then when he proposes at their spot in Paris and has all their friends there too. So cute! St. Clair is seriously boyfriend goals and I absolutely love him. Honestly, you should too.

Swoonworthy Line:

“My fiancée and I are headed out for a celebratory dessert. I’d ask you all to join us, but I don’t want you there.”

Dreamcast: Tom Sturridge

Book Review: Isla and the Happily Ever After

Posted on November 5, 2015November 4, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Buy

Snyopsis from Amazon.com:

Hopeless romantic Isla has had a crush on introspective cartoonist Josh since their first year at the School of America in Paris. And after a chance encounter in Manhattan over the summer, romance might be closer than Isla imagined. But as they begin their senior year back in France, Isla and Josh are forced to confront the challenges every young couple must face, including family drama, uncertainty about their college futures, and the very real possibility of being apart.
Featuring cameos from fan-favorites Anna, Étienne, Lola, and Cricket, this sweet and sexy story of true love—set against the stunning backdrops of New York City, Paris, and Barcelona—is a swoonworthy conclusion to Stephanie Perkins’s beloved series.

I related to Isla so much. I absolutely loved her character and sympathized with her insecurities. Isla had a crush on Josh for years so of course, when they finally get together she struggles to believe his feelings for her are real. This leads to problems in their relationships but there were also other, outside issues.

Just as in Anna and the French Kiss, Josh continued to not care about school and eventually it catches up to him in the worse possible way, putting added strain on his relationship with Isla. Along with this, Isla has to learn to balance her friendship with her best friend, Kurt, with her relationship with Josh.

I absolutely loved this book. Isla and Josh were great characters and I totally fell for their relationship. Additionally, I found it interesting that Stephanie Perkins included an autistic character in this novel. I don’t think I’ve ever read a novel with an autistic character that was front and center for most of the novel, so that was really great.

And as promised Anna, Etienne, Lola, and Cricket did in fact make an appearance, although it was much less than the big roles Anna and Etienne played in Lola and the Boy Next Door. Even so, the little scene we got with all of them together was so perfect that it was enough for me. And I have since read that scene multiple times. So good.

Overall, this book was definitely my favorite out of all three and I highly recommend this whole trilogy.

Borrow or Buy: Buy!

Stars:

Favorite Line:

“There’s no story,” I say. “I saw you one day, and I just knew.”

Other Reviews

Dear Author

All About Romance

Pretty Books

Book Review: Lola and the Boy Next Door

Posted on November 3, 2015November 3, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis from Goodreads.com:

Lola Nolan is a budding costume designer, and for her, the more outrageous, sparkly, and fun the outfit, the better. And everything is pretty perfect in her life (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the 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 absolutely loved this book. Not only did I love Lola and Cricket but I loved seeing Anna and Etienne again. I definitely liked this novel even better than Anna and the French Kiss because seeing Anna and Etienne already together and happy kind of just made Lola and Cricket’s romance feel inevitable.

Moreover, I found both Lola and Cricket to be interesting characters. I loved how eccentric Lola was with her crazy outfits and costumes. More than that though I liked that she was daring. She never stuck to the status quo and although her adventurous attitude got her into trouble at times it was also a big part of who she was. I really liked her character a lot and I think all the mistakes she made were fair ones for any teen.

Additionally, the Bell twins have an interesting relationship. I’ve always found twins, in general, to be cool and I kind of wish I had one. Calliope and Cricket are very close but Cricket often gets pushed back into the shadows because his sister is an elite figure skater. I loved watching Cricket come out of his shell and put himself out there when it came to Lola. He was so cute and adorkable that I couldn’t help but cheer for him.

I also loved Lola’s family dynamic. Her birth parent’s were teen parents so her birth mother gave her up to her older brother, Nathan who had been wanting to have kids with his partner, Andy, for a while. First, it’s rare that I read a novel where the main character’s parents are queer. I think there’s a lot of novels where the main character themselves are queer but the last time I remember reading a novel with queer parents was Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List. Therefore that aspect of the novel itself, interested me.

Overall, this was a cute, short romance novel that I totally want on my shelf so I can reread it whenever I please. Definitely a must read!

Borrow or Buy: Buy!

Stars:

Favorite Line:

“I know you aren’t perfect. But it’s a person’s imperfections that make them perfect for someone else.”

Other Reviews

Pretty Books

Reading Lark

Book Rock Betty

Book Review: Anna and the French Kiss

Posted on October 27, 2015October 27, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews

Synopsis from Amazon.com:

Anna can’t wait for her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a good job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. So she’s not too thrilled when her father unexpectedly ships her off to boarding school in Paris – until she meets Etienne St. Clair, the perfect boy. The only problem? He’s taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her crush back home. Will a year of romantic near-misses end in the French kiss Anna awaits?

If you’re looking for a cute, quick romance, this is the book for you. Anna is the quirky, OCD character you’ll love and Etienne is the hot, European guy you’ll be crushing over for days. Combine these two and you have a ridiculously cute love story that at times may be predictable but is wonderful all the same.

I came across this book and few times in the past but I only finally read it because Etienne. I went into this novel expecting a hot, crushable guy and I was not disappointed. Etienne is damn near perfect. He’s attractive with an English accent but fluent in French and technically American. Basically, he’s cultured but not in a pretentious way. He’s kind and funny, plus he’s a history buff, which is just nerdy enough to make him adorkable.

On the flip side, Anna is the sweet character who doesn’t really take chances. She has big dreams and likes to do simple things like going to the movies and taking casual walks around Paris. She struggles to find her footing in this boarding school her father sent her to, which makes her a little nervous and shy. In summary, she’s a sweet, lovable girl that you can’t help but hope for the best for.

These two both make multiple mistakes throughout but never anything so outrageous that you won’t like them anymore. My main issue with the book is the whole premise of Anna’s father randomly deciding to send Anna to boarding school in Paris for her senior year. It literally makes no sense and makes even less sense that Anna’s mom goes along with it.

The author gives zero reason why Anna should be sent to Paris other than Anna’s father is a jerk that doesn’t care about Anna’s feelings and Anna’s mother is complacent. Anna is an all around girl who didn’t get in trouble. She was just living her life when her dad decided to change her whole life. Obviously, this was necessary for this story to even happen but I think if this is going to be the whole foundation for the book it should be better laid out than it was.

Even so, I loved this book. I read through it quickly and really liked it. Definitely recommend if you just want a nice love story.

Borrow or Buy: Buy. I could honestly see myself wanting to reread some parts of this book. Plus, the paperback version is less than $9 on Amazon.

Stars:

Favorite Line:

“For the two of us, home isn’t a place. It is a person. And we are finally home.”

Other Reviews

Dear Author

All About Romance

Reading Books Like A Boss