Anna and the French Kiss

I don't want to feel this way around him. I want things to be normal. I want to be his friend, not another stupid girl holding out for something that will never happen.

I had avoided this book for over a year, despite all the glowing reviews, just because I despise aaanything French. And also because I did not like the old cover at all. Based on that cover I was expecting something very cheesy and just not for me. But, once I finally decided to let go of those facts and just start reading it, I could not put it down.

I get both the people that are extremely excited about it and the ones that were disappointed because the main characters were so incredibly flawed. To me, they just seemed real. Like I was actually following a real story. I also found them endearing, no matter how immature they were behaving. Because I get where they're coming from and why they behaved like that.

Anna, is one of the most relatable fictional character I have read. And perhaps even Étienne. I am totally opposed to leading someone on when you're in a relationship and not ending that relationship despite being in love with someone that's not your partner just because you are too scared to be alone, but I understand why a teenager with Étienne's self esteem issue would do that.

The way they handled their love and basically just any relationship with the people around them was obviously so wrong, on so many levels, but so natural at that age. I'm older now and I know better, but when you're a teenager that grew up in a family where one of the parents is such a dominant and controlling figure, life can be pretty confusing. And you end up doing questionable stupid things, like these two. They were just barely starting to learn about making decisions, take responsibility for their actions and just figure out what they want.

And even though, deep inside, I was hoping the plot would take a different course, in the end, I was not disappointed because what happened was actually more realistic than what I had in mind.

There was one point where there was so much drama, drama, drama that my enthusiasm was dying like deflated balloon. But then I though about the first serious crush I had and how the world seemed to be crumbling around me because he seemed to like me, but he didn't confess his feelings either. And then every other non-love related issues I had during that time seemed to be unbearable. Now, when I look back I can hardly understand how I could be such a silly, naive girl. But all that “drama” and all the things I used to overreact when I was younger were amongst the things that helped shape who I am.

I looove Stephanie Perkins' writing, and I especially enjoyed the cute humor. At one point my boyfriend was watching me amused because I was giggling like crazy from under the blanket, barely able hold on to my Kindle. Overall, this was a great book for me.