"My heart has found its home. I just never imagined home would be a person."

Finding Gene Kelly follows Evie, an American blogger/baker/bartender living in Paris. When her childhood nemesis visits Paris for work and her mum insists on her having a date for her brother's upcoming wedding, she decides her only option is to ask him to be her fake date. Obviously, they'll need some practice beforehand...

Here's what to expect:
- childhood enemies to basically strangers to friends to lovers
- fake dating
- brother’s best friend
- mutual pining (although they’re oblivious)
- J'adore the Paris setting. Torie truly transports you there!
- heating pads named Channing Tatum (because they give excellent lap dances).
- fun chapter titles
- own voices endometriosis rep. It's raw, unfiltered, honest and heartbreaking. My heart goes out to every woman dealing with endo.
- he takes care of her 🥺
- pun-offs and banter
- cute nicknames: Peaches and Sunshine
- pink donuts & secretive postcards
- toned forearms & palm kisses
- grumpy cinnamon roll hero ("he's secretly sweeter and gooier than the best version of a cinnamon roll." That's my kind of guy 😉).
- complex mother/daughter dynamics (a.k.a an overbearing and critical mother)

Evie found it hard to let her guard down and trust Liam after his pranks in the past. But as they grow closer it's obvious Liam's always been in love with her and been protective of her. I'm glad she was finally won over by his swoony one-liners because Liam delivered A LOT. Case in point: "Let yourself fall, Peaches. It's okay. I'll catch you." I'm dead 🫠. Liam is a dream: he's kind ("guardian of the heating pad"), amazingly caring and patient, “impossibly sweet” and sexy.

"I found my wild, gorgeous dream. I found my Gene Kelly." I adored the ending - it felt so right for them. Overall, this is an amazing debut from Torie Jean that's full of heart, swoon and humour.

Thank you to Sunset and Camden Creative and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for this honest review.

"He's everything---late nights chasing fireflies, picking lilacs on blossom, boombox blaring, singing and dancing in the rain, and utter defeat and humiliation. He, frankly, is home. And I'm suddenly sick."

At the age of 5, Evie O'Shea walked down the aisle and married her next door neighbor, Liam Kelly. They shared a cute little ceremony in the backyard, officiated by Evie's grandmother, and sealed the deal with a shared bowl of peaches.

At the age of 26, Evie hates Liam's guts. Years of bickering and having to put up with each other because of his friendship with her brother has left Evie with nothing but an annoyingly long crush on Liam that has only ever disappointed her in the past.

Much to Evie's surprise, Liam shows up and throws a wrench into her life in Paris...and not every disappointment from her past regarding him may be what it seems.

MY MY MY. THIS BOOK. THIS BOOOOOK. This was such a beautiful love story. Evie and Liam's entire relationship arc was so sweet to read all the way from rocky, enemy-territory beginning to triumphant end.

Not only was the love story beautiful, but Evie's journey dealing with her endometriosis day-to-day was such an honest read. I don't have endometriosis, but to read from the perspective of a character that does was quite the journey. Evie's insecurities surrounding her endometriosis, as well as what that meant for the people in her direct circle led to insecurities that tore Evie apart from every angle. Reading her character arc from beginning to end was a TEAR JERKER and I was CRYING toward the end. I was rooting for her happy ending with every flip of the page.

Liam was also such a patient, soft KING. I loved how he was in it for the long haul, and was fighting for Evie's affection at every turn, with a PUN-FILLED joke or a heating pad at the ready.

Such a sweet read! I can't wait to get my hands on my physical copy and tab to my hearts content.

Thank you to Torie Jean for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Rating: 5 pink-frosted, sprinkled donuts out of 5 💘

This is one of the only books I've ever read where the main character has endometriosis and I really loved it. I loved that she wasn't magically fixed just because she found the love of her life. I thought it was funny that the fake dating didn't last very long because they loved each other too much.

I received an arc through netgalley.

