dnf after 1 page and 4 lines. had to stop reading before i even finished the second page because i saw the words “marie antoinette’s vagina"

3.5 rounded down.

I had noted the content warnings for this title but the execution of the protagonist's severe undiagnosed generalised anxiety disorder (which gets diagnosed only around the 80% mark of the book) was a lot more intense, relentless, and prolonged than I'd bargained for. Many reviewers with the same diagnosis have noted the accuracy of the rep, and it definitely felt very raw and very real, and no doubt replicated how something, especially if left unchecked, can utterly and entirely overwhelm one's life and existence to the detriment of everything and everyone around that person, and feel repetitive and exhausting to boot (even more so on the page)---but the journey from diagnosis to a semblance of "it's going to be okay even if hard and always a work in progress" was crammed into too short a timeline and the narrative felt very top=heavy as a result; not to mention that between the baking show and everything else going on, the narrative seemed very cluttered.

I loved the banter and the baking show premise (I haven't read the first Winner Bakes All book and am not planning to), but everything was really overshadowed by Paris's GAD and I'm not sure the balance between Hall's trademark humour and ability to sensitively, and with nuance, portray heavy topics was achieved here as well as in Boyfriend Material, for example (though, granted, it was a very different book with different protagonists). I also didn't buy Paris and Tariq as a couple even without the insta-relationship; until very late on when they reconcile I didn't even understand them as friends. I generally feel like this would have been stronger had there been another POV (perhaps Tariq) to not only break up Paris's voice (very unreliable narrator as we soon know) but to also give us an outsider perspective on him. Plus, I really wanted to get to know Tariq more---really appreciated the discussions about religion, choice, abstinence etc as they related to him, and his realisations that he also didn't handle his relationship with Paris well (a lot of which makes sense since they are 20-21)---and wouldn't have minded more about his family who seemed awesome! Speaking of family, the mystery about Paris's parents was never addressed? A pretty glaring omission given how much of his mental-health issues stem from there and how many times he tries to contact them through the duration of the book.

First things first, if you're looking for a light, fluffy romance, then this is not the story for you. It's a raw portrayal of life with anxiety that happens to feature a wonderful and engaging romance, but it isn't the main plotline.

That being said, I think that the book was all the better for it. When I first started reading, I couldn't help but be irritated with Paris and his borderline insufferable behaviour, until I realised that that was the whole point. He is very flawed and extremely mentally ill, and while watching him at his lowest point was painful, watching him pick himself back up and work on himself after was really beautiful. The author didn't shy away from delving into the harsher realities of struggling with mental illness, and I'm a huge fan of the way he incorporated it into the story.

As for the romance, it was quite tumultuous and there were times when I actually didn't want the main pairing to end up together, but I did still find it compelling enough to keep me reading.

All in all, this is by no means a feel good book, but it is a valuable one that I ended up thoroughly enjoying.

DNF @37%

I’ll start with what I liked because there was quite a bit of it:

The thing I liked the most about this was definitely the anxiety rep, I thought that was done very well as someone with a lot of anxiety and I really connected to Paris’s character.
I loved the cooking show aspect of it and from what I read I wish there had been a little more focus on that because a lot of the book took place outside of it.
Tariq and Morag I also really enjoyed and I liked their characters a lot.

Now for what I didn't love:

Every character besides Tariq, Morag, and Paris I do not remember in the slightest, they were all pretty forgettable.
I feel like this book was misadvertised, the cooking show seemed like a very secondary part of it and for parts, I just completely forgot it existed.
Paris and Tariq I don’t really get together, I feel like if they weren't physically attracted to each other then there wouldn’t even be a romance because we hardly ever see them talk about anything other than Paris’s anxiety, Paris being rich, and Tariq’s religion.

Usually, I would’ve kept going and finished this because I was honestly enjoying it but we just weren’t vibing and I never felt like I wanted to pick it up it felt more like a chore so I decided to put it down. I don’t want to discourage anyone from reading it because I did genuinely like a lot of it so if you want to pick it up, pick it up, it just wasn’t for me.

