What a delightfully charming, beautiful escape of a read! I was swept away and transported from my dark world and straight into the heart of the city of love! For the wanderlust souls and also those in the need of an escape and a light easy read, be sure to pick this one up. It will lift your spirits and put a smile on your face!

This book was just so sweet, like the the best kind of French pastry. I sunk my teeth into it, and savored each and every bite, aka page, enjoying everything that it had to offer.

The fact that this book took place in Europe made it that much more enjoyable, and it was such a marvelous experience getting to live vicariously through the characters of the story and be right there alongside them in Paris. I have always dreamed of going to Paris, and my dream came alive right in front of my eyes in this story. Through the descriptions of the French delicacies (yes I may have drooled once or twice), the beautiful language, the vast amount of culture infused into the story, and the places that the main character Mia visited in the story brought to life by the author, I was easily able to visualize myself there, and it was truly a dazzling journey. The breathtakingly vivid descriptions of the scenes and setting along with the mixture of cultural descriptions blended in in this book was so enjoyable for me. I also loved the characters, and following along with them on their road to reaching their goals was fascinating so there was never a dull moment along the way.

The ballet aspect was also a marvel to behold, as I’ve always adored ballet, and especially loved seeing it all happen in a school in the center of Paris. The inside look into the world of ballet was fascinating, and the motivation and determination of the ballerinas was certainly admirable. These ballerinas were determined, and I was rooting for them as they followed their dreams and fought for what they wanted and continued striving towards what they had been working towards their entire lives.

This is a story about following dreams, love, friendship, and adventure.

The love story was sweet, and will have you swooning, and I also loved the friendship between Mia and her former nemesis. Their support for one another is something that we need to see more of in books, especially YA novels. Girls supporting girls FTW!

This was a sweet, lighthearted and dreamy read about following your dreams and heart. It will take you away from all of your stress and sadness and transport you straight into the heart of Paris, where all of your worries will instantly melt away.

The perfect read for fans of Anna and the French Kiss, Love & Gelato, ballet, those who dream of someday going to Paris, and those with a wanderlust heart! Pick this one up and be swept away!

A overall pleasant story about teen ballerina who attends a immersive dance program in Paris, France and experiences first-love. Other than a rather jarring late act event that was (in my opinion) unnecessary to the story, this was an enjoyable read. Recommended for young adult fiction enthusiasts who enjoy ballet, Parisian adventures, and coming-of-age tales.

If you could move anywhere in the world where would it be?

For me, anywhere in Europe would be a dream and I was excited I got to live in Paris vicariously through this book. I enjoyed the amount of French culture the author infused into the story. Whether it was the beautiful language, the delightful food that had me salivating, or the scene description of each place she visited that made me feel like I was right there with Mis seeing her first hand experience.

I enjoyed the friendships and how they were represented. It’s easy to have two amazing ballerinas and pin them against each other, but I’m glad that the author decided to showcase a friendship and a commonality between Mia and Audrey. I liked how she used the characters to raise the other and show how they can benefit by helping each other succeed rather than tearing each other down.

For as much as I appreciated the cultural and sisterhood aspects of the book, there were times where I felt frustrated with Mia's naive perception of life. She has made her whole identity about her goals and aspirations to become a ballerina for ABT, which is fine, but to expect others to follow suite was unrealistic. She chastised Louis for having a past before her and put him down for his lack of passion in life.

The story is really sweet, but it feels a bit generic for me to where I have read this story many times. The writing didn’t pull me in and the characters felt just one dimensional. I wanted to feel a deeper connection or see more thorough character development but the author only seemed to touch on the surface. The lack of spontaneity took away from the overall feel of chasing your passion while getting the boy. I could see how the story unfolded before it actually happened. I feel like if I was 10 years younger this book would have clicked with me more.

This book is easy, fast paced because of the short chapters. Though the book lacked a lot of originality in the story and characters, the scene description and setting with the mixture of culture in this book was enjoyable for me. I also enjoyed getting an inside look into the world of ballet. I was fascinated by their motivation and determination. The description of the “day in the life” of a ballerina was incredible. You could tell the author wanted to make sure they were represented properly. Overall what the book lacked for me was made up through other aspects of the story. Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for the opportunity to read this book early.

This book is just as sweet as the cover. It's a perfect book for fans of Love & Gelato and the like.

I love books and shows about ballet, so I adored the story of Mia travelling to Paris to pursue her dreams of becoming an elite dancer with a side pursuit of unraveling na family mystery. She didn't expect to fall for the charming Louis (but they never do). He has the potential to distract her, and that's part of the central tension if the story.

It's a book about first love and pursuing your dreams set in the City of Lights.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

3.5 Stars! This was definitely a light and fluffy read but I did love being transported to France. It reminded me of Anna and the French Kiss but not quite as good. Mia is spending the summer before her senior year in an advanced ballet program in France. Kisses and Croissants did have romance but it wasn’t the main focus of this novel. It was the story of Mia growing and finding love and support through her friends and love of ballet. This book was also a love affair with Paris which I could fully vibe with. Overall, Kisses and Croissants was a sweet young adult romance filled with likable characters. It was a true young adult book and being transported back to the mindset where your biggest worry is your roommate finding out about your romance was a nice break from reality. I look forward to reading more from Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau in the future.

Warning: This book will make you very hungry for French food and pastries!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

Eh.

The French references were fun and I enjoyed them. I also like Swan Lake, so that was nice. But that’s about it on my list of likes. I couldn’t really connect to the characters. Mia was a bit much. She was all over the place and came across as indecisive even though the whole book is about her being determined. I didn’t really get that impression. She also felt a bit hot and cold to me. She could spin her mood quicker than her pointe shoes could skitter across the ballet stage.

The plot is predictable with no surprises at all. The characters are predictable and bland as well. I think we were supposed to feel there was growth but I wasn’t buying it. The writing felt a bit juvenile too. There wasn’t a sass or quirkiness that makes you feel as if you’re in Mia’s head, so everything just came across as simplistic and under developed.

Overall, I have no idea how this is a 4+ star book. It felt like so many other books in this genre. But it does get a star for being a squeaky clean romance, which is so hard to find today.

This reminded me of the hulu show Find Me in Paris, without all the time travel. Strong female characters who learn and grow. It's fairly light and fluffy, but that's ok. Sometimes that's what what you want to read.

Kisses and Croissants by Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau is such a lovely, sweet book, just as delightful as any pastry from a Paris patisserie! The cover is darling and I was instantly drawn in to Mia’s story of spending the summer before her senior year at an intense ballet summer program. To add to the story there is a family legend that one of her relatives was a ballerina that Degas painted and Mia wants to see if there’s any truth to the legend. It couldn’t be Paris without love right? While there is a male lead I found that Mia saw love in other places: her friends, ballet and the city itself. Jouhanneau wrote beautiful descriptions of Paris, I felt like I could walk out of my door and be there. I enjoyed this book now and think my late middle school and early high school self would have loved it!

This was a sweet and lighthearted read about following your dreams and your heart. The book was set in Paris, and included beautiful descriptions of the scenery and the food.

Our main character Mia was a delight. She was positive, hardworking, and friendly. Even though this book was set at a ballet school, it didn’t focus on the dark side of ballet, which was a welcome relief after some heavier reads.

Some of the scenarios felt pretty contrived and like the stakes could not be higher, even though they obviously could, but overall this was a fun escapist read. It was fun to be in Mia’s pointe shoes for a while, where the most stressful thing is your roommate finding out that you’re dating a cute Parisian guy.

Kisses and Croissants by Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau takes the reader to Paris in her charming debut novel about a young girl following her dream. Mia is a sixteen-year-old whose greatest passion in life is ballet. When she earns the opportunity to attend a competitive summer ballet program in Paris, she believes that this will be the start of her career in dance. What she does not realize is that while she has always loved ballet, there can also be room in her life for other loves- Paris, a cute boy, and even croissants.

While reading this book I was transported back to Paris and I was reminded of all the things I love about the city. Anyone reading this book that has not been to Paris will be booking their flight as soon as possible and can use this book as a guide of what to see and do once they get there. There are so many great relationships developed in this book, but the one between Mia and Paris may be the best.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the world of ballet in this novel. I took some advice from the girls in the book and watched videos of Swan Lake performances and that enhanced the reading experience dramatically. I could picture the girls dancing perfectly. I have a greater appreciation of ballet after reading this novel and hope to attend more in the future. I also enjoyed learning more about Degas and the secondary storyline concerning the missing Degas painting of her ancestor was a nice addition to this novel.

All the characters in the book were so likeable and relatable. Mia struggled at finding a balance between ballet and living her life to the fullest. Audrey struggled at letting her emotions show and having fun. Louis struggled at believing in himself and following his passion. Mia and Louis had such a sweet romance and they really did bring the best out in each other. Audrey and Mia were so different from each other but still both passionate about ballet and one of my favorite parts of this novel was watching them support each other and make each other better.

