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 Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Étienne has it all...including a serious girlfriend. 

But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss?"

So. I picked up this book because an absurd amount of people really loved it and I wanted to give it a try. I honestly expected it to be just one of those generic, drama-fluff books that gives you a cavity and an empty sensation between your ears, but I'm happy to report that it doesn't (really) fit that bill. It was able to get more dimensional and believable, making me able to get into it and enjoy it despite the decidedly "first-world problem" context. I loved that St. Clair was short--how often do you see that in a love interest, really? And the dialogue was incredibly fun to read; the characters are witty and kind of hilarious and awkward and real but still optimistically romantic. The characters were completely the best part of the book. One thing that I have to mention, though, is that the writing was... a little fluffy at times. Specifically, imagery; there was quite a bit of cliche and at times hilariously cheesy similes/metaphors. It wasn't a debilitating weakness, though, just enough to get you to roll your eyes when macaroon crusts are called "as delicate as eggshells" or something like that (seriously, have you felt an egg? Those things aren't exactly delicate. If I tried to bite down on an eggshell, I'd need to put some force behind it). But that's the only really noticeable shortcoming; as a whole, the book was witty, real, adorable, and addicting. I'd definitely recommend you read it. Go find a copy at Kettleson or Mt. Edgecumbe.