Book Review Wednesday: Kisses and Croissants by Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau

 I received an ARC of "Kisses and Croissants" from Netgalley and read it a few months back. It was published yesterday (!!!) and is now available for purchase.

What drew me in about this book was of course, the name. I love anything having to do with croissants and obviously, you knew this was going to be set in Paris. Combine that with the ballet dancer trope and you've got a plot that was made for me. 

I really loved this book; it was sweet, beautiful, and a quick read. It's a great palette cleanser between thrillers or when you feel like you need a light novel or a trip to Paris! 

Publisher's Summary

Mia Jenrow has always known she's destined to be a professional ballerina. In fact, it’s in her blood—according to family legend, her too-many-greats-to-count-grandmother once danced for the Paris Opera and was painted by Degas himself! Her parents say it’s just a fantasy, but to Mia it’s so much more than that. It’s her fate.
 
Mia is planning to spend a magical summer in France pursuing her dream, but as she pirou-ettes into Paris, she soon realizes it may be a bit more complicated than she hoped. For starters, there’s her rival, Audrey, who will stop at nothing to show her up. There’s her ballet instructor, whose impossibly high standards push her to the breaking point. And then . . . there’s Louis. Devastatingly, distractingly charming Louis. He’s eager to show Mia his city—and Mia is more than happy to hop on his Vespa and wrap her arms around him as they pass the gleaming lights of the Eiffel Tower.
 
Mia’s summer was supposed to be about ballet—but there’s a reason Paris is called the City of Love. . . .

My Thoughts

I loved this book so much. It was magical, adorable, and a little dramatic. I loved the ballerina plot and how Mia was searching for answers about her heritage related to ballet. I thought that added more depth to the story instead of just an "American in Paris, becomes a ballerina, etc." 

 

When you add in the rivalry of Audrey and the secret romance of Louis, it makes for a really enthralling story. I loved the secret romance aspect and the running around of Paris, it made me want to travel there. I read this not soon after I binged "Emily in Paris" and it made me want to travel so badly. 

I'm also a sucker for ballerinas. I think it's such a beautiful form of dance and as someone who took aggressive ballet classes as a kid/teenager, it makes me nostalgic for that time in my life when ballet was everything. I felt so connected to Mia because of her love of ballet and it made her that much more relatable.

Mia was a great protagonist; she wasn't annoying, well spoken, dedicated, and interesting. The other characters in the book, Audrey especially, were also interesting and well developed; I would love to have a spinoff of Audrey at her ballet school post Paris. 

There was a climax point of the novel, one that I wasn't expecting, and it really shook me for a loop. It made me cry, it broke my heart, and it was kind of devastating after everything the characters went through. However, the novel gets wrapped up in a neat bow and you feel satisfied. 

I also thought the book was really well written; it was a little corny of course but there was a lot of great plot points, history lessons, and it painted a beautiful picture of ballet in Paris. 

If you're looking for a soft, easy read that takes place in the City of Love, I cannot recommend Kisses & Croissants enough! 

xoxo
B