When I saw a book featuring ballet, I couldn't /not/ read it. I love watching ballets. I have zero experience with it, which makes watching it all the more fun. Jouhanneau does a beautiful job of capturing the dreams and the realities of young ballet dancer Mia, as she starts her summer ballet intensive in Paris where she becomes more sure than ever that ballet is who she is. Sure, she may struggle a bit with the normal teen things - boys, mean girls, the future, and her parents - but the ballet is there.

I knocked down a star (which really is only half a star in my mind) because I wasn't a fan of the way in which as certain plot point unfoiled. My lips are sealed, though! Get this book!

Ahh my heart is swelling with pure love at this very moment! It was such a good lighthearted but im so in love at 16 that id move across the country just for you kind of love story and lets be honest those are my favorite!!

Mia is 16 years old and flying to Paris to make her Ballet dreams come true. Shes rooming with Audrey the best ballet dancer she knows and they arent exactly friends. Much to Mia's surprise when she begins her level 4 ballet classes the teacher pulls her aside and moves her up to level 5 with non other than Audrey oh joy thinks Mia now ill be with someone who dislikes me constantly! One day as Mia is leaving to explore Paris she sees a gorgeous Parisian boy and they begin a whirlwind romance. Its love at first sight as always happens in the most romantic city! Mia is also on a journey to find her ancestors and truly find out if Degas painted her great great great grandmother. Mia soon finds out the truth about the handsome parisian boy named Louis hes Mister Dobrawoskis Son and often flirts with the girls in the ballet school.
Mia finds herself on a journey of self discovery,romance, passion, and the beauty of art and the city of Paris.

I adored Mia and Louis and wanted things to work out from the very beginning! I found myself smiling and feeling all of the emotions that Mia felt as well. I look forward to more from Jouhanneau

Kisses and Croissants is a sweet, YA romance, set in Paris where Mia is attending a summer ballet program. Having grown up a dancer myself, I was instantly drawn in by the author’s seamless descriptions of life in a ballet studio. I could feel myself living the story through Mia’s experiences, feeling the pain of her intense training, and holding my breath as she waited to hear whether or not she was picked for one the top roles in the upcoming performance.

I wish the same magic was woven into the romance in the book. There wasn’t enough build up for Mia and Louise to gain a place in my heart and make me root for their relationship. I wanted to be invested, but the emotion was lacking for me and left me wanting to skip ahead.

The author does an amazing job at describing Paris and weaving French into the story, but as someone who doesn’t know French, I occasionally found the extensive use of it distracting from the story, as well as the long, drawn out setting descriptions. However, there is a hint of mystery woven into Mia’s connection to the culture and it kept me turning the pages, wanting to uncover the secret.

Overall, I enjoyed the story and feel like it would be a good fit for young adult readers!

This was a very sweet wholesome story. It was a quick easy read and I really enjoyed it. The characters are really likable and written well. I liked how romance and being focused on Mia's ballet career were equally balanced. I love reading anything set in Paris and this did not disappoint! It made my mouth water and want fresh croissants and baguettes! Definitely need to take a trip to France someday!

Oh to be a ballerina in Paris wandering through art museums, sipping on espressos at the infamous Cafe de Flor, and traveling to the French countryside with an overseas lover!

I remember seeing a quote once about how someone who doesn’t read only lives one life, but readers live hundreds. That quote resonated with me because my favorite kinds of books are ones that make you feel like you’ve traveled without even leaving your couch. When I say that this book took me to Paris, I mean it TOOK me to Paris. I could smell the croissants, picture the Opera Bastille in front of me, taste the strong and sweet espresso, and hear the bustling cobblestone streets with people wizzing by on vespas.

In between ballet practices, Mia explores Paris on the little downtime she has to take us to beautiful Parisian museums such as the grand Musée D’Orsay. For a girl who has never been to Paris but has always dreamed of it, this book was just the journey I needed. Traveling to Paris without even leaving the comfort of my couch; it’s a yes from me!

Aspiring ballerinas and lovers of ballet, this book is for you! Despite the fact that this book takes place in Paris, it’s VERY ballet heavy. It has a Parisian setting but ballet is the true lifeblood of this book. As Mia herself says, “Paris is every aspiring ballet dancer’s biggest dream”. Between all the ballet and exploring Paris, Mia is determined to undercover a family secret involving her ancestors and the famous Degas painting, to discover if ballet truly is in her blood.

I originally was going to give this 4/5 (my rating system is very tough and 4/5 is actually hard to achieve and is a very high rating with my rating scale) but this last 10% of this book had me change my mind instantly. This book could not have ended more perfectly.

