Jamie Molnar//Blog Writer
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
It was a Friday in October. The sun was out, it wasn’t too cold, and with midterms right around the corner, I needed time to breathe. Books in general have always been my way of relaxing and escaping from reality, so on this stressful, but beautiful day, I decided to take a walk to the promised land: Barnes and Noble. For almost two hours, I walked up and down the aisles, reading back covers and first chapters, and inhaling the sweet, sweet aroma of new books. Towards the back of the store I came across the genre that is near and dear to my heart: young adult. More specifically, young adult romance, and the first book in this section that caught my attention was one that I had read when I was a young girl of only thirteen or fourteen, Anna and The French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. I ultimately bought the book on that stressful day at Barnes and Noble for old times sake, but as I read it that night, I found that it melted all of my stresses away.
There’s just something about young adult fiction, young adult romance in particular, that has the ability to calm me down more than any other genre. Perhaps it’s the predictability of much of teenage romances. Girl meets guy, girl becomes obsessed with guy, awkward yet cute events occur, and ultimately the two get together. You know, just teen things. Most of our stress as students, in my opinion, comes from uncertainty. We are uncertain whether we prepared for that exam enough, whether our essay is strong enough, whether we, ourselves, are good enough for what is to come after our four years are up. Books like Anna and the French Kiss give us a feeling of power, in a way, because we know, relatively, how it is going to end. And more times than not, it’s a happy ending. Although we know all too well that real life does not work like a young adult novel, sometimes it’s comforting to delve into a world where everything works out in your favor. A lot of young adult fiction also gives readers a view of the ideal romantic situation. Even in the most dystopian of societies and the harshest circumstances, there are always at least two characters where it’s not even a question whether or not they’re going to get together in the end. I always find myself internally (or sometimes externally) squealing at the cute and romantic moments between characters. The moments in Anna and the French Kiss when Anna and Etienne galavant around Paris and their interactions are enough to make any teenage girl (or boy) smile uncontrollably.
Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen
The predictability and and overall cuteness of young adult fiction can always make me feel warm and cozy. That’s why I suggest that when you’re feeling stressed, whether it be because of life or midterms or roommate drama, pick up a good ol’ sappy book, I promise by the back cover your stress will have disappeared. Here are some recommendations to get you started. Happy reading!
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins (obviously)
Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Paper Towns by John Green
Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell