Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins 📚 BOOK REVIEW

Stephanie Perkins

I read a Norwegian paperback edition of Anna and the French Kiss.

Genre: YA, Romance, Contemporary

Publisher: Usborne Publishing Ltd

Originally published: December, 2010

Pages: 380 (paperback)

Synopsis by the publisher:

Anna is happy in Atlanta. She has a loyal best friend and a crush on her coworker at the movie theater, who is just starting to return her attention. So she’s less than thrilled when her father decides to send her to a boarding school in Paris for her senior year. But despite not speaking of word of French, Anna meets some cool new people, including the handsome Étienne St. Clair, who quickly becomes her best friend. Unfortunately, he’s taken—and Anna might be, too. Will a year of romantic near misses end with the French kiss she’s been waiting for?

My thoughts:

YA/Teenage romance novels aren’t really the kind of books that I tend to gravitate towards. But once in a while, I crave some light and fluffy romance as my escapism from the world.
I’ve had Anna and the French Kiss on my shelf for years and while I was trying to pick my next read it just caught my eye. I have to admit that I was skeptical because I haven’t read a romance specifically targeted for teens in a really long time.

Right of the bat I just found the novel incredibly teen angsty which came as no surprise to be fair. Anna started as a very unlikeable character to me at first, but there was some character development there that made her less so after she came to Paris and had to grow up a little bit.
There were some things that I just found weird about the whole story. If Anna is such a movie nut (that wants to become the next big movie critic in the US) I just found it very unlikely that her knowledge of Paris and its love for movies and theatres were so extremely limited. It just seems unlikely that anyone who’s supposed to be a complete movie buff would’ve overlooked Paris as much as she had.
The teen romance in itself was cute enough. I don’t expect characters who are 17/18 to have the same insight and understanding of romance and emotions as those who I meet in adult romance novels. Even so, the back and forth between Anna and Étienne was a bit much for my taste.
I did appreciate the way that this story tried to put some focus on friendship as well, but I would’ve loved to see more of it. I think that YA novels tend to focus a bit too much on unrealistic love and relationships, and have way too much girl-hate in them.
But again, I’m not the targeted audience for this novel.

Anna and the French Kiss just wasn’t my cup of tea. I seem to have outgrown the angsty teen romance stories a bit, and especially when they’re filled with a lot of the tropes that generally dislike.
Would I have felt differently if I read this as a teenager? Probably. And I can see how a lot of younger readers could like this book, but for me, it was more of a reminder as to why I don’t find myself gravitating towards these kinds of stories anymore.

I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t particularly like it either. It was okay, but just not for me.

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True Calling by Siobhan Davis – REVIEW

This novel was sent to me by the author to read and give an honest review, so thank you so much Siobhan!

This is the first book in a trilogy. I read it on my Kindle. 

Published: July 28th 2014

Publisher: Self published

Pages: 400 pages (paperback)

 

 

 

Synopsis by the publisher:

TWO DIFFERENT WORLDS. ONE SHARED DREAM
Planet Novo, nestled in space twelve hundred miles above the surface of the Earth, is the new home of 17-year-old Cadet Ariana Skyee. Confused by the government-sanctioned memory erase and distressed at her impending forced marriage and motherhood, Ariana’s plans for the future are thrown into complete disarray.

As the traumatic events within her family life enfold, Ariana grows increasingly alarmed at the authorities apparent pre-occupation with her and feels progressively more isolated and alone.

Her growing feelings for fellow Cadet Cal Remus intensify as the recently announced pageant, ‘The Calling’, gets underway. Struggling to comprehend the continuous, inexplicable dreams of the mysterious Zane, discovering the past helps shape her future, with devastating personal consequences.

Siobhan Davis

***

The Writing

I did not find Siobhan’s writing style to be extremely unique, but True Calling is still written in a way that really grabs a hold of you and refuses to let go.

