Chris Lavalle is a beauty, a model, and a huge influencer, but not an actor. Still, he got the leading role in The Throne.
Nicolas Madden is the famous actor and leading actor of The Throne, the film adaptation of the same name queer novel. He’s pissed, why give the other leading role to an incompetent influencer, ugh!
Yes, he hates Lavalle and everything he stands for!

If they can’t play these characters the movie will fail.
You get it, the dynamic between them has to be right.
Nicholas is bluntly rude. Chris is used to being spit at, still, it hurts and it’s tantalizing!

Nicholas is closeted, Chris the opposite. But there are similarities and they recognize and acknowledge them.
What we can follow here is how two lonely souls choose the get to know each other, how they get close, as a perfect fit, it’s a slow burn a very slow one, with longing and yearning, the dynamic is intimate and palpable, just like the chemistry. The characters are not what I expected from the blurb, they were so much more. There are several situations to enjoy, the hurt, the love, the commitment, the world of fame, the social media, the mess of scandals, everything was quite entertainingly expressed.

The story felt like poetry, with soft breaths, and tentative touches, against a Parish background, imagine the romantic environments, sigh! Even the moments with ugliness were beautiful.
At some point I disliked Nicholas hugely, but…. he made up for it!
A widely written story, a beauty for the eye, a caress for the soul. It was a long sit, a little shorter, and maybe a little less about the whole movie business would have been also okay with me.
The story takes place in Paris, one of my favorite places!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book!

DNF @ 50%

This is the perfect example of a "me not you" situation, I actually have nothing bad to say about the first half of the book I read. The tropes were great and the characters were loveable. I loved the premise and I found myself rooting for the MCs! I started this a few months ago and flew through the first 30%, however, once I put it down I had no motivation to pick it back up again, maybe its because I was in a bit of a reading slump and this book just wasn't the right type of novel for me at the time. It's definitely one I will come back to at some point in the near future and I will update my review once I do!

Thank you to NetGalley, Carina Adores, and S.R. Lane for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I initially wanted to read this book immediately because the blurb seemed to have many interesting and fun elements for a romcom with it taking place in Paris, in the 1990s, and following a gay celebrity love story.

Unfortunately, overall I found the story fell flat and is what contributed to this book taking 3.5 months to read something that would normally take me 3 days.

I don’t think the plot, romance, or characters were bad, but I never fell in love. The filming of the movie scenes were fun, but many felt inconsequential to the plot. I never bought into Chris and Nicholas’ relationship (sometimes confusing who was who), but found the side characters to provide a good amount of humour. Lastly, the romance that existed was good, but felt lackluster overall.

I’d rate this 3.5 stars because it was a lax and chill read, but unsure who specially this book may for for reccomending.

We follow Chris and Nicholas as they are filming a romance that is set in Paris. Chris is a model trying his time at a serious movie role, while Nicholas is a actor. This novel is duo pov. While they are filming Nicholas and Chris begins to have an affair that they need to be keeping a secret from the public eye as well as the people on the set.

Like I said this takes place in Paris, but also I feel like if you never been there [like myself] some of the stuff would be confusing. I also feel like the writing is a bit confusing. The tension between Chris and Nicholas wasn’t something I was keen on.

Overall, this wasn’t a bad book. I just really didn’t connect with it.

I initially struggled with this book. I had to put it down and come back to it later. It just didn't grab me from the beginning, and I found it difficult to really get into it. I did pick it back up later to give it another go, in case the issue was just where I was at reading wise that day.

One of the fun things about this book was the beginning of the chapters, where we get glimpses into the outside of the story itself, gossip column articles, Chris's IG posts, different Reddit type feeds. Definitely a clever way to find out more about the characters' lives, and something I've only ever seen in a few books.

Reading the sub story of Angelo and Frederick as the script was different as well. We learned the love story of these fictional characters in a fictional story, and it made me root for them, a well.

I really enjoyed the imagery of Paris in the summer, in all its gilded glory. However, I did find that sometimes the descriptions of things were a bit too long and drawn out. In addition, the dialogue of the characters was slightly more formal than you might normally see in a romance. That would be very understandable in the case of Chris who is a Parisian, with French as his first language, but with Nicholas Madden, it was somewhat distracting.