This was a good book, but don’t expect a romance going in. I really enjoyed Paris and I felt his journey to be fairly relatable. This was my first Alexis Hall read and I’m intrigued to peruse the rest of their work!

(Thank you Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for giving us this eARC in exchange for an honest review!)

I was excited to read this book especially when I read Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall and I really enjoyed that book. I really liked the whole baking competition, it reminded me of Masterchef (I know that there are baking contests, but I really love Masterchef). I think that this was a very unique idea for the main character. I wasn't a super huge fan on the plot convenience for the main character, Paris. He seemed to be super sporadic during the challenges, like he started crying during some of them and would have super low expectations for himself. It feels like when it is being told in that character's perspective, it doesn't feel so realistic that he is going to be winning those challenges.

Also, his relationship with Tariq felt a little forced in the beginning. It felt like their relationship happened way too quickly. I did like their cute conversations about Greek mythology and Aladdin, it added to their quirky relationship. I was not a fan of the obscene dialogue during certain situations, it felt off and it didn't really match the setting and situation.

I absolutely LOVED this little romance novel! I want to read everything by Alexis Hall.


Paris Daillencourt is a recipe for disaster. Despite his passion for baking, his cat, and his classics degree, constant self-doubt and second-guessing have left him a curdled, directionless mess. So when his roommate enters him in Bake Expectations, the nation’s favourite baking show, Paris is sure he’ll be the first one sent home.

But not only does he win week one’s challenge—he meets fellow contestant Tariq Hassan. Sure, he’s the competition, but he’s also cute and kind, with more confidence than Paris could ever hope to have. Still, neither his growing romance with Tariq nor his own impressive bakes can keep Paris’s fear of failure from spoiling his happiness. And when the show’s vicious fanbase confirms his worst anxieties, Paris’s confidence is torn apart quicker than tear-and-share bread.

But if Paris can find the strength to face his past, his future, and the chorus of hecklers that live in his brain, he’ll realize it’s the sweet things in life that he really deserves.

I was quite hopeful for this book. The cover was absolutely fabulous, and the description seemed promising. It's not that I didn't enjoy the book, I did. I just was expecting to get a book that wasn't a pretty exact spin-off to the Great British Baking Show. The characters were too similar. I was hoping for a bit more originality in the features of the book.

I did, however, enjoy the way Hall put together her characters. As someone who suffers from generalized anxiety disorder, I could relate to Paris with ease. His struggles were real, and even more real in the fact that he didn't realize they were struggles. Tariq was also a great character. I appreciated how Hall wove his religion throughout the novel while still showing how he interacts with the other cultures and religions around him, and how they react to him.

In the end, I feel like this book was an okay read. I enjoyed reading it, but was just hoping for a bit more originality.

This book was as heartbreaking as it was beautifully written. Paris is…a lot. Having the entire book in his POV was a lot, but it paid off at the end in a very satisfying cathartic conclusion. I loved reading about Bake Expectations through Paris’s lens, and I thought it was a great setting to propel Paris into a place of better mental health and hopefully a jumping board for him to begin some healing.

Alexis claims he writes happy for now endings, and I think that this book proves that perfectly. The romance kind of takes a back seat to Paris’s own journey. I don’t necessarily think Tariq and Paris make a particularly good couple. They are both so young, and they are both figuring things out about themselves, and the type of people they want to be. I think they are exactly who the other needs at this moment in their lives. Maybe they will grow together, or maybe they will move on from each other, hopefully being healthier and more stable than when they found each other.

I found myself laughing out loud, and five sentences later crying my eyes out. I don’t know if it’s because I relate to Paris’s having an anxiety disorder and the relief of finally getting help for it, or because Alexis has a way of writing such authentic and flawed characters, but this book pulled out so many emotions in me. It was intense, but still had the humor and heart of Alexis’s other books. I would recommend picking this up, especially if you enjoyed the first book in this series!