Well written, but I wished that she would have taken the time to describe the surroundings even more just to get an even better view of Novo.

The Characters

Ariana was a strong and well made main character that I enjoyed to follow throughout this book. I had some minor issues about how fast her feelings for Cal changed and felt it was a bit unrealistic. But love works in mysterious ways and all that jazz.

Cal, oh Cal! At first I was very charmed by his character, but it was still something about him that made me very unsure if I could trust him.

Ariana’s family is an assembly if interesting characters as well and they give extra depth and variation to the story.

The Plot

This book was definitely a fast paced one and I flew right through it in the curiosity wanting to know what was going to happen next.

That interesting mixture of science fiction and almost like a reality show made it into something very different than anything else I’ve read.

This story did definitely have some plot twists that made it even more interesting and some I really did not see coming.

Additional Thoughts

I really enjoyed this young adult novel and its originality. I look forward to continuing on with the series and seeing where this goes!

Another diamond in the rough! Some minor things that made me not give it a top score, but still one that I would highly recommend if you like science fiction and dystopian novels.

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Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella – REVIEW

Finding Audrey was sent to my by the publisher via NetGalley to read and give an honest review. Thank you Penguin Random House UK Children’s and NetGalley!

Sophie Kinsella is known for her Shopaholic series. Finding Audrey is her first YA novel.

Published: June 4th, 2015 (June 9th, 2015 in the U.S.)

Publisher: Doubleday Childrens (Random House)

Pages: 288 (hardback)

Audiobook length: 6 hrs, 36 min

 

 

 

Synopsis by the publisher:

An anxiety disorder disrupts fourteen-year-old Audrey’s daily life. She has been making slow but steady progress with Dr. Sarah, but when Audrey meets Linus, her brother’s gaming teammate, she is energized. She connects with him. Audrey can talk through her fears with Linus in a way she’s never been able to do with anyone before. As their friendship deepens and her recovery gains momentum, a sweet romantic connection develops, one that helps not just Audrey but also her entire family.

***

The Writing

I have no prior experience with Kinsella’s writing so I can’t compare the writing in this novel to her other novels. I found the writing in Finding Audrey to be witty and interesting. It’s written from a first person perspective as if Audrey is talking directly to the reader. It certainly is written for a younger audience, but it still didn’t become cheesy.

The dialogue was very quick and funny. And I really enjoyed being inside the angsty brain of Audrey.

The Characters

Audrey was a very different kind of character but also relatable even though she was definitely struggling with a lot of anxiety. As the story progressed I felt that there was a lot more depth to Audrey that could have been explored further.

I just loved her mother’s craziness though! She was all over the place but making a lot of sense at the same time, like most moms are at some point.

Linus and Frank were both sweethearts! Linus for getting Audrey out of her comfort zone. Frank for being the good protective brother!

The Plot

The story grabbed me at the very beginning when Audrey’s mother is about to throw Frank’s computer out the window. Had me giggling and thinking that a lot of moms can relate to her frustration.

The story flowed very easily and it was a fast read, but when I reached the end I felt like there should have been more. I still had some unanswered questions, but that might have been Kinsella’s intention as well.

There wasn’t really any big twists or turns in the story but it was never boring either.

Thoughts

Finding Audrey is a lighthearted contemporary read about a somewhat heavy subject of anxiety. A perfect summer read that you will fly through.

I felt like it could have had more depth. For me it was just a little bit missing even though I really enjoyed the story and the characters.

Definitely recommend if you want something easy and witty but with somewhat of a more serious theme as well. Just don’t expect too much for it to be a very enjoyable read.

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I’ll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson – REVIEW

 

I listened to I’ll Give You The Sun on Audible. 

