I tried and tried and tried but I am DNF-ing at 31%.

I really wanted to love this book. The title and cover were just so cute but I couldn’t put myself through it anymore.

Evie and Liam are just not likable or redeemable. Their relationship seems super toxic and I really can’t see how their going to work out their issues with a little more than 50% of the book left.

2 stars. The cover is cute and the portrayal of endometriosis is realistic. Major kudos to the author for not glossing over it when it would be convenient for the plot line.

I really, really wanted to enjoy this book.

However, I struggled to connect with the writing. I loved the idea of the story and the nuanced and complex characters, but the writing style was not for me.

2/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley for the arc.

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?
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.
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.
Evie has a very toxic and manipulative mother. I actually found their relationship interesting and relatable right up until the end. When Catherine (the mom) finally explains to Evie why she acts like she does, the explanation is just way too easy. It was just too thin of a reason for someone to be so nasty to their own daughter.

This is a fine romance even if I was a tad bored through most of it.
The fake dating element is fairly minimal and there isn't much that replaces it once it's over. I kept waiting for the inciting incident that would properly start the story but it never happened. The plot meanders around Paris, there is nothing driving our characters to interact much with their environment or the people around them.

Liam and Evie are not stand-out characters I will remember in a month or 3 months' time. They fit well together and I enjoyed the moments where it's clear to the reader how gone Liam already is for her but ultimately, it's not memorable.
I knew endometriosis was a gonna big a large aspect of the story but I feel both overwhelmed and underwhelmed? The situation with Evie's mother is truly horrifying and the fact there is no little research into the disability and treatment is something that Evie cannot simply forget about - she has to plan her life around endo and it's not always easy. But on the other hand, I felt cheated out of two important conversations that should have happened with Liam <spoiler>first about sex and how to engage and manage their libidos together and the talk about children</spoiler>; both were started but not finished.

Thanks to NetGalley for an e-ARC. Finding Gene Kelly is a cute read. If you love the fake dating trope then I would says this book is right up your alley. Evie and Liam have great chemistry together. I would give this book a 3 out of 5 stars. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Finding Gene Kelly is a super cute childhood friends-to-lovers romance! The setting of Paris was beautiful to read in this book. Our hero Liam is a definite cinnamon roll who has obviously loved Evie forever (boy falls first!). Who else would travel all the way to Paris to help someone out. Also, the endometriosis representation was great. Overall, this was a cute romance and is prefect if you are looking for something fun and fluffy,

Evie and Liam are first married at the age of five, before misunderstandings and circumstances tear them apart. Years later, Evie is living her best An American in Paris life in the City of Lights, battling endometriosis and wrestling with the decision whether to risk her mother’s constant disapproval for the sake of her brother’s wedding. When her now-enemy Liam shows up in Paris on a work trip, he and Evie can’t stop running into each other- and other things, like light poles and social-media-influencer former friends. Over the course of Liam’s stay, he and Evie are forced to face the events (and people) in their past that shoved them apart. Will Evie survive her voyage back across the Atlantic, and the painful memories and reminders that come with it? More importantly, will her recently rekindled friendship (and newfound something more) with Liam do the same? Great book and I’ll be recommending this one!

Let me start by saying I’m so here for chronic illness representation, especially in romance books. I’ve read a few this year that I loved and this one sadly didn’t make the cut.

While I appreciated the author did not shy away from what it’s like to live with endometriosis and how that can affect one’s feelings of self worth and adequacy in a sexually-active relationship, Evie was just — not a very nice person. She spent more than a decade assuming the worst in Liam and to be honest I’m not sure why he signed up for more. He was such a wholesome and good-hearted man and he deserved the benefit of the doubt and more than the hostility he received from Evie for years on end.

There were parts of this that made me laugh and parts where I really enjoyed their friendship, but I couldn’t get over my dislike of Evie’s personality to root for their relationship.

As a chronically ill reviewer, Torie Jean has my heart forever. She creates beautiful characters while crafting a miraculous romance all in one. I sincerely hope that a traditional publisher picks up her work so that she can find even more readers.

This is a great romcom with solid serious moments. Jean shares the struggle of endometriosis which I have not seen in stories, but know people who battle it. The classic elements of Gene Kelly were also fun and endearing.

Loved this. It was cute, heartwarming, emotive and thought provoking. As sweet and uplifting as the cover may seem, it hides so well, the heartbreak that underpins the novel! It has wonderful endometriosis rep, and for that alone I think this makes the book so special- good and inclusive representation is so incredibly important and this book hit the nail on the head.

This was a cute, but ultimately forgettable, romance. The story took a while to really get going, and the main character was a bit tough to warm up to, but I can appreciate what the author was trying to do with regards to chronic illness representation.