Cute and easy read. It reminded me of a hallmark movie I would put on for backround noise. Overall it was really fluffy and adorable. I would recommend this to people who are in the mood for something easy to fall into. There is no spice scenes worth noting, yet I would still rate this 18+.

Review: 3 stars, level 1 spice

This was a cute and easy read. People who have experienced chronic pain or illness (especially womens health issues) will enjoy this book. I did not connect with the main character and felt that she was a little too stuck on her “hatred” of Liam - it felt a bit drawn out without any new events to keep it going. Since I cannot relate to the endometriosis portion of the story, I will not comment on its accuracy or relatability. I personally did not love the caregiver trope, but it was written in a way that seemed genuine and natural.

The love interest, Liam, was doting, sexy, and likeable. There wasn’t a single moment where he annoyed me or felt disingenuous.

I wish there was more focus on the mystery postcards containing humorous recounts of “what’s going on back home” because they were witty, cute, and could have enhanced the plot.

There were some things that I really loved about this book and there were a few things I just didn’t connect with. Overall it was a very cute, feel-good contemporary romance with funny dialogue and a very realistic main character. The author tells you how you’re supposed to be feeling, which made for a very easy read.

What I loved:
•Main character’s honest internal dialogue and humorous habits
•Very relatable toxic mother-daughter dynamic
•First “fake” kiss scene was amazing

What I didn’t love:
•Caregiver trope
•Characters seemed to go from enemies to lovers without a natural transition. It felt a bit abrupt.
•The “enemies” part was entirely one-sided, which made the main character seem slightly juvenile

Tropes/Themes:
•Enemies to lovers
•Brother’s best friend
•Toxic mother
•Caregiver
•Fake Dating

Triggers:
•Endometriosis
•Discussion of infertility
•Toxic mother

Synopsis:

Evie, a quirky aspiring pastry chef in Paris feels like everything in her life has gone wrong - her mother is disappointed in her, her business dreams are on hold, and her work visa is about to expire, and she is constantly in pain from her endometriosis. Not to mention - her brother is getting married in a few weeks back in the states, which means Evie must face her mother’s dismay and disapproval. Oh- and Evie’s childhood nemesis, Liam.

Evie’s best friend Eli devised a plan to trick Evie into meeting him at a quaint Parisian restaurant to catch up. Unbeknownst to Evie, her worst nightmare would be there too.

After a cacophony of clumsy mishaps, Evie is forced to confront the boy who broke her heart ten years ago when he stood her up at homecoming. Despite this apparent mutual disdain, they need each other. Evie needs to prove to her mother that she won’t be alone forever and that she is not a failure, and Liam needs… well what does Liam need?

Either way, the pair agrees to attend Evie’s brother’s wedding as a couple. In the coming weeks they “practice” what it’s like to be in love. Although, things aren’t always what they seem, Evie must sort through over 20 years of feelings to discover what she wants, and who she truly is.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

Finding Gene Kelly follows Evie O'Shea, an American living in Paris. She grapples with endometriosis and a toxic relationship with her mother, and when she suddenly needs a date for her brother's upcoming wedding, she has to face her childhood-crush-turned-enemy, Liam Kelly.

This was a fun and generally fluffy romance, though it did grapple with some very Real Life topics, especially Evie's struggles with endo pain and her condition's effects on her love life and her self-image. Though there were aspects of of this novel that were admittedly cringey -- Evie is your typical too-clumsy-for-her-own-good quirky millennial who carries a can of cheez whiz around the streets of Paris, for example -- and our romantic lead (despite his somewhat checkered past) is nothing short of absolutely perfect, I found myself loving the whole thing. Endo rep is something I haven't read in a romance novel before, and I liked the nuanced and honest ways in which the story discussed it. Though grounded in reality, Finding Gene Kelly held firmly to the fantasy-escapism of a happily-ever-after romance, making for a unique and thoroughly enjoyable read.

This story was so fun! A childhood enemies to lovers trope is so much fun to read and I really liked it. The chronic illness representation was also done really well.

