Genre: YA romance
Overall rating: 3.5/5 stars
Synopsis: Whitney Curry is primed to have an epic semester abroad. She’s created the perfect itinerary and many, many to-do lists after collecting every detail possible about Paris, France. Thus, she anticipates a grand adventure filled with vintage boutiques, her idol Josephine Baker’s old stomping grounds, and endless plays sure to inspire the ones she writes and—ahem—directs!
But all is not as she imagined when she’s dropped off at her prestigious new Parisian lycée. A fish out of water, Whitney struggles to juggle schoolwork, homesickness, and mastering the French language. Luckily, she lives for the drama. Literally.
Cue French tutor Thierry Magnon, a grumpy yet très handsome soccer star, who’s determined to show Whitney the real Paris. Is this type-A theater nerd ready to see how lessons on the City of Lights can turn into lessons on love?
Review: Overall. this was a cute romcom perfect for someone looking for a light read. To be fully honest, I found Whitney (FMC) insufferable at the beginning. It was worse for me having grown up in Europe and seeing all the American stereotypes play out before my eyes, but also just... her personality was so annoying, I found myself sympathizing with Thierry (MMC) a bit too much (it's an enemies-to-lovers romance). The good part was that because the start was so rough, it really highlighted Whitney's character development. Her growth was delightful to watch, and I enjoyed the middle and ending a lot more, enough that it made the beginning worth it. After all, who doesn't love a cute love story set in the City of Love (have I said "love" enough times yet?). Also, I love Thierry. Like a lot. He's relatable, but also everything a male love interest should be: sweet, chivalrous even towards his "enemy", dryly hilarious, and an excellent chocolatier.
I could have used more focus on Whitney's academic journey and friendship with her roommates – it was pushed aside in favor of her relationship with Thierry, which is completely reasonable as it's very clearly first and foremost a romance novel, but I felt like there was a lot of untapped potential to explore those elements on a deeper level in order to add to the story.
All in all, this book was a really cute read to just escape to Paris and live in someone else's head for a while who's generally having a great time. The perfect story to pick up to read while the Olympics are on and you're not as into sports romance!
READ IF YOU LIKE: grumpy/sunshine, Emily in Paris, delectable food descriptions, Love à la Mode by Stephanie Kate Strohm, vaudeville, POC rep, chaotic younger sisters, cute guys playing soccer, the closest that contemporary romance can get to enemies to lovers, the French language, and of course, all the chocolate.
Finally, thank you so much to TBR and Beyond Tours for providing me with a physical ARC of this book! This did not affect my review/rating in any way. You can click here to see the tour schedule and check out everyone else's amazing posts, and you can preorder Love Requires Chocolate from Amazon, B&N, Indiebound, or any other retailer of your choice. Publishing date is August 20th, 2024, which is tomorrow, so you don't have long to wait before you can read it! And if you happen to be on a book buying ban, I have good news: you can also add it on Goodreads and request it at your local library!
About the Author:
Ravynn K. Stringfield is a Virginia author and academic. She holds a Ph.D. in American Studies and her research centers Black girls, fantasy, and new media. Ravynn’s debut YA contemporary novel LOVE IN 280 CHARACTERS OR LESS is anticipated from Feiwel & Friends in Spring 2024. In addition to her novel, Ravynn has written and published short fiction, personal essays and blogs, particular on her 6 year blog project, Black Girl Does Grad School. Her fiction can be found in Voyage YA Journal and midnight & indigo, and her personal essays can be found in Catapult Magazine. At Catapult, Ravynn wrote the column “Superhero Girlfriends Anonymous."
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