I received this novel by Stephanie Perkins as a gift from a dear friend of mine. Honestly, I had my doubts about this book; the cover and the description gave off a really cliche feeling that I initially didn’t agree with. However, I gave this book a chance and was pleasantly surprised! Overall, I’d rate it 4.45 out of 5.
It’s your last year of high school, what could be worse than being forced to move to a new district? Moving to a unfamiliar, foreign country where you don’t even understand the language… and… your family sent you there by yourself. Fortunately, for Anna she immediately meets and becomes friends with a interesting bunch: including the completely hot French/English/American boy St. Clair. Of coarse things don’t go smoothly, for one, St. Clair has a girlfriend and Anna still has a possible hook-up waiting for her back home. What’s more, her next door dorm mate and friend also has a bit of a crush on him.
Now one would expect a lot of drama from this type character dynamics, but that’s not necessarily true. It’s what makes the plot. You’re along the ride to discover with the characters how they handle this tangled relationship and it is resolved. Granted, of coarse, not everything goes smoothly, though that’s true with every book.
If you don’t swoon over St. Clair, then I got to say you would be in the minority. I just absolutely loved the humor in the book; it’s always nice when a book makes you elicit laughter. He teaches Anna some life lessons about fitting in, despite common misconceptions that prevent it. The few things I was annoyed at was how he refused to move on. If he just did that one thing, then that would eliminate all that was holding him back. Though in the conclusion of the book he did do it, but if done sooner, then it would saved me from some of my frustration. I do realize that it is thanks to Anna that he does realize this lesson, making them an excellent pair that compliment each other. They teach each other lessons, desire the best for the other.
I’d recommend this book to those who don’t mind reading contemporary young adult fiction, those that wouldn’t mind that there are no vampires, ghosts nor anything that’s deemed supernatural/paranormal. It teaches valuable lessons that can relate to anyone. However, keep in mind they aren’t life altering, won’t make you see the world with new eyes. It has a smaller scope, that’s not as important to other major issues but, nevertheless, still valuable. For a similar read, I’d recommend My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick.
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