I really enjoyed this and I'm so grateful for the opportunity to have read it! What a wonderful book!

DNF Ch 8. Listening to the audio & I will try again with the physical copy. I loved the first book in the series.

2.5 stars.

Alexis Hall's "Paris Daillencourt Is About to Crumble" is a "Great British Bake Off"-style queer romance (?) with some terrific banter. I loved the baking show setting! I think it makes the entire story feel a bit more lively and fun than it really is. Unfortunately, Paris himself is not a great main character. I appreciate that this book attempts to have him work through his many, many anxieties, emotional issues, and idiosyncrasies, but there are just too many of them to be believable. It feels a bit like an exaggerated version of someone with severe anxiety and catastrophic thinking. I am all for mental health representation, but Paris is a huge, selfish jerk on top of his issues, which makes it difficult to root for him. When he dismissed MMC Tariq's beliefs about waiting to have sex until after marriage, I admit, I sort of mentally checked out of this story then. Still, I kept reading. I loved Tariq's supportive nature, but I feared for his own mental well-being since Paris is an exhausting person. I have known people like that in my life, emotional life-suckers who don't care about others, who don't want to know how you're doing, who could careless until they are the center of every conversation. These people will take and take and take and give nothing back in return... it's incredibly frustrating. Still, Tariq isn't perfect, either. He is very judgmental and a bit holier-than-thou. I'm not saying I need all of my characters to be perfect, prim, wonderful people without issues or problems, but these two just didn't mesh well together, in my opinion. Late in the book, one of viewers on social media calls Paris a "twat," and I think that's an appropriate word. True, there are many riotous, laugh-out-loud moments of humor and wit, which is Alexis Hall's specialty, but the chemistry between characters is woefully missing most of the time. I don't think this book should be classified as a rom-com. I have enjoyed several other Alexis Hall books in the past, but this one didn't work for me. I attempted to read it at least three other times before I stuck with is this time.

Thank you to NetGalley, Alexis Hall, and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for my review.

Utterly charming. As one of the millions of people who loves the great British bake off it was so fun to live in a world of British baking television. Paris was charming and lovable and l just wanted to hug him and get him a very good therapist. Alexis Hall always excels at a cast of lovable weirdos and this book was no exception.

I’ve tried diving into Paris Daillencourt Is About to Crumble numerous times.
Alexis Hall has written various other books that I have adored, so I thought this one would be the same. However, I was sadly mistaken — each time I’ve tried to read this, I’ve gotten about 20% and put it down.
While I enjoyed the witty banter and funny moments I encountered…I found Paris to be an unlikable character.

Overall, I’m thankful to Netgalley and Alexis Hall for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. Unfortunately, I just couldn’t connect with it as much as I’d hoped.

DNF

I've tried twice now to read this book but only 20% in and I'm exhausted. I can't imagine continuing this anytime soon. I LOVED the first book in this series and will probably read the next one but this one is just a no-go for me at this time.

This book was pretty heavy with mental health issues, which, while great to see that representation, will be triggering for some. Also, based on the cover art, Tariq looks much more staid than his effervescent personality in the book. I do love the cover art cake and I think Paris’ depiction is spot-on.

I was really looking forward to this book, as I've liked Alexis Hall's work in the past, but I definitely struggled with this one. It felt like Paris was a caricature of a person with anxiety. After every single bake he freaked out on the judges and kept telling them it was awful, but everything would turn out fine. I get being anxious and insecure but this was on a different level.

As someone who struggles with anxiety, this just didn't feel like great representation to me.

I tried to read this book several times over the past few months and just couldn't get into it. I love Great British Bake Off and Alexis Hall but Paris just wasn't the character for me. Looking forward to future books from Alexis Hall!

Paris Daillencourt is About to Crumble by Alexis Hall
Alexis Hall writes books with stories that I love and characters that I do not like. All of his characters are so real, and real people just aren't 100% wonderful all the time.

The two MCs of this book, Paris and Tariq, meet on Hall's version of The Great British Bake-Off as contestants. This setting should be calm and idyllic (this is why Americans love the show, right? Serenity, kindness, hot accents, and proper baking), but with Paris' anxiety acting as a third MC, the setting feels claustrophobic and judgemental. Tariq is a great foil for Paris, but their young ages make them equally immature and ill equipped for a real relationship. To break up the focus on Paris' mental/emotional health, Hall does a great job using the other bakers, the host of the fictional show, the crew, and Paris' roommate. I laughed out loud at several points in the novel and loved the behind the scenes parts of the story. Overall this story is about two young men who realize they're not as mature as they thought and who realize they still have room to grow up.

As always, I loved the story, the quirky side characters, and the diversity, but the MCs were not people who I would ever want to spend time with in real life. That being said, the story will stick with me and I definitely recommed reading this book if you like baking, strong mental health rep, and/or other books by Alexis Hall.

Good anxiety rep, but that’s about the only thing I enjoyed about this. I do like this author typically but something was off about this story that didn’t feel right to me. Not perfect but definitely not a favorite

3.5 stars

I feel kinda sad because I don't think that I have really connected to Alexis Hall's writing since Boyfriend Material which is so upsetting. I did love that this took place in a reality TV show - which is not surprising because that's one of my favorite tropes - and the anxiety representation. I could not, however, get into the romance. I felt that the fundamental belief differences between the two characters were just a little unreconcilable.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was such a joy to read! As someone on the autism spectrum with a history of severe anxiety, I definitely related to Paris. The intrusive thoughts are most definitely real! I loved returning to Bake Expectations! That was one of my favorite parts of Rosaline Palmer, and I loved the references made to book one! I thought this book fell more into the romcom trope than Rosaline did which I loved, I just wish it focused a little more on the romance. Even though Paris’s struggles were super valid, I felt the events got very repetitive and I wish he was guided towards therapy and little sooner in the book. The book wasn’t as spicy as Alexis’s other books, but even so, the relationship development was SO GOOD! Still 4.5-5 star for me!

