Review: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris - until she meets Etienne St. Clair: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home. As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near - misses end with the French kiss Anna - and readers - have long awaited?

Bop me on the head for not reading this sooner. Seriously, I don't know what's wrong with me. I totally had separation anxiety *stares longingly at iPad* when I had to do something else that didn't involve finishing this book. I feel like there isn't a lot I could say that you haven't already heard about this book, so I'm going to touch on the things that made me have a cheesy little grin the whole time I read it.

First off, what made me initially fall for this book was the the fact I finally got to somewhat experience my dream of going to school abroad! Sure, I've always wanted to go to Europe, but I've always wanted to have a year of education somewhere foreign. I've sadly never had the opportunity to do so, but oh man I'm so jelly of Anna for this and other things.

Oh, Etienne! Let's just discuss you for a moment so I can concentrate. Yes, I'm another girl who totally wants your bod even if you're too young for me. I'm choosing to ignore this fact for now because if you truly were some student nearby, I'd likely consider going there for grad school just to stare at you. Yeah. Well that or to befriend Anna because she's awesome and I want to go see random movies with her. I seriously adored both of them because of their banter. Any person who can have a great discussion (no matter how ridiculous) will totally win cool points with me. Anna and Etienne had that friendship I'd love to have with a guy friend. They were just full a lot of moments I'd totally fangirl over at any age. One important aspect is that their relationship had development! I loved that their friendship grew. It made me want them together instead of expecting it.

This brings me to the other friends. I really liked how each person had their own personality and little side stories. It brought so much more to the story because it wasn't focused on two people. Everyone had flaws, and I liked that no one was given that "perfect" personality. I'd love to have books continuing some characters like Josh because I think there's more to him than what we got. Overall, they were all people I'd love to get to know.

Food. I'm a total foodie, and this book was like written food porn. I wanted to eat everything they mentioned! Someone give me some panini and crack coffee! I seriously just wanted to gorge myself with cake when I was reading. It wasn't fair.

I definitely think it's one of those books you need to be in the mood for. I don't know if that makes sense, but I know if I read this while I was wanting something really deep then I wouldn't have enjoyed it as much as I did. However, since I was in the mood for something enjoyable and light, it was the perfect book. If you're like me and haven't had a chance to read this yet, I'd say get on it because you truly won't regret it.

(As I don't understand a lot of French, a few of these songs are lyric appropriate, while others just fit the mood of the book for me.)

Soundtrack: 

Looking Good - The Parisians

Quelqu'un m'a dit - Carla Bruni

Anna(Go to Him) - The Beatles 

Que Veux-tu - Yelle

Time for Nothing More - The Parisians

So Much Trouble - Izia

Elle Me Dit - Mika

You Already Know - Bombay Bicycle Club

Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares

"From #1 New York Times bestselling author Ann Brashares comes the welcome return of the characters whose friendship became a touchstone for a generation. Now Tibby, Lena, Carmen, and Bridget have grown up, starting their lives on their own. And though the jeans they shared are long gone, the sisterhood is everlasting. 

Despite having jobs and men that they love, each knows that something is missing: the closeness that once sustained them. Carmen is a successful actress in New York, engaged to be married, but misses her friends. Lena finds solace in her art, teaching in Rhode Island, but still thinks of Kostos and the road she didn’t take. Bridget lives with her longtime boyfriend, Eric, in San Francisco, and though a part of her wants to settle down, a bigger part can’t seem to shed her old restlessness.

Then Tibby reaches out to bridge the distance, sending the others plane tickets for a reunion that they all breathlessly await. And indeed, it will change their lives forever—but in ways that none of them could ever have expected.

As moving and life-changing as an encounter with long-lost best friends, Sisterhood Everlasting is a powerful story about growing up, losing your way, and finding the courage to create a new one."

I took my sweet little time with this book because I just didn't want it to end. Brashares is one of my favorite authors for the way she writes. I read the earlier Sisterhood novels one after another because I grew so attached to the characters, so knowing that this would was the last one made it harder to let it go. I think my library was getting tired of me continuously checking this book out (sorry people who were waiting for it).

If I were in a relationship with this book, this is where I'd totally break-up with it because of the emotional turmoil this particular story put me through.  Seriously, damn Brashares for getting to know me and waiting for my walls to come down before breaking my heart!

What I loved most about this book was how true it stayed to characters and real emotion. For someone who has finished college and had friends move all around the country, I completely understand the feeling of estrangement from people you've grown up with or known for years. It sucks and really feels like you're lost going through life at times. This entire series showed how people can change throughout their lives. Whether it was a good or bad change, I appreciated Brashares for showing those sides to usually lovable characters.

I'm sure this will be a great read for a fan of the series. I don't think the book could have the same emotional response without reading the others first. Though everything has officially ended with this Sisterhood, I small part of me hopes that years from now it'll somehow continue for the purpose of being brought back into their world. If we're being honest, I'm still not ready to let it go...

Soundtrack: 

We Might As Well Be Strangers - Keane

The Distance - Hot Chelle Rae

Missing You - Imogen Heap

Books Written for Girls - Camera Obscura

Busted in Bollywood by Nicola Marsh

"Shari Jones needs to get a life. Preferably someone else's.Single, homeless and jobless, Indo-American Shari agrees to her best friend's whacky scheme: travel to Mumbai, pose as Amrita, and ditch the fianc her traditional Indian parents have chosen. Simple. Until she's mistaken for a famous Bollywood actress, stalked by a Lone Ranger wannabe, courted by an English lord, and busted by the blackmailing fianc .Life is less complicated in New York.Or so she thinks, until the entourage of crazies follows her to the Big Apple and that's when the fun really begins. Shari deals with a blossoming romance, an addiction to Indian food and her first movie role, while secretly craving another trip to the mystical land responsible for sparking her new lease on life. Returning to her Indian birthplace, she has an epiphany. Maybe the happily-ever-after of her dreams isn't so far away?"

I bought myself a copy of this book because I wasn't able to get through it while it was on NetGalley. Come on, it's Bollywood! Being an Indian female who enjoys her Bollywood movies made me feel like it was mandatory that I read it. There's no way I can't love characters being bombarded with marriage proposals while being trapped in a slew of mixups.

First off, warning...You will want to eat a lot of food from this book. Keep a snack handy. Visit a friendly Indian neighbor, head on over to your local Indian market or just get some popcorn. Really, have some food. You'll love me for it later.

Okay, now that we have that squared away...

What I loved most about this book was that it read exactly like a Bollywood/Hollywood fusion movie in my head. Marsh's writing has you picture scenes along with her as you laugh at Amrita's familial antics and swoon at the characters she creates. This book does have a more adult theme to it, so if you're not into a little sexy time I'd stay clear.

Though Marsh does a great job of keeping things interesting, her characters did lack the depth that made the story reach to a deeper level. Most of the relationships are shown to be fairly superficial, and I think more could've been added to build the tension a little more.

The overall pacing of the story was decent. I will say that it did take some time for the story to really begin and the ending was a bit tiresome at times. It wasn't because it was slow, I just personally wanted to tell Shari to snap out of it and make decisions so I could get a glass of water.

Busted in Bollywood was an enjoyable read overall. If you enjoy a Bollywood theme with a little sweetness, a dash of funny and a big helping of spice, then this book is definitely worth checking out.

This book playlist is wedding themed. Either having to do with weddings or will likely play at any Indian wedding you attend. Enjoy! 

Rab Rakha- Love Breakup Zindagi
Chammak Challo- Ra.One
Ainvayi Ainvayi- Band Baaja Baaraat
Bounce Billo-Imran Khan