I love the intent of this series, with messy queer people in a baking competition. But if the first book was a tough read, this one is even more difficult. I’m fine with a character coming off as unlikable in a romance or romance adjacent book, but this book crossed a line in doing so. There’s being “flawed” and dealing with anxiety, but that doesn’t justify racism. Granted, it’s more out of ignorance at first, but the fact that Paris kept making “gaffes,” from not knowing what he was doing when making knish to putting his foot in his mouth when conversing with Tariq, implying Tariq wouldn’t know what technology was since he was Muslim. It would be one thing if it was called out each time and Paris reflects on it, but no! It’s just chocked up to his anxiety! Mental illness does not make you racist!

3.5 rounded up to 4 stars. Bumped up because it made me tear up exactly one time.
I didn't love this book like I loved Rosaline's story, but it wasn't quuuite a "meh" for me.
Paris's head is an uncomfortable place to be for the first three quarters of the book which makes it somewhat difficult to get through. He's dealing with an undiagnosed anxiety disorder and you can really feel that while reading. It's rough, but makes the difference so stark when Paris finally seeks help.
Once again like with Rosaline's story I didn't read this for the romance - which is totally fine if you know that going into it. Personally I'm just here for Grace Forsyth's antics.

✨Book Review✨

🍰 I had high expectations for the second book in the Winner Bakes All series - "Paris Daillencourt is About to Crumble." I loved "Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake," but this book left me wanting more. 2⭐

🍪 Paris and Tariq have a meet-disaster on the set of the Bake Expectations baking show. Paris is nervous all the time and he is constantly putting his foot in his mouth. Will he be able to get out of his head in order to succeed in the competition and explore what could be possible between him and Tariq?

🏳️‍🌈 I love the LGBTQ+ rep in this book and I like that part of the book includes the competitors watching as their episodes air and Twitter streams from that time. I always love the baking parts of these types of books, especially since I'm watching the current season of #GBBO.

🧠 Unfortunately, I never connected with Paris and the constant discussions of his anxiety made me anxious. I was missing the chemistry between Paris and Tariq and this book just didn't flow or feel fun to me.

Thank you @readforeverpub and @netgalley for the eARC in exchange my honest review.

⚠️ intense anxiety, on-screen panic attack, possible dissociation, frequent needless micro- and macro-aggressions related to religious discrimination, crappy parents

Shareability: I wouldn't recommend this one 🤷‍♀️

Spice: Minimal romance and no spice - feels disappointing in what is billed as a romance novel

Pairs well with: strawberries 🍓

The premise of this book is great: an M/M romance with Muslim rep, anxiety rep, diversity, a British baking competition and a cat! However the execution of this premise didn’t always work for me.

Alexis Hall has written some of my very favorite books, Glitterland, For Real and Boyfriend Material, but this book didn’t flow as well for me regarding the pacing. Paris’s inner monologue and unrelenting self-doubt and self-consciousness felt exhausting and that may have been the purpose of Hall writing this character because there is never any question that he’s a great writer. It was also a little bit of a challenge to feel sympathy for a white male from a privileged background who seems so whiny. Maybe if his background and discovery of his anxiety was explained from the beginning, I would have had empathy early on. (On a personal note, I also cope with anxiety and appreciate the various ways it manifests and is treated.)

The aftermath of Paris hitting Tariq in the face with the fridge door is an example of how it’s all about Paris. Tariq reassuring Paris later fell into that non-white person trying to make a white person feel better about their mistake. But why?

This book was a struggle for me to get through and I think Tariq is too good for Paris. I read a lot of diverse romance and want to promote it as much as possible but this is a book I’d recommend with reservations.

I’d say read this for the diversity, the excellent baking contest backdrop and the cast of secondary characters that lend authenticity and comic relief to the story.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a more unique and interesting read for me. I have never read anything from Alexis Hall before, so I was intrigued when I saw this. Paris Daillencourt Is About to Crumble is about Paris and Tariq, who are contestants in a baking show.

