This fun YA novel is exactly as it promises, a period piece set in Paris with a dash of She's all That. It is light, quick read that might bring some YA readers into reading "historical fiction" for the first time, but might catch frequent readers of this place a time period off guard with it's very current language and customs.

I'm going into this book knowing who the author is and what the cover looks like. I decided to skip reading the blurb of description in anticipation of reading and reviewing it blindly. I'm going to give thoughts WHILE reading and then overall thoughts, if you'd like to read my overall thoughts without spoilers then scroll to the bottom, if not enjoy my play-by-play thoughts.

**Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for an advanced e-copy of this book in return for my review.**

Play-by-play thoughts 👇🏻

First thought, I love that it's dual POV! I love knowing the perspectives of the main characters.

What does Evie have against the Bellegardes?

So Beau is a bastard born.. hmm. Is Julian(Julien), since this is an ARC the name hasn't been edited to read the same each time, a full blooded Bellegarde then? He said he's his half brother.

Was Lola trying to take the attention off Evie on purpose?

My heart hurts for her that people think of her and call her the "flour girl".

Ahh, yes.. Julien(Julian) is the "rightful" heir to the Bellegarde fortune because his mom is married to their dad.

Ugh. Julien is a dick.

Why are Darcy and Diane being escorted by their cousins?

Ahh. A She's All That book.. take the "geeky nerdy" girl and dress her up and make her beautiful. Let's see how I enjoy the book now that I know the premise.

What does Beau have against Evie? I NEED to know their history.

I'm honestly not a fan of these types of stories. I don't like when the "rich and popular" pick a "homely" person and give them a makeover as a bet and then fall for them but then never tell them it was a bet and then the other person finds out and gets hurt.

I wonder if they were friends before his mom died..

Did it ever say what time period this book takes place in?

So, I'm gathering Beau used to have a crush on Evie based on his 10yo journal entry.. I'm thinking that Julien and Rachelle did something cruel after finding out and he didn't do anything about it..

Beau is this books Lady Whistledown 😂

Wow, he caved so easily.. why did he even approach her when that other kid was there? I'm sure I'm jumping the gun because it'll probably explain it in a minute, but wouldn't he be better off waiting a bit before coming clean?

Those ladies are rude talking about Evie and Josephine's dresses.

How can he call their boxes "some of the best seats" if they can't hear the performance?

Oooh. Enter POV Rachelle.. interesting..

Oh gag. She's even horrible from her own POV.

As much as I want to cheer for Evie and Beau to get together, the idea that it started as a bet makes me cringe and pissed for her.

Beau bringing the bakery supplies and the cleaning team was a sweet gesture, even though she calls it a manipulative gesture.

Oh if I could reach through a book and smack a character, Julien would definitely get smacked.

Why are they dressed like they are at a ball just for a night at the chateau?

Another person I wish I could smack through the book is Rachelle. Ruining the dress! What a bitch!

Someone needs to put Rachelle in her place.

She's going to dress the queen!

The queen let her pick her choker and knows her bakery!

Does Evie meet the Duke at the Queens event? Maybe it's the guy she meets in the bushes?

Oh snap! Good guess! I bet he was hiding from Rachelle.

Ugh. Rachelle trying to weasel her way back in with Beau.

I don't dislike Beau, but I definitely don't like him for Evie. Maybe somehow the Duke will find her and she'll end up with him 😂 just a dream, I don't really think that'll happen..

"Dishwater-brown" I'm not sure I'd want my fair described that way..

Ahhh! Freaking Rachelle. Evie's bakery didn't even supply the baked goods that night..

Wham bam thank you ma'am! Put Rachelle in her place by going on a date with the Duke!

I'm proud of Beau for telling his dad.

His dad being proud of him for having a dream is making me a bit emotional.

Oh snap! He even confronts him about his inheritance! And what he's been signing is NOT what is father had wrote! I bet that horrible Isabelle is behind it!

I'm so sad because I know she's going to end up with Beau. The part of me that doesn't want her with him wants Julien to tell her about the bet, but then she'd be broken hearted.

Julien told her! Of course he does.. her poor heart 😭

And Rachelle is making it worse 😭

Oh no 😭 finally hearing what happened all those years ago. Poor little Evie.

Awe, her mom was one of the 5 nominated her year.

Her mom won her year! Did she not accept it??

How old is Violette? I know she's a younger sister, obviously still young enough to play dolls and need watching..

Hmm.. who could be there for her??

Ugh. Julien.. why on earth would he think she would be happy to see him? Because he's the one who told her about the bet??

For some reason when they talk about Beau having curls the actor Darren Criss 🤷🏼‍♀️

🤦🏼‍♀️ Why would she trust him enough to go with him?

I bet he only asked her to go because he always wants what Beau has/wants.. and he knows Beau likes Evie.

Awe, the Duke showed up! But unfortunately her heart belongs to Beau...

Yay Evie for pushing Julien in the water 😂 and I guess good for her for giving Rachelle the Bloomb title, good thing it happened in front of everyone so Rachelle can't make it look like she was first choice.



*Overall thoughts*
I quite enjoyed Jamie Lilac's debut novel. I'm not normally a fan of She's All That type of stories. I don't enjoy someone betting on another person, and then them fall for them. But I like that Beau had his secret from their childhood that played into the ending. Overall 4/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this ARC.

Evie Clement is ok with being a wallflower; she likes working in her parent's bakery. But something else calls her. She has a passion for sewing and designing clothes. Evie doesn't need the glitz and glam of Parisian high society yet, somehow she gets dragged into it. When Beau Bellegarde, an insufferable playboy, makes a bet on Evie, she must become prim and proper and win the Bellegarde Bloom at the Court of Flowers Ball. This task seems impossible to Beau, a truly difficult job when the girl in question is always covered in flour. But Beau starts to actually like and care for Evie. Will these feelings between them bloom?

