Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

It’s not a Christian novel, and it has some sexual allusions. However, Anna and the French Kiss is a clean read otherwise. It’s already twelve years old, but it’s a novel I’ve read many times because I love it. It sets comfortable Americana against artistic, aristocratic Europe. 

The heroine, Anna is a normal, middle-class American girl whose circumstances force her into circles of the incredibly privileged. She immediately feels the tension of her typical upbringing compared to kids who grew up speaking several languages and jet-setting the world. It could be allegorical to anyone who starts over and assumes they are beneath those who have already cut their teeth on their new nightmare. High school is intimidating enough without struggling through first year French in the middle of Paris. 

But it deals with themes every kid has to struggle through, like leaving a brand new first love or one’s parents having the final say in important decisions that change their life completely. Anna’s nuveau riche father wanted his daughter to have all the advantages his wealth can give her, including the bougiest school abroad. Anna just wanted to finish high school where she grew up, where she’s fallen in love, and where her best friend is the coolest. 

She also has to deal with feeling betrayed by a friend over a boy, then the horrible feeling of doing the same thing to someone else. She struggles with identity and culture shock in every direction. She learns how to trust herself and to open up to things that are foreign and uncomfortable. 

It’s not deep literature, by any stretch, but it’s fun and relatable to girls everywhere. No political agendas. No weird moral lectures. Just a girl trying to figure her life out. 

Why do I especially love it? I interned in Europe when I was a young adult and anything that reminds me of life in a European city brings back the beautiful experience of modern set against ancient. I’d always wondered what life was like for those who grew up there and for whom that culture and rich history was normal.

If you’re looking for a breezy but interesting read, this one is light and fluffy and IN PARIS!