I should start buying saying this doesn’t give a romantic comedy feel. It’s more just contemporary fiction with some relationship development sprinkled in- which is not bad, just not what was expected.

The overall baking show plot was really exciting for me, as I am a huge fan of them. It added an extra element to the plot that peaks my interest. That honestly became my biggest interest of the book. I was initially interested to read about a character with anxiety like me, but it overtook the book and made anxiety out to be pretty negative.

Paris’ anxiety slowly overtook everything and put a negative viewpoint on it. As someone who suffers with anxiety myself, it was honestly exhausting to be inside his head and didn’t make me feel validated, just overwhelmed. I also did not like a few of Paris’ comments and viewpoints. I just did not mesh with him as a main character unfortunately.

Overall, this book unfortunately did not work for me and my tastes. That’s not to say people won’t enjoy it, but I personally struggled with it.

This is a cute novel about a baking competition and a boy named Paris. I loved loved loved seeing them go through the competition and seeing Paris and Tariq's relationship blossom. It made me want to watch the great Canadian baking show all over again.

This novel deals with GAD and mental health issues. While I appreciate that from this novel I did find Paris a bit much at times. Always apologizing and crying. I found it to be a bit overdone but I understood the point.

That being said the ending was what brought this book up in rating for me. I will be checking out more from this author as I haven't read anything by her yet. Overall a solid good read!

Thank you to netgalley and hatchette books for this ARD

I loved the concept of this book, but unfortunately it just wasn't for me. Reading about Paris' anxiety hit too close to home in many ways, and it felt like he never really worked through it. I do think the book is really well written and many people will absolutely love it, though!

Paris Daillencourt is About to Crumble is a more poignant book than I anticipated, well-written and thoughtfully constructed. It's told from Paris's sole POV, and follows his time on a baking show, his growing attraction to his fellow contestant Tariq, and - primarily - his struggles with anxiety and path towards getting help. The primary thing that stands out to me in the book is the commitment to what it feels like to be in Paris's POV at the depths of a mental health crisis. I think for the depiction to be at all realistic, the book really had to lean into how repetitive, cyclical, and inescapable anxiety can feel - and the POV really does bring the reader into that experience. I suppose readers' mileage may vary on that - for me, it made me feel very tender towards the character, and also made the read feel quite angsty at times (which is a plus, for me). And I appreciated that while Tariq was kind and understanding, he wasn't endlessly patient- the moments where he drew boundaries around how he needed to be treated were important and, I thought, extremely well-judged.

Mostly, though, the treatment of Paris's anxiety throughout the book made the ending feel extraordinarily cathartic, without relying on cheap tropes of love (or even therapy!) magically "curing" everything. The change we see Paris go through feels very realistic in its scope, but is absolutely massive in its emotional effect on the reader. Which I just don't think could have worked if the book hadn't taken us to the depths it did. The pacing of getting a character to go through a major change - the kind of change that can take people years and years in real life - in the span of a book, and have it feel authentic and meaningful to the reader, is not easy to do, and this book didn't pull any punches in terms of what it takes to make that work. For anyone who really likes a romance structured on some angsty poignancy (though not without levity) followed by a catharsis that feels entirely earned, this book has it in spades.

The romantic storyline blends well into all of this - it's not the sole/main focus (and I think having it be the sole focus would have led to problematic "love cures all" stuff as mentioned above) but I did find it very sweet and the ending to be fittingly optimistic.

From the author:
Main character with an undiagnosed anxiety disorder (that does get diagnosed), on page panic attack, hospital stay due to panic attack, treatment plan for anxiety disorder discussed, emotionally unavailable parents, very graphic swearing, cyberbullying, religious and racial microaggressions, Islamophobia (challenged).

