This was super cute, but also nothing particularly unique or different. It was sweet, but reads like any other basic YA book I’ve ever read. It’s nothing that special, but that didn’t make it bad, though I’m definitely going to forget everything that happened in it very very soon. The chemistry between Whitney and Thierry was solid, and I loved seeing the way their relationship developed. This definitely did read slightly more on the younger side of YA, so maybe I’m not the target audience. But this was a decent book for younger readers!

This is a sweet and cute YA novel that explores all the wonder of Paris. Having been to Paris a few times, the authenticity of an American in Paris is spot on. I loved how so many different tourist and non-tourist spots were woven into the story and it all made me want to return to Paris. I thought it was incredibly important that the novel also highlighted being black in Paris. As a white person, I thought the perspective of multiple black main characters from different countries added a richness to the story and I loved all the important cultural moments. I really enjoyed learning more about Josephine Baker (who was a real person) in the novel too. The characters were very obviously in high school by the way they handled themselves, but I think many YA readers could relate to them. Whitney was a bit too eccentric for my taste, but she was a high schooler interested in theatre so that isn’t surprising. Thierry was a neat MMC and I appreciated how he balanced his personality with also being an overall helpful tutor. I wish translations were provided more so I wasn’t having to look up all the translations of French phrases, but I still liked seeing the French written in. I don’t think there was much chemistry between Whitney and Thierry, but it is a high school romance. Overall, it was a cute and fun story that is perfect for teens. 4⭐️, 0🌶

I'm going to be honest, it was hard not to compare this to the Anna and the French Kiss trilogy, which I adored growing up and nostalgia may have given that series the leg-up. Still, I enjoyed seeing Whitney's rose-colored view of Paris and even more when she got to know the real city. However, the book felt very high school (which says more about me than the book) and so it didn't really scratch the entertaining itch as much as I would have liked.

As a woman of color, Whitney idolizes the American born French singer, Josephine Baker. She takes a semester abroad in the City of Love to prepare her high school senior thesis, a one woman show about the entertainer. The bubbly actress is hyper organized and has a long list of things to do and see. She is assigned a grumpy but very cute French tutor, but she is determined to work on her show and love is a distraction that is not on the list. The author captures all the romance of the city as we experience it through Witney's eyes. The descriptions are detailed, the imagery is picturesque, and the teens in this grumpy sunshine sweet romance are absolutely endearing. Although the characters are high school seniors, this is a clean romance and would be appropriate for younger readers as well. I received an advance copy of this book from the publishers, but I can honestly recommend this book to any young romance reader.

This book was so cute!! I didn't fall in love with the main characters, but I did enjoy hearing about them and their adventures. The only downside of this book (but it might be an upside for you) is that it made me crave chocolate!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!!

Love Requires Chocolate is a sweet story about Whitney Curry studying abroad in Paris for a semester, where she immerses herself in the culture and environment and finds her place. Right off the bat, she finds herself at odds with her new roommates and the new tutor she is assigned to, a grumpy Thierry Magnon.

I love how outgoing and confident Whitney is, putting herself out there in every instance, at the risk of rejection or judgment. The journey from when she lands in Paris to the evolution in her relationships during her stay is relatable. As is the case in travels and in life in general, it doesn't really matter how well you plan something... life will throw something out of the plan at you, and in Whitney's case, Thierry was not on the list going into Paris, but he sure does make his way at the top of list pretty quick.

I adored this book and I will say a side effect was it did have me wanting to visit a chocolate shop.

I know that people have said that Paris stinks and it’s not at all what people think it is. And yet, that has not stopped me from wanting to go. I till this day want to witness it myself. If you’re like me and you’ve never been, this book is a good alternative.

Let me just say, I have never cared about a croissant or a baguette or any of that, but the way Stringfield wrote this, it was like I was whisked away with her and eating a snack with her. She described Paris so well I’d be surprised if she’d never been there. And as someone who named her blog after books and their settings, I LOVED this about the book. And all of these places that I had never heard of, like the garden when she was lost? I just thought it was all very cool.

The romance in this one was also very sweet. I am usually not a fan of Enemies to Lovers, but I AM a fan of literally everything else about this, like the meet cute and the way they were flirting the whole time but acted like they weren’t. I thought it was adorable. I will say tho, their third act break up was weakkkkkkk. I just KNEW there was a set up or something. But no.

I did love her as a character tho. She was bright and bubbly and she made this story. And it was hilarious. That girl was a lot, but definitely in a good way. And there were so many quotes. She’s in the arts. I wasn’t surprised with her flourishes and stuff rither tho. I was surprised by the way she was with her mom tho. I wanted that to be explored more.,

This was a great book, but it did have it’s flaws. But this is one of those books where I didn’t mind so much. And i can’t believe this is a debut. Definitely a very cute, cozy romance that readers should add to their TBRs!

I wanted to like this book sooooo much.

The story idea? Paris? Croissants? Chocolate? Enemies? All yes’s for me.

The main character. I couldn’t with her. I kept reading hoping I could grow to like her but I couldn’t. She was what ruined this story for me. And yes. I disliked from page 1.

The rest of the story was great I just couldn’t ever find myself caring or rooting for her.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review.

Love Requires Chocolate ☾𖤓
by Ravynn K Stringfield
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 stars!

