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

If you’re looking for a simple and quick YA grumpy x sunshine romance then this one might be for you!

I really like the easy to read writing style, I love the way the author can describes some of the places mentioned vividly which makes me feel like I’m in Paris.

I adore the grumpy x sunshine trope from this story.
I love seeing Whitney and Thierry relationship slowly changes to something more as they spend more time together. Whitney definitely has her own unique way to melt Thierry’s cold heart! Absolutely adore them both!

I also like getting to know more about Black history in Paris especially about Whitney’s idol – Josephine Baker which I’m not familiar with before reading this book.

Overall, this is such a cute and entertaining read. I devoured this sweet romance in just one day!
I’m looking forward to read more books by this author in the future!

This had a fun premise, marketed as part sisterhood of the traveling pants and that was what hooked me in. The reality of spending a semester in paris with the FMC whitney actually turned into all of the over the top and cringe worthy stereo types from Emily in Paris and did not make for a memorable read.

I grew up on the traveling pants, and was so excited to find some similarties in this novel but, there were no found family/strong gal pals vibes. There was just....Whitney's paris list. Which don't get me wrong, was SO relatable, but at the same time....the writing didn't make the reader feel immersed in any of the paris adventures, which having studied abroad in France myself, I would have loved to dive back in. YA reads can absolutely have butterflies, but there wasn't palpable chemistry from the two MCs and the conflict/resolution felt forced and rushed and didn't really resolve the story at the end.

While this may not have been the read for me, no doubt there's so many people that have or will enjoy this. So if you need a quick light hearted escape to paris, give it a try!


Thank you Netgalley and Random House Children's | Joy Revolution for the ARC in exchange for my review!

Love Requires Chocolate- Lost in Translation, Book #1

By Ravynn K. Stringfield-debut author

E-book: 275 pgs.

Genre: YA, Romance, Multicultural Interests

Tropes: semester abroad/fish out of water, grumpy/sunshine, coming of age

⚠️TW: racism

Setting: from D.C. to Paris, France

🙏🏽Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children's | Joy Revolution for this ARC 🩷! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions expressed are my own.

Summary: Whitney Curry 17 travels abroad for school and to research her senior project. She has an awkward first meeting with her roommates and reluctant French tutor Thierry Magnon. He agrees to help her with research and the French language, and she will give him a great review as a tutor. He is a soccer star recently suspended and punished by his stepfather for fighting at a game.


🤔My Thoughts: I liked all the cultural appreciation Whitney had, and Thierry was the best person to help her navigate Paris. There was an underlying racial aspect because Thierry was black and had to deal with racism, but Whitney's knowledge of African American art and music makes up for it. While both characters were black, their experiences were vastly different.

Rating: 3.5/5⭐⭐⭐⭐

Yes, yes it does!! 🍫

Happy Pub Day to this debut author of Love Requires Chocolate!

Whitney lives her life strictly by lists. She’s about to embark on a semester abroad in Paris, and her expectations are quite high! Whitney has every day planned out on what she will see and do.
Except when she finally gets there, Paris is not going how she imagined.
Starting with her roommates alienating her, being late on her first day, and having an embarrassing first encounter with her assigned French tutor, Thierry Magnon. Treś handsome tutor, mind you! And when he is not tutoring, he spends his days playing football and working in his stepfathers chocolate shop.

This is a cute, closed door, coming of age YA novel! Perfect for anyone who has traveled and fell in love with Paris or are fans of the show Emily in Paris! Just like in the show, Whitney struggles to adapt to her new environment at first, but soon sees the magic her Nana has always talked about. “Magic is made, Whitney, not discovered.”

There is discussion of racism and what it’s like to be Black in France. The reason Whitney wanted to travel to Paris was to write her senior thesis on Josephine Baker, a Black artist who fled to Paris and felt free there. Whitney wanted to know why.

Trope: grumpy x sunshine

I enjoyed reading Love Requires Chocolate by Ravynn K. Stringfield. You will fall in love with all the characters. I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely. Happy Reading!

Huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-ARC of this book! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

This book was truly such a sweet book (no pun intended!). The setting and the atmosphere of visiting and living in Paris for the first time was so engaging and just made me wanna hop on a plane to France.