Trigger Warnings: Nudity, cursing, alcohol, bar, anxiety, neglectful parents, homophobia, racism, Islamophobia, panic attack, hospital, medication, therapy

Representation: Gay, British Bangladeshi Muslim, Fat

Paris Daillencourt is About to Crumble is the second installment in the Winner Bakes All trilogy. On another season of Bake Expectations, we have contestant Paris Daillencourt, a student with an undiagnosed anxiety disorder. When his roommate signs him up for the show, Paris is faced with a whole new set of challenges including another contestant, Tariq. Will their bond be as easy as pie?

To be honest, I liked the first book much better. This book is well written and very detailed but the story feels like it takes a long time to get going. This story is definitely not a cute love story, but a contemporary romance instead. It’s important to know that going in to the story. The author’s use of banter and wit continues to ring true in this book. And I definitely wish I liked this book better, especially with such an awesome cover!

As someone with an anxiety disorder, I’m aware we’re all different but I could not relate to Paris. Sometimes his racing thoughts and self-doubt were spot on but others seemed so exaggerated that they weren’t believable. I think the book blames his anxiety for all of his awful behavior, as does he, but in reality he has a ton of trauma to unpack from his childhood. I wish this was more focused on since his absent parents were constantly talked about.

*2.5 stars*
This is marketed as a m/m contemporary romance. STOP. It is not a romance. I mean the characters get together in the end but honestly they should not. The author has also not given any tangible reason for me to believe that they will last together.

Phew.

I had no idea the protagonists in this would be so young. That's where it all unravels I think in it being sold as a romance. Paris has so many issues and tbh even by the end of the book I don't get the sense that he has sufficiently worked on them enough to be with someone else. I am sorry, but he needs to have moved further to convince me he can be in a healthy relationship with someone else. His parents are also First class Pricks.

Tariq was fun. His family scenes were my best in the book. I liked how thoughtfully the author also wrote about his religious beliefs. That was cool.

I enjoyed reading about the actual baking but I won't lie that seeing most of them through Paris's viewpoint took out some of my enjoyment.

IDK don't read this expecting fluff. Or believing the blurb.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for the ARC.

This book really says a lot about Alexis Hall's talent and skill as a writer--on one hand, Paris is a nearly unbearable character to read, because Hall has so smartly crafted the experience of Paris' anxiety to the point where it takes over the narration, making reading through Paris' voice FEEL like anxiety itself, And yet, Hall manages to keep the book propulsive and readable even though the worst of Paris' anxiety spirals, infusing what is a quite heavy narrative with the kind of effervescence that fits what readers have come to expect of an Alexis Hall novel, Moreover, when all seems essentially doomed, Hall manages to turn the boat around, finds a way for Paris to improve (without feeling like he is 'fixed') and expose a more genuine understanding of his other characters--which was previously obscured by Paris' constant self-castigation. What emerges is a book that is extremely sharp and smart, if not always perfectly delightful to read--yet made all the sharper and smarter for the sake of that discomfort.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

With Alexis Hall’s Paris Daillencourt’s About to Crumble we’re back with the mayhem and fun of Bake Expectations, this time with aforementioned Paris, a very anxious, gorgeous, & talented person who was signed up for the show by his roommate.

Popping with moments of humor, like the opening absurd & very naked scene & basically every moment with show host, Grace Forsyth, this book can be a lot of fun.

But much of the book is heavy as well, with Paris often being very self-critical & often self-loathing, unable to see any potential in himself or a rationale for why someone might want to spend time with him.

While part of me appreciates this very thorough consideration of generalized anxiety disorder, as other reviewers have noted it isn’t always easy to read. Partially because of this it’s a big relief when Paris eventually does seek outside help, & then there’s a real hopefulness to the story I enjoyed.

I wouldn’t really call this a romance & I think the pub has been open about that. But there is the potential for a possibly long-term, honest romantic relationship there—even if it feels bogged down for much of the book with all of the “talks” Paris & Tariq have to have.

I liked this one but it didn’t make my heart go pitter patter.

3.5 ⭐️. Out 11/01.

Please consult a trusted reviewer's list of CWs.