Published: September 16th, 2014

Publisher: Dial Books 

Pages: 371 (hardback)

Audiobook length: 12 hrs, 57 min

 

 

 

 

 

Synopsis by the publisher:

Jude and her twin brother, Noah, are incredibly close. At thirteen, isolated Noah draws constantly and is falling in love with the charismatic boy next door, while daredevil Jude cliff-dives and wears red-red lipstick and does the talking for both of them. But three years later, Jude and Noah are barely speaking. Something has happened to wreck the twins in different and dramatic ways . . . until Jude meets a cocky, broken, beautiful boy, as well as someone else—an even more unpredictable new force in her life. The early years are Noah’s story to tell. The later years are Jude’s. What the twins don’t realize is that they each have only half the story, and if they could just find their way back to one another, they’d have a chance to remake their world.

***

The Writing

Nelson’s writing in this book is so beautiful and unique! The way she makes you see all the paintings in front of you so vividly is amazingly well done!

It was funny, puzzling, different, beautiful and heart breaking.

The beautiful pros and flows of the book captivated me from the very beginning and held me in its grip the whole way through.

The Characters

Noah: He was such an interesting character. To follow him as he struggled with love and his sexual orientation was both heart warming and breaking at the same time. I just wanted to jump into the book and help him out.

And these invisible portraits that he makes in his mind described all of his feelings in such a unique way with so few words.

Jude: She was definitely my favorite and it was probably because she was the one that was easiest to relate to for me. Her thoughts on love, boys and family was really a treat to read. And how she follows her grandmother’s “bible” made me laugh out loud while listening.

The Plot

I think this is the first time that I’ve read a book that has two different plot lines that does not go over the same period of time. But it worked out so beautifully and it was one of the things that really made this book so different and wonderful.

And the way that Nelson intertwine those timelines was handled perfectly!

I did see some of the plot twists coming, but it didn’t really spoil the joy of the book in any way and I can’t really pinpoint why.

Thoughts

I’d heard so many good things about this book before I started it and I was a little afraid that I had gotten too high expectations, but amazingly enough it lived up to my expectations and then some!

It was just a beautiful book that had me going through so many emotions as the story progressed and the characters developed. I really connected with the twins and when the story was over I wanted it to be more.

A gripping and wonderful story about family, love, growing up and realizing that life is not going to be what you expected. Just as this book ended up meaning so much more to me than I ever expected!

Definitely one of my favorites for 2015!

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A Magic Dark and Bright by Jenny Adams Perinovic – REVIEW

A Magic Dark and Bright was sent to my by Patchwork Press via Netgalley for an honest review. 

This is the first book in The Asylum Saga.

Published: April 28, 2015

Publisher: Bookish Group Press

Pages: 330

***

A Magic Dark and Bright is the story of Amelia Dupree who lives in the city Asylum, Pennsylvania. She’s been seeing a ghost from the night that her brother died.

Amelia set out to help the lady in white that turns up at the edge of the forest behind her house hoping to in someway connect with her brother. She had no idea that trying to help will unleash a curse on the town.

Charlie moves in to the creepy MacAllister house and Amelia immediately likes him even though she spent most of her childhood fearing Charlie’s grandmother because of the rumor that she’s a witch.

And when young girls start to drown in the Susquehanna River, one after the other, the people of Asylum looks for someone to blame. And the blame falls on the MacAllister’s.

Amelia and Charlie work together to uncover the dark secrets of the town and realize that they might have unleashed an evil bigger than they could have ever imagined. Is it too late to save everyone that they love?

***

The Writing

I found this novel to be really well written. The surroundings and events were written in a way that really had me feeling like I was there and could experience all the emotions that Amelia went through. I thought that the dynamic between the characters and in the town felt very real. The story was creepy at times but I feel like it could easily have been written even creepier.

The Characters

Let’s start with out female protagonist here. I really liked Amelia and felt that I connected with her pretty early in the story. She’s curious and funny. And  even though she has her issues she came off as a strong character. I miss her already!

When Charlie showed up I was curious but did not trust him. I felt that there was something off about his character, but he definitely grew on me.