I did find that I expected to learn more about Chris and Nicholas, and never quite felt like I did. It was as if I was reading their script sometimes, rather than their entire story.

Overall, I felt like this story could have been somewhat shorter and more distinct in its characterization, but still enjoyed it.

A new to me author, a compelling and well written story, an enemy to lover that kept me hooked and reading.
I appreciated the fleshed and well rounded characters, the style of writing, and the well developed story.
The author is a good storyteller and the story is fast paced.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the copy!
I really wan’t to visit París, and this book take me there.
Very cute and lovely story, the characters are really funny.

The publisher’s blurb for this début romance from S.R. Lane drew me in immediately. Eight Weeks in Paris revolves around filming the big-screen adaptation of The Throne, a classic queer novel set in Paris during the Belle Époque, and it promised an enemies-to-lovers romance between the two stars – one a Hollywood bad boy, the other a model and influencer with little acting experience. It’s a great premise and I really wanted to love it. But I didn’t, for a number of reasons.

The Throne, thought lost and only re-discovered in the early 1990s, captured the imagination of movie star Nicholas Madden the moment he read it, and he’s been waiting for years for a movie to be made of it – and to star in it. Finally, his dream is coming to pass; a fantastic director has been hired and filming is about to begin, when he learns that the man cast to play the complex and pivotal role of Angelo, his character’s love interest, is a virtual newbie. To say he’s not pleased is an understatement; this project is very close to his heart and he’s furious at the thought of it being torpedoed by a complete amateur.

When Christian Lavalle – beautiful, charming, openly out-and-proud – arrives on set, Nicholas dislikes him immediately, but is told that the two of them are going to have dinner together that evening so they can get to know each other a little. Nicholas agrees very reluctantly – not that he has much choice – and is very surprised to see a certain quality in Christian that may well mean he’s not such a bad casting choice after all. He’s still not convinced Christian has the acting chops necessary to carry off such a difficult role, but he realises the man is not the “brainless, vapid airhead” he’d expected him to be.

I liked those opening scenes, and I liked the characters and the way Christian keeps overturning Nicholas’ expectations. The author sets up the animosity between them well and there’s the hint of some decent chemistry there – but somehow, I reached the end of the book and found myself wondering what I’d just read. There’s an HEA, but I honestly couldn’t tell you how Chris and Nicholas get from their initial dislike to falling in love, or even why they fall in love. The writing style is vague and, dare I say it? rather pretentious, and while I was totally on board for the idea of the two love stories – the one in the book and the one between Nicholas and Chris – running concurrently and mirroring each other – neither romance is particularly convincing, and the real life one is severely underdeveloped.

The characterisation is similarly obscure. When I started reading, I found both protagonists intriguing and looked forward to getting to know them better, but that never happened. I felt as though I was reading the book through a fog, where everything I was looking for – story, character and relationship development – was behind some sort of opaque veil and always just out of reach. It was really frustrating!

Where the book does score is in its exploration of the disadvantages of fame – how hard it is to have a private life when you’re forever in the public eye in this age of social media – and the ins and outs of filming and all the industry entails; the power plays, the on-set drama, the PR, the media, the deceptions (Nicholas is not out and his agent wants it to remain that way) and all the work that goes into film-making.

But as a romance it falls flat. Eight Weeks in Paris should have been a terrific read – a slow-burn, opposites-attract romance between two actors filming a classic queer love story in the world’s most romantic city – but unforunately, it’s none of those those things.

Thank you to Carina Press and Netgalley for providing an advanced copy of Eight Weeks in Paris.

Eight Weeks in Paris follows "The Big Bad Wolf of Hollywood" Nicholas Madden, who is convinced that this role in The Throne will be his lasting legacy. The only thing he didn't quite account for is his co-star, French influencer and model Chris Lavalle.

S.R. Lane weaves an artistic - and almost historical sounding - tale with the prose. The book is airy and light, and yet it is not hard to pick out the character development and the plot and the romance from between the linguistic art Lane paints for us.

Having never traveled to Paris (and honestly, I barely know anything about the place), I found myself getting a little lost. I think if a reader has traveled there and gotten to experience the magic that is Paris, France, it would be easier to connect with. Still, the author did a great job with descriptions and I found myself pulling up Google quite frequently so I could get an idea for how things might look. I did enjoy the bits from blogs and fans that interweaved throughout the story and overall I found this a pretty enjoyable read.

