Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

To start: if historical accuracy in your fiction is important to you, skip this book. But if you’re looking for a book that’s set in the past in the way, say, A Knight’s Tale was set in the past, then read on. This book was described as She’s All That meets Bridgerton, and I see it. It heartens back to the teenage romcoms of the 90s/00s and I live for it. Is it breaking new literary ground? No. Is it fun anyway in an almost nostalgic way (well, nostalgic for this millennial, that is)? Absolutely. I had a blast reading this, just like I always loved watching those romcoms.

Thanks to HarperTeen for the ARC! It definitely felt more like an anachronistic alternate history as opposed to true historical fiction, but still very enjoyable. A fun summer read!

This is essentially She's All That but set in the regency era (yet still has anachronistic, modern language -- like they always called it a "bet" when they could have easily used "wager"?). Though it was thoroughly predictable and followed She's All That's storyline to a T, it was still absolutely adorable and an absolute historical romance romp!

I honestly did think it may take some departures from its source material because I felt a lot of chemistry between Evie and the Duke (Heath), but that was a bit of a red herring. I don't know if the author intended for their chemistry to be so strong but maybe it's similar to how people feel about Patrick Dempsey's character getting left at the altar by Reese Witherspoon in Sweet Home Alabama. That's what I'm likening it to at least. Anyway, even though Evie doesn't end up with the Duke, I found her character to be endearing, spunky and fun. She absolutely gave Laney Boggs from She's All That.

I thought it was nice to have Evie's relationship with her mom and her younger sister Violette fleshed out a bit and maybe that's where more of the unique elements of this particular story shine. However, again, I did not mind one bit that this was a retelling of She's All That. It was very fun and I'd read from this author again in the future!

This is a great YA novel for fans of 2000s romcoms and Bridgerton, but sadly, I just couldn’t get past the blaring historical inaccuracies. I read historical romance for the historical aspect, and when the language and general tone of the novel don’t mix, I can’t enjoy it. However, I do think teens will love this one!

4.5 stars!!

If you love She's All That, Bridgerton, or Cinderella, you'd love this story. Evie is the baker's daughter. She is a peasant compared to the popular crowd. Along comes the Bellegarde Bloom, the ball that picks the most eligible woman in town. 5 students are in the court, but it comes down to one winning. You have your popular girl Rachelle who breaks up with popular boy Beau right before the ball to date a baron. What will Beau do now? Why not make a bet with his half-brother that he can help another girl become the Bellegarde Bloom. Who does that happen to be? Our girl Evie.

I enjoyed the plot, as She's All That is one of my favorite movies! I loved Evie, her family, and her best friend. And my heart felt for Beau.

This is definitely a book that I would want to add to my personal collection!

The one thing that I noticed, and have seen people comment on, is that this doesn't really have "regency" language throughout. Some instances do, but it did sound very modern. I personally didn't mind this, but know that that may bother some.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Teen for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Described as Bridgerton meets She’s all That I knew this was going to be my kind of book, but also an entertaining read, I wasn’t wrong, it’s exactly what I was hoping for and the description spot on ! Bellgarde is an addictive story that I couldn’t put down. I loved the relationship between Evie and Beau, it was so lovely, full of chemistry, this is a wonderful debut and I’m so looking forward to more from Jamie Lilac

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you NetGalley and Author for this ARC book!

This book had me laughing, screaming all of the above! It had me swooning, loved it!

This was a cute romcom. Fast and easy read. It took a little reading to get into but once you're in it's a page turner. I really did enjoy it. It's definitely more in the young adult category.

The perfect blend of 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘰𝘯 and 𝘚𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵.

𝘉𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦 is She's All That reimagined in 18th-century France and it's a historical rom-com with a modern twist, in which a second-born son makes a deal i.e. if he can turn the unapproachable baker's daughter into the winner of the court ball, making her the most desired bachelorette in Paris, he inherits the family fortune, but his target has plans of her own...

