I'm not a huge reader of contemporary romances, but the references to classic movies drew me in. I'm so glad it did. It's not high literature, but it's engaging and honest. The thing I appreciate most is its no-holds-barred descriptions of life with endometriosis. I thought I understood it, but I clearly knew nothing. There was clear communication between our love interests in the second two thirds of the book, too, which I really appreciated. Any problems they encountered were realistic, as were their solutions. Overall, it was a highly enjoyable read.

This romance holds multitudes. It is a wonderful example of own voices rep of endometriosis. It’s a delicious combination of brother’s best friend, childhood first loves, and enemies to lovers. The side characters were all charming and I hope we get their stories as well. Also, it was like a Parisian tour with pastry porn.

There are some trigger warnings, but I feel like she included one of the best author’s notes at the beginning of the book to prepare you. The primary ones being living with a chronic illness, toxic mother/daughter relationship, and infertility.

I feel like the author spent a lot of time being thoughtful in her editing and sensitive to the character’s journey while also finding moments of levity and swoon to keep me reading. I look forward to more books by her!

My only criticism is that the ending felt a little rushed. Otherwise, this would have been 5 stars for me.

I absolutely loved this book! Liam is the perfect man, so supportive of Evie and her dreams. I usually hate the miscommunication trope but it was PERFECT in this book.
I’m so happy to finally see some endo representation, seeing Evie struggle due to her illness made me tear up. I can’t wait to read more books by this author in the future!!

This book was absolutely adorable. It was a quick refreshing read that I really enjoyed

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

Thank you Net galley and Xpresso Book Tour for sending me an e-ARC of this book.

Finding Gene Kelly is a very sweet rom-com that deals with an important problematic and is heartbreaking in some parts.
Evie suffers from chronic endometriosis at the point it affects all that happens in her life. The pain and the insecurity it creates are just a small part of what endometriosis means to her.

The relationship between Evie and Liam is one of the sweetest things I’ve ever read and they are perfect together.

Liam is the man we all want in our life, if I didn’t know he is a fictional character I would take one for myself.
While Evie struggles with the consequences of her disease, he is the most supportive human being. And we love a supportive man.

The book was very well written, the chapters weren’t too long and it was never boring.

I'm sorry to admit that this book is not for me :(.
It is so hard to get through the story since some words are complicated for me.
Since the cover is so gorgeous, I gave it 2 stars.

Thank you so much to the Publisher for trusting me and I apologize for DNF this book, I hope the publisher to never less trust in me😊

Firstly thank you so so much to Torie Jean’s team and Xpresso Book Tours for this ARC! I am so grateful!


• EVIE <3

I loved Evie’s character as soon as I met her. I love her aspirations to be a baker and own a pastry shop, I love her love for food. She felt like a comfort character - her warmth mainly. I also liked the mentions of her medical condition - endometriosis and how that affects her life, I feel like I’ve learnt a lot about the condition from this book.

I think that her relationship with her mother was important and good character development also, I’m glad that it really showed how affected you can be from the words of others, especially your mother, and how that can affect your life and your relationship with your body.


• LIAM

I love Liam so much. His kindness, his freaking dimples. I did picture him different than he was depicted, but he’s still got asf. I loved his care for Evie and his own character development - his parents, his struggle with following his passion. I do feel like more could’ve been done about his character development, but overall I did love him and his caring qualities.


• TROPES, PLOT AND WRITING

I actually screamed when I read these plots, because these are my freaking trifecta. Brother’s best friend, childhood friends, enemies to lovers, fake dating and subtle academic rivals. It was perfect.

I loved their enemies to lovers and the reasons behind it. I loved how they married when they were five, how close they were and then far away. The nod to the old-school romance films with Aubrey Hepburn were great. There are most cheesy but gouda (you see what I did?) puns that the two shared was hilarious and something that I really loved. The need for Evie’s date to her brother’s wedding and why she couldn’t get out of it was good - I hate it when there’s conflict the MC could easily get out of but this wasn’t that.

On the first line, I was instantly hooked. Sometimes, if I can’t get into a book, and the writing isn’t making me want more, Then I find it really difficult to get into a book, but this took me till the end. I loved the incorporation of French architecture and mentions of it throughout the book, I thought it was really good to include those to make, it actually seem like she was in Paris and you were there with her.

