Paris is a great baker. So great that he becomes a contestant for Bake Expectations. However, Paris is crippled with anxiety and being in a reality competition isn’t easy for him. Fortunately, he meets Tariq and their relationship forms regardless of the pressure of the competition and Paris’s anxiety.

This book is so realistic with the depiction of anxiety that I had to take a little break when I first started reading because it was like looking in a mirror. A mirror that I avoid looking in. However, all of the side characters are so fun that it helps off balance the anxiety of the main character because there are times when you want to tell Paris that he needs professional mental health and to go to therapy and take anti-anxiety pills. His relationship is adorable with Tariq, but the most realistic part is that towards the end, you can see that being with someone who has untreated anxiety disorder is hard to deal with. I appreciate that the author did not look away from that harsh reality.

This review is based on an advanced reader copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review.

“Paris” was a difficult book to read because Paris the character struggles with his anxiety so much that he almost becomes incomprehensible. Specifically the conversations where Paris literally can’t get a word out aside from “I…” or sorry. The dialogue was chaotic, and even if it was meant to, it was hard to read.

The vibe of the book definitely reminds me of Great British Bake off which is enjoyable (and why I was psyched to read this series in the first place) but being inside Paris’ brain was really hard to navigate.

I would have expected him to find or seek help earlier in the story than around 80% through. I also felt the story lacked some resolution that I wanted after investing so much heart into it, specifically with his parents

Paris is about to be a contestant on the popular British baking reality show Baked Expectations. That much stress and international attention seems an odd life choice for a guy who has never met an imaginary disaster scenario he couldn’t speedrun in his head, but his roommate Morag signed him up in hopes of boosting his self confidence and … well, he isn’t good at saying no?

Enter Tariq, fellow contestant, who’s introduction to Paris is a smack to the face. Literally. With a fridge door. Oof. He’s everything Paris isn’t - outgoing, friendly with everyone from the first hello and confident. So unapologetically himself in basically every way. And, starting from the dramatic rebuffs of Paris’ *many* apologies for the Fridge Door Incident, Tariq makes it a personal mission to draw him out.

Despite the rocky start - and (many) further bumps and miscommunications along the way - they end up at the beginnings a relationship. Unsurprisingly - since this is based around a baking competition - there are enough food descriptions that made me constantly snackish. Surprisingly, there were many more tears than I expected from a romcom, and also more laughs than I expected with a book about some serious mental health and racial/cultural issues.
But it worked, like, really *really* well for me.

I enjoyed this book So Much - I read it in less than 24 hrs and only wished it were longer - and will absolutely be rereading it again. I am the worst when it comes to saying conclusively which one is my absolute favorite, but I can safely say this is in my top reads for the year.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC!

While this book is categorized as a romance novel, romance readers should be made very aware of what to expect and not to expect when they pick up this book. This is not a steamy romance. At all. Do not expect sex in this book, because there is none. It’s not closed door, it’s not fade to black—it simply never happens. In fact, it feels less like a romance novel and more like contemporary queer fiction with a romance in the story.

On a similar note, it’s categorized as an adult romance, but it often feels more New Adult or YA due to the age of the main characters and the issues in their relationship, specifically how those issues are handled on both sides.

That being said, here’s what to expect.

Paris Daillencourt has anxiety and doesn’t realize it. While I do think we get an accurate portrayal of what generalized anxiety disorder is like for someone who has it, the number of times he spirals about every given thing can be a lot to process as a reader. While he does eventually seek treatment and explores healthy ways of managing his disorder, that doesn’t take place until the last twenty percent of the book. It might be heavy and overwhelming for some readers to occupy Paris’ headspace for that long. I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone who is currently in a less-than-healthy headspace or who is easily triggered by reading someone else’s anxiety attacks.

I felt very conflicted about the romance almost from the start. Paris suffers from anxiety and intense self-doubt, while Tariq is a proud and out gay Muslim with an air of confidence. One of Paris’ hypothetical worries is being public with his relationship in unfamiliar spaces, for fear of a homophobic attack. And this is at odds with Tariq, who all but gives Paris an ultimatum that he can only be with someone who will proudly engage in public PDA. I found it a bit unsettling that Tariq wasn’t more understanding towards Paris’ anxiety about being affectionate in public, especially since Tariq is the one who first tells Paris he thinks he has anxiety or a “brain issue” as they come to refer to it.