4.5 stars

I went into Eight Weeks in Paris knowing very little about the book. I had seen it on Netgalley and decided to request it after one of my bookstagram friends raved about it. I saw ‘Paris’ and ‘queer romance’ and was pretty much sold.

If I could describe this book in only two words, they would be 'quietly beautiful'. I felt immersed in Nicholas and Chris’s small world of movie sets, Nicholas’s hotel room, and Chris’s apartment. The writing was very evocative, and I could feel the range of emotions both men felt - the highs and lows, the contempt and annoyance, the yearning and the desire.

This book is full of fun tropes: grumpy/sunshine, coworkers, forced proximity, opposites attract, sick/caregiver, a hint of the forbidden, a secret romance. I wouldn’t necessarily call this enemies-to-lovers so much as misconceptions/wrong impressions/animosity to tentative friends to lovers. That's a thing, right? All of those things combined made for a lovely slow-burn romance that really grabbed my heart and made me fall for this book.

i'm..... confused why this book isn't getting any hype and have so little review/ratings???????

<b> THIS WAS SO GOOOOOD </b>

i'm in love with Nicholas Madden. i love how he's always blunt and honest, i love how BIG he went out.

i also love seeing Chris grew confident with his acting. i hate seeing others hurt him with their actions, unknowingly or not, i wanted to see more apologetic actions towards him. he deserved better!!

them being happy together makes me sooooo fullllll. i want more of them being together and happy.

REVIEW ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Eight Weeks in Paris by S R Lane centers around the on-set drama behind the filming of a historical gay love story. Nicholas Madden, an excellent but temperamental actor, is none too happy when he learns that his new co-star is Chris Lavalle, popular fashion model with no acting training. Chris has a major fan following and has every intention of proving that there is more to him than just a pretty face. Nicholas is a belligerent jerk, but Chris and his natural talent and magnetism begin to change his perception. Eight weeks of intense filming bring the two co-stars closer than either thought possible. Could there be more passion than just what has been written in the movie script?⠀
⠀
This sublime book will stir your emotions, and Nicholas and Chris will capture your heart. There is a blissfully beautiful quality to the prose of this stunning debut novel. I love the gradual and methodical progression of the love story which unfolds with a natural fluidity. The author tackles the very real condition of being closeted and famous, and how openly gay actors are still forced to fight for their rightful place in an industry that still clings to out dated bias and prejudice. Also skillfully illustrated is the sacrifice and courage it takes to live true to one’s self. For fans of books like The Charm Offensive, this is a must read. S R Lane is definitely a new author to keep your eyes on. ⠀

You already know I can’t have enough of books that take place in the beautiful city of Paris. As soon as I saw this book I just know I had to read it!

I loved how the Paris representation was absolutely on point in this book. All the little details from the freshly baked pastries, Le Louvre and the busy streets of La Place de la Concorde made me feel like I was visiting the City of Love once again!

The only thing that bothered me a bit was the writing style, that was at times a bit confusing. I feel like the author was too focused on making the writing pretty and poetic, but unfortunately, it only made the dialogue between characters feel a bit too unrealistic.

Nonetheless, Eight Weeks in Paris was an interesting read! It was fun, cute and even a bit spicy at times. I definitely recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Carina Press for this ARC in exchange of an honest review.

This book follows Chris and Nicholas as they begin filming a queer romance set in early 1900s Paris. Nicholas is a seasoned actor whereas Chris is a pretty-boy model trying his hand at a serious acting role. Nicholas has issues with Chris from the beginning but as the pair spend time together they grow close and begin an affair that must be kept secret from the film crew and the public. The novel is dual POV and each chapter starts with a piece of the movie script, social media posts, text thread, blip from a news article, etc.

I wanted to like Chris and Nicholas more than I did. I usually like grumpy heroes but Nicholas was too grumpy for me. I liked Chris but I liked him well enough that I wanted more than Nicholas for him. I didn’t really believe in the pair as an endgame couple. I know it wouldn’t be a romance if this were the case, but I would have been fine with them having an affair while filming the movie and then going their separate ways. I didn’t fell heat, tension, or love between the pair of them, which made it hard to root for them and their story. I was honestly more interested in the filming of the movie. I wish we would have seen more of Paris through the filming locations. So few contemporary books take place in Paris and I wanted more of the city I love. Overall I’m not mad about this book, but it read like a debut novel, which I’m pretty sure it is.

