I thought this book was so cute!! It was fun to read and flowed very well. Perfect for a cozy night in!

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

Just the cover alone is stunning! The book itself didn't disappoint either! Loved the romance, loved the setting, loved the fake dating trope. Such a fun read!

A gorgeous pastry of a romance, Jean writes so beautifully of love, heartache, and the work it takes to love yourself while managing a chronic health condition. Liam is one of my favorites in the book boyfriend cannon.

Finding Gene Kelly by Torie Jean
Publication date: September 20, 2022

Date read: April 3, 2023



When five-year-old Evie O'Shea married her next-door neighbor, Liam, in the wedding of the century, she had no idea she was swearing an oath to love the man who would grow into the bane of her existence until the end of time. Or that in ten years time, she'd start a long and winding journey to an eventual endometriosis diagnosis. Now, aged twenty-six, Evie O'Shea lives in Paris, balancing precariously close to her Charlotte Lucas birthday. A burden to her parents, with no prospects and no money, Evie's humdrum life needs a shake-up. But when a family announcement shakes up Evie's world weeks before her brother's wedding, Evie seeks Liam's help to get through the wedding with some semblance of sanity intact.

This was a fairly cute Hallmark-romance-style story. Kind of cheesy, a little steamy, miscommunication, fake dating with a twist. I didn't love it, but I did like it.

Positive thoughts: I thought the characters were well-written and really sweet. I liked their relationship and thought they paired really well together. I also loved the disability rep with having the character suffer from endometriosis. The author made it feel natural to the story (didn't try to shoehorn it in in an awkward way), but also made it integral to the story, rather than just a to say there was disability rep. The endometriosis affected the main character's life and it added an interesting aspect to the relationship. I've never read a character with endometriosis before and I thought that the author did a great job with it.

Negative thoughts: At times the romance was a little too cheesy for my tastes (lots of swooning and Evie being obsessed with Liam's physical characteristics). Also, the 5 year old characters spoke in a way that didn't really seem like they were actually the age they were supposed to be, which took me out of that part of the story a bit.

Overall, I thought that this was a decently good romance - liked it but didn't love it. I wouldn't suggest that people not read it, but it wouldn't be one of the books that I would recommend highly. Caveat to that, is that if someone has endometriosis or is curious about how this illness affects those who have it, it's a very good option. That was actually one of the best aspects of the book.

Rating: 3/5 stars

Content warning: chronic illness

Note: language

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

This was a really sweet story with some fantastic tropes within. I had a lot of fun with this one and the characters were great.

First off, fake dating trope AND second-chance romance?? Gets me every time. This was such a cute and fun novel, set in my absolute favorite city to visit. I adored the setting and "seeing" some of my favorite locations on the page. Finding Gene Kelly hit everything on my romcom checklist.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Sunset and Camden Creative, and Torie Jean for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This book was published on September 22nd, 2022.
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3.75 stars
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TW: Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Body shaming, Ableism, Infertility, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Death, Sexual content
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Endo rep in a love story? I'm here for it! Our main character Evie is obsessed with old Hollywood movies, and Gene Kelly. When given the chance she relocates her life to Paris - the city of love. As much as I wanted to love Evie I just couldn't. She's judgmental as a character, holds a grudge for far too long, and has no growth throughout the novel. Evie has an endometriosis diagnosis and has given up on having a happily ever after of her own. I did enjoy how endometriosis was represented in the novel and not just swept under the rug as a "condition our main character has", we see how it affects her day-to-day life.

Just when Evie can't think of things getting worse, in walks her brother's best friend: Liam Kelly (back into her life). It's clear the two have some unresolved tension, and we get hinted that Liam has wronged Evie in their past. I won't lie, I think I judged Liam a bit too quickly as I hated him immediately, but Liam is pinning hard for Evie. He was the perfect supporter and even had me swooning over the things he said. He also was amazing at taking care of Evie during her flare-ups.

What does Liam have to do with the story? Evie's brother is getting married and her (even more judgemental) mother can't help but ask when Evie will settle down and plans on setting her up for the wedding. My issue with the mother is she's so ashamed that her daughter has endo and tries to control everything she does. In hopes of taking the attention off her, Evie and Liam decide to enter a fake dating relationship and accompany her to the wedding. The couple quickly realizes they were meant for each other, far before the wedding. I would have liked to perhaps see them playing it up at the wedding in fear of someone calling them out.

Like any other story, we need a conflict. Evie realizes she shouldn't drag Liam down as she most likely won't be able to give him the relationship that he deserves. I don't know what else Liam could have done to prove that he was head over heels for you girl. I will say I thought it was nice that the female was the one who pulled off the grand gesture and it does reconnect our two lovebirds. Overall, this was a cute read. Evie is tolerable, but please, read it for Paris vibes alone!