There are many times in the book that Tariq is frustrated with the self-deprecating way Paris’ anxiety manifests. Same with Morag, Paris’ roommate. At times, I do think Tariq has every right to be upset with Paris for the things that he says or doesn’t say, and the constant apologizing. Even I was frustrated by Paris’ inability to form complete sentences for the majority of the book. But I was hurt on Paris’ behalf when they were having an argument with Jennifer, the Bake Expectations showrunner, about having a relationship on set. During the argument, Tariq accuses Jennifer of being homophobic while Paris spirals and mostly avoids participating in the argument. After, Tariq yells at Paris for not being as upset as he is and claims he agrees with Jennifer because he didn’t have enough backbone to support Tariq. Paris was clearly overwhelmed but Tariq still yells at him, rather harshly and unjustly in my opinion. Especially after the conversation the night before, when Tariq and Paris agree to be open and honest with one another and Paris starts to reveal the extent of his anxiety. Earlier in the novel, Tariq tells Paris that the reason he is on the show is that he wants to be famous. So when Tariq and Jennifer are arguing, I couldn’t help but believe that Tariq was causing a scene because he wanted to have a “showmance” to increase his chances of becoming famous. I think the book really could have benefited from dual POVs because I never knew how to fully feel about Tariq’s ulterior motives.

Paris’ self-sabotaging habits are intense. He’s definitely in a place where he can’t see that his untreated and undiagnosed mental disorder is having a serious impact on his quality of life and his relationships with others. He lets himself spiral without getting help and it takes a toll. I think Tariq could have shown a bit more compassion, as well. He dumps Paris because he’s too much and he can’t fix his issues, and this happens after he previously claims his sister is wrong for telling Paris that Tariq likes to date people he thinks he can fix. It was all very bothersome to me and I found myself not rooting for them to be together. I wanted Paris to get help for his anxiety and learn some coping mechanisms. And I wanted Tariq to realize it’s not his job to fix people. While these things did eventually happen by the end of the book, I found myself not really caring that Paris begs Tariq to try their relationship again and Tariq eventually agrees. I was glad Tariq apologized to Paris for the way he handled Paris’ anxiety, and that he could see how some of his actions and words weren’t supportive. And I admired Paris’ ability to be open and honest about his generalized anxiety disorder after starting treatment. But at the end of the day, I think these two characters were better off as friends.

All in all, I can’t really say that I loved this book. Maybe not that I even liked it. There’s a lot to process and think about in regard to the romance and the portrayal of mental health in relationships. I do think it is an accurate portrayal of how twenty-year-olds would handle things in this regard, so there’s that. It’s just not really the type of romance I’d find myself reaching for time and again.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I had to stop reading this once the racist undertones came through with the main character towards the love interest. I understand that the character has anxiety and will have poor interactions because of it but there hasn't been a moment of relief or even signs of redeemable or likable qualities of the main character. How could the character not understand why someone wouldn't want to engage in sex? The lack of empathy that the main character displays just instantaneously made me drop it. There wasn't anything else that made the character likable and therefore the instance not making it feel worse than it is but the fact that I had to read through this very mentally draining and anxiety inducing narrative just made it ten times worse.

This is most likely a romance novel like promised but it's definitely not a romcom. Nothing about it was comedic as the character was in serious pain and it's hard to laugh when the character isn't laughing along with the reader.

The dating show romance is one of my favourite very specific tropes so I was so excited to read this book. I’m very conflicted because there were parts of this book that I really loved and parts that I didn’t. I definitely agree with other reviewers that this is much more about Paris and his anxiety than it is about a true romance between Paris and Tariq. I did also find that this was a looooong book and there were parts that I thought could have been condensed quite significantly without impacting the storyline. I didn’t love Paris as a character initially due to his seeming ignorance of his privilege and a lack of cultural sensitivity. He did grow on me throughout the book as he gained insight into his anxiety though.

There were some things I loved in this book though! I was a big fan of the banter on the baking show and really enjoyed the parts of the book about the competition. I also love books with mental health representation as a reader with anxiety. If you are looking for more of an adult fiction book with a smidge of romance and a heavy focus on anxiety, this might be the book for you! I was expecting more of a focus on romance so it did throw me off initially.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for the advanced reading copy!

