Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

*thank you to @netgalley for a free digital arc in exchange for an honest review*

“Kisses and Croissants” follows the story of Mia, a young ballet dancer whose only dream is to be a member of the prestigious ABT, but when ABT turns her down, she gets a second chance with a Parisian ballet company, one of the most prestigious in the world. Her only goal this summer is to perform ballet and get the role of Odette in Swan Lake, but things start to run astray when her American rival shows up at the same ballet company. Not to mention Mia’s on a city-wide search for a painting of her ancestor along with a cute French boy.

This book was utterly binge-worthy and I highly recommend to fans of “Loveboat, Taipei” and “The Fault in our Stars”. It combines travel, drama, romance, and dance, which is all you really need in a book.

I initially thought this book would be a 5 star read, but I ended up giving it 4 stars for a few minor complaints. I had an unedited arc, but there were a couple of blaring typos that were hard to ignore. Additionally, I found the story incredibly predictable, however this didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment of the book. Finally, I definitely thought the ending could be seen coming from a mile away.

Be on the lookout for this book in my October Wrap Up video on my channel!

3.5 stars
This was such a fun rom-com! Mia is a ballerina taking classes in Paris for the summer when she meets a boy who flips everything upside down. I would consider this a crossover between *Loveboat, Taipei* and *Anna and the French Kiss*. Though I didn’t enjoy this *as* much as those, it has the same vibe and is very light-hearted and fun. I loved how Mia’s ballet was such a priority for her throughout the story and that we got so much detail about her dance classes because usually when dancing is involved in YA the specifics are skipped over. I also really enjoyed the Paris setting—it felt so realistic and was so much fun. I also really appreciated the friendship element throughout the book; even though it wasn’t the priority, I felt that it did make our main character more relatable. I also liked Louis but I didn’t *love* the romance. I just didn’t buy into it like I really wanted to, which was a little disappointing.

Really cute, quick read! The author painted a beautiful picture of a summer in Paris and I loved the little mystery of the Degas painting. The ending was a little abrupt, as fleshed out as the rest of the story was, but still a good read!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc!

I loved this sweet little romance! All about ballet and Paris and love, these 3 big pieces are all in balance to make a good story: not so much ballet as to be alienating, not so much Paris tourism as to be irritating, and just enough romance without overpowering the friendships and personal growth. I'll certainly be purchasing this book for my school library because my Kasie West/Stephanie Perkins/Jenny Han fans will want to read this one.

Kisses and Croissant's has a concept that I think a lot of people will find intriguing, and many will love. It follows our 17 year old ballerina, Mia Jenrow, as she goes to Paris for the summer to attend an exclusive ballet school with the hope she'll catch the eye of potential dance companies. Of course, she also meets a cute French boy and from there, she is navigating the thin line between enjoying a romantic Paris summer and dedicating herself wholly to her passion and craft.

There was definitely aspects of this I really enjoyed. It was whimsical and fun and a breezy read (for the most part). It is not bogged down by a heavy writing style; it's very concise and straight forward, which I think would make it perfectly perhaps for a younger crowd; 14-15 y/o young adult, rather than 17-18 y/o young adult age range. It was also wonderful to be able to read about Paris and the ballet lifestyle. Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau peppered in a perfect amount of French without making it seem cliche or cheesy. She also didn't shy away from the harsh realities of being a ballerina. Mia is constantly lamenting her sore muscles and remarks on the toll a ballet lifestyle takes on your feet. I loved the setting and the descriptions of where the characters were.

Unfortunately, there was also so much about this book that was a miss for me.

To start, I didn't feel connected to Mia as a character at all. She didn't seem fleshed out enough for me. I understand that she's passionate and dedicated and that her entire life has been ballet, but she also just didn't have many other attributes or characteristics about her that made me feel anything for her. I didn't dislike Mia at all, but I also didn't feel like I knew her that well, or that she was someone I could invest in. Her relationship with Louis had no chemistry at all, and felt incredibly rushed. I couldn't find it believable.

The plot also completely lost me toward the end. Right at the very end, a twist happens that completely took me by surprise (in a bad way) and I was totally lost on how I should feel reading the entire ten percent of it. There was almost a stark and sudden genre change at the very end of a chapter.

Overall, I do think some people will enjoy this and get a good read out of it. It could be a great fun, summer contemporary romance for some. But it hit the mark for me.

