A review by lawbooks600
In Paris With You by Clémentine Beauvais

emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Representation: N/A
Trigger warnings: Suicide mentioned
Score: Five out of ten.

In Paris With You by Clémentine Beauvais is like a novel where the presentation is incredible but the story itself is more than lacking. I wanted to read another novel-in-verse after previously enjoying one, so my expectations were high until I saw negative reviews. When I closed the final page, it was underwhelming despite the premise.

It starts with Eugene and Tatiana initially living separate lives in 2006, but there's a catch, they start to develop a relationship but then they head off in different directions, but that feels like an extended prologue to the central storyline. Now it's 2016, but it doesn't feel like anything significant changed other than people using different social media platforms. Why not show more? The pacing is slow for a book lasting 340 pages, but it feels like 400. 

Remember the presentation? That is in the form of the poetry, and it uses various poetic devices (like rhyming and concrete poems) and not spaced out prose. If the story was as excellent as the poetry, I would give it a higher score than five out of ten and be done with this review. Unfortunately, I'm not done yet. The characters are a prominent flaw as it was difficult to connect or relate with them, much less believe they had chemistry. A unique aspect is the narrator, which is a character themselves. I thought I would get a third omniscient POV but then the narrator started talking to the characters.

I don't go outside of Paris, but I should've expected that considering Paris is literally in the title. I don't get to see any side characters like Lensky, who only occasionally and briefly appears for a few pages. Dedicating more page time to him and adding depth could improve the reading experience, though. Anyway. This narrative is a second chance romance, meaning those looking for literary value should look elsewhere. As the term implies, the couple comes back together, and they do, which should've created a heartwarming conclusion but I was done with Beauvais' creation. It could've been better.
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