On the surface this should have worked for me. I adored Love & Other Disasters where two people met on a cooking show, bantered, and boom: love. This had a similar premise. They meet on a baking show and immediately have a meet-disaster where Paris accidentally gives Tariq a bloody nose on camera with a refrigerator door.

Ooh boy. I'm a person with anxiety and cannot handle secondhand embarrassment so following along in a story where we see every single anxious thought that Paris has was a struggle. The poor guy was so in his head even though he was doing fairly well in the competition.

I hated that Paris would text his folks almost weekly and never seemed to have a response back. He just didn't have very many people in his corner and I find that just so sad. He was horrifically awkward but his heart was usually in the right place. The fact that no one took him by the hand years ago and said look, your brain is a liar and we'll get you help was painful for me.

There were some funny parts but the stand out part of this book was the discussion about sexuality and religion. There are very few Muslim love interests in mainstream romance and even fewer unapologetically gay Muslims so this was an interesting story to follow about how important his faith was to him.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Audio for a copy in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own.

The character of Paris gets 1 star, but the overall premise of the baking show bumps it up to 2.

Dude. This was no Rosaline Palmer. It's been a while since I've wanted to slap a character that badly. I was glad when Tariq finally called Paris out about making everything about himself - even his apologies.

I just couldn't stand how he let his anxiety be his excuse for EVERYTHING. Pushed past your sexual boundaries, questioned your religion, and said something mildly racist? Must be the anxiety. Boyfriend won a challenge, but I didn't so I can't say congratulations? Must be the anxiety. Dude. I get that anxiety is a real thing, but it doesn't excuse anyone for being an a**hole. I know Paris eventually went to therapy, but it almost felt like too little too late at that point.

Sigh. I don't know if I'll go onto the next. This was a big letdown for me.

Alexis Hall is always a treat -- there's not a novel of his that I won't gleefully add to my TBR stack! I was a fan of ROSALINE PALMER and was excited to return to the same universe in PARIS DAILLENCOURT. Hall does an excellent job of conveying the main character's overwhelming anxiety--so much so that at many points, I found the novel difficult to read.

I had just been talking to someone about someone writing a story set during something like the Great British Bake Off when I saw this book on NetGalley and immediately requested it! I had no idea it was the second in a series, and I definitely need to look up the first one now.

Paris Daillencourt is always worrying about the worst ways a situation can go. When his friend enters him into a televised baking competition to push him out of his comfort zone, he has an all new list of things to panic over.

Emotionally speaking, this was actually kind of a difficult read for me. My anxiety has never been as bad as Paris’s, but I was able to recognize my own in his worries. The cyclical nature of his anxieties, the panic attacks, the thinking the worst. It all resonated very strongly with me, so I needed to occasionally put this book down.

The secondary cast of characters are delightful, if a little flat and stereotypical. But given that we spend the whole book in Paris’s head, it makes sense that he doesn’t take the time to really get to know anybody.

I also genuinely appreciated the care given to Paris’s mental health and the importance of him eventually getting help. Therapy and medication are both valuable tools, but they both only help because Paris is also willing to put in the work.

This was a charming read, and I look forward to starting the first one in the series as well as getting excited for the third one! Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for this ARC.

4 stars

You can read all of my reviews at Nerd Girl Loves Books.

This was a cute and fun LGTBQ+ contemporary romance. Paris is a hot mess. He's got a cat, a degree, a roommate and a love for baking. But, his constant self-doubt and second-guessing have left him a hot mess. His roommate enters him into the country's biggest baking competition (think The Great British Bake Off) and he's excited and nauseas at the same time, thinking he'll be the first one sent home. To his surprise, he wins the first challenge, despite hitting a fellow contestant, Tariq, in the face with his refrigerator door. But, the public scrutiny is harsh, interacting with the fellow contestants is nerve-wracking, and Paris spirals.

He apologizes to Tariq, constantly, to which Tariq brushes it off and teases him that he'll have to charge him every time he apologizes if Paris doesn't stop. Tariq is fun, outgoing and understanding, so they seem like complete opposites. Paris bungles asking Tariq out, but eventually they get on the same page and start to see each other.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the cute banter between Paris and Tariq. The author did a good job depicting Paris' anxiety, and I really feel for people suffering from it. It was exhausting just reading his constant inner dialogue, so I can't even imagine having to actually live it. I can see how it was exhausting for Tariq trying to have a relationship with Paris, especially since he didn't really understand it as much as he thought he did. It seemed like he thought Paris should be able to just "shut it off". Wrong.