There were loads of other characters that I enjoyed, but Ransom annoyed me from the moment he appeared. I do believe that was the intent of the writer and so I hold no grudges. I enjoyed to dislike him.

The Plot

I have to say that some of the plot twists I did kind of see coming and then there were some that definitely took me by surprise.

I thought that the build up was done beautifully and the story had me entertained and curious all the way from beginning to end. Well done Perinovic!

***

This was a book that I really did enjoy and flew through in about a day. I already miss it and I definitely look forward to the next book! The wait will be too long, but I have good feeling that it will be worth the wait! 

The perfect blend of teenage romance, magic, creepiness and mystery! Highly recommend!

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To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jennifer Han – REVIEW

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before is a young-adult contemporary, published by Simon & Schuster. I read this one on my Kindle Paperwhite. 

This is the story of Lara Jean. Lara Jean never told any of the boys she had feelings for, just how she felt. She wrote it down. She wrote letters and put them away in her hatbox. This way she got the feelings out of her system and could move on.

One day one of the boys she wrote a letter to walks up to her in school and starts to talk about a letter. Lara Jean panics when she realizes that all of her letters are missing. One of the letters were to her sisters Margot’s ex-boyfriend: Josh.  They’ve been together for quite sometime, but recently broke up right before Margot went to college in Scotland.

To avoid having to face this with Josh she pretends that she’s dating one of the most popular guys in school (who also got a letter) but how long can she hold on to this lie? How far will she go to avoid talking about her feelings?

***

The Writing

Jenny Han’s writing style is absolutely lovely. She had me all giggling and remembering what it was like to be in love for the very first time. She has this wonderful way of writing about emotions without it becoming cheesy. It was just very relatable.

The dialogues felt very natural and real. It was written in a very light hearted, but captivating way.

The Characters

Lara Jean was such a funny character to follow through this story. She felt very real and relatable. There were a few of her choices of action that frustrated me, but which teen doesn’t make wrong and too rash decisions? That might even be one of the things that made me love her so much.

I also loved the love between the sisters Lara Jean, Margot and Kitty.

Kitty was my absolute favorite in this book! At the age of ten she is all kinds of sassy in such a wonderful way!

Josh and Peter made for great characters as well and throughout the story I was going back and forth between the two, not really knowing who I liked the most.

The Plot

I went into this, not really knowing what the story was about except for some letters and past loves. The thought of her writing these letters was so amazing. I think that’s a thing that so many does at one time or another, writing something just to get it out of ones system.

The story grabbed me and held tight throughout the whole story. The plot was very consistent, but with some twists here and there that I didn’t see coming. Parts of the ending I did kind of see coming, but it was the journey to the ending that made this book so beautiful!

I have mixed feelings about there being a second book because I felt that the ending was just perfect, but I will definitely read the next book!

An absolute treat and one I highly recommend if you want a quick read that’s light hearted, warm and fuzzy!

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Cinder by Marissa Meyer – REVIEW

Cinder is a YA fantasy/science fiction novel, and the first book in The Lunar Chronicles. A retelling of Cinderella, set in a New Beijing. In this story we meet Cinder, a gifted mechanic who also turns out to be a cyborg. She lives with her stepmother and two stepsisters (Cinderella.. You know..) and has little knowledge about her past before she became a cyborg.

Her life get intertwined with it of the handsome prince Kai when he suddenly shows up to her mechanic stand to get his droid fixed and I guess you can all guess that somewhat of a love interest comes up.

The one stepsister that Cinder is friends with suddenly gets the plague and is rushed away. Cinder then wonders why she does not have it since she touched her sister and the plague is highly contagious.

In this story there is also the Lunar people and their Queen Levana who is clearly up to no good with a wish to join forces and to marry Kai.

***

The Writing

I found the writing to be very well done. The way that we get to see the inner voice and information of a cyborg was very different and nice. Also really enjoyed the way that it was written from different perspectives that gave us a lot more insight.

