Books and Cookies—Book Review: Anna and the French Kiss

Over the past couple of months as I've researched different agents for my YA contemporary novel, I typically tune in to their favorite books list to determine if my manuscript might interest them. And one book that is a favorite for many agents is the YA novel by Stephanie Perkins, ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS.

Since I'd never read it, I decided I should check it out to see what all the hype was about. So I did.

Is it worthy of all the praise and references? My answer is a resounding, Yes!

ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS is about Anna, a seventeen-year-old girl who is shipped off to a boarding school in Paris for her senior year of high school. In this beautiful, brilliant city, she meets an eclectic group of friends who immediately pull her into their group and show her the ropes. And, of course, this group includes the beautifully hot British/American Etienne St. Clair. After all, who can resist an accent? Problem is, Etienne has a serious girlfriend who has a serious hold on him. And Anna likes Etienne's friendship a little too much to ever consider rocking the boat. But sometimes, you just can't help who you fall for...

Anna was a comical, fun MC with such a wonderful voice. I could have read her voice for days and weeks. And Etienne is deep and relatable, making him totally swoon-worthy. Add that to the other cast of characters with their unique voices and quirky ways, and you have yourself an all-star cast of characters in this sweet YA contemporary romance.

All the references to Paris and descriptions of the setting put the reader right there. Since I've never been to Paris (yes, it's on my bucket list), I loved that I was able to experience the culture, a little bit of the language, and the romantic Parisian setting right from my own living room. It's a story about falling in love, forgiveness, finding oneself, and being true to who you are.

I give this book 5 stars and would highly recommend it to anyone who likes YA contemporary romances.

Happy Reading!

And now for some cookies to munch on while you read...

You can find the recipe for these yummy Peanut Butter Cup Cookies HERE.

Books and Cookies: Book Review for REMAKE

Are you excited for the approach of summer? Tomorrow is my kids' last day of school, and while I'm looking forward to a little less of a routine and sleeping in past 7:00, I'm also a little nervous about keeping FIVE boys entertained. Wish me luck! (I'm gonna need it...)

If you're like me, then you probably have a whole stack of books that you're looking forward to reading this summer. Or perhaps you're looking for a few good books to add to your TBR list. Maybe you'll find what you're looking for in one of my book reviews this week.

I've been reading a lot of Young Adult books lately because that's the genre I write, so if you enjoy reading YA, you'll probably like some of these books I'll spotlight this week. This first one is REMAKE by Ilima Todd.

Set in a futuristic dystopian society where children are raised in batches instead of families, this novel delves into the idea of what it would be like to live without a family. And it's interesting to see the distinct difference between the Rebels who still live in families as opposed to the children, also known as Batchers, who are raised without parents and have limitless freedoms and no consequences.

Batchers are given hormone suppressants so everyone looks the same and there are no differences between male and female. At the age of seventeen, the Batchers get to experience a Remake where they choose their gender and what they want to look like. This novel brings about the question of gender and what makes us male versus female. It's a very interesting take on the whole idea of gender and what it would be like if we could choose our own gender.

As for my review, I loved this book. I'm a sucker for a dystopian setting in general, but I loved that it was a clean read with probing questions, a sweet romance, and an intriguing plot that made it difficult to put the book down. And the best part? It's the first book in a series so I know I'll get to see those characters again. Hurry up, Ilima, I'm waiting over here! :)

All in all, I'd give this book 4 1/2 stars! And I'd recommend it to anyone who likes dystopian settings like MATCHED by Ally Condie or UGLIES by Scott Westerfeld.

Now for some cookies...

Don't these Peanut Butter Cup Cookies look scrumptious? You can find the recipe HERE.

Happy Baking and Reading!