5/5 stars, this book was perfection

Merci beaucoup Netgalley and Random House for sending me an advance copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

(Word of advice, I recommend having some croissants on hand before starting to read this. I guarantee you will want one.)

Shout out to Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau for letting me live my ballerina dreams vicariously through her book.

Kisses and Croissants follows the story of Mia, a young dancer who travels to Paris for a prestigious summer ballet program. While she works to achieve her dreams of being a dancer, she also meets a cute French boy and begins to learn more about her family's legacy.

This book was such a cute summer read! I had so much fun reading about Mia pirouetting her way through Paris. The descriptions of the city, the food, and the art made me wish so much I could be in Paris eating a buttery croissant instead of being stuck in my room for summer break. It was also perfectly cheesy and cliché for a YA romance novel.

I adored Mia (even though she cried SO many times). I loved the passion she had for ballet and her growth throughout the story. Mia knows what she wants, she’s known since she was a child, and she doesn’t let distractions get in the way of her dreams. Even though I wanted her to just have fun with Louis in Paris, I was also proud of how she was able to decide for herself what was more important to her and works extremely hard to achieve them.

However, I did feel that the book was longer than it should have been. The plot was dragged out and became a little slow at times because it was often repetitive. That being said, the ending was très mignon and I’d definitely recommend this book for friends who are looking for a fun and irresistibly sweet read!

First things first – I highly recommend picking up this novel when it’s released April 2021! This novel will give you all the heart-warming feels and be adored by audiences of all ages. Don’t let the fact that the main character is seventeen deter you from giving this book a try!

Mia lives and breathes ballet and dreams of becoming a professional ballerina. Ballet requires her full attention and dedication in order to be successful. One of her dreams is to be accepted to the American Ballet Theatre in New York. However, after failing to be accepted to their program, she is accepted into an elite program in Paris for the summer. Soon, she is off for a Parisian adventure and one step closer to achieving her dream. When she arrives though, things are off to a rough start when her flight was delayed meaning she has to begin her trip by running through the airport.

Near the taxi stand she runs into her “rival” Audrey, a fellow American ballet student who is Mia believes is a superior ballerina and has been accepted into the same program. They end up not only sharing a taxi to the dorms, but have to share a dorm room as well. Mia starts to question if her time in Paris is just going to be one obstacle after another.

Audrey is placed in level five (the highest in the program) and Mia is placed in level four. However, after an initial practice session, the director sees potential in Mia and she is moved to level five. Mia starts to doubt her abilities, but is excited about the new opportunity. Soon she meets Louis while exiting the school, but she starts to question if the attraction is worth the potential distraction. Mia has to then find out where her true passion lies and how much focus she can afford to take away from ballet to live her life to the fullest.

Mia and Audrey form an unlikely friendship when both of them are cast in the program’s production of Swan Lake. Along with Mia’s other friends, Lucy and Auruk, her Paris adventure truly takes flight. The friendships are a great part of the story as they understand each other while also focusing on the reason why they are in Paris. The bonds they formed were realistic and relatable.

As this is a romance novel, Louis and Mia form a relationship as they spend time together outside of her ballet schedule. Louis took some time to like as he was just sort of there and almost too perfect. He adored Mia and was very supportive at every turn so it felt a little one-sided when they would have a disagreement or even a conversation. I felt he needed a little more realism to make him a more well-rounded character. He experiences character growth as the chapters move on, but I just felt like he was missing something when it came to him having any conflict (big or small) with Mia. He did, however, complement Mia well and they did make an adorable couple.

The scenery described in this novel is what truly brings it to life as you feel like you’re walking along the streets of Paris even though you’re reading it on paper. The landmarks, the food, and the general atmosphere were described in just enough detail to paint a picture of the novel’s story. Mia was a relatable “tourist” as she attempted to use French and how Paris filled her with a sense of wonder. I remember my first time in Paris and I related to how Mia was mesmerized by the city, although I was never as brave as her to freely attempt any French that I knew.

Overall, this is a very light-hearted and heart-warming story about following your passion while also remembering to live your life. Mia a fantastic main character and you instantly root for her to live out her dream as you follow along her journey in her Parisian ballet summer program. I highly recommend this novel to anyone who wants a nice easy read that will leave you feeling satisfied!