Evie is an aspiring pastry chef in Paris who feels like her life has gone completely wrong: her mother is constantly on her about still being single, her brother and peers are all moving forward, and her endometriosis means she's in near-constant pain. To top it all of, her devious friends' plans mean she unexpectedly comes face-to-face with the childhood unrequited crush-turned-nemesis, Liam. Evie confronts Liam, but then life happens, and the two end up fake-dating to help Evie get through her brother's wedding. And of course it turns out Evie's childhood crush wasn't quite as unrequited as she always thought.

It's hard to love Evie. She's a very negative person, which can be explained by her illness and the experiences she's been through, but even still she truly seems determined to automatically assume the worst of everyone. Of course the focus of the story is on her history with Liam, where she's holding on to a lot of hurt from years ago and she initially refuses to acknowledge that maybe people don't stay the same as they were at age 18. But even with her friends, she constantly assumes the worst. Again, part of that is her illness and it comes across as quite an authentic depiction, but it does mean the story at times buckles under the weight of all the negativity.

I'm a little bit over the quirky-clumsy riddled-with-millennial-angst characters, which unfortunately describes Evie's entire personality. Liam was literally too good to be true, the most unrealistic aspect of the story. But the story did need his hopefulness to counterbalance Evie. I can't imagine what a slog this book would've been otherwise.

Outside of the chronic illness aspect, there wasn't anything that really stood out about this story. It was a quick read, with a Hallmark-movie ending. Good for when you're bored with nothing better to do, but definitely not a must-read.

I really enjoyed this book. Even now, a fair while after I've finished reading this book, I remember the way the author described Liam's forearms and melt all over again. There's a special line that requires treading when writing a book with an underlying issue being something medical, especially if it's an Own Voices situation, and I felt this author really did a great job of expressing the feelings that Evie had when it comes to her endometriosis without ever making the reader feel overwhelmed or burdened by it and, in fact, caused me to do some preliminary research so I could understand the disease better. I'm really excited for the next time I get to read a book by this author!

This book was sweet, but almost too sweet. It’s a nice lighthearted read. I just needed a little more excitement. It’s a book I could put down and wait a few days before picking it up again.

Unfortunately this book didn't live to my expectations. I thought it would be more lighthearted and a feelgood, but I really struggled with this one. I didn't like the main characters personality. And the romance in this book didn't work for me at all. But I think a lot of people will love it. I'm just very picky when I read a book.

This book was an absolute gem. I cant help but be very happy with the Paris setting, the pastries, the mention of her disease plus the constant reminder that it is okay. I was too happy after finishing the book, that I just could not review right away. Overall, it was entertaning, witty, well-written and binge-worthy.

This was a worth it read. Thank you netgalley for letting me read this even before its launch date.

Great job, Torie Jean. You caught my heart.

Two-thumbs up indeed!

Evie is trying to make a life for herself in Paris, trying to stay away from her over bearing mother who seems to pity her because of her endometriosis. She ends up re connecting with her childhood crush, Liam, but she is still annoyed that he seemed to have played with her feelings when they were younger. This book was fluffy but also tackled some serious issues, such as endo and mother daughter tensions. It wasn’t too dramatic, which I really appreciated. Recommend for a rainy day, snuggled up with a warm mug of tea.

A great read.
Evie is happy in Paris until Liam turns up and ruins everything. Fake dating ensues, but will it lead to more?
An emotional read at times too.

Finding Gene Kelly is a charming romance novel set in Paris, full of humour, sweetness, and great representation.

When I heard that there was a romance novel featuring endometriosis representation coming out, I JUMPED at the chance to read it. As someone who suffers from this disease myself, I was so incredibly grateful for the way it was handled and for how prominent it was in the story. The unrelenting pain, mobility aids, damaged relationships, self-esteem issues, etc, were presented so well that I had to put the book down a few times because I was overcome with emotion. Evie's journey was so relatable to my own. The only thing I wish we'd seen more of in terms of endometriosis was to do with Evie's process of first getting diagnosed - other than that though, some of the best chronic illness representation I have ever read.

As for the romance itself, it had fake dating, hurt/comfort, and childhood-friends-to-(kind of) rivals-to-lovers. There were cheesy jokes and puns and I loved the dynamic between the main characters. Were there clichés? Yes. Did that make me like it even more? Yes.

I do wish there had been a few more rounds of edits - I did notice some mistakes, but overall, it was a solidly good debut novel!

Overall, if you're looking for a fun romance that also deals with the reality of endometriosis (not so fun, in my experience), definitely give this one a read!

Thank you to the author and to Netgalley for providing me with an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ahh, I loved this so much! Such a sweet story. The endometriosis representation felt especially well-written. Evie's endometriosis is always present, but it's not the focal point of the story or Evie's sole character trait.

I'll definitely be reading more stories by Torie Jean. I loved the writing- it pulled me in immediately and I read the entire thing in less than a day. I loved Evie's honest and humorous inner monologue.

The romance was very adorable too.