The parts of the book that dealt with the baking show were fun and it was a hoot learning about the other quirky characters. The book also touched on the casual cruelty of social media and how it affects people that are targeted. This book had a fairly good balance between the fun and levity of the baking show and Paris' battle with anxiety and the dark sides of social media. Overall, it was an enjoyable read that I recommend.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing). All opinions are my own.

I love Alexis Hall and I was excited for this book, but unfortunately, I had to DNF. It was just very difficult for me to get invested because of the tone and the characters, and then I ultimately made my decision to pause reading based on other people's reviews that discussed the content warnings more specifically. Had I known more about the specifics of the content warnings, I would probably not have picked this one up.

Yet another sweet rom-com-dram from Alexis Hall! Paris Daillencourt is an extremely anxious University student whose flatmate signed him up to compete on the national baking competition show. He's a sweetie who can't seem to understand that he has anxiety though, questioning himself even when he wins competition weeks. Tariq is another competitor that takes an interest in Paris, and things are good, until all that anxiety pours over and gets in the way.

This was kind of a hard read for me for a while. Paris' anxiety was a little to relatable for me and stressed me out, ha! He does eventually begin to work on himself, but the process to get there was rough. (And also relatable...says the 30-year-old who was diagnosed with GAD 6 years ago and only just now started therapy.)

Anyway, I really enjoyed this read, even with the stressful bits! I always appreciate a more realistic, messy romance, and Hall is an expert at writing those!

Thanks to Netgalley and Forever for the e-ARC and ARC!

Alternate title options: Paris Daillencourt is Exhausting. Paris Daillencourt Needs Therapy.

I appreciate Hall's inclusion of anxiety, but Paris spends SO MUCH TIME in his own head full of self-doubt and thinking about worst-case-scenarios and the repetition got old quickly.

I enjoyed the baking competition show elements of this one, but it wasn't enough to get past Paris' annoying character. The romance was also lacking and comes secondary to Paris' (very slow) growth.

While it's technically second in the Winner Bakes All series, it can be read as a standalone -- the Bake Expectations show and judges are the carry over from Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake. Overall not a favorite for me and I don't think I'll continue when there's an inevitable third book series..

Thank you Forever Pub and NetGalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

PARIS DAILLENCOURT IS ABOUT TO CRUMBLE by Alexis Hall is a romantic comedy that takes place over the course of a television baking competition. The story starts as a standard Alexis Hall delightful romcom with the perfect balance of rom and com. Even while dealing with very real issues, Hall manages to keep the laughs coming. In all his books, Hall writes perfectly understandable disagreements and misunderstandings in which the reader can sympathize with both characters, and this is no exception. Meanwhile, the romance develops believably, and the quirky side characters are lots of fun. Reader, beware that Paris's anxiety can be difficult and frustrating to read and won't be for everyone. This book also breaks genre conventions in some important ways.

Paris Daillencourt is About to Crumble
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Genre: Romance / RomCom
Format: Kindle eBook and Audiobook
Date Published: 11/1/22
Author: Alexis Hall
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Narrator: Ewan Goddard
GR: 3.73

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Paris Daillencourt is a recipe for disaster. Despite his passion for baking, his cat, and his classics degree, constant self-doubt and second-guessing have left him a curdled, directionless mess. So when his roommate enters him in Bake Expectations, the nation’s favourite baking show, Paris is sure he’ll be the first one sent home. But not only does he win week one’s challenge—he meets fellow contestant Tariq Hassan. Sure, he’s the competition, but he’s also cute and kind, with more confidence than Paris could ever hope to have. Still, neither his growing romance with Tariq nor his own impressive bakes can keep Paris’s fear of failure from spoiling his happiness. And when the show’s vicious fanbase confirms his worst anxieties, Paris’s confidence is torn apart quicker than tear-and-share bread. But if Paris can find the strength to face his past, his future, and the chorus of hecklers that live in his brain, he’ll realize it’s the sweet things in life that he really deserves. My Thoughts: If Alexis Hall is writing it, I am READING it! I adore this author’s style. This is book no. 2 in the Winner Bakes All series. This works as a stand alone, you do not need to read the first book for this one to make sense. The first book is Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake, which I also loved. I adored Paris, even through he is suffering from a silent mental health issue of General Anxiety Disorder. Some people may not like Paris, but I knew a good person was under the self-loathing and at times, awful behavior person. The Muslim representation was done very well with grace. Paris and Tariq were just perfect together, they truly did balance each other out. The supporting characters, especially the four Dave’s and the sex goddess was just fabulous! The characters were well developed with depth, witty banter, excellant chemistry, and creative. The author’s writing style is complex, funny, endearing, intriguing, and brilliant. This is the fourth novel I have read from Hall and I will read anything by this author, auto buy for me! I HIGHLY recommend this book, if you loved the London is Falling series, you will LOVE this one. This published at the beginning of the month. While I got approved for the ebook, I got a little behind on reviews, so I waited to get the audiobook and it was excellant and finished in 2 days. Content warning: mental health issues.

