Personally, I thought this book was completely charming. You don't find that many books about dance, and the opportunity to read a novel that features this alongside a gorgeous description of setting and atmosphere was an absolute treat. Make sure to check this out when it's released in April!

Quick summary: Mia, a young ballerina, gets the insanely cool opportunity to spend the summer studying her art in Paris. While many think of Paris as the city of love, Mia is solely focused on using every chance she gets to advance her ballet skill and attain her dreams of attending ABT. That is, of course, until she happens upon a handsome Parisian boy all set for adventure. In this adorable tale, Mia takes on grumpy roommates, challenging instructors, a family mystery, and a short at first love.

Kisses and Croissants was meant to be a really cute coming of age story about Mia, a ballerina who is visiting France for a summer ballet program and finds love!

Sadly, I found no relation to Mia personally. I felt she had a very immature view of the world which made her hard to like (for me at least). The love story was cute... and I liked that the love story wasn't the sole focus of the book.

It is a light and fluffy tale wrapped up in a concise bow... which isn't a bad thing. We all need a little happiness sometimes

Mia is a teenager with a dream. For her whole life Mia has worked day in a day out to become the best ballerina she can be. Her grandma was also a ballerina and as far as she knows dancing is in her blood. This summer Mia is going to France to be part of an elite Ballet school. While she is there Mia meets a charming French boy and the two of them set out to discover just how far back her families ballerina roots go.

This story is sweet. I loved the parts of the French culture that were ingrained in the story as well as some French words and phrases. A bit predictable but I still enjoyed it!

Before we get into my first review of the new year, I have to thank NetGalley and the publishers over at Delacorte Press for giving me an ARC of this one in exchange for an honest review. Kisses and Croissants is a contemporary novel about a girl going after her dream. Mia has always known that ballet is in her blood and when she gets accepted to a prestigious summer program in Paris she’s out to prove herself right. But when the most romantic city in Europe takes hold she struggles to have it all. Kisses and Croissants comes out on April 6th.

I saw this book and immediately requested it. If 2020 was going to take travel away from me, I was going to get it back through books. And I was so excited to explore Paris with Mia and Louis. A lot of the places they managed to visit in her weekends between grueling dance practices were places I had been to once before so it brought back a lot of fond memories. I also enjoyed the whole ballet world that we got introduced to and the friends that Mia makes there. If anything I wish we had gotten more from the ballet side of the story. I don’t know if it’s because we spent so much time away from it thanks to the budding romance with Louis or the family mystery Mia is set to explore, but I could have used a couple more scenes set in Mia’s classes.

The thing that took away from the novel the most for me actually has little to do with the novel itself. As a 31 year old, I’m not really the intended audience for YA novels and most of the time it’s fine. But every once in a while I read a novel and it smacks me in the face all over again that I’m no long the intended audience for the genre. I think the places I saw that the most with this one were the moments when she threw caution to the wind and put her relationship with Louis or getting to the bottom of her family mystery ahead of her ballet. And that’s really not a negative mark against the book, but it did put a bit of a damper on my enjoyment.

I think this is a fun and fast paced novel for anyone trying to escape quarantine via books. It’s also great for people who’ve been to Paris before and can spot some familiar places in the novel.

I enjoyed this book, just didn't love it like I had hoped. The story was cute and the ballet and the scenery of the book were well done, the main characters were fun at times, and a little dry at other times. It was a sweet book with some nice moments, just not a favorite overall for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

A charming novel about a young American dancer who's been accepted to a prestigious summer ballet program in Paris. The book is a rich immersion in Paris and ballet, with an intriguing family mystery and careful threads about friendship and ambition.

<b> Thank you to Netgalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. </b>

<i> ooh la la! <u> J'adore </u> ce livre!! </i>

I <b> LOVE </b> anything française. I've taken four years of French, but I've never read a YA novel set in France, so you can bet your baguettes I jumped at the chance to read this novel. Let me tell you, it made me <i> très heureuse </i>. If you love anything French, you will love this story. If not, this story is sure to make you fall in love with the city of love.

<img src="https://media4.giphy.com/media/AMKSRvfLEwXlu/200.gif">

[Just like sweet Remi].

Seriously though, in addition to having a storyline as sweet as <i> mousse du chocolat, </i> the descriptions of the streets of Paris were beautiful; I could almost smell the scent of freshly baked croissants wafting through the pages. Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau is a fantastic storyteller.