Love Requires Chocolate by Ravynn K. Stringfield is a sweet YA romance set in Paris that hits the spot for a quick escape. Whitney’s study abroad adventure has its bumps, especially with her grumpy French tutor, Thierry, but their slow-burn romance is adorable. The Paris backdrop is charming, and Whitney's growth throughout the book is enjoyable. It’s a fun read with a bit of drama, perfect for fans of cute, feel-good romances and anyone dreaming of Paris.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC of this book.

It was a cute YA romcom and overall I enjoyed it. That being said, the FMC was just really annoying in the beginning and it was hard for me to care about her much. I almost DNF’d it, but I’m glad I finished. It was cute.

Gosh this book was adorable!
It’s a short and sweet YA romance about a girl who’s studying abroad in Paris and falls in love with her grumpy yet handsome French tutor. A huge bonus is also that she is obsessed with Josephine Baker which I found so so fun! Loved this!
Thank you NetGalley and Random House for letting me read an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

It was pretty cute! It definitely does give Emily in Paris vibes. She is a little unlikeable in the beginning but you do kind of become endeared to her as you do to Emily.

3 stars – Love Requires Chocolate was a challenging read (hard to finish) for me. I really hated the FMC in the beginning. Whitney Curry is an American theater high school student spending a semester abroad in Paris. She doesn’t know the language well and is assigned a tutor, Thierry Magnon, and they fall in love. It’s a cute story but I really disliked how egocentric and obnoxious Whitney was for the first half of the book. I understand that some of her behavior is attributable to her insecurities, but some is definitely her personality, and it really irked me. Whitney does mature as the story progresses and its good to see. Overall, it’s a cute read for a debut novel from this author. I look forward to reading more from her.

A big Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for allowing me to read an ARC.

✨Release Week✨

This book was just what I needed between reads. It was so sweet and relatable. Whitney was such a pleasurable person to be around. I admire her tenacity, courage, and confidence. The relationships she has and builds are so pure. I loved watching her experiences with Thierry change and grow.

The way Whitney plans lists and maps is beyond relatable, but it was nice to see her break some of her own rules. I really loved this story and am so curious if there will be more! Her performance and epiphany at the end was so perfect to how many real-life situations turn out.

“And even though the picture I'm about to capture will never tell the full story about how I feel in this moment, I lift my camera to my face to capture it anyway.”

“‘He wasn't on the list.’
‘Well, Whit, the best things in life usually aren't.’”

“The folks around me part, and it's like stage curtains opening to reveal the best of my life, which is not staged at all.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Read this if you’ve enjoyed books like:
🇫🇷 Anna and the French Kiss
🌲 Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute
📚 Fangirl

Overall. this was a cute romcom perfect for someone looking for a light read. To be fully honest, I found Whitney (FMC) insufferable at the beginning. It was worse for me having grown up in Europe and seeing all the American stereotypes play out before my eyes, but also just... her personality was so annoying, I found myself sympathizing with Thierry (MMC) a bit too much (it's an enemies-to-lovers romance). The good part was that because the start was so rough, it really highlighted Whitney's character development. Her growth was delightful to watch, and I enjoyed the middle and ending a lot more, enough that it made the beginning worth it. After all, who doesn't love a cute love story set in the City of Love (have I said "love" enough times yet?). Also, I love Thierry. Like a lot. He's relatable, but also everything a male love interest should be: sweet, chivalrous even towards his "enemy", dryly hilarious, and an excellent chocolatier.

I could have used more focus on Whitney's academic journey and friendship with her roommates – it was pushed aside in favor of her relationship with Thierry, which is completely reasonable as it's very clearly first and foremost a romance novel, but I felt like there was a lot of untapped potential to explore those elements on a deeper level in order to add to the story.

All in all, this book was a really cute read to just escape to Paris and live in someone else's head for a while who's generally having a great time. The perfect story to pick up to read while the Olympics are on and you're not as into sports romance!

READ IF YOU LIKE: grumpy/sunshine, Emily in Paris, delectable food descriptions, Love à la Mode by Stephanie Kate Strohm, vaudeville, POC rep, chaotic younger sisters, cute guys playing soccer, the closest that contemporary romance can get to enemies to lovers, the French language, and of course, all the chocolate.

I wasn’t able to finish this one unfortunately.
I was very excited to receive this arc because it sounded like a story I’d really enjoy especially since I adore Emily in Paris as well as Young adult stories. But after I started reading it I found the writing style just wasn’t for me, there was a lot I didn’t understand and I felt like the story was a little flat.

Thank you for the chance to read.

This was fun. I was hoping for a bit more grumpy/sunshine. Sometimes, it was hard to connect with Whitney. However, I liked Thierry. There was a bit of a miscommunication, but it straightened out. I was hoping there would be more conversation about Whitney leaving at the end of the semester, but that didn’t happen. Overall, I was pleased with this story, and I would be interested in reading more from Stringfield. I enjoyed her writing.

This was short and sweet! I love the Paris setting and the romance was adorable!! Just a cute romance book that I would recommend to my students that enjoy this genre (and have dreams of Paris!)

This book was super cute and sweet! I’m always a fan of books set in Paris, and this one definitely met my expectations.

Imagine studying abroad in the city of love. Your dreams of directing films, singing and starring in movies are what get you out of bed each morning.

And then you meet your grumpy French tutor, who smells like chocolate 🫠

I loved the character growth, and the ending of this book! I hope she writes a sequel!

This was a cute YA novel set in Paris. I loved everything about this, I felt like I was walking along with the characters. I could smell all the sweet goodness. This was a quick read I devoured in one day. Definitely recommend