Thank you to both Read Forever Publishers and Netgalley for my advance review copy.

Alexis Hall’s characters are basically guaranteed to be hot messes, and Paris doesn’t disappoint. 🫶🏼

Paris’s undiagnosed anxiety disorder leaves his brain a chaotic, unpredictable mess, and competing on Bake Expectations isn’t exactly a recipe for calm, cool, collectedness.

The romance in this one is different than any other book of Hall’s (that I’ve read, anyway). Paris’s love interest is a devout Muslim. Tariq, while openly gay, keeps it halal, prays faithfully, and is saving sex for marriage.

A lot of their conflict stems from Paris and his anxiety, and also his lack of sensitivity toward Tariq and the intersection of his cultural, sexual, and religion identities.

Was it my favorite Alexis Hall? No. Boyfriend Material is basically impossible to beat, but it was a fun, fast read which also normalizes therapy and getting the help you need.

I’m grateful for the positive ending, and I’m glad that both Paris and Tariq find love and acceptance. And now I want to bake biscuits roses de Reims. 💛

Paris Daillencourt has a lot on his plate and is not dealing with it very well. His anxiety is undiagnosed and untreated which certainly leads to difficulty in reading his thoughts and actions. He and Tariq give in to some flirtation and begin dating but Paris’s insecurities (and Tariq’s need to fix) get in the way of their budding romance. This book didn’t resonate with me in the ways I was hoping it would but perhaps it will for you.

Paris Daillencourt objectively has a lot going for him: a degree, a cool cat, an awesome bestie, and a lot of baking skills. He also has a metric megaton of anxiety and self-doubt. So when he ends up on Bake Expectations thanks to his best friend entering him, his anxiety is the fiercest competitor, undermining both the competition and his growing relationship with fellow contestant Tariq.

I’m going to be frank in this review; the only reason I didn’t give this book one star is because I finished it. I have read and loved other works by Hall, but Paris Daillencourt was very firmly not the book for me.

As someone who has anxiety, I understand how debilitating anxiety can be. Maybe for some readers, the novel-length anxiety attack that was Paris’ character would be affirming or entertaining in some way. For me, it was a big miss. It’s hard for me to root for a protagonist who in no way, shape, or form roots or advocates for themself. Like. At all.

The only thing more jarring to me than Paris’ self-deprecation was his unexamined privilege. There was just… an extreme cognitive dissonance in the way Paris moved through the world that was never challenged enough in the narrative for me. The few sections that brush up against Paris’ ignorance are clumsy at best, and that’s being generous. He behaves in really crappy ways; some of them can be explained by anxiety, but some of them are all him, and he never really takes accountability for it.

Most of all, I didn’t buy into the romance between Tariq and Paris, which is kind of essential for a romance novel. Is being tall and cute truly all it takes for allosexuals? Because that’s about all I ever remember Tariq mentioning about Paris. Maybe my aspec self is just too far disconnected from the typical dating experience to empathize. Beyond that, Tariq is warm, loveable, and far more patient with Paris’ behavior than I would be in his position. And while we’re at it, Morag deserves better too.

In short: This one was a huge, overblown mess for me and won’t be a book I recommend. As always, maybe it will land better for other readers.

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for an advance review copy. All opinions are my own.

I was unsure what to expect when I first started this book. I made the mistake of reading reviews before reading it for myself and noticed a lot of mixed feelings... some I agreed with, lots I did not. I am inclined to agree that Paris Daillencourt is About to Crumble is not a romance. It has a romantic subplot, but it is by no means the main focus of this story. I, however, was not bothered by this. Paris and Tariq have chemistry, but each have their own issues and baggage that may make a relationship difficult in the long run, but they are only 20 years old for goodness sake! Will they be together forever and ever? Heck if I know, but that's OK and it doesn't take away from the things they learned from one another by being together.
No, the main focus of this story was Paris and his struggles with GAD (General Anxiety Disorder). As someone who suffers from anxiety, I related to a lot of things that Paris experienced, though not quite at the level he did, though I do agree with a lot of other commenters that his spirals did get to be quite tedious at times. My biggest complaint for the book was that I feel it could have been a little shorter. Some plot points could've been cut down or out entirely and we still would have gotten the point of the story.
Overall, I really enjoy this book. Alexis Hall is a pro at banter and there were so many parts in this story that made me laugh out loud; I look forward to the third book in the series!