Mia is living her ballet dream attending the summer program prestigious Institut L'Opera de Paris. She has always wanted to be a ballerina and this summer is her chance to be recognized and accepted into her dream school. She is convinced that ballet is her destiny because family legend says that her many-great-grandmother was one of Degas' famous ballerina subjects. Can nemesis Audrey and a severe dance master ruin her love affair with Paris and a romance with cute Parisian Louis? A sweet European adventure for fans of Love & Gelato.

3.5 stars

Finally!! A book set in France without any grammar issues or errors copied and pasted from Google Translation. Woohoo, we have a winner on that account. If anyone's curious, I'm French and live in France so whenever authors use french in their book, they mess up 90% of the time and I just hate it so much. Naturally, I had to go check on the author's website and it turns out she was born and raised in France which makes a lot of sense.

Now, Kisses and Croissants was a contemporary story with some romance in it between a french boy and a girl that travelled to Paris to participate in a prestigious summer ballet program. Her goal is to be a professional ballet dancer and for that, she has to work her ass off. I actually admired Mia for her determination. Louis is her teacher's son and was there when she needed help. He helped her out and offered to show her around.

I found Mia a little naive as she seemed to think that nothing bad could happen to her just because she was in Paris.... Girl, bad people are everywhere and bad things can happen to you no matter where you are unfortunately. Just because it's your dream to be there doesn't mean everything will be okay but that's just my cynical self talking. I also didn't absolutely love the romance or the plot about the painting and her family history. The ballet and her relationship with her rival was what I enjoyed the most I think.

(Thank you for letting me read and review an ARC via Netgalley)

Kisses and Croissants started off as a great read, with beautiful descriptions of Paris with all its iconic sites. I totally fell in love with Paris while reading Jouhanneau's descriptions. I also loved her descriptions of Ballet.

I felt like there were a few plot holes throughout the story especially during the second half of the book. Moreover the characters were a bit too plain. They has this one main attribute and that is the only one reflected repeatedly in their personality. And then there is also the case of characters who have no significant( or rather no) contribution to the plot.

The emotions portrayed by the different characters especially Mia and Louis (the MCs) are not concurrent with any of their actions. Louis is too forgiving after all the things that Mia said to him. And they just simply go around kissing each other as if their big fight just didn't happen. I also did not see them falling in love, if it happened then it must have been in a blink of eye.

The way the plot unfurls I feel that the author seems to be indecisive towards the direction she wants the plot to go. At first it seems to be going in one direction and then the plot dramatically changes with just a blink of an eye. It left me quite unsettled, had the same thing went just a bit gradually I would have enjoyed the book a lot more.

This book had a great potential and as i said I loved the book initially but it was the latter part because of which I dropped my rating. This book had a great potential and could've been a great read!

I really enjoyed this book. It was so interesting to get inside the mind of someone who is so passionate about what they do. Mia is so unapologetic about what she wants, even with her own family. She is a very strong character, and someone I would have looked up to if I read this ten years ago.

I think it’s important to highlight modern female characters with ambition. Mia goes to Paris to achieve her dream to make it as a ballerina. She meets a boy, and even when she starts to really fall for him, she never wavers on the importance of what she’s doing. She proves that you can and should balance your career and your passion with your outside life. I also liked that her love interest, Louis, always supports her passion for ballet. He understands her love for it and doesn’t get in her way.

I felt like Paris was a character in this book. You can tell the author has a love for the city throughout the pages of Kisses and Croissants. I loved reading about Mia exploring the landmarks and different parts of Paris. I even felt like I was learning some French in the way the book was written. It was like listening to Mia’s thoughts as she heard words spoken in French. She would silently translate them in her head, giving a unique way for readers to follow what was being said.

Overall, I thought this book was very cute and I loved that this wasn’t a typical story of two rival girls clawing at each other on their way to the top spot. It emphasized the teamwork and support system it takes to be successful. It showed that you can be great at something while also leaning on friends, family, and loved ones. There is a lot of pressure in any career path, but there needs to be balance to fully enjoy it.

I was intrigued by the cover and title of this book, not realizing it was categorized as a "children's book." It's a bit of a misnomer; I think the book is more appropriate for teens or young adults. In any case, it's been a long time since I've been a young adult, although I enjoyed the book!

It's a fictional story about 17-year-old Mia, an aspiring ballerina who was selected to study ballet for the summer in Paris, at the prestigious Institut de l'Opera Paris. It's a highly competitive program and she's thrilled to be accepted into it, although not thrilled to find out her biggest rival Audrey is also attending. And, as it turns out, Audrey is not only attending the school, but will be her roommate in the dormitory.

