Fromage à Trois

Paris. Love. Cheese.

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Pub Date Oct 09 2018 | Archive Date Oct 08 2018

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Description

Meet Ella, on the brink of turning 30 and full of regret for a life only half lived.  

In a haze of heartbreak after splitting up with the man she thought she was going to marry, she makes the only decision that seems rational and buys a one-way ticket to Paris, embarking on a pilgrimage of food, wine, and joie de vivre.  After arriving, Ella soon finds herself caught between two men who inhabit opposite ends of the Paris food scene, getting wined and dined by one, and inadvertently making a bet to try every type of French fromage with the other. 

As the seasons change, Ella realizes that there’s more to life in France than champagne and cheese. At some point the Eiffel Tower stops sparkling and she needs to decide where her heart truly lies. 

Meet Ella, on the brink of turning 30 and full of regret for a life only half lived.  

In a haze of heartbreak after splitting up with the man she thought she was going to marry, she makes the only...


A Note From the Publisher

Victoria Brownlee is an Australian food writer and editor, currently based in Paris. She started writing about food over eight years ago, first as a blogger, and then as the Food & Drink Editor at 'Time Out Shanghai'. She has an MA (Publishing and Communications) from the University of Melbourne, Australia, and continues to write freelance articles on food trends across Europe. Fromage a Trois is her first novel.

Victoria Brownlee is an Australian food writer and editor, currently based in Paris. She started writing about food over eight years ago, first as a blogger, and then as the Food & Drink Editor at...


Advance Praise

" . . . combines the beauty and charm of Paris with the allure of romance, creating a novel of sensory delight." Publisher's Weekly

“Full of charm, Fromage à Trois opens up the delicious aspects of Paris and secrets of the French way of loving . . . Witty, voluptuous, very français―adorable!”  Nina George, international bestselling author of The Little Paris Bookshop

“This book will transport you to the streets of Paris and have you laughing out loud over the complications of love in a foreign city as Ella finds her way and heart.” —Rebecca Plotnick, founder and creator of Every Day Parisian

" . . . combines the beauty and charm of Paris with the allure of romance, creating a novel of sensory delight." Publisher's Weekly

“Full of charm, Fromage à Trois opens up the delicious aspects of...


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781948705134
PRICE $14.99 (USD)

Average rating from 100 members


Featured Reviews

This was such an easy story to read because the main character, Ella, is so likeable. The 30-something Australian shrugs off a broken relationship and heads for France for a year of adventure à la Française! And who can ban blame her? Her former boyfriend of almost a decade has decided he needs to "find himself", a statement that comes as quite a shock when she really expects a marriage proposal.
The idea of returning to live with her mum and carrying on in the same old job drives her to pack up her things and apply for a one-year working visa in France. What's the worst that can happen?
Finding a job is not easy, nor is finding somewhere to live. Life in France is much more expensive than she anticipated, especially in Paris. When she finds a room-share in an upmarket part of the city, she feels she has turned a corner. Sharing the apartment with a mother and son is not ideal, especially as the 40-year-old son seems to develop a crush on her. Another move is on the cards, and a new friend at the coffee shop offers her a solution -and a wonderful one at that.
Fortunately, despite a rocky start, the one constant in her life is cheese. and a bet with the owner of the fromagerie sets her a challenge to try all French cheeses during her year-long stay. This is a challenge she readily accepts, after all she's a cheese-a-holic and there can't be more than a hundred or so, can there?
Ella's life begins to revolve around cheese, but steadily she makes friends, finds a French 'boyfriend' and her job prospects multiply. She is living her dream life. Isn't she?

This is a feel-good story, with believable characters and a gorgeous cheese-filled insight into a Parisian lifestyle. There is romance, deception, fun, family, heartache and love - and more cheese than you can imagine. A really enjoyable light read.

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Thank you so much for this ARC!

After being on a mystery/thriller binge, reading Fromage a Trois was just delightful!

When starting the first chapter, it seemed, eh a little too predictable, but that quickly changed! The romance, the Parisian lifestyle and of course the cheese was a sweet escape. The last few pages of this book had me smiling (cheesing :)) from ear to ear.

So sweet, light and just an enjoyable read.

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Anyone who loves Paris and who has stood in a French cheese shop and marveled at the seemingly acres of plump fresh cheeses, will be transported to France. Even if you’ve only dreamed about Paris and appreciate the creamy taste of a good goat cheese on your tongue, you will adore this book.
Ella used to be adventurous but after the man that she thought she would settle down with dumps her, she decides to leave Australia and return to the city where she was a different, more courageous person. With the help of Serge, the owner of the local fromagerie, she sets herself a challenge: eat a different kind of cheese every day for the next year.