I adored Mia and Louis and gladly accompanied them on their adventures, riding on the back of Louis' Vespa and slowly falling in love. I wish I could convey to you how absolutely <i> mignon </i> this book is, but I'd rather you just find out for yourself. ;)

<i> Bonne lecture! </i>

This book was just beyond sweet in every single way. It combined my love for Paris, ballet and a sweet coming of age romance. I loved it so much! The visual scenery of Paris was described so well, I felt like I was walking the streets with Mia. I also loved her strong aspiration of becoming a professional ballerina. It surely cannot be an easy path and I think the author described it with such grace and clarity. Cute, sweet and very French Louis certainly made the story even better. Thank you to Netgalley and Delacorte Press for the ARC.

Schönes Jugendbuch (ya romance)

"Kisses and Croissants" ist ein lockeres und größtenteils heiteres Buch. Im Roman gibt es gleich mehrere zentrale Themen, die da wären: Liebesgeschichte, Familienbeziehungen, Träume plus für diese Opfer bringen sowie erwachsen werden. Die Balance zwischen den verschiedenen Themen wurde gut getroffen. Schön ist auch, dass die Themen nicht nebeneinander gestanden haben, sondern miteinander verwoben waren.

Sicherlich hätte man bei ein paar der Themen mehr in die Tiefe gehen und auch sich ernster mit der Thematik auseinandersetzen können, dabei denke ich z.B. an die psychischen und physischen Anforderungen. die der Beruf Ballerina an eine 16 jährige stellt. Das hätte allerdings nur bedingt zum Rest des Romans und des Grundtons der Geschichte gepasst, deshalb fand ich es ok, dass die Autorin manche Sachen nur kurz erwähnte oder in ihrer Darstellung abmilderte.

Das Buch ist eines, in dem sich die Geschichte recht flott entwickelt. Auch ist immer etwas los und es kommt keine Langeweile auf. Durch die Beschreibungen im Buch hatte ich teils das Gefühl, wirklich in Paris zu sein, was natürlich super war.

Die Charaktere waren durch die Bank interessant und durchaus vielschichtig, zu meinen absoluten Lieblingscharakteren gehören sie aber nicht.

Beim Lesen habe ich mich sehr gut unterhalten gefühlt und auch öfters gelacht, was immer ein gutes Zeichen ist. Wer einen flotten, Gute-Laune-Jugendroman sucht, könnte bei "Kisses and Croissants" an der richtigen Stelle sein. 4 Sterne.

Loved, loved, loved this charming book! It was the perfect romantic jaunt through Paris to get me through this isolating year. If I can't actually visit Paris, certainly reading about it is the next best thing. I was utterly delighted by Mia, Louis, Mia's family, and their stories. Plus, I love any story about ballet. I really can't say enough good things about it. Cannot wait to see what Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau does next!

Listen, it's hard to not love a book about kisses and croissants. And Paris. This book goes down like a confection. It's a bit predictable, and the summary basically tells you the whole plot, but sometimes you need something this easy-going. Mia is a flawed protagonist (not too deep), but Louis is light and lovely. I can see many of my teenage girl students (especially ballerinas) really enjoying this. I wish the rivalry between two girls wasn't played up so much--I am a bit weary of this trope--but there's a lot of pretty scenery and French to brighten your mood.

Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau’s YA debut is a delightful and delicious YA romance, a wonderful way to slip away and explore Paris, the world of ballet and first love.

Aspiring ballerina Mia arrives in Paris for a summer intensive, ready to prove herself to the world, and ABT, that she’s destined to become a member of one of the top ballet companies in the world.

But life and Paris have other plans, and in addition to her classes, Mia finds herself enamored by the City of Lights, a family ballet mystery, and a handsome young man.

This book is as delicious as a fresh croissant and as exciting as a first kiss!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for making this delightful Arc available to me

This was a fun, light read that you can easily get through In a weekend! I loved the characters and the romantic setting of the story.

Great story and loved the slight romance. Really enjoyed the characters and how the plot moved and how the characters changed throughout the book. I would read this author again.

This book was such a fast and cute read! I didn't think that it would fly by as quickly as it did, but here I am an hour later and wondering how I somehow got to the end already.

I loved the ballet intensive—I have absolutely zero experience with what it would be like at a program like this, but it was really enjoyable to go through the process of finding a place in the city and in the program with Mia and the people in her sphere.

I didn't like Mia and Louis's relationship though; it was sweet, the lengths he went to help her with her art mystery, but I feel like he had zero dimension as an actual person and was definitely much more of an accessory if anything.

Mia and Audrey, on the other hand, had a ton of chemistry as rivals and fellow dancers, and I found the development of their friendship much more enjoyable to read as a whole.