**Special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. Opinions expressed in this review are purely my own.**

4 stars!
I have read a couple teenage romances lately, and honestly thought I was starting to get too old to read them.
But this book was a delight! Super lighthearted and sweet.
I did love that Mia had her passions outside of the romance. I feel that’s why I can’t connect to a lot of YA romances, because all their time and energy is spent on the love interest. Mia was first and foremost a ballet dancer, and she wasn’t going to put that aside for anyone.
I do wish there were more descriptions of Paris, so I could feel like I was really there.
Overall, this was very cute! Would recommend :)

Huge thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

This book is full of all the fluff and romance the adorably rosy cover promises! Mix one part Center Stage with all the fromage-y Hallmark tropes we all secretly love (admit it!), and what you'll find is the most adorable little YA novel, perfect for a quick escapist weekend.

I've always wanted to travel to Paris, but the way Anne-Sophie describes the city here is enough to make me want to book the first flight out! Not to mention, I wanted to devour every single pastry mentioned in this book. The descriptive writing is on point, even down to some of the technical ballet terms those unfamiliar to dance might easily get bored with. You're able to follow along quite nicely and picture every choreographed sequence in your head.

Louis is a swoon-worthy love interest worth rooting for, though I would have loved to have seen more conversations between him and Mia throughout the book. Which leads me to my only main issue; the exposition gets stale after a while, and while executed brilliantly, dialogue between characters felt sorely lacking, especially when it came to the love story (at times, it felt as if Mia's friends held more verbal exchanges with her than her LI did.)

There are several twists along Mia's journey to ballet stardom, yet her grit and determination never come off as grating, nor do any of the missteps she makes along the way--pun entirely intended. :)

It definitely falls under the clean teen category, nothing too scandalous outside of a few French kisses, and would be a wonderful introductory book for preteens who are working their way out of MG.
8 baguettes sur 10!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for this ARC!
Four Stars to Kisses and Croissants!

I love light hearted contemporary reads but this still managed to make me tear up and it was in a good way and a heartbreaking way.

Mia has always dreamed of being a professional ballerina, she has put everything into and has given up everything for it, she spends the summer before her senior year at a special school in Paris to make her dream come true. I loved Mia, her dream felt real, she sacrificed a lot for it, but for it wasn't a big deal because it what she was giving up was not enough to even think about giving up her dream. While her mother is not the most supportive her father and her grandmother are. Her grandmother is convinced it is in her blood and hopes she can find her destiny within Paris. When Mia comes to Paris its essentially everything she ever wanted and everything Paris had to offer including boys, which is where Louis comes in, Louis isn't a bad boy, he's just a boy who lives in Paris and is surrounded by pretty ballerinas, but Mia is different. That's where the story lost me a bit, Louis goes on about how passionate Mia is about Ballet and finding this Degas painting of her ancestor which will solidify she is doing what she loves, but then so is everyone. Louis character needed to be a little more fleshed out in the romance aspect, we have a better understanding of him when the novel ends but I still don't see what makes their attachment and love so strong. There wasn't a moment where I think that was ever solidify that their relationship was like end goals, it read like a serious fling but still a fling.
Really what sold the story for me was the ballet, Mia had a love story with ballet and it was beautiful and heartbreaking. It was her serious dream and she worked hard and loved harder to get it. The ending with her and her dream was hard and I teared up but it was beautiful.

Really anyone who loves Anna and The French Kiss and Love & Gelato will love this book!

Thank you again!

A huge thanks to Netgalley and Delacorte Press for providing me with this ARC!

The concept of this book is very cute, dreamy, and the true Parisian romance but unfortunately, the execution fell short. Having this book in 1st-person POV did the story a disservice because Mia wasn't the most compelling narrator. I didn't sympathize with her much or really care to root for her. This book is marketed as YA but I definitely think it's leaning towards upper Middle-Grade and very young YA.

The romance was absolutely rushed and there was hardly any chemistry at all. Mia arrives in Paris and literally a day later she meets Louis and boom, romance. I don't know about any of you but I don't think I'd be really compelled to go on a trip with a strange boy I just met in a foreign country at 16. Their "romance" didn't have enough room to breathe. In my opinion, they met too early in the story and too quickly. This is supposed to be a story about Mia navigating her passion for ballet at an elite program with a side of romance but there was too much focus on Mia and Louis.

I couldn't connect with the author's voice in the book. There was more telling than showing which is also why I think the story would've benefited more being in 3rd-Person POV instead of 1st-Person. We get a lot of touristy details on Paris that took a lot of page room but didn't do much to engage the reader. The pace started to drag because of a lot of unnecessary details that should've been cut.

