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Quick answer: If you loved Anna and the French Kiss, try Lola and the Boy Next Door, Isla and the Happily Ever After, To All the Boys I've Loved Before, The Summer I Turned Pretty, Love & Gelato and Love & Luck. Each one is a swoony young adult romance with a slow burn, an irresistible setting or a boy worth the wait.
Stephanie Perkins's beloved romance sends Anna from Atlanta to a Paris boarding school for her senior year, much against her wishes. There she meets Étienne St. Clair, a charming boy who is sadly already taken. Their friendship slowly becomes something more against a backdrop of cinemas, bakeries and Parisian streets. Readers love the humor, the longing and the setting. These books share its travel, its slow burn and its comforting ending.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Setting | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lola and the Boy Next Door | Stephanie Perkins | San Francisco | readers who want the next companion book |
| Isla and the Happily Ever After | Stephanie Perkins | New York and Paris | readers who want to return to the school |
| To All the Boys I've Loved Before | Jenny Han | Virginia | readers who love cozy romance |
| The Summer I Turned Pretty | Jenny Han | Beach town | readers who love summer love |
| Love & Gelato | Jenna Evans Welch | Italy | readers who want another European escape |
| Love & Luck | Jenna Evans Welch | Ireland | readers who like road trips |
| Just One Year | Gayle Forman | Paris and beyond | readers who want the other half of the story |
| 13 Little Blue Envelopes | Maureen Johnson | Europe | readers who like adventure |
| Just One Day | Gayle Forman | Paris | readers who like one-day romance |
| The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight | Jennifer E. Smith | London | readers who want something quick |
| Fangirl | Rainbow Rowell | Nebraska college | readers who like awkward heroines |
| Royals | Rachel Hawkins | Scotland | readers who love comic romance |
| American Royals | Katharine McGee | Washington, D.C. | readers who like royal drama |
| Better Than the Movies | Lynn Painter | Nebraska | readers who love rom-coms |
| My Life Next Door | Huntley Fitzpatrick | Connecticut | readers who like big families |
1. Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
A costume-loving girl reconnects with the boy who once broke her heart.
Best for: readers who want the next companion book.
2. Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins
A shy girl finally gets the attention of her long-time crush.
Best for: readers who want to return to the school.
3. To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
A girl's secret love letters get mailed to all of her old crushes.
Best for: readers who love cozy romance.
4. The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
A girl spends her summers at a beach house with two brothers.
Best for: readers who love summer love.
5. Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch
A girl spends a summer in Tuscany following her late mother's journal.
Best for: readers who want another European escape.
6. Love & Luck by Jenna Evans Welch
A girl and her brother take a musical road trip across Ireland.
Best for: readers who like road trips.
7. Just One Year by Gayle Forman
The Dutch actor from Just One Day retells events and searches for the girl he lost.
Best for: readers who want the other half of the story.
8. 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
A girl follows letters from her late aunt across Europe.
Best for: readers who like adventure.
9. Just One Day by Gayle Forman
A careful teen spends one impulsive day in Paris with a Dutch actor.
Best for: readers who like one-day romance.
10. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
Two teens meet on a flight to London.
Best for: readers who want something quick.
11. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
A shy fan fiction writer struggles through her first year of college.
Best for: readers who like awkward heroines.
12. Royals by Rachel Hawkins
A girl's sister gets engaged to a Scottish prince and chaos follows.
Best for: readers who love comic romance.
13. American Royals by Katharine McGee
America's alternate royal family juggle love and duty.
Best for: readers who like royal drama.
14. Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter
A rom-com fan plots to win her crush with help from an annoying neighbor.
Best for: readers who love rom-coms.
15. My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick
A girl falls for the boy from the large, messy family next door.
Best for: readers who like big families.
How to Choose
If you want more of the world, Perkins's two companion novels, Lola and the Boy Next Door and Isla and the Happily Ever After, bring back familiar faces. If Paris itself was what you fell for, Just One Day and its companion Just One Year are the obvious choices, while Love & Gelato and 13 Little Blue Envelopes move the fantasy to other parts of Europe. If you simply want a heart-melting boy and a slow burn, To All the Boys I've Loved Before and The Summer I Turned Pretty deliver that feeling. Rom-com readers should pick Better Than the Movies for the wit, and Royals if you like your romance with plenty of laughs and a dose of fantasy about high society.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Anna and the French Kiss about?
An American teen is sent to a Paris boarding school and falls for a charming classmate named Étienne.
Is Anna and the French Kiss part of a series?
It is the first of three linked novels, followed by Lola and the Boy Next Door and Isla and the Happily Ever After.
Do you have to read the books in order?
You can read them separately, but the order lets you enjoy characters returning.
What age is Anna and the French Kiss for?
It is usually recommended for ages 14 and up.
Is the book clean?
It is mostly mild, with kissing, some language and some references to sex.
Does the book have a happy ending?
Yes. It delivers the satisfying ending that romance readers hope for.