Paris Daillencourt is About to Crumble is the second book in Alexis Hall’s Winner Bakes All series, which pays homage to and pokes affectionate fun at The Great British Bake-Off as some of the contestants on its fictional counterpart, Bake Expectations, fall in love throughout the weeks of the competition. The first thing anyone contemplating reading it should know is that despite the bright, cartoon cover, this book is NOT a romantic comedy.  Rather, it's the story of a young man living with chronic, undiagnosed, and untreated anxiety who slowly falls apart and then starts to put the pieces back together, with a romantic subplot and a very tentative HFN.

There’s a lot to unpack here, so I’m going to do something I don’t normally do, and quote from the book blurb to set the scene:

Paris Daillencourt is a recipe for disaster. Despite his passion for baking, his cat, and his classics degree, constant self-doubt and second-guessing have left him a curdled, directionless mess. So when his roommate enters him in Bake Expectations, the nation’s favourite baking show, Paris is sure he’ll be the first one sent home.

But not only does he win week one’s challenge—he meets fellow contestant Tariq Hassan. Sure, he’s the competition, but he’s also cute and kind, with more confidence than Paris could ever hope to have. Still, neither his growing romance with Tariq nor his own impressive bakes can keep Paris’s fear of failure from spoiling his happiness.

Paris is, for the most part, a sympathetic character, and it’s easy to see that he really wants to be a good person but that his fears and anxiety make him somewhat self-centred and cause him to hurt the people he cares about. His belief that he’s unloveable and ‘too much’ isn’t surprising, considering his parents seem to have dumped him at school when he was thirteen and just left him to get on with it, and he doesn’t seem to have any real grasp of why he feels and acts as he does, which results in his constantly making poor decisions and sabotaging himself. Now twenty-one, he’s studying for a degree in Classics at UCL (University College London) and doesn’t have any close family or friends he can turn to or who are in a position to really notice just how much he’s struggling with, well, everything.

Tariq Hassan is a sparkly, fabulous, unapologetically gay Muslim who knows who he is and what he wants. He’s sweet and kind and funny, with the kind of flair and self-confidence Paris utterly lacks; he’s also devout and doesn’t believe in sex before marriage, which pretty much wrecks his and Paris’ first date when Paris bluntly says he doesn’t know why a guy would want to be with him if sex isn’t on the table. Naturally, Tariq doesn’t think much of that and the evening ends on a sour note, but Paris manages to apologise (eventually) and gets Tariq to give him a second chance.

Thankfully, Paris does eventually get the help he needs (although I’m not convinced he would have done so but for circumstances which make it pretty much impossible for him NOT to) and I began to enjoy him as a character. With all the fear and self-doubt receding, we get to see the real Paris underneath it all, a slightly awkward yet charming young man with a good sense of humour and a genuine desire to get better and do the work he needs to do on himself to get there. Unfortunately, however, that doesn’t happen until over three-quarters of the way through the book, and there came a point around the halfway point where I started to wish the author had included Tariq’s PoV simply to break up the full-on, full-throttle Paris-in-panic-mode spiralling. I really wish we’d been able to spend a bit more time with the healthier version of him.

Paris Daillencourt is About to Crumble is a difficult book to review because it is, at times, a difficult book to read. Not only is being in Paris’ head all the time kind of exhausting - following his thought processes is like being on a train hurtling towards catastrophe in a disaster movie - but reading all the tangential inner monologues, superfluous dialogue and unfinished sentences is literally difficult and hard to follow. Coming at the book primarily as a romance reader and reviewing it for a romance book site, I have to say that the love story plays second-fiddle to Paris, his issues and his eventual personal growth. I did enjoy Paris and Tariq as a couple in the beginning and near the end; Tariq is good for Paris and helps him to see the ways in which his behaviour is not only self-destructive but hurtful to those around him, and I liked that he has some of his own moments of self-revelation towards the end, too.

Maybe it’s on me, but I was surprised when I realised Paris and Tariq were both so young. I don’t know why, but I’d expected them to be older than twenty-one and twenty, and I suspect their ages – together with everything they’re going through – internet trolls, TV fame, Paris’ mental health crisis - are part of the reason I didn’t quite buy that they would make it long-term.  (It's difficult to believe that the no-premarital-sex thing isn't going to be a problem down the line as well.)  The book ends on a tentative HFN, which feels right considering where Paris and Tariq are at that point, but when I finish a romance novel, I want to feel the characters are going to be together for the foreseeable future, not that they’ll have split up within a year or so.