Overall, I, unfortunately, didn't enjoy this as much as I had hoped. I enjoyed reading about Paris and Mia's search for her family history. The story had some good messages about friendship and achieving your dreams but it felt more like I was reading early fanfiction on fanfiction.net than a published novel.

Major thank you to NetGalley and publishers for giving me the opportunity to review this ARC.

Content warnings; Car accident

When I first saw the cover of Kisses and Croissants, I was already hooked! I mean, a pink book cover with a vespa (Anyone who knows me knows how much I love vespas and pink) -- What more could a girl want? Needless to say, I absolutely adored Kisses and Croissants! Kisses and Croissants was everything that I could've wanted and more. As someone who grew up dancing, loves Degas, and has always been enamored with Paris, I extremely appreciated this book as it gave me a chance to relieve my childhood dreams and to visit another country in quarantine. I found Mia and her journey to be charming, and just so easy to get lost into. The family mystery/legend was a nice touch, and I thoroughly enjoyed following Mia across the city. The relationship between Mia and her love interest was whimsical and cute, but what I truly loved most of all, was watching Mia follow her dreams, and her friendship with Audrey. I found myself wanting to know more about Audrey, and was really pleased at how well developed she was. Kisses & Croissants was an enchanting and easy read, and I'd highly recommend it!

The second that I saw the cover for this book and read the premise I knew that I would love it, and I was not wrong. This book has everything that I love. France, ballet, Degas, Vespas, and croissants. Additionally, it has really well-written characters and a really lovely coming of age story.

Once I picked up this book I did not want to put it down. I was so drawn into Mia's world and her story. I needed to know what was going to happen next. While there were many things that I saw coming in the book, Sometimes that can be seen as bad writing, in this case, I found it to be the exact opposite. I was able to figure out what would happen next because it was the natural progression of the story, which I think the author did a wonderful job.

I also love a good mystery and I loved the little mystery that was in this story and how searching for the answer leads Mia all around the city, I thought that was a great subplot that was still relevant to the overall plot in addition to being important for Mia's character development. I also loved the friendships between the girls (especially the development between Mia and Audrey) and I thought that while at times, the romance could be a little cheesy it was still really cute.

Overall I absolutely loved this book and can't wait until it's released so that I can buy a physical copy.

"Kisses and Croissants" by Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau was a great book that I think teenagers and adults will enjoy. It is about a young girl named Mia who is in a summer ballet program in Paris who is trying to become a better dancer and finds more friendships and love along the way.

While I am not a dancer, I have always enjoyed ballet and shows and so to get a look into the behind the scenes of a young dancers experience trying to learn their craft and make their way up in the industry was interesting. While there is enough in there to interest the dancers, I don't believe that you have to be one to follow the story. Even the ballet that is discussed is one of the most famous, "Swan Lake". Even if you haven't seen the ballet I am sure you have seen "The Swan Princess" or "Barbie in Swan Lake" so you know the story that is being told. Even if you haven't they describe it pretty well.

There are actually parallels to it a bit in the story, where Mia is a dancer during the day and confined to the school a lot of the time, while at night (or after class) she can just be who she is, a teenage girl who is in the most romantic city in the world finding love and spending time with friends.

Entwined with the romance and the fun of watching classes, there is a family mystery that Mia is trying to solve with Louis, her love interest. She feels that if she can prove it, it will have prove to herself that dancing, which she has spent so much of her life on, is truly her destiny.

The book is fun and keeps you interested throughout, not lingering too long on any one thing as to not get too tedious and boring. I loved that the girls lifted each other up instead of trying to bring each other down, especially considering how competitive it can be in ballet. Teenage girls can be so catty in teenage stories, and it was refreshing to see them bolster each other up.

I definitely recommend this book. It reminds me of "Leap" in ways or "Find Me in Paris".... without all the time travel. If you enjoy either of those shows, I would recommend this in a heart beat.

