Five Things I Liked About Anna and the French Kiss

I want to try something new on the blog: a recurring series. I've considered them in the past, but I kinda figured I'd never keep up with them. Until now! I've resisted posting reviews on my blog because a) I hated doing book reports in school. Why start again now? and b) I would never give a negative review in public. (disclaimer: yes, I did review one movie on the blog eons ago. It's a great movie, and you should see it.) However, if there are books or movies or shows that I really love, why NOT tell the world the few people who stop by this blog about them? Instead of giving a whole drawn-out review, though, I'm just going to list 5 Things I liked. It's more interesting for me to learn why somebody liked someone rather then that they just liked it.

I'll start this series with a recent favorite: Anna and the French Kiss. Lots of people have read it and loved it. And for a great take on this book, check out Real Man Read YA's review. I was hesitant to read Anna because I'm not a romance fan, and because I assumed it was about an impossibly beautiful girl who frolics around in Paris with an impossibly beautiful boy and they lived impossibly happily ever after.

But I. Was. Wrong. 

As soon as I began reading it, I realized why so many had fallen in love with the book. Here are 5 Things I liked about Anna:

1) Etienne was short: He was not impossibly beautiful. Have you ever read books where the male love interest has no personality except for being hot? That's what I was expecting here. So it was such a pleasant surprise when Etienne turned out to be short and pasty. He was still good looking, but in a normal, earthbound way. He had flaws. He was a mere mortal real person with a real personality. The most attractive part of him was his charm.

2) Anna's a movie buff: And she has great taste in movies! She mentions Rushmore, one of my favorite movies, and Lost in Translation, which is a gem. I wish I could go to those old movie houses she frequented in Paris. When I studied abroad, I'd go to the movies out of homesickness, but the theater by me was a multiplex (which did make me feel at home).

3) Anna's circle of friends: The fivesome had a great group dynamic. They all had chemistry with each other and read like a genuine group of friends, with their teasing and banter. Perkins writes authentic, funny dialogue.

4) Nobody kissed at the Eiffel Tower: In a book that takes place in Paris, I was waiting for it - and waiting to roll my eyes. The Eiffel Tower is the most overused landmark in stories. But nobody kissed here. In fact, Anna only went to the Eiffel Tower once, and very briefly. We got to see other landmarks, which was refreshing.

5) The kiss: Yeah, it was pretty hot.

What say you, readers? Have you read this book? What did you like most (or hate)?