Finding Gene Kelly is an adorable story that hooked me from the start. Liam and Evie are characters that stay with you long after you close the book. I really enjoyed the flashbacks to their childhood it brought a lot to the story and you feel connected to the characters. I can't wait to read another book by Torie this one will be a hit!!!

Enjoyed this contemporary romance about Evie and Liam who had a backyard wedding at five and have been in love with each other ever since, even though Evie may have taken a hiatus from admitting that for a few years. Hey it's true though sometimes there is a fine line between love and hate, thankfully this book's line also some with a copious amount French carbs.

If you are easily romanced by France, old Hollywood movies, and baked goods do yourself a treat and read this book. Even with it being a heart warming, albeit makes you hungry with all the food references, the story also tackles and portrays real life issues and struggles.

Critique as much as I LOVED the endo and chronic pain representation as someone who deals with endo too, some of the internal dialogue about dealing with the pain just got a bit redundant, though was redeemed with Evie going to therapy. Would have also liked some additional pages about Evie and Caroline reconciling their mother/daughter relationship, especially after the grand gesture from Caroline.

★★★.75/5
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first off this cover is absolutely stunning and immediately made me want to pick this one up. This book was full of fantastic writing, a cute childhood enemies to lovers romance, and an empowering main character with endometriosis, I loved how informative this book was regarding this chronic illness.
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The romance in this book was my fav thing. Liam was so sweet and caring and always right there and ready to help and encourage Evie. Several moments had me swooning so hard or close to tears with the raw emotions Evie and Liam were going through.
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The parish setting was perfection I loved the imagery of pairs as well as the food descriptions which made me crave some good french pastries.
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This book was so freaking adorable and I loved it so much, I will definitely be picking up any books from torie jean in the future.

Finding Gene Kelly might be the perfect romance book. I was in LOVEEEE! OMG I'm swooning. My vintage movie loving heart could not handle the cuteness of this story. Plus it was set in Paris. My god. Also the endometriosis rep was fabulous and it's just not something that is talked about much. The story of Evie and Liam was so sweet. I literally just want to give both of them a hug. I honestly couldn't have loved this one more. Also this cover is so darn adorable and goes with the book perfectly!

DNF at 44%

Finding Gene Kelly has a great premise, an always-fabulous setting, and a plot that tackles some rarely discussed issues like endometriosis. There was definitely a lot to enjoy, but the constant stagnation of the romantic conflict got repetitive to the point that I didn't care about picking this book up again because I knew it was just going to be more and more fighting with little to no forward momentum. Considering how many other ARCs I need to get through, I ultimately made the choice to DNF.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sunset and Camden Creative for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

Thank you NetGalley for this early review copy!

First of all, this cover is gorgeous! Would I buy this book just to look at the cover? Yes, yes I would.
I love a good Fake Relationship, Enemies to Lovers, and Unrequited Love mashup. Unfortunately, for some reason this book was hard for me to get into.

The setting was nice, but I pretty instantly felt like the main character wouldn’t like me, even make fun of me if I bumped into her in Paris and that was a bit off putting. (Yes, I would be the typical tourist, without a good grasp of French, or any grasp really 😝) That left me feeling disconnected from this story and not inclined to like the MC. It picked up with the Re-Meet Cute (which gave me serious second hand embarrassment-I mark that as a success if the author can make me feel that 🫣🤭)

I wanted to love this as much I love the cover, but it just wasn’t for me.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The plot of this caught my interest and I'm glad I gave it a try. Hate to love is a very popular trope that I enjoy so I was glad when it wasn't overly done.

This had me hooked with the word Gen Kelly. I am a total Gene Kelly fan and this book sold me on it. Love it.