I did not realize that this would not be a romcom when I started it. I wish I knew, because I likely wouldn’t have read it. I sympathized with Paris because I have anxiety too but I was expecting a different type of book!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

No matter how many times it says ballroom I can only picture this happening in tent. It was interesting that the parent interactions are almost all off the page. Both characters felt very relatable. Just about when I was starting to get really annoyed with the one character he started therapy. Though I am annoyed no one really brought it up earlier.

I was so disappointed with this book. I have liked other books by Alexis Hall and was so excited to read this book. I felt so good when I was chosen to receive an arc. Unfortunately, I was unable to finish the book. I made it about halfway before I decided to drop it.

I really did not like Paris. At first, I was understanding as I also have extreme anxiety. It manifests in a different way, but I could see where Paris was coming from. However, Paris is just a jerk and not a lovable character. We're supposed to give him a pass because of his anxiety disorder, but he said so many rude and inappropriate things. He treated Tariq horribly. I just did not find him redeemable. Maybe it would have been better if there was another point of view besides his, but he also was not a reliable narrator. Sometimes that can be charming in its own way, but not with Paris.

I did really like the idea of a televised baking competition being the setting for the book. I thought it was fun and I enjoyed reading about the other competitors. It just wasn't enough to keep me going. Overall, the book was just too much for me and it just wasn't worth it.

I have loved everything Hall has written, and I enjoyed the book. However, I think this book will split opinions down the middle. First, it's not really a romance. There's no happily-ever-after, and even calling the ending a happy-for-now is difficult, since their relationship is implied to be happening, but there's not really confirmation. As a work of contemporary fiction, though, it's really solid--characters who are flawed go about their lives and learn how to live with other characters who are flawed.

Paris is such an incredibly anxious character to read that I can imagine people with anxiety skipping this book for fear of spiraling out of control. He's also a character that has a lot of growth to do, some of which happens on the page. Some of the conflict serving as proxy for very real cultural battles reads a little heavy-handed. That all said, I think it's a solid work of contemporary fiction. Marketing it in this way also smooths over some of the flaws in the characters and the debates characters have with each other, since contemporary fiction characters are supposed to not be perfect and learn to change as part of their storylines.

If you are looking for a cute romcom… this isn’t it. If you are looking for a great anxiety rep with parts that will be relatable and cringey this is it! Lol. Paris was equal parts sweet and relatable to horrifying and completely annoying. That being said I loved being back at the baking show with its quirks and crew dynamics.
Enjoyed probably wouldn’t read it again.

Thanks to Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for an eARC of this book.

I loved Boyfriend Material but didn’t care much for Husband Material and this book brought me back to loving Alexis Hall’s work. As someone with anxiety, seeing it written out and represented is so important and valuable. I love seeing the progress of Paris (although it did seem quite quick at the end and that’s not how anxiety works) and I love how Tariq interacts with Paris. I think the ending is really well done. I also love the British Bake-Off theme and the excellent banter. Reading the first in the series isn’t necessary either; I didn’t read it before but I want to read it now! 1 for spice, but it’s pretty much entirely in the first chapter and things mentioned by the flatmate.

The book left me rather confused about how I felt about it. Being in Paris’s head was exhausting. The intense, constant anxiety was realistic and well done but there needed to be some relief for the reader. My heart broke for Paris but it also got a little overwhelmed at his shame and sadness.

Tariq was not a good fit for Paris. I didn’t feel they had much chemistry, didn’t really understand why they were with one another, and didn’t care for Tariq’s attitude.

The tone was a weird mix of horribly serious and lighthearted that didn’t actually work well or make a lot of sense to me.

I did like the ending and was happy with where Paris ended up by the end. I was proud of him and rooting for him.

3.5 stars

Paris Daillencourt Is About to Crumble is, in a lot of ways, everything you expect an Alexis Hall contemporary romance novel to be - it's witty, well written, filled with peculiar yet endlessly charming characters. This book, however, dealt with a lot more serious topics than an average romance novel does and the romance, well, wasn't really at the centre of it all. That said, while I would maybe hesitate to classify this book as a romance novel, I have enjoyed it immensely and have appreciated the way Paris's anxiety disorder was handled. Paris was a lot. And in the beginning, as a reader, I did find him a tad exhausting. However, as time went on and I got to see him for who he is, I have grown incredibly fond of him, something I must attribute to Hall's exceptional writing and a well depicted mental health crisis.