My only complaint is that while Kisses and Croissants is an adorable book, it is somewhat vanilla for the majority of it. Every obstacle that Mia faces is easily overcome. Which is why the ending felt so jarring- it came out of nowhere and felt very out of place compared to the rest of the novel. Overall, it was a very sweet book that is a perfect read for a plane ride to Paris while snacking on croissants, dreaming about meeting a cute guy and falling in love in the City of Love.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

Full disclosure - I am super not into ballet of any kind. That being said, the book led me a little outside my comfort zone to learn more about a topic that is not my forte.

I felt like the storyline was sweet and I enjoyed the Mia's chance to shine doing something she loved and worked hard at.

The only part I could not quite wrap my head around was the ending - the last 15-20% of the book. I felt like the wreck was a little unnecessary to the overarching storyline and the book would have been perfectly lovely and meaningful without it.

Can I start off by saying this book gave me some serious cravings for French pastries? Kisses and Croissants by Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau was a lovely story about a girl’s passion for dance and unexpected summer love. A lot of the time I find myself disliking the young, ambitious protagonist characters, however Mia Jenrow was relatable and fun and I never grew tired of reading her thoughts. Mia is a character for people with passions that they feel like are threatening to burst from their chest at any moment. The love interest, Louis Dabrowski is cute and charming and everything a girl could want from a lover met in the magic of Paris. After reading so many fantasy/thriller books lately, Kisses and Croissants was a refreshing contemporary break. From start to finish, I was enamored by Mia’s passion for ballet, her ancestors, and obviously for Louis. I can’t help but think what a wonderful, lighthearted movie this would make (ahem Netflix, we’re gonna need you to get on that).

I absolutely loved it!!!!! Quick read and full of goodness on every page. Highly recommend this one.

Center Stage meets Ballet Shoes

A cute, teen romance that combines art and ballet.

Mia is a 17 year old ballerina from New York. After getting offered a summer apprenticeship in Paris for six weeks, she takes off to the city of romance in hopes of dancing, exploring the city, meeting her aunt for the first time, and looking at real Degas paintings. What she wasn’t expecting was to find love with a guy named Louis. Balancing her love life and ballet, Mia overcomes obstacles and finds out what truly makes her happy.

This is a charming, light-hearted, clean romance. I really liked the descriptions of Paris and the research behind the paintings. One thing I would have changed.. I liked when Mia and Audrey switched roles- it seemed obvious they were happier dancing each other’s parts. I would have liked them to switch roles permanently before opening night.

Thank you NetGalley and Delacorte Press for sending me an ARC!

Kisses and Croissants is such a fun rom-com story and one that I could totally see Netflix doing a series on, which I would binge the whole season the first night. It’s about 16 year old Mia whose doing a summer abroad ballet program in Paris, and had to deal with the hardships of ballet, frenemies, all the while falling in love with a boy named Louis. This book had me smiling the whole time and I loved it till the end. There were a few parts at the end where I was like, really?!, and it felt kind of rushed but it did not distract from the overall enjoyment of the book.

I found myself enjoying this book. It's a fun, lighthearted story revolving on Mia and her trip to France which was supposed to be tres perfect, but of course we all know that life never goes that way and I'm glad the author showed this flawlessly.

While I understood the need to tell us that Mia was passionate for ballet... I don't know. I didn't really feel the passion. It seemed more of a hobby she enjoyed before she hit the epiphany stage, cried a little and THEN showed us her passion. Her romance with Louis is cute, although I still think she fell too fast for him. It reminds me of Anna and the french kiss and her romance with Ettienne (I can't remember for sure if that was how you spelled it) world-building was good, the characters were relatable and well-written and I definitely enjoyed it

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book!

This book was super cute! I loved seeing our main character Mia grow and learn that sometimes our lives don't always follow our carefully laid out plans. She was a great narrator and I liked her, even if there were times I wanted to shake her a bit. It was also really cool to experience Paris along with her because it is a place I have always wanted to visit.