I loved the first part, but for me it fell apart in the second half. I felt that his anxiety was somehow both made the biggest obstacle in the plot and also not taken seriously. Not to be an armchair psychologist, but given things in the character's past, I would have expected a diagnosis of complex ptsd, attachment issues, and childhood emotional neglect. Which yeah, could give you anxiety, but that's not the real issue. I could even understand if everyone in the book somehow missed that this is what was going on, but there should at least be an end note for people who see themselves in the story and need help with what's going on, the way many books dealing with tough issues have now.

This was good but also tiresome.

As with any Alexis Hall book it was full of witty banter, one liners, and great side characters but it was long. Some scenes and descriptions were too long or unnecessary: the whole laser tag chapter could have just not, I loved the 4 Daves but it was long and we never really saw them again. About a third way in I was getting really irritated with Paris (admittedly because I saw myself in him) buutt, toward the end I thought maybe that was the point.
Look, I love Hall's writing but he over-wrote here and sacrificed pacing for witty writing.

I liked that for a baking competition book there was a lot of attention to that (surprising how other books don't), and we all know what competition this is based on so it made it easy to imagine. And yes I said this was over-written but thank you Alexis Hall for giving words to the feelings a lot of us can't voice.

This book was like Paris, cute but just get on with it! Guess that makes me a Morag.

I had high hopes for this book. I thought the concept was interesting and it looked like a cute little romcom I would enjoy. While I did enjoy a lot of little moments and jokes early on I slowly stopped enjoying this read.
I found myself laughing and having a great time when the competition was happening, but then Paris and Tariq would be off the competition and I was either bored or cringing. I think this is partially due to the length of the chapters not dedicated to the competition. The were longer and most of the dialogue didn't add anything to the story.
Another problem I had was the relationship in general. At first I thought they were cute but eventually it got to the point where I couldn't understand why Tariq kept giving Paris chances. I think the relationship was meant to drive the plot and I wasn't invested in the relationship. I didn't feel chemistry between them and thought they both would do better apart.
Overall it wasn't a bad read for me, it was just 100 pages too long and lacked chemistry between the main characters.

I absolutely love Alexis Hall and all of his work. I think he's a fantastic and funny writer. I'm sorry to say that I really did not enjoy Paris Daillencourt is About to Crumble, though. I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake and I think the premise behind this serious is great but I could not get over how much I did not like Paris' character. I got tired of him, I don't think he was likeable and he wasn't unlikeable enough to be unlikeable. I understand anxiety and I get the point that was trying to be made but I reached a point in the story where I just didn't want to hear what was going on in his head.

I'm sad that I didn't enjoy this one by Alexis Hall but I will, as always, continue to read everything he puts out.

Alexis Hall is one of those authors I keep going back for, even after disappointment. Maybe it’s the
insanely cute covers or the guarantee of delightfully witty banter (in that I am never disappointed). This
book ranks neither among my most or least favorite of Hall’s work.

First and foremost, if you are on the hunt for queer GBBO fanfic type of read…look no further. I most
definitely put the show on in the background while I read.

Unfortunately, I would not recommend this to the GBBO fans in my life or, let’s be honest, many other
people. Parts of this book were very hard to read. If you have anxiety, Paris’s constant catastrophizing
will very likely trigger it and may have you reaching out to your therapist (just kidding…sort of). There is
also a lot of really awful behavior. Yes, it gives the characters room to grow and is an unfortunately real part of our society, but it doesn't make for a pleasant read.

There were many times I thought about just giving up on this book. The relationship is pretty toxic and I wasn't always rooting for it. That being said, if you make it to the end there is some reward. The characters do (eventually) see sense and the end of the book makes up for some(!) of the not-so-great behaviors in the middle.

Without giving too much away, I will say that there is an aspect of the relationship that I really
appreciate seeing in a romance novel. And yes, it still qualifies as romance. Let’s just say, if you’re
looking for a spicy read…move along.

Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Paris Daillencourt Is About to Crumble by Alexis Hall is a sweet romantic comedy dealing with finding in love and facing insecurities. Paris, who is plagued with constant and debilitating self-doubt, learns that his best friend has entered him as a contestant on a national baking show. He knows for certain that he will be the first eliminated. But, not only does he win his initial challenges, he meets fellow contestant Tariq Hassan and a romance quickly blossoms. Can they manage to cook up a happily ever after, or will Paris’ insecurities drive them apart? ⠀
⠀
The overall plot of the book is enjoyable, and the backdrop of a national baking competition is contemporary, entertaining and exciting. The characters are relatable to an extent, but I found myself needing to step away from the reading experience on more than one occasion when the personalities become obnoxiously annoying, especially Paris. I can understand the challenges of a mental disorder such as his, but at times the author over illustrates, though perhaps accurate, which interferes with the overall enjoyment of the story. Also, as in many of Alexis Hall’s books, the characters spend an inordinate amount of time in redundant bickering. I very much wanted to love this book, but unfortunately the characters get in the way of their own story.

Paris Daillencourt is About to Crumble was a slightly adorable interracial romance and story about anxiety. Although is looks very rom-com, the romance is more of a side plot and the book itself focuses more on Paris struggling to live everyday life and do typical things with his severe anxiety. The story does deal heavily with anxiety, internalized racism, internalized homophobia, absent parents, and more that I definitely recommend checking out before picking up this book.

WARNING: the rest of this review may contain spoilers. Stop reading if you don’t want spoilers!

I didn’t have a lot of expectations going into the book but I did expect this to be a romance featuring one or both characters dealing with anxiety and finding love. I didn’t expect the romance to be a complete dumpster fire where the character without anxiety is constantly expecting more of the character with the anxiety or for the character with anxiety to exhibit micro-aggressions toward the other. The relationship between Paris and Tariq just felt awkward. There were times where it was cute but for the most part, it felt like they didn’t connect. Maybe it’s a case of right person, wrong time because I did start rooting for them after Paris sought out help for his anxiety.

Even worse was that I wanted better for Tariq. He was such a fun character and the people we met through him were absolutely hilarious. He was so proud to be himself and he didn’t need any fake BS. Truly my favorite character and the only reason I hated him was that he kept going back to Paris or using Paris’s internalized racism to excuse Paris’s actions.

While I loved Tariq the most, I related to Paris with his anxiety so much and it was absolutely amazing to read a book from his pov. His reaction to spending the night with Tariq for the first time or going to a new city was me in a nutshell. Anxiety has been overlooked at lot and constantly ignored and this book does a great job of shutting that narrative down.

This book does suffer from a time skip, the bane of my existence and the sole reason I heavily debated DNF-ing. When the time skip occurred, we missed so much of the action in Bake Expectations and Paris’s anxiety was completely glossed over. Slight spoiler here but when they third-act-breakup happened, Paris dissociated quite a bit which was quite obvious (the author did a great job of making the reader feel like they were dissociating with Paris) but the decision to write this way meant that a lot was left out and left the book feeling incomplete. I wish instead of dissociating and practically giving up on the competition, Paris would have either worked harder and put his all into the show or acknowledged his struggles and sought help much sooner.

Backing off the notion that the book feels incomplete, a plot line was not resolved in any way. Throughout the story, Paris struggles to accept that his parents are absent from his life and don’t seem to have any want to be in their child’s life. He still texts them updates about his life but by the end, he just stops. I’m get that he likely learned that he doesn’t need their approval or anything but the lack of solution was disappointing. Whether his parents want to be part of his life or not, some final resolution would have been better. Even if it was his parents officially stating they don’t want to be in his life and Paris moves out to actually be on his own. That would come with its own set of plot but at least we would know and we’d have that final decision.