Thank you to NetGalley and Carina Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Oh, so you’re expecting me to actually talk about this book? Well, that seems rude but okay I guess.

This is a hard book to recommend. Please don’t misunderstand, I say it’s hard to recommend not through any fault of its own but because it’s akin to offering someone a piece of my heart for judgment, to be weighed and have the possibility of being found wanting. It feels like exposing a raw nerve, and if I ever directly recommend this book to you please know that means I trust you with the tenderest and most vulnerable parts of me.

“Eight Weeks In Paris” takes us to the City of Lights just as production is about to start on the long awaited movie adaptation of the novel ‘The Throne’, a Queer story from the Belle Époque with a cult following for its rare and cherished (though fraught and hard won) hopeful tone.

Nicholas “The Big Bad Wolf of Hollywood” Madden, A-list actor, 2 Golden Globes, Closeted.
Christian Lavalle, model, 1.5M instagram followers, out and proud French hearthrob.
In short, a recipe for disaster you won’t want to miss.

This book was very personal for me. Not only did I see myself in Nicholas and Chris both but the nostalgia of my beloved Paris was almost too much for me. Set in the Grands Boulevards, a place I have called Home at multiple times in my life, this could’ve gone very much awry if it hadn’t been written, quite clearly, by someone who lives or has lived in Paris.

I was drawn in from the first. With beautiful prose, cutting insight into the human condition and so much heart, this was a truly stunning debut for S. R. Lane. I find myself in that Mr. Knightley conundrum of “if I loved it less I could talk about it more.”

“Eight Weeks In Paris” by S.R. Lane is out today! Thank you Carina Press for one of my favorite reads of the year, and you can bet I bought myself a physical copy.

I personally did not connect to this book, which is a bummer because I wanted to. It felt like a Victorian romance in disguise as a contemporary romance ? At times it was complicated for me to understand, at other I was confused why people in current times were speaking so eloquently. I think had I been prepared for it I would have enjoyed it more. It had all the things I love: queer romance, Paris, Hollywood, celebrity. However the writing style did not speak to me.

The story was cute but I didn’t feel like I got a chance to connect with the characters. Thank you to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

DNF @ 35%. I just can't get into it. I'm distracted while reading and when I put it down I don't want to pick it up again. Also, I'm lost?? It doesn't make sense! It's supposed to be a romance so why am I confused?

To start off I did not have hugely high hopes for this book I am absolutely guilty of judging a book by its cover and this cover did not inspire a lot of positive hopes for an adult romance about two men. However looks can be deceiving and as soon as I started reading this book I was absolutely hooked. This book is a fantastically engaging read, I read it all in one day and only put it down when absolutely necessary.

Nicholas and Chris are truly darling characters and while I have a favorite (Chris) they were both wonderful. This love story is a sort of a slow burn I didn't know I wanted where they acknowledge the attraction, and slowly with no pressure or explosiveness deepen the intimacy between them until the conclusion feels natural and perfect. I am not usually a person who adds a lot of annotations to a book the first time I read it but I could not help myself with this book and highlighted a bunch of passages I just Loved so much. This book quickly made itself contender for my book of the year and I despite my ARC copy I have already preordered a physical copy to share and re-read.

As I texted to Ashley (my podcast partner) gushing about how this is probably a new all time favorite book "Its all about the terrifying intimacy of being seen." That kind of deep real emotional experience is difficult to write but S. R. Lane pulls it off and I will be recommending this book everywhere I can until she writes the next one.

Thank you to Net Galley and Carina Adores for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

Did not finish book. Stopped at 15%.

The book was far far too focused on a) a novel that doesn’t exist, and b) on the minutiae of how movies are made that it overcomes the otherwise interesting plot. And the food! Wonderful descriptions of French food!

However, I didn’t like either character and thought they weren’t right for each other from the get go.

The minute details about filming bogged down the story, and the emphasis on the novel-within-the-novel detracted from the story. I found the characters unloveable and found myself uninterested in reading anything more about them.

There were some major formatting issues within the story; the social media posts were just shy of impossible to read.