Overall, a great read and I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to read it early. Highly recommend but mind the trigger warnings and know not to expect a "classic" romance plot! I can't wait for the next book in this baking series!

Paris Daillencourt is About to Crumble by Alexis Hall ⭐⭐

This was a difficult one for me. I really wanted to enjoy it because I enjoy Hall's books generally, I enjoyed the first in this series, and I love the Great British Bake Off style competition show setting. However, I had a really hard time reading Paris's anxiety brain narration. I understand from my own experience with anxiety and from what I've heard from others that it was very accurate for some people and was, therefore, well written. Maybe it was a wrong book wrong time for where I am at mentally right now, but I didn't not have a lot of patience or concentration for Paris's cyclical insecure thoughts--being in his head was exhausting. I do hope others enjoy it and I still look forward to the next in the series, but this one wasn't it for me.

Thank you @netgalley and @readforeverpub for the advanced copy. You can find this book when it is released October 18/22.

#ParisDaillencourtIsAboutToCrumble #BookReview #AdvancedReaderCopy #eARC #ebooks #NetGalley #ForeverPublishing

Alexis Hall has written another warm and fuzzy one! After reading most of the author's other works, I am super happy with how refreshing this book is. It understands the complexity of multiple identities in a way that I think many readers are going to find relatable. Tariq is an awesome character and whips Paris (and his mindset) into place without making it the POCs job to educate the Rich White Guy. Love love love!

I was given an ARC of this novel via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this more than I ultimately did. I love the bake expectations set up and a MM romance but Paris as a MC was insufferable through the first 70% of the book. And I had been excited about the anxiety representation but I really think a 100 pages of Paris spiraling could have been chopped from the book and it would have had a stronger impact. I was pleased with the ending and Alexis Hall always does banter well. But phew. It was hard getting through 20-70% of it all

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the e-ARC!

I have very mixed feelings about this book, and I hate that I feel that way, because I absolutely love all of Alexis Hall’s other books. Based on Rosalind Palmer Takes the Cake and the synopsis of this book, you’d expect this to be another adorable romance. While there is romance in this book, it reads more like a primer on what it’s like inside the head of someone with intense anxiety. And there’s nothing wrong with that! I feel, especially if you don’t actually experience anxiety like that, it could be a useful tool to help empathize with what’s going on in a loved one’s head. But as someone who has intense anxiety myself who was going through a particularly anxious time while reading this book, this was a really hard, triggering read. In that way, it’s a very well written book (like all of Hall’s). I probably will not return to this one for a reread as I have with all of Hall’s other books. It was just a little too real for me.

I wanted to love this so badly, but I couldn’t even finish it. Paris was immediately exhausting, and as a person with anxiety, I wanted to sympathize with him but I simply couldn’t. I usually enjoy Alexis Hall but this one was a miss for me almost immediately. Two stars because some of the humor was good, and I enjoy Alexis Hall’s dialogue. That said, this made me cringe almost immediately.

paris daillencourt spent the first 15% of this book being so insufferably anxious that i almost had to give up! but the hilarious banter between these characters and the sweet relationships that blossom from this british baking show kept me hooked and i ended up really enjoying it.

paris is a 20 year old student in london, the offspring of a wealthy fashion designer and world famous model, who loves to bake. he's nervous about literally everything that could (but probably won't) happen and he ends up on bake expectations after his roommate, self proclaimed fat glaswegian sex goddess morag, signs him up.

the story follows paris through his journey with his mental health, his budding romance with tariq, his complicated relationship with his parents, and more. it was hard to read about paris for a while because it just made me anxious!! i wanted to tell him to shut up and please just medicate himself!!! but this is what made it so realistic. i loved getting to see his growth throughout the story but the highlight was truly the dialogue!!!

alexis hall writes banter so well. there were so many moments when i genuinely laughed out loud (some would even say guffawed) and even when paris was being insufferable, there was always a funny line to lighten the situation and make it more fun to read. it wasn't steamy (tariq is waiting until marriage to have sex boooo) but it was always incredibly sweet. i didn't love this story but i love hall's writing and i can't wait to read more.