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.”
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Zakiya N. Jamal 