Overall, not void of its tropes, especially the one at the end that sort of derails Mia's plans, but generally pleasant writing and a good light-hearted read for sure.

My thanks to Netgalley and Random House Children's for such a fun ARC!

This book was adorable and how romantic the Paris summer abroad made the book. Mia was an adorable MC and I loved watching her grow across the program and fall in love.

As an adult reminiscing on my childhood and adolescence spent attending ballet lessons, I loved reading this YA novel about American ballerina Mia attending an elite summer ballet program in Paris. This book provided a fun adventure in a time when travel is limited and escapism is necessary.

KISSES AND CROISSANTS made me want to hop on the next plane to Paris. This book is full of vivid description (seriously, where can I get a good croissant?), swoony romance, and a main character you can root for.

Mia is a gifted ballerina who attends a prestigious ballet program in Paris for the summer. The premise alone hooked me. Mia’s passion for dance lifts off the page and I found myself cheering her on as she trained for her coveted spot in the showcase. She meets Louis, a charming Parisian and the son of Mia's ballet teacher. Mia and Louis fall for each other while strolling the city of lights but have to keep their romance a secret. All the while, Mia never loses her determination to shine as a dancer, especially knowing she may get invited to audition for ABT (her lifelong dream) if she nails the showcase.

It’s impossible to read KISSES AND CROISSANTS and not fall in love with Paris, ballet, and love itself.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing the e-ARC.

The ARC of this novel was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sixteen-year-old Mia, an American girl at an elite summer ballet program, has six weeks to achieve her dreams: to snag an audition with one of the world’s best ballet companies. But there’s more to Paris than ballet—especially when a charming French boy, Louis, wants to be her tour guide—and the pair discover the city has a few mysteries up its sleeve.

In the vein of romances like LOVE AND GELATO, this is the perfect summer adventure for anyone looking to get swept away in the City of Love.

KISSES AND CROISSANTS is a delightfully fun, romance-filled young adult summer novel, perfect for fans of EMILY IN PARIS, ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS, and TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE.

I was unexpectedly delighted by this novel. I used to dance, from age three to high school, but I haven’t at all since, and this book had me doing swan-like arm movements in the reflection of my television (well, trying them, at least). Mia is an interesting character. She’s extremely passionate about dancing--it is her whole life--but at the same time, she embodies that “suck the marrow out of life” kind of philosophy. She gets distracted from her passion between Paris, Louis, and her family’s legend about an ancestor who was painted by Degas. I understood her inner conflict between devoting herself to dancing and also just being interested in other aspects of being alive, and like how this was resolved.

Mia’s nemesis from home, Audrey, also gets into the ballet program, and what starts out as a bitter rivalry eventually thaws into friendship, with Mia teaching Audrey how to loosen up and Audrey helping Mia with her technique. This was a good, unexpected twist to the story; I’m tired of stories about women being pitted against each other, and I liked how they helped each other become better dancers.

Louis was a true sweetie, and I did like the development of the relationship, though I would have liked to see more of his passion--painting--earlier on, just to give him a bit more personality in the book, because for most of it, they really only even discuss things about Mia and her family. I sort of get why, but it still bothered me.

I loved how the author brought Paris to life in the novel. It seems like she did a lot of research, and the city was a character in and of itself. I’ve been to Paris before, but I was 10, and I don’t think I was old enough to appreciate it (except for the pain au chocolat; everyone can appreciate a chocolate pastry that good). Anyway, this book made me want to learn French and hop the next flight to the City of Lights.

Lastly, this was a book where I actually didn’t have a problem with the ending! I thought it wrapped up pretty nicely, and, blessedly, there was an epilogue.

Overall, Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau’s American debut was an utter delight to read, and I’ll be looking out for her work in the future!

What a treat to get to read this book when travel in real life isn’t an option, because Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau’s KISSES AND CROISSANTS is a delightful trip to the city of love. Mia Jenrow arrives in Paris for a summer ballet intensive. Her heart is set on earning a prestigious apprenticeship, but she’s swept away by the gorgeous and charming Louis, who just happens to be the son of her maître de ballet. There’s a bit of a mystery, as well, as Mia scours Paris’ museums to try to figure out whether the family legend – about her being descended from a famous ballerina – is really true. Mia is a great protagonist. She’s driven and focused, and therefore conflicted about her relationship with Louis distracting her from her goals. That conflict makes Mia and Louis’ sweet romance that much more real. The descriptions of Paris will make you pine for a visit, and the food descriptions will make you drool. As Mia learns, nothing can compare to a French croissant. Or a French kiss. Many thanks to Delacorte Press for the eARC.