Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Publication date: December 2010
ISBN: 9780525423270
Source: Library
When Anna is forced by her father to spend her senior year attending school in Paris, she is not as thrilled as one would expect. Leaving behind a fantastic best friend, her family, and a near-boyfriend, she is terribly unhappy. But when she meets the gorgeous Etienne St. Clair, things might not end up being so bad in the City of Lights.
Things I Liked:
What a dreadfully inadequate summary that is. Sorry, I couldn't come up with anything better. Especially because the book really is quite good. I mean, I've seen rave reviews of this all over and I'm possibly the last to read it, so I'm sure you're all pretty familiar with it anyway. And it was a great romance! I loved how realistically teenage it felt - it totally reminded me of my own romantic dramas. Anna was a really fun character and I loved watching her go through all the varied emotions she experiences. She was funny and relatable and also she was definitely not perfect. St. Clair was also really well-written, at once charming and sweet but with some real problems and flaws. Oh, and I just adored the Paris setting - I've only been once, but it really left an impression on me and I wish I'd seen more while I was there. Such a beautiful place. It was a roller-coaster-y romantic story filled with both heartbreak and sweetness. Here's some of the good:
At least the people in my new school speak English. It was founded for pretentious Americans who don't like the company of their own children. I mean really. Who sends their kids to boarding school? It's so Hogwarts. Only mine doesn't have cute boy wizards or magic candy or flying lessons. p 5Things I Didn't Like:
I'm probably the only person who didn't adore this book. Maybe it was all the hype, but it just wasn't as amazing as I expected. Yes, very good. Yes, not like much of the other romantic blah stories being written. But, sometimes I was just tired of the drama. Definitely, when you're teenage (actually any age is dramatic when it comes to love) it seems like everything is the end of the world. Still, I tired of it occasionally. And, I don't know, I just didn't adore it. I guess what it comes down to is, I like fantasy best and this is contemporary, so it just isn't my favorite. Definitely worth the read, though.
Read-alikes:
I'm at a loss, really - I don't read much like this, maybe Sarah Dessen?
BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !@#$
quite a lot - some f-bombs
mrg-factor: XXX
nothing actually happens on page (quite), but lots of talk
v-factor: none
there's also much alcohol consumption
Overall rating: ****
Anyone have read-alikes for this (or who didn't adore the book to death)?
If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage
Posts
Yeah, I'm with you. I liked this one, I thought it was realistic and enjoyable but it wasn't as good as everyone was saying.
ReplyDeleteI didn't adore this one either -- I mainly wished there hadn't been so much teen drinking and sexual references.
ReplyDeleteI actually really liked this one (although I could have done without all the profanity). I think her style is sort of like a girlified version of John Green's. At least, that's what I thought while I read it.
ReplyDeleteJenny, oh I'm happy not to be alone!
ReplyDeleteGayle, yes I could have done without it too.
kathy, ooh good comparison choice, though I've only read one John Green.
I actually haven't read this yet. It's on my list, but I don't feel any real rush.
ReplyDeletecarol, I wasn't in any hurry either :)
ReplyDelete