I’m a big fan of Alexis Hall’s writing, which is always clever, sharply observed and sparklingly witty. The very Britishness of his humour absolutely resonates with me, and, as was the case with the previous book (Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake) the parts of the story that are set during the competition are a lot of fun. He writes about anxiety and depression in a sensitive and relatable way, and I appreciated the exploration of what it means to be privileged yet unhappy or devout and queer, of how it must feel to receive a diagnosis and then start on the long and often uphill road to recovery.

In the end, I enjoyed Paris Daillencourt is About to Crumble and would certainly recommend it provided you’re prepared to adjust your expectations as regards the romance. I’ve read reviews from people who also live with anxiety issues who have said they found the mental health rep very good and Paris’ experiences very relatable, but also that they found reading triggering in some instances, so please take that into account if you’re thinking about picking this one up.

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Paris is the anxiety monster.

This book is so different from what Hall has delivered in the past, which is what makes it so good. Hall once again displays the depth of writing chops and talent in this story about a baker who’s a little too wrapped up in his head, and a little too much for this baking competition.

Our hero, but is he thought, Paris Daillencourt, is a walking talking disaster. Whether he’s spouting something that doesn’t make much sense, bashing people accidentally in the face with freezer doors, or genuinely putting himself down he’s just someone you want to wrap up in a hug. Though from all descriptors of those around him, Paris is smoking hot, though his fashion sense is miles from his famous fashion designer father and model mother. All of this is made worse when all of his mess is filmed for television.

How does this happen? Well, Paris’s best friend, a fat Glaswegian sex goddess, signed him up for the show. He’s a fabulous baker so of course, he got in. Though the competition isn’t going like he planned and meeting someone like Tariq Hassan, confident in his walk, his talk, and his baking skills throws Paris even more off-guard.

These two falling for each other makes sense, and while most would think this has the potential for an Alexis Hall romcom, it alas is not. This is new adult and there is plenty of angst, growing pains, and a lot of deep emotions around mental illness, boundaries, and growing up that tore at my heartstrings a little. At times this story was even difficult to read and my heart ached for Paris and some of the challenges that he couldn’t seem to overcome.

This book is a romance though and there is a HEA, though it’s hard-fought. The characterization is top notch and as I mentioned above Hall really does Paris just in the accuracy of his portrayal. While this isn’t always a feel-good, laughable story, there are plenty of moments that are chuckling-inducing. There is also Four Daves, a laser gun fight with children, plenty of yummy goodness, and lots of quirky side characters.

If you want something off the beaten path, a romance that showcases a hero battling for love and against mental illness this is definitely the book for you.

~ Landra

Thank you @readforeverpub for a copy this. I have mixed feelings about this one. What I enjoyed about it:
- diversity representation
- discussion on mental health
- Tariq's family

Here's what I struggled with:
- the book felt very repetitive with Paris lack of confidence (I know it was the point of his character)
- lack of romance and banter which I was expecting

I also felt Paris and his relationship with his parents was left unresolved in the story and left me wanting to see know what happens.

A gigantic thank you to Forever Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!!
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Alexis Hall is quickly becoming one of my go to authors. His books are consistently charming, while raising very real topics. I went into this novel thinking it would be a casual rom-com, but it was really an in-depth look at anxiety and the ways it can control us until we can’t see the way out any more. Paris’s roommate submitted his name to Bake Expectations, a reality baking show that bares some clear similarities to The Great British Bake Off, and he finds himself baking treats each week across from Tariq’s glorious smile.
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I do wish that we got to experience some of the novel from Tariq’s perspective, rather than just from Paris. Paris has a severe anxiety disorder which can make his POV stressful and there were definitely moments when I wanted to just shake him by the shoulders and tell him to snap out of his head. But that is exactly the point. Hall forces us to view Paris as he is and spend a few hours in his head, but also doesn’t give him any excuse for being ignorant or racist. Beyond discussions on mental health and anxiety, Hall also covers Islamophobia, homophobia, and racism, so please be conscious when deciding if this is a book for you.

I'm very grateful to have received this book, but I'm choosing the DNF this book at about 30%. I'm just really struggling with Paris and am not looking forward to reading the rest. I might revisit reading it in the future. Thank you so much though.

dnf 15% This is another case of it’s not the book, it’s me. Paris has severe anxiety and Alexis writes the condition so accurately that it severely triggered my anxiety every time i picked up the book. I might be able to pick it up again when I’m at a better place mentally because I was enjoying all of the Alexis humor and the GBBO of it all, but for now I have to step away.