[ID: a copy of the book rests on an open hardback surrounded by four red, orange, & yellow autumn leaves.]

I really wanted to love this one as much as the first one in the series but sadly, that was not the case. I had a hard time reading about Paris’ anxiety and lack of confidence. I’m not sure if it was because his anxiety cycles hit too close to home or if it was the seemingly neverending secondhand embarrassment I felt on his behalf. This book will not be for everyone. Paris comes across as a mess who is whiny at times. I found myself cringing my through the book. That’s not to say that this is a bad story by any means. I think what Hall presented was a truthful picture of some people’s experience with anxiety. The plot was solid. The writing was phenomenal as usual. I just didn’t jive with the repetitiveness of Paris’ anxiety cycles because they mirrored my own at times. It seemed to enhance my own anxiety which is how I know that its an accurate portrayal. Definitely check the trigger warnings before diving in to this one. I think someone who is in the right frame of mind will enjoy this one. So, in my opinion, everyone should give it a shot. I still plan on picking up the other books in this series when they are published. It’s a wonderful setting that will always bring me back for more. 3 stars because I know that this was more of a “me” issue than any real problem with the book.

This is a story about facing your fears and believing in yourself.  Paris Daillencourt lives mostly in his own head, where he is plagued by a range of anxieties that all things, from social interactions to riding public transportation, are likely to go wrong.   As a result, other than when he is in class, he spends most of his time at his apartment, with his one friend who is also his roommate, his cat, his books, and his cooking -- the one activity that seems to give him some peace.  In a perhaps misguided effort to shake Paris out of this rut, his roommate applies on Paris's behalf to England's top baking competition show, Bake Expectations, and Paris is named a contestant.

True to form, Paris is a bundle of anxiety as he arrives for filming, sure he will be the first contestant eliminated.  But Paris wins the first competition.  He also meets Tariq Hassan, an undeniably cute fellow contestant who is everything that Paris is not -- outgoing, extroverted, and confident.  Paris is drawn to Tariq and the two, in fits and starts, embark on a romance.  Despite his success on the show and his growing relationship with Tariq, Paris cannot escape his anxieties and his overwhelming fear of failure -- threatening the progress he had started to make.  When the show begins to air and the fans' reactions, especially on social media, seem to confirm his worst fears, Paris wonders whether he will ever be able to leave his apartment again ... or whether he can find a way to a new future defined not by what scares him.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book!  Both Paris and Tariq are terrific characters -- charming and multi-dimensional -- and it is fun to see their relationship evolve in the context of what feels like a familiar baking competition.  Moreover, through their relationship, and Paris's relationship with his closest friend and roommate, the book offers one of the best depictions of what living with anxiety can be like I have read. The author excels at portraying the way that anxiety and self-doubt define Paris's life and the ways it impacts everything from his ability to engage in day-to-day activities and his closest relationships, even when Paris is trying his hardest not to let it.  It also offers interesting insights into wealth, privilege, social media, celebrity, parasocial relationships, and the intersections between identities.   Finally, the book is often quite funny -- the scene where Paris visits Tariq and meets his roommates had me laughing out loud.

Very highly recommended!

I couldn’t get past the anxiety in this book. I know I can’t relate and so this may be exactly what someone else needs, but wasn’t my cup of tea

I purposefully save new episodes of the Great British Bake Off until the first autumn chill sets in, for maximum coziness. The season pairs equally well with Paris Daillencourt is About to Crumble, the second installment in Alexis Hall's Winner Bakes All series, set in a Bake Off-inspired reality series. This season, we follow Paris Daillencourt, a sweet if painfully anxious graduate student, who finds himself on Bake Expectations after his roommate submits an application on his behalf. During filming, he meets Tariq, his irresistible fellow competitor. Despite a strong start in both the competition and in his nascent relationship with Tariq, Paris' mounting anxiety and crippling self-doubt risk overshadowing both of these new experiences. When Paris' nervous energy on the show comes off unfavorably in the final edit, he must decide whether to give in to his inner saboteur (which sounds an awful lot like online reactions from the show's fans) or take matters into his own hands.