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Anyone who knows anything about me knows that my passion is France and all things French. I love their food, wine, the language, and everything else. Not only did this book feed my love of France, the main character is also from
Melbourne (my home town). The book was sweet and thoughtful and lovely and warm and happy. It’s about a woman who ends a horrid relationship and follows her stomach to Paris. It’s about the life she builds for herself there. The story and characters felt real and genuine as if it could happen in real life - it didn’t seem forced - a little cheesy (it fits in with the book!) but really adorable. The book also has a lot of cheese in - I just wanted to go and buy all the cheeses and stick my face in it. I absolutely loved this book and will be recommending it to anyone who likes Paris or Cheese.

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This was a very quick and cute read. I also really enjoy the cover. I hope more contemporary books start having simply illustrated covers. I also really enjoyed the font.

I really liked the story of the MC and her obsession with cheese was both adorable and hunger inducing. I will forever love stories about MCs, especially women, reinventing themselves and going on a journey. And that's exactly what this book was. The MC changes her entire life and finds herself and it was just a nice story to read.

This is the type of book you read and are transported to somewhere else, and in this case, that place is Paris.

I really did enjoy this book, my only complaint was that I wished it was more romance heavy, but I didn't lower my review because of that.

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I adored this book! Thank you so much for the opportunity to read. I loved and related to the characters and could hopelessly relate to the heroine’s pursuit of cheese. I can’t wait to read what’s next from this author!

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After 8 years with her boyfriend, Ella is excited. Anticipating a marriage proposal she is stunned to find out he is leaving...going on a trip of self-discovery. Hurt beyond belief, she makes the only viable decision left to her, she leaves him. But where would an almost 30 year old Australian go to reclaim her confidence?Paris of course. And she is off to Paris for a year, to soothe her pain in cheese and wine!



The pages of this story nearly jump out at you as each piece of cheese in its description almost settles in your mouth. The taste of it, the scent of it, the absolute joy of it. We watch Ella as she starts out as an unsure, almost naive young woman search Paris for a job, for some place to live, to virtually start her life over.



It is not only the vivid description of the various cheeses she almost inhales, but the people as well. In particular, the men. They too nearly jump out of the pages, indeed! Ella's rusty use of the French language served me well. So now when I go to Paris next month, first and foremost, I'll be able to order "un verre de vin rouge" even though I'll probably kill the accent.



For a debut novel, this was fun to read, light and enjoyable. I am hoping to read more from Victoria Brownlee in the future and wish her every success.



My thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.



A bientot!

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I lived vivaciously through the main character! I could almost see myself in Paris. I normally get irated when some authors throw in foreign language in the novel. I enjoyed and actually understood the French sentences in the book! I just could not pUT this book down! I love how there are different types of cheese being described. I wouldn't mind reading more books by this author. I received this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.

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Ella's boyfriend decides to leave her so that he can find himself. Instead of feeling sorry for herself she decides to leave Australia for a year and live in Paris (where she met her boyfriend).

She finds a job and makes friends including the owner of the local cheese shop. Ella bets that she can try all the french cheeses in her year in Paris.

The characters are warm and engaging . It's a feel good romance withe added bonus of lots of conversations about cheese.

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"Fromage à Trois" is a lighthearted read about a woman on a journey to find herself and her life after a particularly devastating break-up with her long-term partner. Believing it'll help her heal faster, Ella flees her native Australia for the whimsical, romantic streets of Paris. While I found the trope to be outdated, I still enjoyed the novel. A large credit goes to the characters, both Ella and her supporting cast, as well as the author's writing.

You get sucked in alongside Ella as she walks the streets of Paris, as she tries all the delicious and delectable cheeses, and explores love in different forms. I will say that there were a few cliche moments and I was slightly disappointed to see Ella jump from one relationship right into another. Nearly as soon as she reached Paris! So many things worked out for Ella, I didn't feel she experienced quite the struggle someone else would. She had some savings, she found a few jobs, made friends, etc. Things seemed quite easy for her and at the end, I thought that she was making a similar mistake like she began with.

Overall, though, I'm glad I read it. It was a breezy read and if you're looking for something to escape to, this would be a good bet. I thought it'd make a fun, cute romantic comedy!

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J'ai adoré le livre. C'était fantastique. While my French is no better than Ella's, this fantastic French inspired book deserved a French introduction.

The book follows Ella after she breaks up with her partner of eight years. At a crossroads, she moves to Paris for a year to rediscover her adventurous side. Along the way she also makes new friends, finds work and is challenged by her local cheese-monger to eat 365 French cheeses in a year.

Overall, Ella is a character that is easy to relate to, and the descriptions of Paris and French food (especially cheese) made me want to go back to Paris and dine on fromage et pain. The book is a little slow moving at first but then you really get into it.

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This book will make you want to travel to Paris and eat a lot of cheese!

Ella breaks up with her long-term boyfriend and escapes to Paris to find herself. With the help of a lot of cheese, champagne, and a some new Parisian friends, Ella creates a new life and finds love in Paris.

