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A review by halfbloodapril
Kisses and Croissants by Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau
3.0
*2.5 stars
Aw, I'm sad to give this book such a low rating. I was all set to write a review about this being one of the best contemporary romance novels I've read in a while. And for 75% of the book, it was! I really liked the romance in this one; it wasn't any of the Big C's I hate in romances (cheesy, codependent, contrived), and both of the characters in the relationship had their own goals and personality traits. Mia, the main character, was extremely passionate about ballet and hoped to get into an American ballet company called ABT, which made her far more interesting than some characters who forget everything for their significant other (is it just me, or do I hear the heavy breathing of Bella Swan?). The other characters in the book, like Mia's rival Audrey and her mother, were multifaceted and brought several good lessons to the table.
But the ending...oh, the ending. Long story short, it felt like the author threw a random plot twist in for dramatic effect. It was really out of the blue, with no foreshadowing or anything, and I couldn't believe all of Mia's hard work went out of the window like that. From there, the rest of the book (including the epilogue) was a complete blur. I couldn't keep up, and frankly, I didn't really want to. Basically, everything I wanted the story to be like--it was the opposite of that.
Sigh. This book was pretty great up until the final incident. What made me the saddest was that by the ending, I wasn't rooting for Louis and Mia anymore. They were so cute and fun, but too many things happened for it to seem like they should end up together. I think they eventually did (again, I didn't retain anything at the end), but honestly, for them to never see each other again would have been my ideal ending. Here's a goodbye kiss and a lot of croissants in commemoration of what might have been a lovely couple.
Aw, I'm sad to give this book such a low rating. I was all set to write a review about this being one of the best contemporary romance novels I've read in a while. And for 75% of the book, it was! I really liked the romance in this one; it wasn't any of the Big C's I hate in romances (cheesy, codependent, contrived), and both of the characters in the relationship had their own goals and personality traits. Mia, the main character, was extremely passionate about ballet and hoped to get into an American ballet company called ABT, which made her far more interesting than some characters who forget everything for their significant other (is it just me, or do I hear the heavy breathing of Bella Swan?). The other characters in the book, like Mia's rival Audrey and her mother, were multifaceted and brought several good lessons to the table.
But the ending...oh, the ending. Long story short, it felt like the author threw a random plot twist in for dramatic effect. It was really out of the blue, with no foreshadowing or anything, and I couldn't believe all of Mia's hard work went out of the window like that.
Spoiler
Mia gets hit by a car while she's out on Louis's Vespa and breaks her collarbone--right before her audition with ABT.Sigh. This book was pretty great up until the final incident. What made me the saddest was that by the ending, I wasn't rooting for Louis and Mia anymore. They were so cute and fun, but too many things happened for it to seem like they should end up together. I think they eventually did (again, I didn't retain anything at the end), but honestly, for them to never see each other again would have been my ideal ending. Here's a goodbye kiss and a lot of croissants in commemoration of what might have been a lovely couple.