I was pleasantly surprised that the timeline of this book was distinct from the series' previous book. I thought that the distinction between filming and airing the show gave a nice before-and-after transition to demonstrate Paris' growth in his mental health journey. As someone who has also experienced anxiety, I found Paris' interiority to be familiar, if intense. I found a mounting feeling of dread during the first half of the book as I anticipated Paris' hospitalization (mentioned in the content warnings). I suspect that's why I found the first act a little bulky. However, once Paris begins to work on himself and patch things up with Tariq, I found his newfound self-compassion and the support he received from his competitors extremely tender and sweet.

Alexis Hall is the master of the cackle. I always find myself laughing out loud at the unexpected humor that he infuses throughout his books. And while there were certainly some gems in this one, on a whole this wasn't my favorite.

I found it hard to root for the romance here, there was just so much more conflict than connection. Aside from the main issues Paris and Tariq navigated, it also felt like they squabbled on every little thing, from the ingredients Paris chose to their stance on PDA and sex in general--these two were just never on the same page.

Coupled with the internal conflict that Paris is dealing with as he navigates anxiety, his absent parents and the stressful show, it just felt like I was getting all bitter notes and not enough sweet. I appreciate the mental health representation and I know that the thoughts Paris shares will hit very close to home for a lot of readers, but it felt overwhelming to me at times to read.

While I haven't read the first book in this Winner Bakes All series, I did really enjoy the format, the themes each week and the HILARIOUS judges and overall show/character banter.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the advanced copy and the opportunity to share my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

An unconventional romance wiser than any anxiety support manual!

Alexis Hall nails self-doubt in “Paris Daillencourt Is About to Crumble.” I should know, both as a psychologist and someone who lives with anxiety. Hall’s humor softens our squirm factor, while offering perspective on human resilience.

Paris lives in his parent’s luxury apartment while at university, but otherwise they’ve completely abandoned him. His bestie and roommate notices he’s calmest when he bakes, and enters him in “Bake Expectations,” a TV contest. She hopes he’ll make friends and acknowledge his skills. But the show increases Paris’ discomfort. “He knew that there had been a time – even a fairly recent time – when he didn’t feel miserable and hate himself and he knew that there would be a time – even quite soon - when he’d be unmiserable and self-nonhating again. But he knew it in the same detached abstract way that he knew that his whole body was made entirely of empty space held together with electric fields. It might have been true, but it didn’t really mean anything.” Paris’ self-criticism is repetitive since short-circuiting mind loops are the essence of anxiety.

Mr. Hall is excellent at smashing stereotypes in favor of individuality. At “Bake Expectations, Paris meets Tariq at the show, an out, gay practicing Muslim. Tariq has lost boyfriends because he follows pre-marital celibacy. He explains his predicament. “It’s like this…erasure sandwich, because on the one side you’ve got, ‘you can’t be a proper Muslim if you’re gay’ and other the other side you’ve got, ‘you can’t be gay and be a Muslim.’ And I’m stuck in the middle saying, ‘guys, I’m both and being both is really important to me.’” Tariq is charmed by Paris’ humility and seems to take Paris’ perpetual angst as, “It’s simply your brain being…Parisian.” But as the competition progresses, we know Paris’ condition must take its toll on them.

Mr. Hall’s shrewd commentary on reality shows is a delightful backdrop. His hosts are a great mash up of those we expect. And his contestants use social media to provide a Greek chorus of spite and wisdom.

Few writers can butcher the English language to readers’ advantage. Here are some “Hall-ish” examples. “It felt suburban even though there was no particular urb for it to sub.” Or, how about the word, “unencattened?” It’s a chair with no enthroned feline.

