Book Review: Anna and the French Kiss

It’s Review Tuesday!!!
Just kidding, there is no way I could actually keep to a schedule. I have, however, read tons of books already this year and thought another review was long overdue! Here is what I thought of Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins:

I love books that make me want to experience new things. Or better yet, books that make me feel as though I was the one experiencing (in part) what the main character was going though. Anna and the French Kiss was definitely one of those books.

To be honest, I had pretty much no expectations going into this books. I only knew it was a romance novel about a girl going to France, and that it was read by a lot of Nerdfigthers. Obviously that was enough for me.

The plot is as following: Anna is send to an American boarding school in Paris by her father who believes it will be a good experience for her. There was no discussion, so Anna feels like she has been cruelly ripped from her old life and her friends and potential boyfriend. She is quickly adopted into a group of friends however, which includes the beyond gorgeous Étienne or st. Clair as they all call him. Unfortunately he already has a girlfriend… These friends drag Anna from her room and show her how beautiful another culture can be, even if you don’t speak the language. At all.

What struck me almost right away was the humour and the quirky voice of Anna, a girl who loves films and does not dream to become a movie star or a director—nope she wants to be a film critic. I have been reading a lot of dystopian and sci-fi novels lately and I needed something upbeat and lovely and cheerful as this book. Not to say that there weren’t darker moments as well; the book deals very realistically with Anna’s feelings of being separated from her home and stuck in a strange country. I myself felt a lot of the things she was going through when I went to study in England for a year. Then there is relationship trouble, the horrors of cancer, an abusive father…

Perhaps the thing that I loved most, aside from the romance and humour, was Paris itself. Together with Anna you get to explore the City of Light and are introduced to not only the major tourist attractions but also lesser known café’s, districts and cinemas. It made me want to travel and made me wonder why I have never been to Paris, when it’s relatively close by the Netherlands.

In short, this book is funny, well written, has the occasional nerdy reference that I can really appreciate and should appeal to anyone who is interested in romance, young adult and travel!

Keep Writing! & Reading!

Xx
Noortje

Update & Lots of Writers

Midterms are finally over!!

I was a bit worried this time but I've managed to pass all my exams so far ^^
Sorry I haven't been able to post much in a while! I have been doing a lot of fun things that I probably could have blogged about but I never seem to find the time ^.^"

 

This morning I felt pretty sick so I decided to take it slow for a day and do absolutely nothing except for reading, writing and watching movies that I've already watched about 20 times before. 

So a few weeks ago THE John Green came to Amsterdam for a quick visit. I've been a Nerdfighter for a long time (for anyone who doesn't know the vlogbrother's go to YouTube now! :D) and I absolutely adored John's new novel The Fault in Our Stars. I really recommend it to you guys :)

So I immediately signed up to meet him and had an amazing time sitting in some sort of cellar like room (which apparently was some sort of club) that was located UNDER a bridge. Like... it was basically inside the bridge somehow... I think? It was very strange and directly behind my university building. Imagine that. Just when you think you start to know your little area of Amsterdam you find yourself talking to your idol under a bridge. 

Anyway, it was insightful, funny and brilliant and I gladly spend about an hour cramped up on the horribly uncomfortable cold floor, squeezed in between other teens while I slowly lost all feeling in my legs. After that he signed my copy of his book and was so nice! :3

I've also gone to see the Hunger Games movie (twice so far) of course and have to say that I loved it. It has been about a year since I devoured all three books within a week, so some of the details of the book were a bit hazy, but I still have to say that it was a great movie adaptation.

What else is new... oh right I also started art journaling! I'm not sure if you guys know what that is (I'm not even sure) but as I understand it you just create "art" in any for you want in a note book. My mom started it by using paints and rubber stamps (she sells those) and I decided to do the same but with drawings and paints. So far I'm loving it. To me drawing is a lot like writing. You get to focus on something for a while, creating something whilst completely losing yourself in another world :) 

I might post some pages here someday when I have a few more and if it's not too embarrassing haha (So this picture isn't my journal. Mine is no where near this pretty)

I have more fun things planned next week! I'll be going to the Elf Fantasy Fair--dressed up all steampunky--and will hopefully get to meet Robin Hobb and Christopher Paolini who will both be there! I'm so excited! 

That was my update for now! :) What have you guys been up to?

Keep Writing! 

Xx Noortje