DNF. I couldn't get into this one. I realized I do not generally enjoy YA novels. Thank you for providing this ebook.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of <i>Aix Marks the Spot</i> in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

<h4 style="margin-top: 84px;">The Gist</h4>

Sarah Anderson's <i>Aix Marks the Spot</i> offers a light and engaging read, ideal for fans of cozy mysteries. Set against the picturesque backdrop of Aix-en-Provence, the novel provides a delightful blend of travel, mystery, and a touch of romance, though it occasionally falls short in terms of plot complexity and character depth.

<h4>The Details</h4>

Anderson's vivid descriptions of Aix-en-Provence are a highlight of the book, transporting readers to the charming streets, bustling markets, and serene countryside of the French town. The setting serves as more than just a backdrop, adding a rich layer of atmosphere that enhances the reading experience. Anderson's love for the region is evident and contagious, making the locale almost a character in its own right.

While the setting is beautifully crafted, the characters can feel somewhat one-dimensional. The protagonist is likable and relatable, but her development over the course of the story is limited. Supporting characters, such as her new friends and potential love interest, add to the charm but lack depth and complexity. They often fall into familiar tropes without much innovation or surprise.

Anderson's writing is clear and engaging, making for an easy and enjoyable read. The pacing is steady, though the plot can feel predictable at times. The mystery angle provides a good hook, but seasoned mystery readers might find the resolution lacking in suspense and originality. The dialogue is natural and often infused with a light humour that keeps the tone breezy and fun.

<h4>The Verdict</h4>

Overall, <i>Aix Marks the Spot</i> by Sarah Anderson is a charming, if somewhat predictable, story that benefits greatly from its evocative setting. It's an enjoyable escape to the South of France with a lighthearted mystery. While it may not offer the depth or complexity some readers seek, it's a pleasant read that provides a nice dose of escapism. This book earns a solid three stars for its engaging setting and accessible writing, tempered by its straightforward plot and somewhat shallow character development.

This is another #netgalleyarc that has been sitting on my #toberead shelf since the #covid2020shutdown. But I’m glad I finally got around to reading this cute #comingofage tale. Jamie thinks her parents have banished her to the #southoffrance🇫🇷 with an unloving grandmother as punishment. To cure her boredom, she discovers one of her parents #loveletters from the summer they met which leads to a hunt for more letters. She convinces her only French friend, Valetin—the cute boy from the village, to help her discover the hidden letters even if the chance of finding them 17 years later is slim. An enjoyable ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ despite the #teenageangst that made me want to book a trip to #aixenprovence ASAP! 📚📚📚 #bookstagram #booksbooksbooks #booklover #bookrecommendations #netgalleyreview #my2023readingchallenge

Want to take a trip to the south of France? Then this novel is definitely one for you to devour (just like you will want to devour all the delicious French foods that are described throughout!) No, this book is not a French cookbook; it’s a coming-of-age story of a teenage girl learning to navigate life in a foreign country, with a grandmother she’s never met before now.
I really enjoyed this! The author does a wonderful job of bringing the sights, sounds, and smells of France to the reader through her vivid descriptions.
I would recommend for Y.A. readers and older. There are some mature subjects addressed, as well as some serious consequences that occur as a result of underage drinking

Mja, not funny not interesting... it was just ...alright...? It was missing something and the character lacked dept. I were waiting for something interesting to happen.

This book was a great quick summer read! I enjoyed the backstories and characters!!! I would definitely read more from this author

This is a book about Jamie who travels to her Mamie's in France for the summer. Jamie was supposed to go with her parents, but due to an accident her parents are unable to join her. She decides to proceed on her own doing a treasure hunt. This is a treasure hunt where she found a love letter between her parents. Which told her about a special surprise was at the end of the clues. The clues were scattered throughout different cities.
The book was okay, the premise was very
mushy. Which made it an easy read. I found the author could of done more to give the book more depth. There wasn’t much character growth and the ending was kind of just wrapped up in a neat little bow. There was a communication issues between mamie and Jamie’s parents that went on for 17 years that wasn’t really dealt with.

Aix Marks the Spot is a great summer read for young adult readers. If you have ever read Love and Gelato you will enjoy this story. As we learn at the beginning of the book Jamie is not like most girls who would have enjoyed a trip to France to meet their estranged grandparent. No, Jamie resents being shipped overseas because she is not there to experience the culture no Jamie is there because she messed up at home and she is forced to go to France. Jamie hates that there is a language barrier, no Wifi and most of all she has to spend time with family she does not know. Enter Valentin, a cute French boy who is willing to help Jamie as she embarks on a treasure hunt. Jamie’s father created a treasure hunt for her mother 17years ago but she never completed so Jamie decides to solve it with Valentin’s help. This book is funny and witty and reads like a typical YA rom-com story. Which I LOVE! So, if you need a cute swoon filled summer read this is it. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance reader copy of this book.

DNF

I wanted to like this book SO badly. Between the fun play on words in the title, the adorable cover, the synopsis, and the fact I was the same age as the main character when I took my first trip to France - which started in the south of France and included Aix-en-Provence - I hoped this book would be a winner for me. I made it about halfway through and the only thing I enjoyed about it was the descriptions of France. The characters were flat and hard to connect to, the story dragged, and while I'm good at suspending believability in books (especially YA), the idea of Jamie taking on a treasure hunt 17 years later in heavily touristed areas was just impossible to believe.

