This one is like a YA version of Emily in Paris for theatre kids, and you know what? Here for it. It's a fun and cute teen travel romance. I found myself completely drawn into the story thanks to the author's compelling language and word choice. It's not too slow, which thank goodness, that's a major plus. It's very cute, sweet and innocent.

A semester in Paris during her senior year of high school allows Whitney to complete a multimedia project on her heroine,, Josephine Baker. A predictable romance ensues.

First of all, I want to say a big thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book before it came out. I'm so glad I get to give my review and help support this book. So, big shoutout to them!

Love Requires Chocolate by Ravynn K. Stringfield was such a fun book to read. The main character, Whitney, was bubbly and energetic. I loved how passionate she was about her theater project and about following in the footsteps of her idol Josephine Baker. Whitney’s passion makes her stand out as a character and drives the whole narrative forward. Not only is she passionate about theater and Josephine Baker, but she’s passionate about everything she does, which makes her a character that you want to route for. When she meets her French tutor Thierry, the sparks flew. The grumpy/sunshine dynamic between them was adorable and had me excited for each new opportunity to see them interact. Their interactions took them across Paris as a way for Whitney to work on her French and explore the city she’s calling home for the few months she’s there.

When I was reading this book, I had the opportunity to visit Paris. The words on the page sprung to life all the more, being in the place that the book I was reading was set. Even if I hadn’t been in Paris as I was reading though, Ravynn Stringfield’s descriptions would have transported me there. She describes the places her characters are experiencing in such a way that makes them come alive.

While I enjoyed this book, I do think that the ending felt a bit rushed. I’m not going to put any spoilers in this review, but Whitney made some decisions hastily and then reversed her decision just as hastily. I think if this aspect of the ending could have been stretched out a bit more then it would have made the ending stronger. Even still, though, the ending was good and rounded out the story quite well.

Love Requires Chocolate was a cozy, delightful read. It’s the perfect kind of book to pick up with a cup of hot cocoa and a croissant, cuddled beneath a cozy blanket. The characters stood out on the page as did the descriptions and the story was heartily enjoyable. This book comes out on August 20th and it’s definitely one to pick up.

3.5/5 rounded up
closed door romance

TLDR : Story was very cute and very YA Emily in Paris mixed with Love & Gelato vibes. Great for a cute quick romance read! Just wanted more - more angst, more struggle, more nuance to new relationships. And the ending felt bit rushed to me.

Whitney studies abroad for the semester and has lots of lists to accomplish. What's not on her list is unexpectedly falling for an adorable grumpy Thierry. Their story really was adorable, simple, and sweet! The story's conflict and resolution felt a bit rushed. And I would have liked to see her relationship with her friends and others be more fleshed out. But for a quick read - it was good!

I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in quick read about an adorable YA romance set to the backdrop of Paris!

emily in paris with chocolate and an appreciation for josephine baker

rating: 3.5

though it had cute moments and made me miss paris, i really would've liked more focus on the academics and her piece. i felt like there could've been more information about josephine baker interweaved in as well as connection or insight from her piece. it felt like alot of the book was planning on the fmc's part.

Whitney Curry is ready to take on a semester in Paris! She has her itinerary, and on a mission to create her one-woman show. But not is all how she imagined it to be. Enter Thierry Magnon, a soccer star and her French tutor. They may have started on a tough note, but he's determined to show Whitney the real Paris.

This is a cute, YA romance set in France! Whitney and Thierry are opposites. Whitney is all sunshine and smiles, especially when she's talking about her passion for theater. Thierry is a grump, but certainly also has a soft spot. With Paris, the city of love, as the background, it can't be helped but fall in love.

Thank you netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I went into this book blind on the plot. I was intrigued based on the cover and the title. This book follows our main character, Whitney, as she studies abroad in Paris for one of her school semesters. She is working on a final project for her studies (theater) throughout this story as we see her explore Paris. Whitney loves a good list and has a checklist of things she likes to accomplish while she is there. Some local Parisians tell her she needs to see things that aren’t on there and we see her grow as a person while exploring an unknown country.

I’m honestly not sure if Whitney is in high school or college, I would assume college since in high school you don’t declare what you’re studying. But it’s hard to know because Whitney acts very immature throughout the book. While I do feel she grows as a person in this story, ultimately, she gets easily upset by situations and is easily swayed in the end when she makes a decision. I did not love the FMC for that reason.

I did enjoy this book for the “high school” Emily meets Paris vibes. The scenery was a joy to read about, and I was intrigued enough to see what happens. We also get the grumpy sunshine trope in this book with I also loved.

I think I would recommend this book for teenagers or anyone looking for a YA closed door version of Emily Meets Paris.

As a Black girl theatre nerd who took French all throughout high school and college, Stringfield has written the teenage rom-com OF MY DREAMS. Whitney reminds me so much of myself at that age: strong-willed, dramatic, a little self-absorbed, but also really complex, funny, and fierce. I adored the sprinkled-in history of Josephine Baker throughout the story. "Love Requires Chocolate" is just the YA I needed when I was a teen and I can't wait to put this book in the hands of some of my Whitney-coded students! Thank you Netgalley for allowing me an ARC of this book!

