I initially read Anna and the French Kiss at the height of its popularity during the COVID pandemic. At the time, I actually really enjoyed the book. I mean, who doesn’t like a juicy romance story set in a Paris boarding school with a hot British guy who speaks French? I was not at all opposed. As I went back to re-read the book months later, however, I questioned whether all that time alone had seriously impaired my taste.  

Stephanie Perkins begins her story with Anna, who is really upset because her father is sending her to a boarding school in Paris (poor thing). Anna is the definition of a “pick me” girl.  She is not like other girls because she is American (imagine that) and she has a strip of dyed hair which she frequently feels the need to talk about. Nevertheless, Anna is not a very deep character and she completely breaks girl code. She and her new best friend Meredith, who welcomed Anna into her friend group with open arms, both liked the same guy, yet Miss America proceeded to date St. Clair anyway.

The love interest, St. Clair, was probably the deepest character in Stephanie Perkins’ collection of cardboard cut-out characters. St. Clair (despite his name) had a weak set of morals. St. Clair has a loyal, kind girlfriend whom he had been with for a very long time. Along comes Miss America and he falls instantly in love with her. To heck with his girlfriend, he had Anna, the cool American girl who understood him like no one else. At the end of the book, he says this very interesting line to Anna: 

“I cheated on her [his girlfriend] everyday. In my mind, I thought of you in ways I shouldn’t have, again and again. She was nothing compared to you. I’ve never felt this way about anybody before.”

RED FLAG. If the dude can switch loyalties this quickly, he probably is not a trustworthy guy. Yet, Anna eats it up faster than chocolate croissants.  

The book had some sad moments, especially when we find out that St. Clair’s mom has cancer. And then there was the moment when St. Clair realizes that Anna’s dad makes his money by writing tear-jerker cancer stories for entertainment. That was a whole chapter of drama right there. 

I would give Anna and The French Kiss two stars because of the mostly one-dimensional characters and predictable plot line; however, there were some good messages tucked deep beneath the self centeredness of it all:

1. Always take care to look at things from another person’s point of view.
2. Home is where the heart is, not a physical location.
3. Friendship shouldn’t be taken for granted.

Perkins could have made these messages resonate easier if she only added some depth to her cast of caricatures. But if you are looking for a popcorn book where it won’t matter if you skip a page or two (or ten) as you read it on the bus, you could certainly do worse than Anna and the French Kiss. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.