It's always been Mia's dream to dance, a dream inspired by a legend that her great-grandmother was supposedly a top ballerina in Paris. The story goes that her great-grandmother was once painted by Degas. So while in Paris, Mia vows to find out if the legend is true by tracking down the painting.

The summer starts with a big surprise, when Mia is invited to move from Level 4 dancer to Level 5, the highest level of the summer program. But it also means she has to obtain the required white leotard, and the only place in the city that has it is a 30 minute commute from the school. Fortunately she meets Louis, who volunteers to take her on his Vespa. The adventure begins a new friendship for Mia, one that soon turns into a romance as Louis helps her uncover the mystery behind her great grandmother, while also showing her the sites of Paris. But the school's director frowns upon relationships, telling Mia that she needs to have a single focus in order to be a professional dancer.

The summer is filled with surprises and challenges, and throughout the book we see how Mia grows professionally as a dancer, while learning how to achieve her dance goals without compromising the other things in her life.

I recommend this book for any woman who is a teenager or older. There are some mild romance scenes in it, so it could fall in the "sweet romance" category. Even though the story is built around a teen girl, I think there are lessons about compromise, sacrifice and learning to be yourself that can apply to any age group.

Thank you NetGalley and RandomHouse for providing an ARC of this book in return for an unbiased review.

When I saw a book featuring ballet, I couldn't /not/ read it. I love watching ballets. I have zero experience with it, which makes watching it all the more fun. Jouhanneau does a beautiful job of capturing the dreams and the realities of young ballet dancer Mia, as she starts her summer ballet intensive in Paris where she becomes more sure than ever that ballet is who she is. Sure, she may struggle a bit with the normal teen things - boys, mean girls, the future, and her parents - but the ballet is there.

I knocked down a star (which really is only half a star in my mind) because I wasn't a fan of the way in which as certain plot point unfoiled. My lips are sealed, though! Get this book!

Ahh my heart is swelling with pure love at this very moment! It was such a good lighthearted but im so in love at 16 that id move across the country just for you kind of love story and lets be honest those are my favorite!!

Mia is 16 years old and flying to Paris to make her Ballet dreams come true. Shes rooming with Audrey the best ballet dancer she knows and they arent exactly friends. Much to Mia's surprise when she begins her level 4 ballet classes the teacher pulls her aside and moves her up to level 5 with non other than Audrey oh joy thinks Mia now ill be with someone who dislikes me constantly! One day as Mia is leaving to explore Paris she sees a gorgeous Parisian boy and they begin a whirlwind romance. Its love at first sight as always happens in the most romantic city! Mia is also on a journey to find her ancestors and truly find out if Degas painted her great great great grandmother. Mia soon finds out the truth about the handsome parisian boy named Louis hes Mister Dobrawoskis Son and often flirts with the girls in the ballet school.
Mia finds herself on a journey of self discovery,romance, passion, and the beauty of art and the city of Paris.

I adored Mia and Louis and wanted things to work out from the very beginning! I found myself smiling and feeling all of the emotions that Mia felt as well. I look forward to more from Jouhanneau

Kisses and Croissants is a sweet, YA romance, set in Paris where Mia is attending a summer ballet program. Having grown up a dancer myself, I was instantly drawn in by the author’s seamless descriptions of life in a ballet studio. I could feel myself living the story through Mia’s experiences, feeling the pain of her intense training, and holding my breath as she waited to hear whether or not she was picked for one the top roles in the upcoming performance.

I wish the same magic was woven into the romance in the book. There wasn’t enough build up for Mia and Louise to gain a place in my heart and make me root for their relationship. I wanted to be invested, but the emotion was lacking for me and left me wanting to skip ahead.

The author does an amazing job at describing Paris and weaving French into the story, but as someone who doesn’t know French, I occasionally found the extensive use of it distracting from the story, as well as the long, drawn out setting descriptions. However, there is a hint of mystery woven into Mia’s connection to the culture and it kept me turning the pages, wanting to uncover the secret.

Overall, I enjoyed the story and feel like it would be a good fit for young adult readers!

This was a very sweet wholesome story. It was a quick easy read and I really enjoyed it. The characters are really likable and written well. I liked how romance and being focused on Mia's ballet career were equally balanced. I love reading anything set in Paris and this did not disappoint! It made my mouth water and want fresh croissants and baguettes! Definitely need to take a trip to France someday!

Oh to be a ballerina in Paris wandering through art museums, sipping on espressos at the infamous Cafe de Flor, and traveling to the French countryside with an overseas lover!