I really enjoyed the setting of this book. I think the provides a lot of angst in the character's backstories. I would have liked to see more development of the central relationship. It felt more like a friendship, less like a romantic relationship.

Jamie was always eager to go to France, but she never imagined she would find herself in the country under these circumstances. Now, she has to make the best of her time in France. When she finds a letter, Jamie finds herself travelling against the French countryside with a boy, Valentin, who is willing to help her follow the trail of letters.

The amount of French that was used (and not translated) in here was incredibly important for me here. Part of the story, is Jamie's struggle in France. Despite her father being French and now staying with her Mamie (grandmother), Jamie's French is minimal leaving her confused and lost more often than not. As I know no French, this helped leave me confused and gave me a better understanding of what she might be feeling.

I do feel like the characters, Jamie especially, acted their age. There were a number of moments when I was incredibly frustrated with her, but I had to remind myself she was young and really just needed someone there to help guide her. That is what she was missing.

I'm not someone who had felt split between two countries, but I feel like Anderson did a great job of explaining it through Jamie. I could really feel her struggle of not feeling like she really belong in either one. It just left me wanting to hug her or try to offer her any comfort she was willing to take.

Anderson also did a wonderful job building up Provence. It was all described with such detail and love. I loved trying to imagine all of that through Jamie's eyes. It was beautiful and really did make me want to travel there.

Aix Marks the Spot is a quick read with some good points of discussion throughout. It's fun and has some major summer vibes. There were times when I do feel like it moved a little slow, but it was cute and entertaining.

This was a fun, light contemporary read. I enjoyed the descriptions of the French backdrop and the food. Jamie was a likable protagonist and I enjoyed following along with her on her hunt to uncover her father's secrets. However, I found her to be slightly annoying at times. In terms of the romance, it was also really sweet but it felt a bit rushed. I expected more development.
Other than that, the book was sweet. I recommend if you're looking for a light summer read.

Honestly this wasn’t my cup of tea. I requested it straight out of an Outer Banks binge when I felt like I needed more adventure in my life, and this only partially delivered. The actual traveling was pretty fun but I found the characters and plot to be quite lackluster. I think I might have liked it more when I was younger.

I absolutely love this book so much! This is a book I did not know I needed, the main character is so tough and adventurous to say the least and this is really empowering! I read this at the perfect time and this is a powerful read I needed. Finding yourself but make it adventurous is what I pitch this book as. I genuinely enjoy my time reading it and I flew through this book so quickly! It gave me a lot of strength to face the world, conquer the world even and the lessons that I get out of the book is really just for me! I highly recommend this book to anyone really, especially if you are doubting yourself or going through a difficult period of time, you will love this!

cover is super good, but the story is not really my style. but i still recommend this book for others.

Aix Marks The Spot By Sarah Anderson

Rating 3.5 / 5 Stars

Publication Date - 6/16/2020

** Thank you to Netgalley, Seabreeze Books, and of course, Sarah Anderson, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adored this book. Every time I consider myself “aged out” of YA Romance, It shocks me and pulls me right back in. The premise was the reason i requested this book as I am someone who loves to travel and experience new places and experiences.

Aix details Jamie’s life as she dreams of summers with her best friend meeting cute boys, expressing herself in art, and feeling free as she coasts down the road feeling the freedom brush through her hair. What wasn’t on that list of dreams? Getting into a car accident.

After her mother is injured, Jamie is sent to France, Provance to be exact and forced into living with her French grandmother who is virtually a stranger to her. As someone who has been France, I was so impressed with the way Anderson depicted the beautiful country. Someone who had not been would be able to feel like they could smell the lavender fields of Provance through the pages.

Enter Valentin, who begins to help Jamie learn and translate French while she searches for the treasure she believes might help her family. After willing to accompany her, The relationship between Valentin and Jamie shows cultural differences, love, heartbreak, and the quest to find one’s self while also trying to help those around you.

In my mind, the ending was a bit rushed, and that is the only reason I am giving this book a 3.5 instead of 4. The setting, characters, and storyline all provide a well-rounded novel, one which makes me want to book a flight to France ASAP!

The best thing about this book is how vivid and beautiful the descriptions are. I felt like I was actually traveling through France with our main character, Jamie. The perfect atmosphere definitely makes the book have a higher rating for me, however, I would say the plot lacks valid motivation and good character building. It tried to tie in a tragic accident involving her mother with the history of her parents' love. Jamie goes on a quest from reading her dad's old scavenger hunt letters that he wrote for her mom and left them all around the south of France, and the whole time Jamie constantly tells herself that she isn't allowed to enjoy any of it because of the accident that has left her mother injured. It felt to me like a weak internal conflict and didn't make much sense in the grand scheme of the story, sometimes she just sounded spoiled and whiny and then the book would remind you of this guilt she was holding to make her actions/thoughts seem reasonable but personally I don't think it aligned the whole time.
Overall though the vibe and the atmosphere is nice if you are in the mood for a book involving travel and light family drama and light romance.

This reminded me so much of the movie Passport to Paris (traveling all over France with a cute boy). There was a little mystery involved, lots of French scenes and language and character growth. I would recommend for the younger YA audience. Very sweet.

This book was not for me. I did not particularly like it and ended up DNFing it thus won't be able to provide a detailed review.

When I got this book, I was truly excited, because I heard a lot of good things about it.
But unfortunately when I got time to read it, I was a little disappointed.
It is cute and sweet read, but nothing that staid with me...
The end felt rushed...
Just not my cup of tea, I guess so...
3 stars.