It was fast paced and I really liked the world that she built and portraits beautifully throughout this book.

The Characters

Cinder was a refreshing and different character that I really enjoyed, but I think my absolute favorite character in this book has to be Iko. Iko is the house robot and she is all kinds of sassy and brutally honest.

Prince Kai had a pretty big part in this book and I really liked that we got to know the prince and not just as a person, but his job and his political views in this world that they are living in. There aren’t that many times that we get to really know the “oh so handsome prince” in the story, so that was definitely a big plus.

The stepmother was every bit as terrible as I expected her to be, but the main villain and straight up creepy character has to be Queen Levana. Her past and her actions are just horrible. And she’s also draped in somewhat of a mystery that I look forward to unveiling in the next books.

The Plot

This story is very well made and it was consistent and interesting all the way through the book. I was never bored. But even though I really enjoyed the story, I did find the plot twist to be somewhat too obvious. I wasn’t really surprised by it. And I think I had a little too high expectations for this book since everyone has been raving about it for ages.

That said, I really did enjoy the book even though it did not live up to my expectations and I will be continuing with The Lunar Chronicles.

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***

This Shattered World by Amie Kaufman and Megan Spooner – REVIEW

This Shattered World is the second novel in the Starbound trilogy. You can read my review of These Broken Stars (the first book) HERE 🙂

In the second book we meet Jubilee “Lee” Chase, captain in the forces that was sent to the terraformed planet Avon to keep the rebellious movement under control. Lee is different from the others who comes to Avon. She has her own personal reasons for fighting the rebels and for some reason she is still sane after staying on a planet that slowly drives so many others insane. We also meet Flynn Cormac, leader of the rebels. A man who wants to find peace for his home planet without having to resolve to violence and war.

Lee and Flynn were never supposed to meet, but when their paths cross one day Flynn does the only thing that makes sense to him. He takes her as a prisoner and brings her back to the rebel base hoping to exchange her for medicine and other valuables much needed, but instead he makes a decision that changes everything. When the rebels want to execute Lee to send a message, Flynn escapes the base together with her and suddenly they find themselves caught between two sides of a senseless war.

On the run they also discover that there’s something horribly wrong with Avon.

***

The Writing:

I enjoyed the writing just as much in this one as in These Broken Stars. The fact that they shift between the perspectives of Flynn and Lee throughout the book gives us a good insight to two different sides of the same story. The short in-between chapters also adds to the mystery of the book, but felt kind of confusing in the beginning.

Kaufman and Spooner paints beautiful pictures in these books that makes you feel like you’re right there beside them on Avon.

The Characters:

Lee is a strong, independent and mysterious female lead. I enjoyed her sassiness and how she wanted to be in control of every situation that was thrown towards her. As we get to know her past and how she grew up, she really grows as a character.

Flynn had the classic rebel charm to him and I did not feel like there were as many surprises to his character as Lee’s, but I did like him a lot. He’s a rational thinker that wants peace and understanding.

They were both strong protagonists that worked well together in this story.

The Plot:

Let’s just air the frustration that so many had when we found out about the plot of This Shattered World:

No more Lilac and Tarver??!!?!?!

I was (as so many others) disappointed to read that the characters from the first novel would not be the lead characters in this one. I was very curious to find out what would happen next with them.

But do calm down, they are not left out of the trilogy even though they are not the lead characters of this novel.

The mystery of the planet I found very intriguing. Something is clearly wrong. And I was also very interested in finding out what made Jubilee different from everyone else. Why doesn’t she get the dreams that most do right before going insane? What happened to her as a child to make her into such a tough-hearted soldier?

I found the romance part of the novel to be a little too predictable. You kind of expect it from the very beginning of the story. But even though there’s a fair share of romance in This Shattered World it doesn’t have the same focus  on romance and passion as These Broken Stars. This story is much crueler and harsher in comparison, but that also made it less predictable in some ways.