Overall, I rate this book 3.75 stars and I would definitely and will definitely buy an actual copy for me to read in physical form.

Tropes: childhood friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, and boy falls first.

What can I say about this book other than I absolutely adored it. From its location, the very dreamy and romantic Paris, to its accurate description of what it’s like to have endometriosis, there wasn’t a single aspect of this book that I didn’t enjoy.

Evie and Liam were neighbours and childhood friends. Evie always had a crush on Liam but every time it seemed like he may feel the same way, miscommunication would occur. Years later, Evie’s brother is getting married and Evie needs a fake boyfriend to impress her mother. Enter Liam, who travelled all the way to Paris to ask Evie to be his date to the wedding. It was so clear that Liam was head over heels for Evie from the start and I loved seeing their relationship develop and grow. Did I mention that the hero is an absolute cinnamon roll who blushes constantly and recreated the heroines favourite movie scene?

This was a delightful book and I can’t wait to read more from this author!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

3.5/ rounding up to 4! Thank you netgalley for the digitial arc!

The romance scenes between the leads was SO good and kept me glued to the story. The descriptions were beautiful and so clear. I’ve never been to Paris but this book made me feel like I was there!

Evie and Liam felt very fleshed out to me! I do not love the misunderstanding trope or the holding-a-grudge for years trope but the lead ends up dropping that after the first 25ish% and it wasn’t a problem. That is also a preference thing, personally!

The endo rep was great, I do not have and do not know anyone with endometriosis, and I cannot imagine how painful and difficult that is. I am glad to have read about it and gained empathy throught his lens.

Solid writing all and all. I think the book probably could have been a little shorter as I found myself skimming some parts.

Great debut!!!

Elsie O'Shea married Liam Kelly when she was 5, divorced him when she was 7 and he's become the bane of her existence since then. Grounds for divorce: a mud pile thrown at her when she was reading Eloise in Paris, but he's done her wrong so many times she lost count.

Now, at 26, she lives in Paris, to where she fled to pursue her dream of becoming a baker and to stay away not only from Liam but from her incredibly toxic mother, who believes her endometriosis is her "little issue". When Liam shows up in Paris, believing she wanted to see him, Evie has no interest in even talking to him. This was all her brother's doing, seeing that he wants her at his wedding and he wants them to "make up". Fate intervenes and a triggering happy announcement has her and Liam deciding to "fake date" for the wedding to get her family off their backs. Too bad none of them are faking anything... 

This is a sweet "It's always been you" romance that is very much an open door to what it is like to live with an "invisible disease", in this case endometriosis. I can't speak for representation , but this being an Own Voices story, I'll take it as accurate. I know what it's like to live with people thinking you have "little issues" and its spot on. We do have the "I don't want to be a burden" moment that I particularly don't like, but Evie has the most wonderful boyfriend and friends! There are so many tender moments of caretaking and of understanding. If you are looking for steam, you will fill something a little different, but equally satisfying. 

Now, the mother... Argh... That's all I'm saying. 

It's not a book about an illness - it's a book about a FMC who has an illness, like, you know, life. Their childhood friends to enemies to lovers story is very cute and swoony and we get to roam around Paris with Evie and Liam. A wonderful debut novel!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.   Thank you Tori Jean, NetGalley and the publisher for the e-book. 

   

Possible triggers: the author has a very detailed foreword, but you will see mentions of depression, anxiety, vomiting, toxic relationship with a parent, infertility, multiple pregnancy announcements, living with a debilitating chronic illness

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This book gave me strong Spanish Love Deception vibes, ie: a lead who clearly has no idea how much the man she despises is head over heels for her! I don’t think enemies-to-lovers is quite right, childhood-snarks-to-lovers is more like it!

Things I liked:
- Really creative writing style, it felt smart!
- Liam’s patience and determination to win Evie over - whatta champ
- Endo and chronic pain rep

Things that didn’t work for me:
- How obvious it was to everyone except Evie that Liam was into her! Use your eyes, girl!
- I really struggle with books that hold big childhood grudges as a barrier

In short: I’ll happily recommend this one! A quality romcom that made my own experiences with gyno pain feel seen

Thank you so much to Torie Jean and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book! 🤗♥️

Being honest, I first was interested in the book because of its pink, cute and romantic cover (it's one of the best covers i've ever seen for romance ever). Seeing that the main character had endometriosis was the perfect plus.
Boy, did the book surpass my expectations.

