I have to admit, the reason I picked this book was because of the cheese. It did NOT disappoint. I found myself googling all of the different French cheeses. I am a little bummed to learn that it would be impossible to try them all in short time I have available to me while in France. I have decided it will be the first place I move after I retire.

From the characters standpoint, I was so glad that the ex-boyfriend Paul story line was over and done with quickly. I loved that Ella regained her independence and did something so daring Even though she was interested/dating, it wasn't the only thing she obsessed about. She took on a couple challenges, including a side job that she never once complained about. She was incredibly lucky to fall into some very fortunate circumstances but she was also a very good friend and engaged with the people around her.

Overall, I think there were topics that could have been fleshed out a little more but I consider that a really good sign that I was enjoying it and wanted to spend time in this world more.

Sidebars:
- What was up with Jean Pierre? That story line seemed a little unresolved.
- Do people really say Oh La La that much in France?
- I loved that Ella sent that email to Paul. How good must have that felt?

Title: Fromage a` Trois



Author: Victoria Brownlee



Genre: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, France



Plot: Ella is on the brink of turning thirty and has spent the last decade in a relationship with a man she thought she would marry and settle down with for the rest of her life. But apparently he has other plans and breaks up with her before going off on a exclusive retreat. Ella, left in tears and uncertain as to what she should do next, decides to spend a year in France and get back in touch with her old globe-trotter days.



On her first day back, she finds a cute little cheese shop which quickly becomes her favorite and the central point for all her Parisian adventures. But soon she finds herself in a sticky spot between two dashing men and has some adult decisions to make.



Likes/Dislikes: I love reading books about Paris and food so I thought this one would be great. Plus I loved the cover. I knew it was about cheese primarily but I secretly hoped the cheese wouldn't play as big a role in the story as it actually does. Silly, I know but still. I don't like cheese very much and found it was a turn-off for me in this form. But I will say that the book opens very well and gives us lots of details for being first person narrative. And Ella doesn't sound like one of those annoying weepy characters either.



Rating: PG-14 and up, mainly for reading level and content (majority of content unknown but it is an adult romance so...)



Date Review Written: September 25th, 2018



I received a copy of this book courtesy of Netgalley for my honest opinion. I wasn't required to write a positive review and the opinions expressed in the above review are my own.

This was a very quick and cute read. I also really enjoy the cover. I hope more contemporary books start having simply illustrated covers. I also really enjoyed the font.

I really liked the story of the MC and her obsession with cheese was both adorable and hunger inducing. I will forever love stories about MCs, especially women, reinventing themselves and going on a journey. And that's exactly what this book was. The MC changes her entire life and finds herself and it was just a nice story to read.

This is the type of book you read and are transported to somewhere else, and in this case, that place is Paris.

I really did enjoy this book, my only complaint was that I wished it was more romance heavy, but I didn't lower my review because of that.

I adored this book! Thank you so much for the opportunity to read. I loved and related to the characters and could hopelessly relate to the heroine’s pursuit of cheese. I can’t wait to read what’s next from this author!

After 8 years with her boyfriend, Ella is excited. Anticipating a marriage proposal she is stunned to find out he is leaving...going on a trip of self-discovery. Hurt beyond belief, she makes the only viable decision left to her, she leaves him. But where would an almost 30 year old Australian go to reclaim her confidence?Paris of course. And she is off to Paris for a year, to soothe her pain in cheese and wine!



The pages of this story nearly jump out at you as each piece of cheese in its description almost settles in your mouth. The taste of it, the scent of it, the absolute joy of it. We watch Ella as she starts out as an unsure, almost naive young woman search Paris for a job, for some place to live, to virtually start her life over.



It is not only the vivid description of the various cheeses she almost inhales, but the people as well. In particular, the men. They too nearly jump out of the pages, indeed! Ella's rusty use of the French language served me well. So now when I go to Paris next month, first and foremost, I'll be able to order "un verre de vin rouge" even though I'll probably kill the accent.



For a debut novel, this was fun to read, light and enjoyable. I am hoping to read more from Victoria Brownlee in the future and wish her every success.



My thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.



A bientot!