I thought this would be more romantic but it was more of a contemporary with heavy themes. I wish there was a stronger romance element to this, especially with the cover featuring the couple in a cartoon illustration. The Baking show format continues and as usual, the side characters shine in this series.

I love Alexis Hall, and immediately read all his books. While this one wasn't my favorite, it was definitely an enjoyable read, especially for fans of British baking shows and lovers of queer romance!

I love baking shows. I adore queer love stories. And as a queer person with anxiety, I wanted to connect with Paris so badly... However, I couldn't for 85% of this book. It was so hard to like him. Perhaps that was the journey I needed - to get to the point where he sought help and I finally liked him for him.... However, it made it so difficult to connect.

And as much as I loved Tariq's charisma and charm, and how much he wanted to help Paris, it was difficult to watch someone who isn't familiar with how anxiety works and how difficult it is to work through and how someone cannot be saved unless they're doing the work.

That's not to say I did not like the book. I did enjoy parts of it. There were some fun witty banter, I loved the homage to the GBBO, it was a fun read here and there. However, the sum of its parts did not hit a home run for me.

Please excuse the sports metaphor. <3

Paris Daillencourt Is About To Crumble by Alexis Hall is a four star read. Yes, the title is a bit if a mouth full but in a delicious way. It is the second book in the Winner Takes All series. It can easily be read as a stand alone. The only characters that return are the production staff and hosts of the Bake Expectations (love the name) baking competition. Yes, there are echoes of one of my favorite shows, The Great British Bake Off! Both shows take place at lovely estates in England.

Paris Daillencourt finds himself entered into the show by his well meaning flatmate Morag. Paris is an avid home baker. He loves baking as it soothes him both from his studies in classics at university and, well, life in general. Paris is socially awkward and Ifelt so badly for him. His anxiety level and sense of self worth are especially magnified through every baking challenge judged by both the judges and in the eyes of the viewing public. Once the season aired, each triumph and presumed (by Paris) failure is dissected by social media which can be as vicious as the meanest schoolyard bully.

The only bright spot in all of his anguish is Tariq Hassan, a fellow contestant at Bake Expectations. It is one of the best cute meets I have ever read. It will nearly knock you out! (Wink! Wink!)

Paris Daillencourt Is About to Crumble (thanks to @readforeverpub for the gifted copy of Paris!)⁣
Genre: LGBTQIA Contemporary fiction, with elements of a rom-com
Rating: 3.5⭐️

Alexis Hall is the MASTER of writing supporting characters. In the four or five books I've read from the author, each supporting cast has been stellar and never failed to crack me up.⁣⁣
⁣
That being said, in Paris Daillencourt is About to Crumble, Paris was a main character who I struggled with, and that impacted how much I enjoyed the book. While I felt for (and completely related) to his anxiety and constant (on every page) worries in his head, it got pretty exhausting (and triggering) to read about. Paris came off as self-centered and pretty insensitive for most of the book, but did have some major growth at the end. The supporting cast and the banter still won me over and confirmed this author as one of my favorites!

I wanted to enjoy this book more than I did. The main character (and most others) are unlikable and make the most horrendous decisions throughout the entire book. I wanted to be able to root for Paris. I have struggled with anxiety, so I thought I would identify and be able to cheer when Paris got a grip on it. However, it just kind of consumes the character and becomes the only thing they are? I would like more out of a character than their mental illness.

Honestly, I feel quite conflicted about Paris Daillencourt is About to Crumble. There were certain aspects of it that I really enjoyed, but overall, I was felt feeling upset and angry on Paris’ behalf most of the time that it tainted a lot of my reading experience. First off - this is not a romcom, nor should it be labeled as such. It’s very much contemporary fiction with a romantic main plot - very unlike Rosaline Palmer, which dealt with the discussions of being a single mother in a much more integrated way.

From the beginning, it was clear that Paris is DEEPLY mentally unwell and absolutely no on in his life cares enough to take him seriously. Sure, he also doesn’t recognize much of a problem in himself until it’s too late, but the people in his life should have been more present and aware of the severe emotional tole this situation was taking on him.

Being inside Paris’ head was quite difficult. His intense anxiety and thought spirals were extremely well written and relatable, but that made being inside his brain triggering for me. He catastrophized every situation and interaction, but no one seemed to care enough to help him through it. Paris’ biggest trigger was being abandoned for being too much and literally EVERYONE, including the “heroes” of this book, did that to him, and that rubbed me the wrong way. Paris was definitely not a great person and

Tariq was kind of the worst at times. He was extremely judgmental and condescending towards Paris, but then would turn around and say something helpful. I could never fully figure out why they were together. I didn’t feel the chemistry between them until the very end. He constantly attacked Paris and made him feel inferior, especially in the beginning. By the end, I was happy with the “redemption” that Tariq got and I was happy with how their relationship ended, but it took a lot of work to get to that point.

And Morag is, perhaps, the most frustrating character I’ve ever read about. I couldn’t stand her. She was a TERRIBLE friend to Paris and literally NEVER redeemed herself. Hall has a thing for quirky side characters and most of the time I can set aside my reservations bout them, but Morag was the worst and every time she was on the page I wanted to scream.

The last 25% or so is where this book really shines. When Paris starts going to therapy and actually getting the help that he needs, you see the character you’ve been rooting for starting to shine. I was very proud of him for the work he put in to help himself and to fix the relationships that he unintentionally ruined.

Overall, I did enjoy this book. IT was hard to get into, especially with Paris’ thought spirals, but I’m glad that I pushed through.

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever publishing for the advanced copy.