There were a couple of things that I wasn't a huge fan of though. For example, we're told from the very beginning how passionate Mia is about ballet and I love that. My issue is that for most of the book I felt like she was telling me how much loved ballet instead of showing me. Like I completely get how easy it can be to get caught up in fancy new places and exciting new people. (Though I did feel she was a little too caught up in Louis way too quickly, but hey maybe that's the Paris appeal). However, Mia came to France to follow this dream that she claims is her entire life and it felt like the minute she got there ballet took a backseat to everything else. The romance and the family mystery were great aspects of the story but they really took away from the ballet part. Basically, I wanted more dancey and less lovey which I never thought I'd say. But, around chapter 21 things changed. She had an epiphany about everything that had happened, and after some tears (on her part) I felt like I really got to see how much ballet meant to her and how serious was about it. Ballet became her main focus while the other 2 parts of the story took on a more supporting role and that was the moment I felt I really got invested in this book. I also thought the majority of what happened after that moment was très bon!

So, as I mentioned earlier, this was a cute, fun book. The characters were cool and I definitely have no complaints about the setting. I thought the ending was great for Mia's journey. Overall it was a very enjoyable read.

P.s Having some knowledge of ballet terms and French geography and landmarks would be beneficial when reading this. But not knowing them won't impede your enjoyment of this story.


Thank you Random House Children’s Books, Annie-Sophie Jouhanneau, and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to review this book!

There’s a reason Paris is called the city of love


Charmante !!

Well, seeing that my Paris trip for next week was cancelled ( le sigh ) this is the next best thing! I adored this book! I’ve spent a lot of my life living and going back to France -
like Mia, I know what it’s like to first step into Paris and think this is where I’ve always belonged. The little faux pas when you first arrive-the sparkling city, the winding streets filled with love. I feel this Book was made for me - I read a lot of books taking place in Paris, it’s my go to book location - and not many “take you to Paris” but I feel this book did - it explored it and brought you the sights -
They say you can’t Judge a book by the cover but I feel you can with this, it’s just as adorable.

The book brought me lots of joy, smiling entire time while reading- I read it in many sittings mainly because I didn’t want it to end because it kept making me smile. (Much needed during this time of life)

Netflix needs to make this a movie stat - ! Calling all kissing booth fans and to all the boys I’ve loved before

In French there is a saying - profites au maximum - - live life fully and take advantage of it while you can - I feel mia does this in Paris , yes ballet rules her life but she also recognizes the importance of simply being a girl in Paris - I also love the way Audrey and mia end up helping each other enjoy life and the friendship that forms.

The only reason I’m not giving it 5 stars is because the ending felt too abrupt - I needed a bit more especially since the character development was so thorough throughout the rest of the time- but of course still love how in the end everything came together.

Merci merci to NetGalley, Anne Sophie Jouhanneau, Random House for bringing this story to light and allowing me a chance to review

A fun and light hearted romance! Set in Paris. Mia is an American girl visiting France for the first time in pursuit of a career in ballet. When she meets Louis, her tour guide, sparks ignite in this contemporary romance you'll be sure to enjoy! The book incorporates relatable details from French culture and its fun to read about Mia's blunders as she interacts with the locals. I recommend this book, perfect timing for a release in spring 2021! Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to review.

Kisses and Croissants follows aspiring ballerina Mia as she heads to Paris to train with the best of the best. While there she wants to focus on her craft and find answers to a family mystery. She wasn't expecting Louis to come into the picture and shake things up for her.

There is a lot of technicality in ballet and I think there is a lot of technicality in this book as well. The book deals with romance and trying to find the balance between work and play. Mia has been given an amazing opportunity to train in Paris and doesn't want to let anything distract her, however, upon meeting Louis, she finds herself struggling with the balance and starts to lost herself. I really enjoyed most of the characters and their development. The developing friendship with Mia and Audrey was really great as they come to a mutual understanding of the other person. They are able to see how the other lives their personal lives and helps the other with their routines. Their friendship felt incredibly organic and it really aided to the overarching plot as Mia helped Audrey loosen up and Audrey helped Mia tighten up. Louis played a massive role in here as Mia's love interest and her main distraction. However, while he wasn't ever acting out of ill-will, his desires helped pursue Mia to take more chances than she should have. Mia's overall journey as a ballerina has to do entirely with her hard work, determination and what she considers to be her family destiny.

However, when I got to a very specific scene in the book towards the end I wanted to stop right then and there. I felt as if the ending was then going to be rushed and the ending felt unfair and like a punishment. I understand what this scene meant for Mia and her family/personal relationships but I just don't feel as if it was entirely necessary to have gone that direction. I guess the wrap up ends up working out but still disappointed by what it took to get there.