After eight years in a monogamous relationship, Ella expected a proposal at their favorite restaurant. That’s not what she got. So she runs away to Paris to rediscover herself as the adventurer she was before the relationship. Yearning for the most Parisian experience, she falls into a bet to taste all 365 varietals of French cheese, becoming an Instagram sensation. However, she still chooses glamour over substance in men; though the romance is inevitable, it’s still fun to watch Ella grow and evolve. Brownlee creates a character as enchanting and quirky as Sophie Kinsella’s Shopaholic Becky. But she goes beyond Ella’s endearing personality to educate readers on French cheeses, with delectable descriptions and fascinating anecdotes and history, even referencing Napoleon. Fans of Kinsella, foodies, Francophiles, and romantics will appreciate this lovely story that I was fortunate to receive from Amberjack Publishing through NetGalley.

My review is scheduled to post on my blog October 1, when I will also share on Goodreads, Facebook, and Twitter, with review to be posted on B&N on launch date.

I lived vivaciously through the main character! I could almost see myself in Paris. I normally get irated when some authors throw in foreign language in the novel. I enjoyed and actually understood the French sentences in the book! I just could not pUT this book down! I love how there are different types of cheese being described. I wouldn't mind reading more books by this author. I received this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.

This book is a very easy, light-hearted read, which is always a nice palate cleanser after some more emotional reads. Sometimes books lose me a little bit when they become too predictable, and even though this one did fall into that category at times, it still kept my attention. Mostly since Paris is a destination I will always lust for until I actually get to finally go there someday. So anytime I can be immersed into another world, one I desperately wish to visit, I am instantly intrigued. This book did do a good job of that. And made me very hungry for some cheese and wine! There were such great descriptions. However, I think you really need to be a foodie or enjoy reading about food in order to appreciate these passages.

I wish Ella's friends had been a little more interesting as well as the romance. I always enjoy seeing a female protagonist find her own way, and realize in the end that she doesn't need a man or anyone really than herself, but I feel Ella still lacked real, emotional growth towards the end of the book.

I did overall enjoy this book. I think it is a very strong debut and I fell it served it's purpose as a fluffy, quick read, and I am always down to talk or read about cheese and Paris. Definitely will be trying some of these cheeses myself! I would recommend this book if you need a nice, quick relaxing afternoon or beach read. And lastly, thank you very, very much to Netgalley and Amberjack Publishing for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

For me, this book had a great start. It was an easy and light-hearted read which I really liked. I was also really curious on what happens next for Ella. Paris has always been a fantasy for me so I was really excited reading about the place. However, by the middle of this book, I was bored. Ella's life on Paris and cheese conquest was just not enough to sustain my  attention, the book became quite dull. Every chapter felt like a filler. Anyways, I think these are my thoughts because I'm not really a foodie. The thing is I didn't really care for the description of the cheeses and wines. So, I guess these kinds of books are just not right for me.

Aside from all the cheese, everything else was predictable . Of course, she would find good friends in Paris who would help her navigate her life. I felt disappointed because I really think that this book had immense potential. However, her friends are all 2-dimensional and only exist  as plot convenience. The romance were also really predictable. I've known what their roles will be the moment they were introduced into the book.

As I've already mentioned, this book had great potential but it was sadly wasted. I couldn't help comparing this book from the movie How to be Single. In the end, the main character in the movie realized that maybe she should find herself. It's actually what I expected from this book- I expected for the character to grow. In the end, Ella was the same Ella who left Australia with just more knowledge about cheese. Ella was actually quite shallow for me. And I really hated that she just healed a broken heart by focusing her emotions in the next guy.

Overall, I recommend this book to people who are interested in a slice of Paris life. Pun intended. I think this book will be perfect for cheese lovers and foodies. This book might really be interesting for fans of chick lit.

Ella's boyfriend decides to leave her so that he can find himself. Instead of feeling sorry for herself she decides to leave Australia for a year and live in Paris (where she met her boyfriend).

She finds a job and makes friends including the owner of the local cheese shop. Ella bets that she can try all the french cheeses in her year in Paris.

The characters are warm and engaging . It's a feel good romance withe added bonus of lots of conversations about cheese.

"Fromage à Trois" is a lighthearted read about a woman on a journey to find herself and her life after a particularly devastating break-up with her long-term partner. Believing it'll help her heal faster, Ella flees her native Australia for the whimsical, romantic streets of Paris. While I found the trope to be outdated, I still enjoyed the novel. A large credit goes to the characters, both Ella and her supporting cast, as well as the author's writing.