The first thing that told me this was a great book was the trigger warning the author put at the beginning. It sounded like an honestly concerned best friend taking care of you, and I appreciate that. Not many authors have the kindness to look for the mental health of readers.

I cannot be thankful enough for the endo and the plus size representation too. It was an accurate example of the struggles and the reality of endo and other chronic illnesses in everyday life, how difficult is to survive day after day, and both the bs other ignorant people spill and the true love other people will give you regardless of your health condition. Endo and other chronic illnesses are a part of the medical environment and society that people want to hide and underestimate, while they're important and should be taken seriously and normalized.

I loved the amount of memes, puns and hilarious scenes that helped both the main character and me to cope with the difficulty of endo described in these pages.

Sometimes the pace was a little slow, and I had the sensation that this book could have been a little shorter, but other greater characteristics compensate it.

However, it rubs me the wrong way that it is implied that Evie can be unapologetically plus size and eat whatever she wants (as she should) while it is seen with good eyes that Liam resorted to restrictive eating to impress Evie. You can't fight diet culture while normalizing it at the same time, it's a double standard. It doesn't matter if it's a woman, a man or another non-binary person, diet culture shouldn't be promoted in any case.

This was a really beautiful and inspiring romance, which encourages us to follow our dreams despite the challenging circumstances, and the importance of mental health and the good people that surround us, full of cheesy but heart-warming moments.

I usually don't like comparisons between books but, If you enjoy Ali Hazelwood's, I think this is your book.

Just the book I needed to read, first because I love old movies and Gene Kelly is inevitable and then the plot, swoony plot and amazing characters in París
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Evie is about to turn twenty-seven in the most beloved and dream city in the world, but life with a chronic illness is not rosy. After being diagnosed with endometriosis, her dreams were put on hold even with a great friend who supports her and the city she loves so much, until she meets her nemesis
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Liam Kelly is the boy next door, best friend of his older brother and his first boyfriend when she was five years old. but over time things changed and he became her nemesis or that's what she thinks because when she needs a date for her brother's wedding he is the first to offer himself and the first to try to take care of her when her body needs rest
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Love the story, the cinnamon roll hero who is in love from the first moment he sees her and the strong heroine trying to manup and protect her heart, with a very original voice close to Bridget Jones and a very particular sense of humor and several adorable literary and movie quotes
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Dreamy, heart swooning and beautiful story of a woman traveling a difficult path and opening her arms to new possibilities
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Can be a trigger warning for you mention of pain from chronic illness, endometriosis, anxiety and depression, mention of infertility, difficult relationship with controlling parents, toxic friendships but everything is so well writing giving it a voice that leaves a message of strength, hope and love that I can't agree more with wanting happy endings in my romcoms
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This is my first book by this author but definitely not the last
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Thanks to Torie Jean and Xpresso Book Tours for give me this beautiful book in exchange for my honest and voluntary opinion

*3.5/5
i absolutely enjoyed this book and it started out so well and i just couldn't stop reading it but it did have its flaws. i loved the banter between the mc evie and her love interest liam, it was a case of mutual pining hiding behind years of teenage rivalry and their moments together in paris were the cutest. i loved the different friendships in this book and how they all helped evie see things in a different perspective. endometriosis played a very big part throughout the whole book and it gave an insight into evie's life with a chronic illness in such a raw and honest way. the pacing was probably what did not work well for me because it felt very slow and i feel like i would have enjoyed the book even more if i had any kind of attachment to the movies that were being constantly mentioned. overall, it was a really nice read and a nice little detail that i enjoyed was that each chapter had a title with a pun in it!

arc provided by netgalley and xpresso book tours in exchange for an honest review.

Bienvenue à Paris. Or should I say, Welcome to Paris!

Finding Gene Kelly is a novel of perfection and dives into the real and hard details of endometriosis, finding real love, and changing your dreams.

Evie O'Shea is the leading lady in her film. She is strong, independent, and in control… well maybe not that last part. Her body doesn't like to let her do her own thing sometimes. Stabby the uterus has been the backstabbing friend for years due to Evie's endometriosis. In this novel we see how Evie takes the reigns, when she can, to experience Paris just like she and nana dreamed of. Leave behind the boy next door that pushed too many buttons and always seemed to be around.