This was a slightly predictable but enjoyable read. Perfect for the beach or at a bistro table with a glass of wine.

The one miss in this book is the minimal development of Ella's ultimate love-interest. I wanted to know more about his character and,. I wish the author would have included more interactions between him and Ella leading up to the ending.

Now excuse me as I run out to buy some Comté.

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When I first started reading this novel I was a little unsure of what I was getting myself into. I felt bad for Ella and the predicament she found herself in. The more I read I fell in love with the complex nature of Ella and how she needed to find herself before committing herself to another. I enjoyed the author's descriptive nature of Paris and I enjoyed the ending that I did not see happening. Great novel!

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If you are looking for a fun, escapist story, this book is perfect. Ella’s long term boyfriend breaks up with her, and she decides to leave Australia and spend a year on Paris. Moving to Paris, Ella finds a job at a cafe, while blogging about cheeses. Still falling for the wrong type of man, Ella manages to make a life for herself in Paris. Enjoyable read.

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Paris, cheese, men - what’s not to love?

Ella, an Australian nearing 30, finds herself single after 8 years and searching for the next step. While soothing her heartbreak with some wine and some Comte, she decides to pack up her life in Melbourne and move to Paris -- where she first fell in love with cheese. Because, moving to Paris for wine and cheese is as good a reason as any, right?

This book was just so freakin’ cute. I loved the descriptions of Paris -- I felt as though I had really been transported there. I love books where you really feel immersed in the setting, and the author excelled at that. The characters all felt very realistic and not simply one dimensional. I found myself relating to Ella a lot, and seeing myself in her. And the cheese?! I could feel my mouth water, and almost had to run out for my own cheese board and wine so I could pretend I was Ella.

I enjoyed the first 85% of the book so much, but there was so much conflict with the climax that felt rushed in the last 15%. As the book went on, I found myself getting annoyed with Ella for not being more self-aware, and being ignorant to what both her fictional friends and I, as a reader, found so obvious.

Despite how I felt about the ending, I still would recommend this book to others. Especially those looking for a lighter, quick read, those who love rom-coms, those who love Paris, and those who love cheese!

Thanks again Netgalley and Amberjack Publishing for this sweet (and savory) ARC!

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If you love Paris and Cheese then you will enjoy this book.

Heartfelt, light hearted, funny and very French. Ella is such a likeable character and this book reminded me why Paris is my favourite place.

This book would make a great holiday read.

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I gave this book five stars as I learned so much more about the French variety of cheeses and the ways that the French think about cheese. According to the book there are about 356 different types of cheeses, and the main character, Ella from Australia, sets out to taste a different cheese every day for a year in order to win a bet with her fromagier, Serge, who provides Ella the expertise as well as the cheese. Of course, romance is in the air, with Paris and Frenchmen. Ella is on the rebound from a failed love affair back home in Australia and finds in Paris new interests, romantic and gustatory.

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This was such a delightful and fun read! Ella is a very likable character and one can't help but root for her as she explores Paris in search of friendship, love and incredible fromage! This wonderful book made me want to book a flight to France. I can't wait to read more from this author!

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The absolute best part of this book is the cheese. I am not even joking. This writer has an incredible talent for using surprising and mouth-watering descriptions to evoke the many, many French varietals. Also, her passion for Paris: its dialect and joie de vivre spark through each and every page. This is an immersive story and as the heroine slowly falls in love with the city again and again, you will feel everything from the sun glistening on the Seine to the eruption of outdoor cafes.

Everything atmospheric and dialogue-driven is pitch perfect. This is a writer who evokes dialect so, so well.


I also truly enjoyed seeing Ella reroute her life and recognize that she has a propensity for some poor choices unworthy of her passion and adaptability.


The only issue I had with this book involved the short page time of one of the two romantic leads. He was such a fascinating character but only made a few cameos and was never truly developed ---so, upon Ella's realization that he was the one, everything moved quickly. This was particularly a shame because the characters were all well-drawn out and his story, especially, seemed so well matched to her own. He's delightful, we just don't see enough of him.


In testament to this book's allure, I did go out and procure some of the varietals mentioned and some French wine while reading which I think might actually be required for the experience.

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I just finished this book and I can't stop smiling. It was so cute! Funny and charming and heart-warming. I've been reading so much serious books full of despair lately that this one was just fresh breath of air I really needed. I immensely enjoyed this one.

After horrible break-up, Ella decides to move to Paris for a year to drink wine and eat cheese.

"I practice my French on my lunch. Je t'aime, je t'aime, je t'aime, I repeated over and over again to my cheese sandwich"

With Ella, I walked the streets of Paris, laughed all loud and what is the most important, I discovered so many new types of cheese to eat! I even googled them how they look like and wrote a list of those I really have to try.

I think I am going to get my own physical copy after it's published. This book made me very happy and for that, it deserves five stars.

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