- ~ -

It's a sweet concoction of childhood friends to enemies to lovers and a found family aspect.

The whole read was fun, easy and laughter filled.

But... I have not and don't think ever will like modern language in historical era stories. I'm not saying the dialogues have to be Shakespearean but atleast a bit sophisticated and adjusted to that era. So that pet peeve of mine ruined this for me.

- ~ -

3.78 / 5✩

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯'𝘴 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯'𝘴 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘐 𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘥. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

What would happen if Bridgerton and She’s All That came together an had a baby? That would be this book. A familiar bet, an “ugly duckling” girl, and a coveted crown all set in Paris, France.

While I enjoyed this read, I couldn’t give it more than 3 stars because there were some glaringly obvious problems. From the start, the dialog made it hard to connect with the setting. It was hard for me to picture this as a historical romance because every time the characters would speak, all I could picture was modern teens. However, as I kept reading the dialog became less jarring and I was able to suspend disbelief long enough to get through the story. However, that created the second issue…this book is too predictable. It is described as She’s All That but historical and it’s that. Exactly. There is nothing new or exciting. If you’ve seen the movie, you know the exact plot of this book. There was nothing new. Nothing fresh. It was enjoyable, but not great. I still think it would be well received in a high school library though!

I hate to bad mouth someone’s work, but I don’t have anything nice to say about this book and I’m highly impressed it was picked by a publisher.
I decided to give it a chance because, though I’m older, I enjoy both YA and historical romances and, in addition, She’s All That is a cute movie I’ve watched several times. Unfortunately, I felt that the author just grabbed a mall full of millennials and planted it in 18th century Paris, which is an assumption given that France hasn’t had a queen since the aforementioned century, and it goes down from there. The story is too PC for even for 1999 when the movie was released and is a total debacle IMO.
In all honesty, I thought about not finishing after chapter 1, but managed to read the whole thing to make sure I gave it a proper chance to redeem itself. I found it poorly crafted, unoriginal and lacking creativity. Maybe it will pass for a historical romance to a 12 year-old who’s never read one and doesn’t know any actual history, but if you have barely any knowledge of historical times and events, you can spot the many inaccuracies along the book and truly, they can’t be covered by saying they are creative license.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for granting me an ARC for this book!

I am still trying to find the right words to describe how this book got me giggling, screaming, punching the air. It makes me swoon, I am on the floor trying to not blush some more!

Bellegarde by Jamie Lilac, 320 pages. HarperTeen (HarperCollins), 2023. $16. Lgbtqia
Language: PG (4 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
After being publicly dumped by his popular girlfriend only weeks before the ball, Beau attempts to save face by telling his buddies that he’s no worse off, popularity-wise, without her. In fact, Beau brags that he can turn anyone into the Bellegarde Bloom—which would mean showing up his now-ex at the ball. Beau and his half-brother bet their shares of their inheritance on whether Beau can make Evie, a peasant, into the Bellegarde Bloom.
Beau and Evie’s story is a splendid reimagining of She’s All That. The story inherently requires lies and feelings of betrayal, and Lilac writes her characters in such a way that readers can’t help but want both of them to succeed despite their faults. The lessons in misunderstandings and forgiveness are cheesy yet still applicable, making it the perfect afternoon read whether readers want fluff or depth.
Evie is described as having “olive” skin, and Beau is described as “tanned.” The mature content rating is for underage drinking and innuendo. The violence rating is for bullying.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

I don’t even have the words to say how much I loved this book! It gave me Bridgerton feels and it was such a cute romcom. It was a quick, easy read that I just couldn’t put down. Definitely recommend!

It's a cute Pygmalion story, with a spunky heroine. It fits into the subgenre of (vaguely) historical novels, that is, set in a blurry sort of past, with thoroughly contemporary language and attitudes. An easy read for the young teens it's aimed at.