I remember seeing a quote once about how someone who doesn’t read only lives one life, but readers live hundreds. That quote resonated with me because my favorite kinds of books are ones that make you feel like you’ve traveled without even leaving your couch. When I say that this book took me to Paris, I mean it TOOK me to Paris. I could smell the croissants, picture the Opera Bastille in front of me, taste the strong and sweet espresso, and hear the bustling cobblestone streets with people wizzing by on vespas.

In between ballet practices, Mia explores Paris on the little downtime she has to take us to beautiful Parisian museums such as the grand Musée D’Orsay. For a girl who has never been to Paris but has always dreamed of it, this book was just the journey I needed. Traveling to Paris without even leaving the comfort of my couch; it’s a yes from me!

Aspiring ballerinas and lovers of ballet, this book is for you! Despite the fact that this book takes place in Paris, it’s VERY ballet heavy. It has a Parisian setting but ballet is the true lifeblood of this book. As Mia herself says, “Paris is every aspiring ballet dancer’s biggest dream”. Between all the ballet and exploring Paris, Mia is determined to undercover a family secret involving her ancestors and the famous Degas painting, to discover if ballet truly is in her blood.

I originally was going to give this 4/5 (my rating system is very tough and 4/5 is actually hard to achieve and is a very high rating with my rating scale) but this last 10% of this book had me change my mind instantly. This book could not have ended more perfectly.

5/5 stars, this book was perfection

Merci beaucoup Netgalley and Random House for sending me an advance copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

(Word of advice, I recommend having some croissants on hand before starting to read this. I guarantee you will want one.)

Shout out to Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau for letting me live my ballerina dreams vicariously through her book.

Kisses and Croissants follows the story of Mia, a young dancer who travels to Paris for a prestigious summer ballet program. While she works to achieve her dreams of being a dancer, she also meets a cute French boy and begins to learn more about her family's legacy.

This book was such a cute summer read! I had so much fun reading about Mia pirouetting her way through Paris. The descriptions of the city, the food, and the art made me wish so much I could be in Paris eating a buttery croissant instead of being stuck in my room for summer break. It was also perfectly cheesy and cliché for a YA romance novel.

I adored Mia (even though she cried SO many times). I loved the passion she had for ballet and her growth throughout the story. Mia knows what she wants, she’s known since she was a child, and she doesn’t let distractions get in the way of her dreams. Even though I wanted her to just have fun with Louis in Paris, I was also proud of how she was able to decide for herself what was more important to her and works extremely hard to achieve them.

However, I did feel that the book was longer than it should have been. The plot was dragged out and became a little slow at times because it was often repetitive. That being said, the ending was très mignon and I’d definitely recommend this book for friends who are looking for a fun and irresistibly sweet read!

First things first – I highly recommend picking up this novel when it’s released April 2021! This novel will give you all the heart-warming feels and be adored by audiences of all ages. Don’t let the fact that the main character is seventeen deter you from giving this book a try!

Mia lives and breathes ballet and dreams of becoming a professional ballerina. Ballet requires her full attention and dedication in order to be successful. One of her dreams is to be accepted to the American Ballet Theatre in New York. However, after failing to be accepted to their program, she is accepted into an elite program in Paris for the summer. Soon, she is off for a Parisian adventure and one step closer to achieving her dream. When she arrives though, things are off to a rough start when her flight was delayed meaning she has to begin her trip by running through the airport.

Near the taxi stand she runs into her “rival” Audrey, a fellow American ballet student who is Mia believes is a superior ballerina and has been accepted into the same program. They end up not only sharing a taxi to the dorms, but have to share a dorm room as well. Mia starts to question if her time in Paris is just going to be one obstacle after another.

Audrey is placed in level five (the highest in the program) and Mia is placed in level four. However, after an initial practice session, the director sees potential in Mia and she is moved to level five. Mia starts to doubt her abilities, but is excited about the new opportunity. Soon she meets Louis while exiting the school, but she starts to question if the attraction is worth the potential distraction. Mia has to then find out where her true passion lies and how much focus she can afford to take away from ballet to live her life to the fullest.

Mia and Audrey form an unlikely friendship when both of them are cast in the program’s production of Swan Lake. Along with Mia’s other friends, Lucy and Auruk, her Paris adventure truly takes flight. The friendships are a great part of the story as they understand each other while also focusing on the reason why they are in Paris. The bonds they formed were realistic and relatable.