I loved this book! The Parisian setting, detailed descriptions (like outfits and food), and the nods to Josephine Baker were all fantastic. Whitney’s passion for journals and photography adds depth to her character, and Thierry, her charming love interest, was irresistible. The book shines with its great representation of Black culture, and learning about Josephine Baker through Whitney’s eyes was a highlight. The romance between Whitney and Thierry was believable and heartwarming, although I wish the conflict with Thierry’s ex had been resolved more thoroughly.

This book was everything I expected it to be. It was a nice palette cleanser read filled with sweet romance and teenage angst. This book reminded me so much of love and Gelato and Kisses and Croissants in the best way. I enjoyed both of our main characters and felt they complemented each other very well. overall this was a sweet read perfect for the summer.

The main character, Whitney, is very one-dimensional and painful to read about. She’s like a hyper Golden Retriever puppy. 1/4 of the way into the book and there still wasn’t any tension or obstacles to overcome.

What a fun and delicious read! Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children's for the advance reader's copy. Whitney is spending a semester in Paris to study theater at a prestigious international high school. I loved her exploration of the city, relationship with Thierry and everything about
Josephine Baker. Whitney and her roommates and friends were all written in a fun, authentic way. I love Paris so I really enjoyed this book. A fun YA romance. Worth a read, especially for Emily in Paris fans.

This is such a cute love story! The only struggle I had during the book was trying to figure out the French based on the context of what was happening in the book. I would highly recommend this book to any young adult as the romance is very clean and just perfect for any high schooler dealing with their first love (even if they can’t relate to being in love with someone in a different country). I also relate so much to Whitney as I love having a plan in life but sometimes you need someone who shows you that the best parts of life are sometimes things you cannot plan for.

I so wanted to like this book. I have this book three different chances but the main character is insufferable.
She is awful and self-absorbed. I cannot read another minute of her.

Thank you for the opportunity to read Love Requires Chocolate's e-arc. Unfortunately, I ended up dnf'ing because the mc and love interest just shouldn't have been love interests. There was no spark and they didn't treat each other well at all. The MC also put a lot of weight in what parts of her comes from her mother or grandma, which maybe by the end she learns that what matters is who she is regardless of them and their life choices, but it made the mc really hard to read through a first person perspective. The mc also held more of an Emily in Paris view of Paris, which isn't a good thing.

DNF at 30%. I can tell that this is a book I would like, but it’s is not keeping my attention. I feel like I’m at the point where I would get sucked into the story, and it’s not happening.

I also don’t like the main character is a stereotypic clueless American. Since she has done all this research on black Americans who fled to France, actively pursued a position at this school, and lived in D.C., she shouldn’t be in that stereotype.

I really liked the idea of this book. However I just couldn’t love it. I really wanted to but even with her falling for the tutor and the whole grump sunshine trope, which I’m a sucker for, I just could get into it. I think the main problem was for me that the FMC annoyed me, a good read but I probably wouldn’t read it again.

First of all, thank you NetGalley and Random House Children for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy this book and struggled to get through the story.

This was a short, ya romance read about Whitney Curry, an aspiring actress who goes to an international arts school for a semester abroad in Paris to pursue her dreams. Whitney seems to be researching and writing a one-woman play on the late singer/dancer, Josephine Baker, and while she’s there, she’s given a French tutor who she eventually falls for, Thierry Magnon.

Although the entire plot of the book seems to revolve around her play and her dreams of it succeeding, a lot of it focuses on her bucket list for Paris that Thierry helps her with. But while they’re venturing around France, I couldn’t connect with the characters at all and I didn’t feel any chemistry between them. Sure, there were some cute moments, but their relationship only ever seemed to skim the surface.

And I usually live for grumpy x sunshine tropes, but honestly, I thought the fmc was so annoying. Maybe it’s because she’s young, but she seemed so self-absorbed and self-centered throughout the book and her interactions with the other characters, and I couldn’t stand it. Thierry was also just giving ✨ nothing ✨ other than being a grump and a chocolatier.

Not only that, but her play is hardly ever discussed other than it being said that it’s her school project. The plot fell flat for me since it never seemed like it dove into anything it talked about 🫠

Love Requires Chocolate is a wonderful journey through being a teenager, finding love, and of course, Paris. As someone who took three years of french throughout high school and college and was a theater kid, I absolutely LOVED Whitney. She is kind and charismatic, and unapologetically herself. She accomplishes so much during her semester in Paris and I was rooting for her the entire time. Thierry seemed stoic and rude at first, but there is so much under the surface that he reveals to Whitney as her French tutor and her friend. This book immersed me in French culture, specifically, in pastries and chocolate. There is an entire paragraph dedicated to describing the perfection that is a true croissant, and it was 100% necessary. I enjoyed that I also learned about a historical figure I had never heard about. Josephine Baker. She is a propelling force in Whitney's story and after completing the book, I did some of my own research into her life and music. It makes me sad that in my French and Theater classes, her name did not come up. I always love listening and learning about other's life experiences and their passions. And reading allows me to do that. This YA Romance is an easy 5 star read. I hope you enjoy!

I feel like I keep searching through so many anticipated releases, waiting for something that will break the reading slump. Unfortunately, this one just wasn't the one to do it. I just felt bored.