If you are still here and if there is one reason that I could give to convince you to pick up this book, it would be this: Morag, the Daves, and the producers of Bake Expectations. They simply made this book a joy to read and I 100% would have DNF-ed if it wasn’t for them.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I rounded up for this book. This is most definitely not the romcom as their other books. If you take this book as it’s written and not compare it to others then you might enjoy it. Please be aware that the MC has severe undiagnosed anxiety and it could be a lot so prioritize yourself!

Paris has been abandoned by his parents and is working on finishing his PhD. He is entered into a tv show baking completion by his roommate. He is incredibly stressed and starts to spiral. During this show he starts to date Tariq and through these two experiences it comes to light that maybe all he feels and his spiraling is actually GAD (General Anxiety Disorder).

Paris is messy and emotional and so real! He hardly finished a sentence and his mental processes seem absolutely exhausting. Especially since his reaction to his anxiety is to apologize. He’s a character you just want to protect and rescue. His anxiety was so well described and written into his character. I appreciated his whole journey of exploring a therapist and meds and groups, etc to get help. I was literally pissed on his behalf every time he texted his parents and they didn’t respond. Awful people! I loved Tariq, who is a proudly gay Muslim. Alexis Hall even has Tariq explain to Paris how he can be fully both and it was written so well. I appreciated that they had Tariq and Paris engage in many such deep conversations.

The baking parts were spot on and I really appreciated how much of them we got! Love Grace, Jennifer and Colin so much! They add the only comedic relief in the book. I really wish we’d gotten even more of them or maybe a dual POV. I think we just needed a break from Paris every once in a while. The ending was really nice as there was no yes we’re back together but a let’s go on a date and see which I appreciated since Paris is still working on himself.

Overall this book was good but could have been edited down 100 pages and been great and I would still read more of this author.

Thank you for the arc of this book Netgalley and Forever publishing in exchange for an honest review.

I loved ROSALINE PALMER TAKES THE CAKE and eagerly anticipated this follow-up. I love all of Alexis Hals' books and they have been such a source of laughter and joy for me since discovering them. This is where I say something along the lines of but, or that said, and I don't mean this to take away from this book but the main character has very bad, undiagnosed anxiety for much of the book. This is stated right up front in the very helpful content notes (which I very much appreciated). I also have an anxiety disorder and was looking forward to seeing this play out in the book. However, at times it was just too much for me. And that's fine! I think so many people are going to love this book and laugh and enjoy it but at times I was like oh my goodness this is just a lot for me.

So that's my only caveat. I loved it slightly less than Rosaline (but that could be due to the main characters being men and not a queer woman) or the anxiety plot but it still made me laugh out loud and is very much classic Hall.

Okay, so let me start this off by saying that I’m a huge fan of Alexis Hall. I’ve read bit Boufriend Material and Hisband Material, and loved them both. I was thrilled to see another new book from him so soon after HM, but Paris Daillencourt just didn’t the mark for me. The main character of Paris struggles with insecurities about every single thing in his life, and while at first it was charming, it becomes less and less so as the book goes on. At 68% complete, I finally had to give up on it, as I couldn’t sit through another page of his neuroses. I feel like by this point in the book, the character has some development in his/her/their hang ups, and has an epiphany that rights all their issues and resolves the plot. Maybe this one finally did, but I couldn’t stick it out to get there.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for approving me this arc.

As someone who struggles with mental health issues, I really appreciated that this book sheds light on how debilitating these struggles can be. I liked that there was a more realistic growth progression (although it was sped up because of the storyline at the end). I also liked that the relationship had more organic ups and downs rather than being picture perfect/nobody owns up to their mistakes. I also liked the character Joy and all the yummy desserts.

Now I’m not sure if there was a ‘dry British humor’ thing going on that just went way over my head but the majority to all of the characters struck me as MASSIVE jerks. Honestly they were all really quite dislike-able and hindered my reading experience. There were funny moments that I genuinely laughed out loud and the language of the book was super unique and fun. And I did start liking Paris and Tariq more at the end but overall I don’t think this was my favorite read.