I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.

First things first, I *adore* this cover. One of my recent favorites for sure. On to more important matters...I really appreciated the endo rep in this book - I learned so much about the disease through Evie's POV, and I would recommend this one for that alone. The Paris setting was also so fun and the side characters were great.

However, for the romance aspect itself... I just wanted to shake this girl the whole time! She was so self-deprecating and could not see that this man was so very OBVIOUSLY in love with her (and not trying to be subtle about it). I think the only way to make 1/2 the couple being oblivious to the other's feelings work is if you write the story in dual POV. Otherwise, like in this situation, the reader is just left with endless frustration. I liked these two for each other and was happy by the end - but the journey was so frustrating.

Ultimately, I would still recommend this one - just be prepared for a slowww burn.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC copy of this book free of charge in exchange of my honest review.

Some literary themes in this book include: Childhood friends/frenemies. Fake marriage as little kids. Also the book begins with a content warning included by the author which I think all books should have. 💕


Evie O’Shea is 26, Grew up in USA in a fictional town Massachusetts and moved to Paris to pursue dream of being a chef and to escape her toxic relationship with her “Southern Belle” mother. Sna is also obsessed with Gene Kelly and other “old Hollywood” stars, which led her to move to Paris like Gene Kelly in American in Paris She struggles with endometriosis. Her nemesis (and the “Gene Kelly” of the story) is Liam Kelly, her childhood nextdoor neighbor and the best friend of brother.

When her brother is getting married, she and Liam hatch a plan to attend the wedding as a “couple” to get Evie’s overbearing mother off her back. Little do they know, they might have more in common than they think. 🥰


While I thought the book started off slow, I ended up LOVING it. It took me 5 days to finish because I wasn’t ready for it to end. Some things I liked were, References to titanic as well as several other classic romance movies, as well as a main character who was far from perfect. Being someone who lives with disabilities and health conditions (not endometriosis), I loved to see a character like Evie and I wish more authors wrote characters like her into their books. In my opinion, I think the book had a decent amount of spice…and it was a swoon worthy read. I can now definitely call myself a fan of Torie Jean’s work and I can’t wait to read her next book.

This book will be published for a the public on 09/20/2022.

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Finding Gene Kelly is extremely sweet, despite covering a sensitive topic like endometriosis. The heroine Evie is both charming and hilarious, while Leo, the hero, is sarcastic but also outrageously romantic. Great book.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC for an exchange for an honest review.

Such a good book, recommend it.

To be honest, I had to DNF this book at about 30%.. I didn’t mesh with the writing style and couldn’t get past it. Would try another one by this author but this one just didn’t click with me.

I tried to get into this a few times and I just couldn't do it. I found the FMC unlikable and annoying (sorry!) The endometriosis rep is great to see and I'm just disappointed I couldn't connect with the story. I felt like the FMC reason to "hate" Liam was a total overreaction. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review. I appreciate the time it takes to bring a story to life, so I'm sorry I wasn't able to finish this one.

I've tried to read this on many occasions and just can't get into it. I do apologies. I may go back to it in the future but it's unlikely.

I really enjoyed this book. Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes, and enemies to lovers fake dating? That's even better. I also really, really enjoyed the endometriosis rep in this novel. I also appreciated that Liam was a flawed and real romance hero who just wants to be there for Evie.

This book hits on the pains of endometriosis. I wanted to wait until I had my own surgery before I read this book. I loved the parts of Paris and the architecture and the food. The pastries. Yummy. I may have had bread and Nutella to take my own pain meds just like Evie. Liam oy! What a gooey cinnamon roll. This is a wonderful fantastic romance novel.

I’m feeling 3.5 stars here but rounding up.

I loved the representation in the novel, and felt like I could truly understand and feel the emotions of each character. The depictions of endometriosis are raw, vulnerable and real, and I respect so much that this stories Jean used a Romance novel to show such true struggles for many.

Spoiler**



The ending just seemed too rushed and unrealistic for me. I know they have known each other since childhood, but moving back to the states, opening your own business (being business partners), and moving in together, is a lot.

Cute read. Love the location (if it takes place in Paris you know I’m reading it 😂). Inspired me to make macarons.

I tried with this book, a few times. I can't really pin point why I couldn't get into it, but just couldn't. It wasn't the writing or the story. Maybe it was the time but I did love the idea of the story when I downloaded it. So thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for the chance to read it.

Ultimately, this one was just okay to me. I found the heroine to be irksome an in the super crowded contemporary romance market this one couldn't compete for me