This book was a perfect light novel and a quick read. Jamie Lilac created a decadent world with jewels, beautiful dresses, and luxurious sweets. This novel is perfect for fans of Bridgerton and She's All That.

My only critique is the historical inaccuracy. There was the use of modern language and modern technology that didn't exist in the time period of the novel. But if this doesn't bother you, you can dive into the wonderful world of Parisian high society.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins Children's Books, and HarperTeen for the opportunity to read an advanced reader's copy of this book for an honest review. (Publish Date: 11 July 2023)

The vibrant cover of “Bellegarde” caught my attention immediately, and when I read that the story was a historical rom-com with a “She’s All That” modern twist, I was thrilled to get my hands on a copy!

Set in historic Paris, Evie comes from a family of bakers where money is tight while Beau comes from a very wealthy family where he gets whatever he wants. However, they both somehow attend the same high school and are both in their final year before graduation.

When Beau’s step-brother makes him a bet that he can’t turn the awkward baker’s daughter into the winning Bellegarde Bloom at the annual Court of Flowers Ball, Beau realizes that Evie is a diamond in the rough and goes to great lengths to help her shine.

I loved the duel POV with every other chapter switching between Evie and Beau. Both were very likable characters that I was equally routing for. The entire cast of characters was unique, and it was fun to learn more about each of them through both Evie and Beau’s eyes. Even the villains were fantastically evil.

This is a well-written one-shot book, so no sequel is necessary to find out how the story ends. I thought the author did a great job tying up most of the loose ends, although I’m hoping that the duke also gets a happy ending.

I highly recommend this story to anyone wanting to read a fantastic “enemies to lovers” story with a good twist of Cinderella-style "rags to riches" woven in.

for a debut novel, this wasn't bad at all. however, it wasn't super impressive either.

what i liked:
i do enjoy the anachronistic nature of using modern language and sentence structure in a historical setting. i think that will open a lot of doors for young people who want to read historical romance but may find it intimidating. this would be a good gateway drug.

i liked evie. she has a lot of personality and passions that we got to spend a lot of time with. i also do like beau a bit - i think he could've been fleshed out more. i think the entire conversation with his father came out of nowhere and it needed more build up.

there's some good moments scattered throughout, but i don't remember any of them, so.

what i didn't like:
my main issue is that for being so progressive (including gay people) there was SO much royalty adoration. that's what i call confusing. i hated it.

i don't understand why evie likes him at the end. he didn't do much to win her over. did he even say sorry?

i know i said this was a positive thing, but as someone who HAS read real historical romance, the anachronisms felt WEIRD. it was easy to read (as it kind of should be, it's young adult) but it felt like i was in a different universe. it somehow had an uncanny valley type of vibe. i don't know. it was weird. adults who like a traditional historical romance would hate this, i think. i wasn't a super big fan.

thank you jamie lilac and harper collins for my arc!

This historical romance is everything!! This is perfect!! I want more!! I am obsessed with this!! Please write more of these!
I just reviewed Bellegarde by Jamie Lilac. #Bellegarde #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

I received an ARC for this amazing book and I was not disappointed. I couldn't put this book down and I am so honored that I got to read it. It is told in two points of view mainly, however there is one chapter that is told from another characters pov. Evie is a girl that comes into her own and is one of my favorite female characters. Beau is the male lead and we discover along the way he is more than what we thought. These characters are so well developed and this story is just amazing. The author does an amazing job in creating a story and characters that the reader can connect to. Plus with a homage to She's all that, this is one book that will suck you in from the first page and not let you go!

Do you know those moments when you need something swoon-worthy and snarky? Maybe even something hallmark cheesy but with a twist? Bellegarde, a progressive historical YA delivers it all.
 
Set in Paris, somewhere in the past, richly decorated dresses rustle down girls’ legs, carriages rattle through the streets, and of course, there’s a ball where the most beautiful girl will be chosen. Rich and poor teens, male and female, attend the same school; they date, have modern ideas, and there’s even a same-sex couple. 
 
Told in a dual narrative, Bellegarde is a story to escape real life for a while, readable in one or just a few sittings. Evie and Beau’s story is delightful, and I read it with a constant smile on my face. Jamie Lilac’s writing is incredible, and I could see the streets of Paris so vividly. She wrote fully fleshed-out characters, not only Evie’s and Beau’s, but also side characters such as Jo and Mia, and even Julien en Rachelle. I flew through the pages and can’t wait to see what Jamie has in store for us next!

I really enjoyed how good this historical young adult novel was, it had a great concept and worked well The characters were what I was hoping for from the description. I enjoyed the way Jamie Lilac wrote this and created the characters. I thought the concept was well written and well done, I was hooked from the first page and glad I got to read this.

"I drop the broom and glare at Violette. “That’s because someone hasn’t switched it yet.” Violette runs up behind Beau like she’s trying to get a closer look at him. He twists around and locks eyes on her. “I’d suppose that someone she’s talking about is you, huh?” Violette nods shyly. Beau smiles down at her. “You wouldn’t have been the one to make this mess, would you?”

Jamie Lilac’s debut Bellegarde is everything that you could want in a YA rom com, complete with an enchanting setting and a cast of characters that stay with you long after you finish it. The protagonist, Evie, is as sweet as the pastries she bakes in her family’s bakery. She is incredibly strong and I love her relationship with her adorable younger sister, Violette. The love interest, Beau, was beyond charming and I loved getting to read parts of the story in his POV. I really loved how their was a queer relationship as well (which was SO cute I’m obsessed with them.)

Overall, this book felt like biting into a buttercream frosted cake; sweet and impossible not to go back for seconds— or in this case rereads.