You get sucked in alongside Ella as she walks the streets of Paris, as she tries all the delicious and delectable cheeses, and explores love in different forms. I will say that there were a few cliche moments and I was slightly disappointed to see Ella jump from one relationship right into another. Nearly as soon as she reached Paris! So many things worked out for Ella, I didn't feel she experienced quite the struggle someone else would. She had some savings, she found a few jobs, made friends, etc. Things seemed quite easy for her and at the end, I thought that she was making a similar mistake like she began with.

Overall, though, I'm glad I read it. It was a breezy read and if you're looking for something to escape to, this would be a good bet. I thought it'd make a fun, cute romantic comedy!

J'ai adoré le livre. C'était fantastique. While my French is no better than Ella's, this fantastic French inspired book deserved a French introduction.

The book follows Ella after she breaks up with her partner of eight years. At a crossroads, she moves to Paris for a year to rediscover her adventurous side. Along the way she also makes new friends, finds work and is challenged by her local cheese-monger to eat 365 French cheeses in a year.

Overall, Ella is a character that is easy to relate to, and the descriptions of Paris and French food (especially cheese) made me want to go back to Paris and dine on fromage et pain. The book is a little slow moving at first but then you really get into it.

I did not finish this book. Perhaps I needed to be more of a cheese aficionada than I am to appreciate what was being described.

This book will make you want to travel to Paris and eat a lot of cheese!

Ella breaks up with her long-term boyfriend and escapes to Paris to find herself. With the help of a lot of cheese, champagne, and a some new Parisian friends, Ella creates a new life and finds love in Paris.

This was a slightly predictable but enjoyable read. Perfect for the beach or at a bistro table with a glass of wine.

The one miss in this book is the minimal development of Ella's ultimate love-interest. I wanted to know more about his character and,. I wish the author would have included more interactions between him and Ella leading up to the ending.

Now excuse me as I run out to buy some Comté.

This was quite a fun and lighthearted romp. I didn't find it particularly memorable, but it is an ok beach read.

A well written story of the love and romance in Paris. Perhaps a bit obvious in the outcome, but nevertheless an enjoyable read. Thoroughly recommended.

When I first started reading this novel I was a little unsure of what I was getting myself into. I felt bad for Ella and the predicament she found herself in. The more I read I fell in love with the complex nature of Ella and how she needed to find herself before committing herself to another. I enjoyed the author's descriptive nature of Paris and I enjoyed the ending that I did not see happening. Great novel!

If you are looking for a fun, escapist story, this book is perfect. Ella’s long term boyfriend breaks up with her, and she decides to leave Australia and spend a year on Paris. Moving to Paris, Ella finds a job at a cafe, while blogging about cheeses. Still falling for the wrong type of man, Ella manages to make a life for herself in Paris. Enjoyable read.

Paris, cheese, men - what’s not to love?

Ella, an Australian nearing 30, finds herself single after 8 years and searching for the next step. While soothing her heartbreak with some wine and some Comte, she decides to pack up her life in Melbourne and move to Paris -- where she first fell in love with cheese. Because, moving to Paris for wine and cheese is as good a reason as any, right?

This book was just so freakin’ cute. I loved the descriptions of Paris -- I felt as though I had really been transported there. I love books where you really feel immersed in the setting, and the author excelled at that. The characters all felt very realistic and not simply one dimensional. I found myself relating to Ella a lot, and seeing myself in her. And the cheese?! I could feel my mouth water, and almost had to run out for my own cheese board and wine so I could pretend I was Ella.

I enjoyed the first 85% of the book so much, but there was so much conflict with the climax that felt rushed in the last 15%. As the book went on, I found myself getting annoyed with Ella for not being more self-aware, and being ignorant to what both her fictional friends and I, as a reader, found so obvious.

Despite how I felt about the ending, I still would recommend this book to others. Especially those looking for a lighter, quick read, those who love rom-coms, those who love Paris, and those who love cheese!

Thanks again Netgalley and Amberjack Publishing for this sweet (and savory) ARC!

This book should come with a warning- I ate so much cheese whilst reading this, I actually went out and purchased cheeses mentioned in the book! The story is infectious, warm and a great Summer read, possibly a little predictable but great characters and very relatable. Makes me miss Paris too!