Anna and Etienne's story is engrossing from the get-go, and anyone who has ever dreamed of spending a year abroad will enjoy the descriptions of Paris and its landmarks. Anna is a budding film critic and movie buffs will love the many references to classic cinema. Even though the main characters are immediately attracted to one another, their relationship develops as friends first because they each have other romantic involvements. Both Anna and Etienne have difficult relationships with their fathers, and Anna supports Etienne while his mother goes through cancer treatment. While altogether a fairly tame read for older teens, this book might be better suited to readers somewhat older than the publisher's recommended age of twelve plus. The protagonists are high school seniors contemplating love, relationships, and college. There are no descriptions, but it is implied that some characters are sleeping together, and kids talk about others who have "had sex." The resident advisor in the co-ed dorm keeps a bowl of condoms outside his door to encourage safe sex. The drinking age in France is sixteen, so teen characters do drink some. The two protagonists each have one drinking incident that leads to throwing up. There is some graphic language (f--k, a-shole, sh-t, sl-t, d-ke), but it is not frequent. While true love may seem inevitable for Anna and Etienne, this is a satisfying page-turner to the very end.