But mostly, I’m impressed by Mr. Hall’s ability to demonstrate the ways we hamper ourselves and others with harsh judgment. Paris’ rebirth is completely believable. He grows gradually, as these statements show, starting with, “Sometimes Paris felt his whole life was in slow motion with ominous music playing over.” But eventually he can think, “Trying something until it was perfect was just the same as not doing it at all, because perfection was just a ghost he conjured up to scare himself within.”

While Paris’ anxiety creates some excruciating moments, in “Paris Daillencourt Is About to Crumble,” no one is “at fault,” no one is “cured,” and no one is a victim. Instead, Mr. Hall gifts us with the beauty of our flaws and the true intimacy we can experience when we share our vulnerabilities with one another. Alexis Hall’s creation is wiser than any self-help book.

Paris Daillencourt is About to Crumble is an apt title for a novel that deeply and sensitively navigates through expressions of generalized anxiety disorder with a famous British baking show as a backdrop.

This novel delves into what happens to a person when they’re abruptly torn from their comfort zone and don’t know how to cope. Paris is both a sympathetic and a somewhat infuriating character, because he is so stuck inside himself, so enmeshed in his own fears, that he can’t see the forest for the trees. In this way, author Alexis Hall accurately encapsulates intense anxiety, so much so that mine was kind of triggered. So, be mindful of that as you read. The author does a great job of addressing potential triggers at the beginning of the book, which I found helpful.

I greatly appreciated the sensitive and authentic ways that homophobia, racism (particularly Islamophobia), ableism, and mental health were addressed in the book. I loved Tariq as a character because he is true to himself and to his chosen beliefs. And I really loved returning back to the world that readers were first introduced to in Rosalie Palmer Takes the Cake. Fans of that book are in for a treat with this one, and new readers will inevitably want to go back and read it, if only to inhabit the Bake Expectations world a little longer. I cannot wait to see what Hall comes up with next!

Thanks to Forever and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Paris’ book follows Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake in the Winner Bakes All series. The book is appropriately named with the title Paris Daillencourt is About to Crumble and Paris is constantly on the edge. The book is told from Paris’ point of view and his head space is an intense place to be. Whether you like Paris or not, or ultimately want to spend time in his head or not, is a personal choice, but Hall does provide the feeling of exactly what it is like to walk around as Paris.

At first, Paris is funny and self-deprecating, but with longer time spent with him, his full personality emerges. Paris is filled with anxiety—the soul sucking, life altering kind of anxiety—and, after a while, it was a lot to be in Paris’ head. I then had mixed emotions when I wasn’t always empathetic to Paris’ profile. While Paris has material comforts, his life hasn’t been the easiest, at least by his own standards. His parents are famous, with his mother a super model and his father a designer, and they have left him to live in an extravagant flat. Yet, it’s been a year since Paris has heard from them and they will not respond to his texts and Paris spirals every time a text goes unanswered. He also had the best schooling, but it was filled with bullies, and the men Paris has dated only see his beauty on the outside and can’t deal with his emotional inside. But Paris is so wrapped up in himself and so deep in his issues that it becomes his only personality trait. He can’t be happy for someone else because all he sees are his inadequacies and for me it began to make him less empathetic, not more.

The competition follows the same format as the previous book with one challenge a week and most of the staff on the show are still awful. The baking should be the fun part, but again, I was underwhelmed. One week’s theme was Jewish desserts and another was American desserts and the contestants did not rise to the challenges in the spirit to celebrate these cultures, but rather seemed to mock, loathe, or disdain them and that was unacceptable reading to me.

Mixed in here was Paris’ relationship with fellow contestant, Tariq. Tariq is Muslim and gay and proud to be both. He is at first attracted to Paris’ outside and quickly gets offended by what’s on the inside. Tariq is the first person, however, to suggest to Paris that he may have a mental health issue, much to Paris’s shock and dismay at this revelation. This book is not specifically a romance, but the story of Paris with romantic elements added in.

If you liked Rosaline’s book, the structure of the competition is the same here. Hall was able to convey what it was like to be Paris, but there were also other factors that affected my enjoyment of this book overall.