Liam Kelly is a bit of a teddy bear hidden behind a suit. He can dish back some banter when he needs to but he truly wants to make everyone around him happy and proud. The man will do anything for those he loves, even if there are some mixed signals. Also, this man has studied up on his pun game and it pays off. They may be *cheesy* but they are surprisingly great.

Oh, so many amazing side characters. I will hold back and just mention the three most honorable. Nana, although only quoted in memories, seemed to be a deeply loving soul that dreamed big. Clearly inspired both Liam and Evie quite a bit. Maria and Eli are some of Evie's best friends. They are straightforward people who respect Evie but know when to put her in her place which resulted in some hilarious scenes. Lastly, Evie's mom… she kind of makes you want to throw the book at times and tell her to go away but it adds to the book well

Overall this book was way better than I expected and I think it tied together very well in the end. Torie Jean did a great job at showing readers how brutal Endo can be simply through words. I learned a lot from this book and loved it.

I was super emotional reading this book! It was the perfect mix of romance and pulling on your heartstrings. The characters and their problems were so relatable, it made this a super quick read.

This book isn't or me. It's to slow paced for me. DNF








*******************************I received an ARC for NetGalley for my honest opinion**************************

I received access to an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

4.5⭐

This was an amazing and delicious read :)
It has all the perfect ingredients, a perfect blend of humor, love, life, mixed with "for better and the for worse", some old movies, and a sprinkle of Paris deLights.
From the first page, I was hooked on the story. I was laughing so hard and it was so easy to love the main characters. The chemistry between them was such a strong bonding material that build up the whole story. Chefs kiss!

Some of the tropes:
Miscommunication
Childhood friend to enemies to lovers
Fake dating
Brothers best friend

I love the main theme of the book. Through all the pain and hurt that chronic illness brings, the true meaning of love shines in its brightest colors. Just a perfect read to give you a boost not to give up and to believe in yourself.

Evie is such a lovely character and her love for sweet pastry is well-represented in her personality. The chronic illness that shapes her life is something that not everyone can connect but putting it from her perspective it is easy to see how life can be affected by the things we cannot control. Now comes Liam, a man that is just perfect, when she's in doubt he is right there to snap her out of it in a most beautiful way. The banter between them ...perfection... I was laughing out loud in public places by myself, not awkward at all ;)

I especially enjoyed the glimpses of the Paris ambiance and its architecture. It made this whole love story complete.

I truly recommend this book, especially to all the women who ever experienced any kind of discomfort and doubt due to any kind of chronic illness and to all the men to read and learn :)

I wanted to love this book but I found it incredibly dull. I had to really push myself to get through it. I think the author handled the topic of chronic illness wonderfully which allows me to give a more generous rating.

A tough, but also somehow fun, friends to enemies to lovers romance.

Evie has had a tough few year. She's having endometriosis flares with increasing frequency, beyond her regular day-to-day of pain and potential complications. She has a complicated relationship with her mother (to say the least). Her dream of opening a bakery in Paris seems to be dead because of her health, and her blog of her life in Paris isn't all she wants it to be. (Please read the trigger warnings at the beginning of the book, since there are some potentially difficult topics that come up in the book) Then a surprise visit of her childhood friend to enemy Liam happens and she's thrown for a loop. But he might be able to help her with managing her mother during her brother's wedding, so she proposes they fake date. But maybe it's not so fake after all?

First off, I can't speak to the authenticity of the endometriosis representation in this book (although it's based on the author's own experience, so I suspect that it's at least an accurate reflection of her experience), but I really appreciate seeing this representation in this book. Even though so many people deal with endometriosis (diagnosed or undiagnosed) in real life, I feel like we don't get many chances to read a romance with characters living a life including this chronic condition. It definitely wasn't always easy to read, but I enjoyed watching Evie work through things and learn to live her life no matter what. Liam is really there for her, as are all her friends, who were great in their own right.

My biggest frustration with the book was the lack of real communication between Evie and Liam. They both talk about how the other doesn't understand them, but they don't really work to resolve that problem until very far into the book. Although I can completely relate to that, and other struggles they face, I was still so annoyed by them sometimes!

Overall, I definitely recommend this book, if it will not be triggering for you. We got such a great taste of Paris and even a bit of New England. I want to eat all the pastries now though, so be prepared for that! I hope that Torie Jean writes books to follow some of the other characters so we can see their stories as well!