Whitney’s journey of self discovery and self growth was so heart warming to see. I loved seeing her really take life by the reins and learn that not every step in life goes according to plan and that’s okay! I also really loved how passionate she was about her work and her show. As a fellow theater lover it was so heartwarming reading about someone who was so passionate about theater and performing!

The romance between Thierry and Whitney was done so well. It was slow burny, sweet, and filled with moments of tension. So many times did I feel my self relating to Whitney’s monologues and inner thoughts about how her relationship was developing. I loved how relatable her inner thoughts were. Thierry is also just the sweetest with her and had me swooning so much😍

If you’re a fan of YA romances, Emily in Paris, and self discovering FMCs I would definitely recommend checking out this story!

I will admit, the first 35% or so of the book was a struggle to get through. The writing style was very reminiscent of fanfiction with way too much "she said" and "he grumbled." All of the dialogue was clunky as a result. I also really didn't like Whitney at first. She was giving uptight manic pixie dream girl a bit too much to be tolerable. A lot of what she said was incredibly cringy including calling the girls in her dorm "cohortmates."

After the 35% mark, everything took a complete 180. Whitney mellowed out, the writing improved, and it felt much more relatable and grounded. I'm not sure what happened or what author took over but I wish that vibe carried itself to the beginning.

I love that her icon is a bisexual woman and there are a few LGBTQ+ background characters. They are all a good balance of being there but not shoehorned in unnecessarily.

I'd like to take a moment to proclaim my obsession with Nana. She was funny, witty, and a breath of realness the book desperately needed. I would love to read a book about her jaunt through Europe. This story would've highly benefitted from more lively characters like her.

In sum, this was a sweet (chocolate included) romance with a quirky FMC and a slow-to-warm-up MMC. It takes some time to hit its stride but once it does, it flies by. It would be a great palette cleanser between heavier reads.

If you want a look into what living in Paris would be if you were a young adult this book will make you want to book a flight. My rating is actually 3.5 stars. The book follows Whitney who is a senior in high school studying abroad for a semester in Paris. She is working on her senior thesis about the life and work of Josephine Baker. As someone who enjoys the history of Josephine Baker, I loved the history that was added to the story about her. We follow Whitney as she navigates Paris for the first time in not great French. Threw events she met a very grumpy Thierry who is assigned as her tutor. You are able to follow Whittney through the semester of trying to make friends and have her end of year project preformed. The story of Whitney and Thierry is so adorable, and I really enjoyed getting the know the characters. The details that were adding in the book about the city and the descriptions of food especially the chocolate was absolutely amazing. Very much enjoyed this debut book by the author.

I also want to thank Netgalley and Random House Children's for the ARC.

Note: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a super sweet contemporary YA romance that features a lot of my favorite things: France, sugar, falling in love, and theater. Was it a perfect combination? Not necessarily, but it was still pretty enjoyable.

Whitney is your stereotypical theater kid—confident, loud, and painfully unaware despite supposedly being self aware. She irritated me a bit in the beginning b/c she was so stereotypical, but that also probably means I would have really identified with her as a teenager, so I guess I have to give it a pass... And Thierry was just the right amount of grumpy for me, and such a romantic at heart!! That scene in Chocolat Doré was SO. CUTE. omg. Their chemistry felt very natural and warm to me. But that third act conflict?? Sorry, Whitney, but it was so. dramatic. for. no. reason.

And on a pedantic note, I really did not understand the author's baseline for Whitney's French. She uses some nearly intermediate phrases in the beginning, but then Thierry has to teach her the passé composé for avoir and être?? And while I loved the sense of improvement regarding her French, there is no way a high schooler with those basics would feel comfortable at a market alone, as she put it.... Admittedly, my French degree was out in full force and feeling VERY judgy during this read; she simply can't be tamed!!!

I think this is book is a lot of very light, easy fun, perfect for actual tweens and teenagers who may not have been to France and are itching to go; for everyone else (i.e., everyone older than 18), I'd probably recommend skipping.

3 out of 5 stars, ⭐️⭐️⭐️