Others have also noticed this issue in Perkins’ novel. Which, once again, reinforces to the readers that cheating is okay. So, isn’t that just saying he can still get everything he wants even after cheating? Instead of being punished for his actions, he is rewarded.

Perkins herself says that cheating is “ugly and hurtful” in this interview, so why is it such a big part of her debut novel? She also says that Etienne “makes a mistake,” but he also “learns from that mistake.” Yet, Etienne still gets the girl and has a “happily ever after” even after his mistake. When, in reality, the reader should hate Etienne for messing around with other girls and emotionally abusing his girlfriend. So not only does this promote female hating, it makes the reader hate Ellie as well. Anna also hates Ellie, Etienne’s girlfriend (who has never done a single thing to Anna to make her hate her, other than being Etienne’s girlfriend). There were obvious feelings there that weren’t strictly platonic.Įveryone seems to let Étienne get away with this, because they ship Anna and Étienne. She is basically letting a large group of teenagers know that it’s okay to cheat on your significant other, as long as you love the person you’re cheating on them with.Īlthough Etienne never physically cheated on his girlfriend, he flirted with Anna for months. Perkins wrote this book as directed toward a young audience there are probably people around ages 12-18 reading her work. This novel basically promotes emotional cheating. But once I began to dive into the problematic elements of this book, the less I liked it. I was blinded by the pure charm and beauty of Etienne. On my Goodreads, I even gave it four stars. Now, I’ll admit, I did like this book when I first read it. What mainly bothers me about him is the fact that he is falling in love with Anna, while he still has a girlfriend. On the surface, Étienne may seem like a “dream boy,” but once you get past the attractive exterior, there’s not much to like about him. Clair, an American boy with a British accent who is incredibly sweet and endearing.

Although it was published almost eight years ago, it still has hype surrounding it I just read it for the first time this year after hearing nothing but great things about it.Īnna and the French Kiss tells the story of Anna Oliphant, who is attending an American boarding school in Paris for her senior year of high school. One of the first trashy novels that comes to my mind is Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins, published in 2010.

They’re just the books you turn to when you need a cute, fluffy romance to read on the beach.

Trashy novels aren’t technically bad, but they’re not exactly good, either. Let’s admit it: everyone enjoys a trashy novel from time to time.

The french kiss novel