***

All in all I really liked This Shattered World and I’m still very curious to see how they will wrap it all up in the third and last novel Their Fractured Light (expected publication: December 29th, 2015)

Still there was something about the second novel that did not take as strong a hold on me as the  first one did. I can’t put my finger on exactly what it was, but I just didn’t LOVE this one as much, but still I would highly recommend it!

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All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven – REVIEW

All The Bright Places is a YA contemporary novel. We meet Finch who is obsessed about death and suicide. He constantly think about suicides and how he should go through with his own but something good always comes up when he’s about to finally do it.

Violet counts the days until graduation and the time when she can finally get out of the town and away from all the memories. Her older sister died in a car accident and Violet no longer knows what to do with her life without her sister there. All of the things she used to love suddenly no longer matters.

Finch and Violet meet each other on the ledge of the school bell tower and it is uncertain who rescues who from taking the leap.

Then they pair up to work together on a school project where they are supposed to discover the wonders of their home state they both learn so much more from each other.

But no matter how lovely a time they’re having, Finch can’t shake off that dark monster that lurks in his brain.

***

Wow.. Where do I start here? This book was an amazing read and one that got me warm and fuzzy and sad at the same time. I haven’t felt that way about a book since I read The Fault in Our Stars. Gosh I bawled my eyes out and I giggled.

A great story about an important subject of depression and feeling different.

I enjoyed both Violet and Finch as characters and I loved the dynamic between them and how that grew and changed throughout the book.

Warm, beautiful, heartbreaking, lovely, funny and so sad. All at once, neatly wrapped in a gorgeous little package!

If you want something to read that gives you all kinds of feels then this is the way to go!

Highly recommend!

“He says, “ ‘Lovely’ is a lovely word that should be used more often.”

                                   – All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

***

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These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner (REVIEW)

In These Broken Stars we meet Lilac LaRoux (daughter of the richest man in the universe) and Tarver Merendsen (a young war hero) traveling on the massive spaceliner The Icarus. 

The Icarus in mysterious ways gets yanked out of hyperspace and by coincidence Lilac and Tarver ends up in the same escape pod. They end up on an unknown planet without any form of communication. They have to learn to work together and see past all their differences if they are going to survive and get home. But there are strange things happening on the planet they landed. And why aren’t there any other people around?

Could they be stuck there forever?

***

 From the beginning of the story the attraction between Lilac and Tarver is pretty clear. Lilac however knows that her father will not approve of him so she rejects him and it is not pretty. After this Tarver sees her as a spoiled and rude rich mans daughter and tries to avoid her as much as he can.

But crash landing on the unknown planet forces them to work together.

I immediately liked Tarver. A young, handsome war hero that loves poetry! Of course he came to my liking. Lilac I had mixed feelings about in the beginning of the story. I wanted her to stand up to her father. To be more independent and to rebel more, but later on I learned that there was so much more to her character. As the story went on she showed herself as a strong female character, full of surprises.

The book is written from both Lilac and Tarver’s perspective. Shifting between them from chapter to chapter. I really enjoyed the way that Kaufman and Spooner showed two sides of the story. And I haven’t read a lot of YA literature written by a mans perspective so that definitely added to the enjoyment of this book.

I thought it was exciting, thrilling and heartbreaking. It kept me on edge throughout the whole story and I definitely recommend it!

Some of my favorite quotes:

“You don’t mention death when it’s hovering near someone you love. You don’t want t attract the reaper’s attention.”

“Abandon her? If only my duty or my conscience would let me. The galaxy would be better off, if you ask me. Who’d even know we were in the same pod? Except that I would know. And that would be enough.”

***

If you would like your own copy of These Broken Stars, click on either the Amazon or the Book Depository logo below: 

The next book in the Starbound trilogy will be out on December 23rd!

Click on the cover of This Shattered World if you want to know more about it: