This story was not for me at all. It seems that I didn’t like a piece of modern French literature again.

First of all, I didn’t know that book was written in a poetry format. And second, I didn’t know it was based on a famous Russian poem “Eugene Onegin” by Alexander Pushkin. It would be better if I just read Pushkin.

It was boring and too emotional. The main character was so eager, thinking about sex really too much. Not that I don’t like sex scenes in the books, but his fantasies were all over the pages.

I don’t recommend this book. You surely can find better romantic stories or just read “Eugene Onegin” itself. However, if you like modern French literature and poetry – maybe you should try “In Paris With You".

I love, love, LOVE the writing in this. It's so beautiful and lyrical. I can only imagine how the original text reads.

This story is written in prose, which isn't for everyone, but if you can get past that, it's a unique tale of love and life. It's one I don't want to leave a detailed review on because I think you need to read it to really understand. Give it a try. Sometimes books come to you at the right time in life. Maybe this will be one of them.

Thank you to Raincoast Books for a free copy of this book for review. This was a different reading experience for me as this book is written totally in verse. This is a story about young love that was seemingly destroyed but may have a chance ten years later. Eugene and Tatiana had a friendship and unrequited love so when they meet unexpectantly ten years later they both question where their hearts are at. Having both matured and grown in their lives they individually each debate if it is worth pursuing a romantic relationship or to simply move on. I found this an entertaining story that definitely kept my interest and curiosity to see what these characters would decide.

Firstly i didn't know this was originally written in French, which is super cool since one of my goals is to read as many foreign books as I possibly can. And that's where my all excitement stayed, because this book was a big mess, in my amateur opinion and wasn't something I could finish reading. Probably a lot of it was lost in translation, which always makes me sad, but that's just what it is. It probably just didn't work with the format of this book, since it's written in verse. I got confused so many times, because it was pretty messy and I decided to not torture myself anymore and I DNF it.

I'm honestly not sure whether I liked this book or not. I felt very disconnected to the characters, and while unique, I wasn't a fan of the storytelling in verse. That being said, the writing was actually beautiful and the story is adorable. If it sounds like the type of story you would enjoy, give it a go!

This book was a second chance love story which I usually adore, but this one didn’t catch me as most do. I’m not sure I understood the need for it to be told in verse, which is another reason I thought I’d fall in love with this book. I was expecting more fluff, and I feel like I didn’t get any fluff.

I wasn’t really feeling the romance between Eugene and Tatiana, maybe more of just a want from Eugene’s side. Both character’s had huge flaws (cough fake pregnancy cough), and I just didn’t see the growth. I did enjoy seeing from both of the characters now and ten years prior. I will say Tatiana was a pretty comical character and was the only reason I continued reading.

I’m not sure this author’s writing style is for me personally. I doubt I will pick up anything else by them, for the simple fact that I don’t have many nice things to say about this one. I wish I had more to say about this one, but I think you should just read it for yourself if you are on the fence.

Reminds me a bit of Before Sunrise film series, but in verse! I love movies and the idea of love put in hold due to interference only to be rediscovered much later. Lovely tale; I'm so glad someone translated it into English. Makes me wonder what else the rest of the world is reading that we can't because it's not in our language....

I didn't like this story much at all. It's written in verse, which is not something I've ever read - except maybe in school. That didn't bother me all that much. It made for a quick read and I thought it flowed well.

What I didn't like were the characters. I didn't think it was much of a love story at all. Eugene's a horrible jerk. He and Tatiana first met when they were teenagers, after being friends for a while, Tatiana told him she had feelings for him. He rejected her, then did something fairly awful, involving her sister and her sister's boyfriend - who was also his best friend - and it's ten years before they see each other again. They run into each other one morning, and Eugene becomes obsessed with Tatiana. Most of the story is all in his head, what he wants, what he assumes. Tatiana seems a little more sensible about the situation, but then the story took a dive when she mentions being interested in someone to her sister. Her sister then goes on about how she must do anything for love. It doesn't make sense at all because ten years earlier, this same sister completely ridiculed her then boyfriend because he was too in love - which is exactly what she's encouraging with Tatiana.

After reading this book, I learned it was a modern take of Pushkin's Eugene Onegin - which in not something with which I am at all familiar, but it's classic Russian literature. That explains why the characters behave the way they do - they follow the original story, even having the same names, but I still didn't enjoy the story. The characters just seemed like jerks. It doesn't work in a modern setting, at least not for me.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley.

I'm glad this was such an easy read. The Third person narrative was not something I was a fan of. Having the narrator tell the story as a fly on the wall and also be in the story by conversing with the main characters.

The story itself was cute, but a bit dramatic in the sense of the characters being so absorbed in love, but struggling with the past. How everything played out seemed extremely juvenile even when they are trying out their relationship as adults.

There were parts that I did enjoy or think were cute, but overall there was nothing that truly wowed me in this story or kept me engaged in reading besides the fact that I wanted to finish.

This romance just wasn't for me. It did not hold my attention or make me swoon. I wanted to enjoy it but sadly I did not.

In Paris With You is a unique story about two people reconnecting. I had seen the book before, in French and I remember thinking how awesome it would be to read it, I try to find it but I couldn’t and then I found out that there was an English version, so I had to read it.
At first, the format threw me out; the way it is written and presented was a little bit difficult at the beginning but as you continue reading, you get used to it and then it is really nice because it is different and refreshing.
There were some words, though, and expressions that were a bit confusing, I do not know if it was the translation or something else. But, aside from that everything was good.
The story develops slowly, but you can read it pretty fast, and towards the end things get intense and you cannot stop reading until you finish, and you heart is in your throat like Eugene’s.
I really liked the characters, especially Tatiana (Olga not so much), she was complex and I liked the way she thought. I enjoyed the ending, it felt real and it was different.
This is definitely a peculiar story, about love and life that you should not miss.

When I first read about this novel I was expecting this epic love story and hoping for a second chance romance but sadly this just fell flat for me. I didn't actually buy into Eugene and Tatiana's story. I personally didn't see this connection that they had and honestly, the story wasn't something I cared about.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

This is the story of “the one that got away”.... what happens when you run into the love of your life as a teenager. Can you really have feelings for that person or just remember the feelings you thought you had as a child.

I really liked the way this story was told in prose. The author did a really good job with the descriptions that she provided and I felt that it was beautifully written.

In Paris With You is a love story – very French, and very delightful – like a macaron with a surprise of multiple layers and multiple flavors when you bite into it.

The Characters:
The main protagonists are Eugene and Tatiana – who knew each other when they were teens; she a naive 14 year old, and he an ‘ennui’ed 17 year old. She was infatuated and he was above it all. When they meet a decade later on the Paris metro (serendipity?), the tables are turned; and Eugene can’t stop thinking about Tatiana while she has goals to achieve.

Eugene seems irreverent and not so likable at all, almost throughout the book (he has his cool, sweet guy moments where I did like him!). Tatiana has her flaws and not-so-good moments too; like when she is not above faking a pregnancy to gain a seat on public transportation.

While the characters therefore are not (always) likable, their portrayals also made them more real. Since we are definitely not always nice or good, even the nicest humans have a mean streak that strikes out once in a while, and the goodest ones long to play tricks every so often, don’t you agree?

The Narrator:
Another unique aspect was the narrative style – an unknown narrator tells us the story of Eugene and Tatiana. Who is she/he? That is left unsolved even as we reach ‘The End’. But it lent a charm its own to the story. I truly enjoyed the dialog the narrator manages to get into with both the main characters many times throughout the book.

The Rest:
There were times when I felt the story dragged a bit, and at others I was confused by the ‘me’ – was it the character I was reading about at that time or the narrator?

That said, I do love novels written in verse and fall deeper in love with this idea with each novel-in-verse that I read. It somehow makes it so much more easier to time-travel, go back and forth between day-dreams and real-life (well, as it exists in fiction). Given that this is free verse also lends the author (or is it poet) license to travel between poetic styles, and to foray into prose too.

Excerpts:
A couple of random excerpts from the book: (taken from the e-arc of the book directly to more easily show how the verses were written too) : They are on my blog - post link - https://www.ladyinreadwrites.com/in-paris-with-you-book-review/


Rating: 4/5
Reading Level: YA/New Adult

In Summary:
A sweet quick delightful treat of a read that gets over all too soon (remember that macaron I mentioned at the beginning!)

Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC of this book. This is my honest review.

This book is told in the third person point of view following Eugene and Tatiana. They knew each other from ten years ago where she was 14 and he was 17. Now they run into each other on the train, Tatiana going to the library and Eugene going to his grandfather’s funeral. They exchange contact info while they notice the changes in each other that they didn’t see from ten years ago. As Eugene witnesses Tatiana’s professor falling head over heels for Tatiana, Eugene notices himself getting irritated by the second. He then thought back to how they first met when he was 17 to explain why she’s not in his life today. This book is written in a poetry format with words that rhymes. Each chapter is long but it covers a whole time period, whether today or 10 years ago, so readers won’t get confused. The narrator sometimes talks to readers.

In Paris With You is very well written and a book to make you smile

It's been almost ten years since Eugene and Tatiana have seen each other. And claim to have even thought about each other. But we all know that's not true. What happened that they went so long without any contact, when the were both clearly head over heels for each other so long ago?

It's that super sad, yet adorable type of love story, when he loves her but is too scared to tell her, and she loves him but thinks he doesn't feel the same. Because he kind of told her they could never be together. So they just go there separate ways. Her heart broken. Him, thinking he knows ALL the relationship stuff.

When I first starting reading this I thought maybe something was wrong with the formatting of my Kindle app. But I quickly realized it's structured very poetically, almost frantic and frustrating - will he or will she? what is she thinking? why won't he just reach out to her? why isn't she responding? what's wrong with these two? why can't they just get it together?

Fast paced and without most punctuation - the book almost reads like a play - with a narrator, who I couldn't really figure out if it was the author, or another character - but I loved that part. The narrator is snarky and fun and adds a cute element of sideline commentary that I found refreshing.

They're not on their own the most likeable of characters. I found Tatiana a bit wishy-washy and meek, and a little too dreamy - and Eugene, quite narcissistic and cold - BUT together, these two were like two puppy dogs in love who just can't find their stride.

A cute story - unique and different - makes falling in love seem so complicated, yet so easy. As is sometimes is.

The way that this book is told is very French. Two adults meet 10 years after their romance. The story recounts what happened to them. I had a hard time connecting to them and I didn't feel a spark in their relationship.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

Eugene and Tatiana spent one summer together when they were teenagers before events pushed them apart. Now, 10 years later, they have a chance encounter on a train in Paris, and the connection is still there. Will they get the chance to fall in love this time, or will the past keep them apart?

I am usually not a fan of reading things written in prose, but I took a chance on this book because the blurb intrigued me, and I am so glad I did! The story flowed so well that at times I forgot I was even reading a poem. I usually get frustrated with books whose endings leave things up in the air, but I thought this was a perfect ending. I absolutely loved this line in the book:

“Did it really exist, that age? Seventeen!
It's impossible, seventeen. It's pure fiction.
It's an age dreamed up to make old people believe that they used to be adolescents.
Whereas in reality, it's absolutely certain
that no one in the whole wide world was ever seventeen.”

I think "In Paris with You" is a book that's not necessarily super likable, but definitely teachable.

There's a lot that can be said about the narrator, who remains ambiguous throughout the entire novel. Compare it to "Less," the 2018 Pulitzer Prize winning novel, and you can have a discussion on the eerily similar ways that Beauvais and Greer use an absent narrator within the story, both contemporary romance novels centered around reunited love lines. Since I read this book on an eBook reader, I can't say how effective or ineffective the verse style of writing was, but there were some interesting bits of poetic inversion that might be worth examining. The "meet-cute" or rather "re-meet-cute" in this book as a trope in romance novel fiction could also be a good topic to discuss!

In terms of the story... I really wanted to like this book, since I've heard so many great things about this and the cover is so cute! I found it to drag a bit in the middle though, despite being such a short book, and I didn't think that the characters stuck out to me as particularly memorable. Also, this book should really be categorized more as a New Adult rather than YA novel, since both Tatiana and Eugene are in their mid-20s. I saw the ending coming, and I think most readers would too, but again, I think it's a good discussion on the ways that this book breaks traditional tropes of romance genre novels.

Considering the length of the book, I would recommend maybe giving it a quick read. Some of the text was written quite beautifully, with unique flowery metaphors--which, frankly, some people might hate--suitable for romance novels (again, I think some comparisons between this and the language in "Less" could be made). Overall a very "meh" read--I didn't leave the story with too strong feelings, but I did have a lot to think about.

I think I would have liked this book better if I had read it in French (which wouldn't have worked since I needed it for a book in translation in a book challenge). This book was written entirely in a poetry format, which was interesting and unique, but I do think some things were lost in translation here and there. I didn't love the ending, but it doesn't surprise me because it's very French. Overall, it was an OK read, but I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend it.