**Received this arc in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for the opportunity.**

Just finished this sweet read and I absolutely loved it... my heart feels so full of hope and love 😍
Kisses and Croissants is a romantic and sweet read perfect for those of you with wanderlust in your veins 💛
This book is about self discovery and forging your own destiny, the importance of chasing your dreams, forgiveness, friendship, and most of all LOVE. I could just hear la vie en rose playing in my head the whole time I was reading this treasure
I could smell the sweet scent of Paris, taste the decadent pastries and baguettes, picture the beautiful art and culture of Paris and I may or may not have watched multiple Swan Lake videos on YouTube (especially that 32 count fouetté and wow am I IMPRESSED!!)
This book follows our protagonist, Mia, a passionate and ambitious ballerina who dreams big and sees the world through rose colored glasses. When she gets accepted to a prestigious summer academy in Paris the only thing on her mind is ballet and getting into ABT in New York....that is until she meets a sweet boy with messy hair and sparkling eyes 🥺
Y’all when I tell you that Louis stole my heart almost immediately I MEAN THAT 🙌🏼 from his chinos to his Vespa motorcycle (I felt like Hilary Duff in the Lizzie McGuire movie... If you know, you know! 😂) everything about Louis just screamed “cinnamon roll” and I am HERE FOR IT
Now, although this book focuses mainly on Mia and her ballet there is a super cute subplot that involves a mystery photo and her ancestor (who may or may not be a ballerina from a famous painting), which leads Mia and Louis on the sweetest adventure to uncover the truth
Overall, this book was super sweet and a breath of fresh air! I’m sure you will all love this one!
4/5 🌟

*i received an earc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

Super cute! It makes you want to dance ballet and explore Paris. It’ll leave you with a smile.

Mia is a ballet dancer studying at a summer institute in Paris, and solves a family mystery and falls for her instructor’s son along the way!

I will say after being contained at home for the past six months, the wanderlust was more of a depressing emotion than it usually is, but I hope that by the time the book come out, readers will be able to experience it the way it was intended.

Looking forward to more from this author!

A cute read for a US debut! I sped through this book because it just made me “feel good” throughout the story. While I think it was a feel good story, I do think that the novel speeds through things very quickly and I wish I could have more of emotions come through than what is just in front of the main character, Mia. Overall, I think this is perfect for anyone who wants a cute love story in the city of love.

*I was provided an ARC of this book by NetGalley.*

Kisses and Croissants was such a cute romance/chick lit book! The story was very sweet. Mia, an aspiring ballet dancer, is accepted to a summer ballet program in Paris. She arrives in a flurry of excitement and it sets the tone for the remainder of the book. Mia is a smart, passionate teen who is trying to find the balance between the love of her life (ballet) and a life of love. There were some unexpected twists, which made things interesting. Overall, I loved how Mia learns that life does not always go exactly as planned, but if approached with an open heart and an open mind, it can go better than planned.

Kisses and Croissants is such an adorable book! Even though it's technically a teen/young adult novel, I feel like it can be enjoyed by readers of all ages. It is a super cute, romantic novel set in Paris, and features Mia, an American ballerina, attending an elite ballet program for the summer. She meets a charming French local named Louis, who is quite taken with Mia and offers to show her around her new city. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to get lost in this magic of this charming Parisienne novel. You will absolutely adore it!

First off, I am so thankful for this review copy of Kisses and Croissants by Anne-Sophie via Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

This lovely book was such a wonderful read and I got all the Anna and The French Kiss/Love and Gelato vibes from this quaint book. This was such a great read to escape the craziness of the world at the moment and I can't recommend it enough for those wanting something simple and sweet in their life at the moment.

Really quickly, here is the summary of the book (taken from GoodReads):
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.

Okay, now for my review! This book does so many things so well so I just want to break it down to my top 3 favorite things about this book because otherwise I would be writing all day about how lovely it is!

The first thing that I noticed and loved about this book is the use of the French language in it. I ADORE when books use other languages but what I love even more is when they use other languages well AND give the translations in a way that makes sense. Nothing is more frustrating to me than reading a book with another language in it and having to look up what each thing/phrase means. I love when the translations are in the book, but only if it's done well. Anne-Sophie does and incredible job of incorporating French with the translations in a way that is not overwhelming at all. This is something that stuck out to me right from the beginning of this read.

Another thing that I loved was the whole dance aspect of this book. I love any novel that incorporates sports or the arts in any way that is competitive (that's the inner competitive swimmer in me) and this book did that so well. Reading about Mia's journey and drive as a dancer was something I felt I could relate to and also respected as an athlete as well. Anne-Sophie does a great job of capturing the hard work of being an athlete/dancer and I really enjoyed that as a reader.

The final thing that I really enjoyed in the book was obviously the sweet French romance. Any cute YA romance is right up my alley and this one takes the cake. I adored Louis, though I questioned Mia in the beginning trusting him enough for a ride after meeting him 5 minutes before! Overall though, Luois was the absolute sweetest and such a gentleman and the way Mia and his relationship starts and grows made my little romance loving heart so incredibly happy!

If you have been wishing and hoping for a book that is lovely, adorable, cute and so so many other adjectives of the like, this is it. This book was cute and is exactly what everyone needs right now. I can't recommend this enough!