Welcome! I should start off by saying my name is Rae (unaverage_author) and this is my first piece for Wattmag.

Virtual happy dance!

Sorry...anyways...

To begin, I must include why I picked this book. I was glancing at the requirements given to me on what type of book I should choose and upon seeing how vague they are I realized I had been sent into a candy store, but I was told I could only choose one candy. I was browsing the shelves looking for the best book when I saw Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. I suddenly placed down the books I had been considering and picked this one up. I had recognized it from a vlogbrothers video in which John Green raved about this book.

Two days later, I am struggling to stay awake in school and all I can think about is this book.

A stunning romance that should only be regarded in sentences that end with "is the best book", or start with "I am madly in love with..."

This international bestseller is about a girl named Anna who is transferred to a French boarding school. This doesn't seem like the worst problem in the world, but she is leaving behind the gorgeous boy at work and her longtime best friend. Anyone who has ever left a best friend knows how terrifying this can be.

We immediately dive into her friends - an assortment of the oddest and the best residents of this French school for Americans, and I guarantee you will love a least one of them. Among these, we meet Meredith, the fun, unique, loving, next door neighbor fit to show Anna the ropes and introduce her to him.

Étienne St. Clair - the one and only.

Now, there is not a single person on this planet who can say they have never read a cliché book about a bad boy who falls in love with the quiet, shy, nerdy girl. But Anna and the French Kiss is not like any of those stories.

While Étienne St. Clair might be devilishly good looking and he might catch the attention of a few girls, Stephanie Perkins takes this character and turns him into something else entirely. He is awkward and conflicted and confused because guess what: He is a teenager too! This is rarely seen in writing and it's so refreshing to see a character portrayed as this. He's portrayed as a human. (Who also has amazing hair, but that's just an added bonus.)

While we are on the subject, Stephanie Perkins has an amazing writing technique. The book is written in the first point of view (by Anna) and you would think that she is taking your thoughts and throwing them on paper in such a way your hands aren't capable of. She is always asking herself questions and doubting herself because she knows she's flawed.

Who isn't?

Perkins describes each scene with such beauty that you think you are actually sitting in France with her, just waiting for the characters to enter the room and joke around with each other. Also-my favorite part- Stephanie Perkins nerdiness flies out from time to time with little fandom references or other nerdy things that make you laugh to yourself while basking in the glow of your shared inner nerd.

The writing shows you what is happening through actions -  a rare trait that can be used to describe when the character is angry by their appearance, not words. Perkins lets the characters speak for themselves instead of flat out telling you. She will describe to you what the character is doing and allow you and Anna to interpret this together.

You can tell this is not your average run of the mill romance. Anna even expresses her hate for the run of the mill romances in the book.

Her dad is a novelist, who writes sappy and fake books just for the money.

But, Anna wants to be a movie reviewer and we often see her interact with others at the movies and around them. (Yes, I did write a book review about a book where the main character wants to write movie reviews, I do enjoy a little irony here and there).

This novel will have you throwing it against the room one second then cackling the next because Perkins creates a binding plot until the very last action-packed chapters where everything comes together in a bow. An imperfect bow but perfect enough for this.

Now that you have finished reading this I would suggest you get into your car or pull out some online shopping and get Anna and the French Kiss right now. Then let me know what you think!