ARC REVIEW
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
What an amazing book! This one is full of heart and humor.
Evie escaped her life-and overbearing mother-when she fled to Paris during college. An added bonus was getting away from Liam Kelly, the boy she grew up with who seems to enjoy playing games with her. Now, Liam is in Paris for work and she’s looking for a fake date to her brother’s wedding. What could go wrong?
What I loved:
❤️ this book dealt with some heavy topics (check TW). Evie is battling Endometriosis, a chronic illness that has seeped into every aspect of her life. This was a very honest and heart wrenching look at the illness. There were times I cried right along with Evie as she navigated something so painful.
❤️ Liam Kelly is a new book boyfriend. Enough said 😍
❤️ The humor is spot on. Evie had me cracking up with her unique narration and dialogue. And don’t get me started on the puns.
❤️ Evie has worked her way onto my list of book best friends. Her love of donuts and cheese mixed with her humor and determination is a beautiful combination!
❤️ the old movie references hit me right in the heart. Gene Kelly for the win!
❤️ Paris! Ugh! The setting was perfect and so descriptive. Made me want to hop on a plane!!
❤️ Tropes galore with this one! Enemies to lovers, brother’s best friend, fake dating! Not spicy but it does have a very realistic intimate scene for their situation. I honestly felt more intimacy from these two than from many book couples though.

This is an amazing romcom that also dives into serious topics and does both well. The only thing I would have liked was to see Evie and Liam more down the road. But I’m a sucker for a large time jump epilogue. I can’t wait to read more from Torie Jean!
Thank you to the author and publisher for the ARC I received for an honest review.
#bookstagram #book #bookboyfriends

Finding Gene Kelly is a 4 Star read I enjoyed until the end also love the cover

Thanks Netgalley for a arc copy of this book for a honest review

Happy Reading Lisa 📚

This was adorable! I flew through it, and there were many chapters where I couldn't stop smiling. The circumstances felt somewhat over-the-top at times, but not to the extent that it interfered with me enjoying the book. The endometriosis rep is honest and unflinching, and it really shows how having a chronic illness can take over certain parts of your life. Overall, a really fun romance that knows both how to dig deep and how to have lighthearted fun.

CW: ableism, fatphobia, panic attacks, injury, past grandparent death, discussions of infertility

I was provided with an e-arc for an honest review.

I don’t even know where to start with how much I enjoyed Finding Gene Kelly. I first encountered it on Instagram, and the cover immediately drew me in. Seriously, how pretty is that pink cover? But when I found out more about FGK, I was so excited to read it, and when my ARC request (thanks Netgalley, Torie, and Xpresso books!) was approved, I literally screeched like a pterodactyl.

While I do not have endometriosis, I relate to many of Evie’s symptoms and struggles due to my own issues. Anyway, it was so lovely to see that representation, and I hope that other endo warriors are able to see themselves in this lovely story.

Liam and Evie got “married” at five years old, but as adults, they hate each other. Or so Evie likes to pretend. I loved Liam from the first moment he was sprung upon the audience and on Evie, and seeing their interactions go from frosty to friendly to...well...just read it for that.

FGK is filled with pop culture references that I LOVED. (Hand flex. HAND FLEXXXX 🙌🏻. Movie references. Tiktok sounds.) The descriptions are so beautiful that they made me wish to live in Paris.

Tropes are:
-fake dating
-hurt/comfort (chronic illness edition)
-friends to "enemies" to lovers

"But men who read are a particular weakness of mine." Same, Evie. Same.

Thanks to Netgalley, Xpresso books, and Tori Jean for the ARC!

The story is so fluffy and sweet. It goes perfectly with the cover.

This book's writing is great given that it is well-written. the book has everything every reader hope for, a childhood-enemies-lover trope, related characters, romance, great development and I like that this story also focus on endometriosis as the female MC, Evie has been struggling with the ills and try to find a right journey for her. It also enlightens us regarding chronic sickness.

Overall, I really love this story! I had a fantastic time immersing myself in the sights, sounds, and aromas of Paris thanks to the imagery. and don't forget a lot of France pastries mention so please hold your craving!

If you like heartwarming story with also very open about the lifelong struggles associated with chronic illness but still it have this magical feel like you are in city of love, I highly recommend this!

Many thanks to Netgalley & Publisher for providing me an ARC in exchange for honest review.