As this is a romance novel, Louis and Mia form a relationship as they spend time together outside of her ballet schedule. Louis took some time to like as he was just sort of there and almost too perfect. He adored Mia and was very supportive at every turn so it felt a little one-sided when they would have a disagreement or even a conversation. I felt he needed a little more realism to make him a more well-rounded character. He experiences character growth as the chapters move on, but I just felt like he was missing something when it came to him having any conflict (big or small) with Mia. He did, however, complement Mia well and they did make an adorable couple.

The scenery described in this novel is what truly brings it to life as you feel like you’re walking along the streets of Paris even though you’re reading it on paper. The landmarks, the food, and the general atmosphere were described in just enough detail to paint a picture of the novel’s story. Mia was a relatable “tourist” as she attempted to use French and how Paris filled her with a sense of wonder. I remember my first time in Paris and I related to how Mia was mesmerized by the city, although I was never as brave as her to freely attempt any French that I knew.

Overall, this is a very light-hearted and heart-warming story about following your passion while also remembering to live your life. Mia a fantastic main character and you instantly root for her to live out her dream as you follow along her journey in her Parisian ballet summer program. I highly recommend this novel to anyone who wants a nice easy read that will leave you feeling satisfied!

**Special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. Opinions expressed in this review are purely my own.**

4 stars!
I have read a couple teenage romances lately, and honestly thought I was starting to get too old to read them.
But this book was a delight! Super lighthearted and sweet.
I did love that Mia had her passions outside of the romance. I feel that’s why I can’t connect to a lot of YA romances, because all their time and energy is spent on the love interest. Mia was first and foremost a ballet dancer, and she wasn’t going to put that aside for anyone.
I do wish there were more descriptions of Paris, so I could feel like I was really there.
Overall, this was very cute! Would recommend :)

Huge thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

This book is full of all the fluff and romance the adorably rosy cover promises! Mix one part Center Stage with all the fromage-y Hallmark tropes we all secretly love (admit it!), and what you'll find is the most adorable little YA novel, perfect for a quick escapist weekend.

I've always wanted to travel to Paris, but the way Anne-Sophie describes the city here is enough to make me want to book the first flight out! Not to mention, I wanted to devour every single pastry mentioned in this book. The descriptive writing is on point, even down to some of the technical ballet terms those unfamiliar to dance might easily get bored with. You're able to follow along quite nicely and picture every choreographed sequence in your head.

Louis is a swoon-worthy love interest worth rooting for, though I would have loved to have seen more conversations between him and Mia throughout the book. Which leads me to my only main issue; the exposition gets stale after a while, and while executed brilliantly, dialogue between characters felt sorely lacking, especially when it came to the love story (at times, it felt as if Mia's friends held more verbal exchanges with her than her LI did.)

There are several twists along Mia's journey to ballet stardom, yet her grit and determination never come off as grating, nor do any of the missteps she makes along the way--pun entirely intended. :)

It definitely falls under the clean teen category, nothing too scandalous outside of a few French kisses, and would be a wonderful introductory book for preteens who are working their way out of MG.
8 baguettes sur 10!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for this ARC!
Four Stars to Kisses and Croissants!

I love light hearted contemporary reads but this still managed to make me tear up and it was in a good way and a heartbreaking way.

Mia has always dreamed of being a professional ballerina, she has put everything into and has given up everything for it, she spends the summer before her senior year at a special school in Paris to make her dream come true. I loved Mia, her dream felt real, she sacrificed a lot for it, but for it wasn't a big deal because it what she was giving up was not enough to even think about giving up her dream. While her mother is not the most supportive her father and her grandmother are. Her grandmother is convinced it is in her blood and hopes she can find her destiny within Paris. When Mia comes to Paris its essentially everything she ever wanted and everything Paris had to offer including boys, which is where Louis comes in, Louis isn't a bad boy, he's just a boy who lives in Paris and is surrounded by pretty ballerinas, but Mia is different. That's where the story lost me a bit, Louis goes on about how passionate Mia is about Ballet and finding this Degas painting of her ancestor which will solidify she is doing what she loves, but then so is everyone. Louis character needed to be a little more fleshed out in the romance aspect, we have a better understanding of him when the novel ends but I still don't see what makes their attachment and love so strong. There wasn't a moment where I think that was ever solidify that their relationship was like end goals, it read like a serious fling but still a fling.
Really what sold the story for me was the ballet, Mia had a love story with ballet and it was beautiful and heartbreaking. It was her serious dream and she worked hard and loved harder to get it. The ending with her and her dream was hard and I teared up but it was beautiful.

Really anyone who loves Anna and The French Kiss and Love & Gelato will love this book!

Thank you again!