chelle22's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Cursing, Pregnancy, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Vomit
lululovesbooks77's review
3.0
You know…. This started off pretty slow…. And I wasn’t sure if I was going to continue m, but honestly the more I listened, the more intriguing the stories were. They’re compelling and relatable. Especially Jeremy’s story, where he flirts with the idea of a different love…. A different story for his life…..
I did end up enjoying this book more than I though I would.
I did end up enjoying this book more than I though I would.
melissakuzma's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this! It's the story of three French tutors and their students on one day in Paris. I especially liked the first story. Great read!
carstensena's review against another edition
3.0
Perfect summer read. France. Romance. What more can one ask?
morregev's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
nicolec417's review against another edition
2.0
I loved the descriptions of Paris, but the three stories depressed me.
cde10's review against another edition
1.0
I had very high hopes for this book. When I realized it was broken up into sections about each French tutors day, I thought there was room for some great overlapping story arcs. In reality, that just wasn't the case. Only one of the stories seemed "finished" and the majority of the characters were impossible to like. All the women seemed helpless.
megadallion's review against another edition
3.0
Warning: I apologize for the ramblings contained within the following review. It's very hot and our A/C isn't working properly. So cut me some slack.
This was a nice, quick summer/beach read about three French tutors and their three American students, teaching and learning about the French language, their lives, and love. It was like a yummy, syrupy, numbing snow cone for my mushy overheated brain (me can't think too good in 100-degree heat). I enjoyed all three stories (each section is a different coupling of tutor/student and their adventures in Paris in a single day), but I wasn't crazy about any of the endings. They were left open-ended with lots of loose ties, but like I said, you don't really need to think too hard with this book. So just take a little braincation (see what I did there? that's a "brain vacation") to France and go with it. If you're like me, you'll get quite a chuckle out of the romantic/sexy parts (apparently this author has previously penned several books about sex and naughty bits). I just thought they were super cheesy. This little gem of a passage cracked me up (it's a hot and heavy conversation between a couple before their trip to France):
This was a nice, quick summer/beach read about three French tutors and their three American students, teaching and learning about the French language, their lives, and love. It was like a yummy, syrupy, numbing snow cone for my mushy overheated brain (me can't think too good in 100-degree heat). I enjoyed all three stories (each section is a different coupling of tutor/student and their adventures in Paris in a single day), but I wasn't crazy about any of the endings. They were left open-ended with lots of loose ties, but like I said, you don't really need to think too hard with this book. So just take a little braincation (see what I did there? that's a "brain vacation") to France and go with it. If you're like me, you'll get quite a chuckle out of the romantic/sexy parts (apparently this author has previously penned several books about sex and naughty bits). I just thought they were super cheesy. This little gem of a passage cracked me up (it's a hot and heavy conversation between a couple before their trip to France):
"I'll teach you French. We'll talk dirty in French in bed with each other."
"I'm terrible at languages."
"I'll be your French tutor."
"You don't talk dirty in English."
"That's just because I can't catch my breath."
"Say 'Undress me' in French."
"Deshabille-moi."
"Say 'Fuck me.'"
"Batse-moi."
"Say 'Devour me.'"
"Devore-moi."
"Say 'Don't ever stop.'"
"N'arrete jamais."
"Say you'll come with me to Paris."
"Je t'aime."
I'm not positive that made it through to the final cut since this is an ARC, but it definitely entertained me. So yeah, good braincation :)
ctheodoru's review against another edition
3.0
I received French Lessons in the mail and finished it the same day. I became enamored with Sussman's description of Paris life and quickly transported myself into the city of love. The novel is separated into four separate stories: the tutors and the stories between the tutors and the Americans they are tutoring. The tutors kick off the novel and I became intrigued because I wanted to know how these three radically different people tutored. I think the first story between Nico and Josie is by far the best of the bunch. Josie is suffering from a loss and Nico is able to give her the gift of happiness, if only for a second. I identified the most with Josie and felt instantly bad for her. She's not a perfect character, in fact none of the characters are, and that's why I love her. I'm sick of reading novels with protagonists who are supposedly perfect. I like my protagonists to have a few flaws. The next story is of Phillipe and an American woman whose name escapes me, which is not a good sign. This was the shortest story in the book and my least favorite. I kind of hated Phillipe and therefore didn't care about his story. Next is the story of Jeremy and Chantal, much better than the previous story yet I still didn't love it. The characters seemed to be the most disconnected of the three. Finally, the tutors gather again and it brings the novel full circle. All in all I was glad to have a fun piece of fluffy escapism to spend my day with. The book isn't thought provoking but it sure was fun.