3.5 rounded to 4

This book had it's good moments and some not-my-favorite moments. The storyline was fun and kept you interested throughout the story. It's a quick read and is light and fun. The story is definitely on trend with the regency era and the fancy parties and such. There were some really good moments throughout the book and then it would be utterly lackluster at other times that left me wanting more from the story. One of frustrations was how the main character was just too perfect, but acted like she wasn't perfect, she just wasn't relatable. It's a personal preference but I want characters that aren't perfect because none of us are, and to have your only downfall being you're too amazing and haven't figure it out wasn't a great vibe for me. I had hopes for the main character, and there was maybe a little character growth, plus did not care for the ending. I didn't care for her final choice, but alas, that's the beauty of the book. The side characters were fine, the setting was fun, but the overall book was just ok for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Title: Bellegarde
By: Jamie Lilac

Genre:
Young Adult, Historical Romance

Recommended Ages:
8th grade and up

Summary:
Flour girl, Evie, works in her parent’s local bakery making all things delicious. In Paris, as a working class girl, Evie is looked down upon by her peers, but she is a hard worker, quick witted, with dreams and aspirations to someday be a clothing designer.

Beau is a classmate of Evie’s and lives a life of wealth, and riches. As the illegitimate son of a wealthy man, Beau and his half-brother are always competing or at odds with each other. The brothers make a bet and unfortunately, Evie is in the middle of it, enjoy the banter of the characters brought to life on the page in this story of young love.

Review:
This is a fast paced, quirky, fun middle/upper grade novel. The reader can tell early on the pace and events of the story. Lilac puts a modern day twist on the rags to riches storyline. The chapters transition smoothly between the two main characters points of view. The minor characters have depth and the author is successful in building her characterization. The side story of Beau and his father was lacking depth, and I really wanted the author to dive into their relationship more... The title and cover pulled me into reading this young adult historical romance. However, as an avid historical novel lover, I would say pass if that is your only desire to read this novel. Other than the time period, it left little history aspects for me to enjoy. The young love is sweet and I believe this is perfect for a upper middle or high school classroom.

I did begin with the audiobook, which was not professionally read. I really struggled with the narration and requested the eBook. I am sure once the book is released with the professional narration will be great!

Thank you to Jamie Lilac, Harper Collins Publishers, Epic Reads and Netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

#reluctantreaderreads
#jamielilac
#HarperCollinsPublishers
#epicreads
#Bellegrade
#netgalley
#advancedreadereditions

I picked this one up to give it a chance after disliking the audiobook, but this one still wasn't for me. It felt too immature to me. And I do know this is YA, however, it felt too gossipy and high school and I don't think my teens would like it.

this was such a fun read!! it gave me everything i was looking for in a book!! i'm so thankful to netgalley that i got to read this one early. it was a pure delight and everyone should read it!!

I don't read many ARCs because I don't love e-reading, but this one caught my attention and I decided to request it. Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Teen for the early copy. The review is my own.

Read This if You Love:
💄 She's All That
🗽 American Royals
🌸 Bridgerton (Without the Sex)
❌ Enemies to Lovers
⚜️ Parisian ✨Vibes✨

Bellegarde is a delightful debut with world-building and character arcs that will make you swoon. It's often hard to write strong romantic storylines with the emotional intelligence required to tug the heart strings at the YA level, but Lilac has done a wonderful job of creating enough tension between Evie and Beau to make me care.

I will say for my historical fiction purists, this probably isn't for you. This is definitely more American Royals style historical fiction that borders on speculative. There is a strong infusion of modern ideas and language that make it read more like contemporary YA with a historic spin. If that's a deal breaker for you, maybe skip this one.

Overall, I really enjoyed this. It's light, whimsical, and a lot of fun. I know plenty of teenagers who would love it, so definitely grab a copy for your classroom library. There isn't much by way of questionable content (they mention sex in passing a few times, that's it), so I'd say you're safe all the way down to grade 7.