📖 thank you netgalley for the ARC 📖

“From the bestselling author of Boyfriend Material comes a sweet and scrumptious romantic comedy about facing your insecurities, finding love, and baking it off, no matter what people say.”

CW: Racism, Islamophobia (challenged), on page panic attack

After finishing and LOVING Boyfriend Material recently I was super excited to receive this ARC and while I enjoyed parts of it, I didn’t love it. I loved the comedy and related to some of the characters in different ways. I feel like the Islamophobia was challenged but the talk about nazis seemed unneeded and added nothing to the story. As a white woman I’m obviously not the one to speak with any authority and will be looking for reviews from others that it applies to. I liked seeing Tariq being confident in himself and refusing to let others tell him how to “fit into” his religion or sexuality. Being in Paris’ head was exhausting and I know that’s what it’s like for those with anxiety but it was just a lot to read through with nothing really lightening the load, that’s was all his personality and we never really got to see any other side of him.

Overall I think it had great potential but fell a little flat for me.

Paris Daillencourt is About to Crumble is the story of an incredibly anxious 21-year-old gay man competing on a reality baking competition and learning that it's okay to be himself in the process. This book is well written and well paced, and every character feels book relatable and EXACTLY like someone who would be on the Great British Bake Off.
The narrative is interesting in that Paris starts out going about everything all wrong. He is forcing himself to do something he is uncomfortable with just to prove that he can, and when he can't it only makes his insecurities worse. Only after the show ends does he take real, actionable steps to deal with his mental health issues and become someone who can appreciate his loved ones the way that they deserve to be appreciated. Paris's issues feel raw and authentic and I know a lot of readers are going to feel very seen in reading this book.
Despite the rather heavy subject of mental health, Paris Daillencourt is About to Crumble still manages to be laugh-out-loud funny. The conceit of the reality TV show sets the book up well for baking-themed humor. Tariq is one of those effortlessly charming characters a lot of authors want to have as their love interest but just can't seem to execute. Overall, it's a delight to read.

4.5 stars rounded up.

I am a big fan of Alexis Hall. He has a talent for writing deeply thoughtful, respectful, and generous portrayals of diverse people from a wide variety of circumstances and groups. Paris Daillencourt Is About to Crumble is no different. A quick summary: the follow up to the very strong Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake , PDIATC follows the eponymous Paris Daillencourt—classicist, baker, and mess extraordinaire—as he participates in a televised baking competition. While Paris does surprisingly well in the competition, his mental health simultaneously goes downhill. Meanwhile, he starts a thing with Tariq, a short, femme, gay, religious Muslim competitor. Shenanigans occur.

My take on this book: holy crap, it’s good. I really enjoyed the first book in this series, although a certain character dragged it down from being a perfect read for me. In comparison, PDIATC succeeds because it focuses less on the impact of secondary characters on the protagonist and more on the protagonist. Paris Daillencourt, as previously alluded to, is a mess. Dude has serious problems. I totally understand why some people would dislike this book: Paris is a lot. But the great thing about the book is that he grows. He learns from his mistakes, he gets help, and he becomes a better, stronger person.

This ties into my only critique of the book: I don’t know if this can really be considered a romance. It’s really more of a bildungsroman (featuring 20/21 year olds) than a story revolving around love. That’s not to say that romance isn’t present; but I think it important to note that at least half of the major story beats are unrelated to romance. In a lot of ways, this book is about Paris’s mental health journey and his struggle towards self-acceptance. That is certainly something to keep in mind before reading.

I would like to address certain other reviews of PDIATC, which decry the presence of racism, antisemitism, and Islamophobia in the book. “Something is afoot!” I thought when I first saw these reviews, instantly growing intrigued. Since when does Alexis Hall write something so divisive? Well, uh, he doesn’t. Let me be clear: there is Islamophobia and racism in the book. That being said, they are systematically torn apart every time they occur. For example: when Paris makes a thoughtless Islamophobic statement, he is rightly ripped a new one. When he asks what he did wrong, he is told that POC are not there to teach him right from wrong. He then does the work of his own volition to learn why what he said is problematic and to apologize for his actions. This marks a significant moment of character growth. (And regarding the antisemitism thing: there is a Jewish joke, it is not anti-Semitic, and it’s rather problematic to say that it is. I say this as a Jew.)

Anyways, to end on a positive note: I really, really like this book. It has fantastic representation (mental illness; sex positivity; religion; race); it goes in interesting directions that we don’t typically see in romances; and it’s funny as hell. I read it in one sitting. I understand why some people might dislike the book (like I said, Paris is a lot), but it’s absolutely worth a read. Recommended if you enjoy great representation; improbably named cats; romances without a misunderstanding at the 80% mark; books that are probably more bildungsroman than romance but romance still plays a prominent role; more HFN than HEA since the characters are 20; great descriptions of food.

**

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of the ARC in exchange for an honest review. But never fear; I won’t let the power go to my head. My brand is being a bitter queen, after all. I have a reputation to uphold.

Finally a romance with anxiety representation. Paris may seem like an annoying character to some, but for many that suffer from anxiety, he's so relatable.

Loved the food competition setting, the anxiety representation, the romance, and the ending! Highly recommend to everyone.

Paris Daillencourt is About to Crumble by Alexis Hall is another feather in the cap of this author. While not as engaging as Hall’s Boyfriend Material and Husband Material, this was an eventful, fun ride that introduced us to characters set amongst the thrill of a televised baking competition. Fans of The Great British Baking Show will delight in the behind-the-scenes look of Hall’s fictitious baking show. Hall’s comedic style shines here.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital ARC. This is my honest and unbiased review.

Paris Daillencourt Is About to Crumble is the second book in Hall's Winner Bakes All series and it is such a worthy follow up to Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake! New characters, new situations, some old familiar faces from the Bake Expectations crew.

We are back with Bake Expectations and a whole new set of contestants. The book follows Paris, who has been entered on the show by his roommate/best friend Morag. He's a skilled baker, has all the talent, ingenuity, and creativity to be spectacular. He also has a very real struggle with his overwhelming anxiety.

Paris initially connects with fellow contestant Tariq in a very unusual and unexpected way–Hall makes it funny and poignant and a very meet-ugly that somehow transforms to an unusual meet-cute. Tariq and Paris have a wonderful energy together and they are both exceedingly engaging as main characters. They work together well and it’s easy to forget how young they are sometimes. They both have an old soul quality and glimpses of a maturity that belies their years.

As always Hall's side characters are so three dimensional, even as they represent various stereotypes seen on the show. Same for Tariq's roommates. I loved Tariq's roommates.

Paris's anxiety is a major player in this book. He is so overcome with doubt, self image issues, imposter syndrome, negative self talk. It is written in such a way that you FEEL the spirals coming on, you get tense with him as his anxiety takes the wheel, you cringe at the lies his mind tells him , and you anxiously anticipate how he will react in the situations he finds himself in. It is a lot. And it is so accurate and so real and so absorbing. It hurts to watch him spiral but it is so familiar and relatable and he is written with such empathy and understanding.

Tariq deals with issues of his own—including racism, homophobia, and Islamophobia. He is gay and Muslim and navigating his way through how to be authentic and wholeheartedly part of both those communities in the way that best works for him. He finds a way to do that, a way that works for him and that gives him balance. He has a comfort with his identify that is truly breathtaking.

I relate to Paris so much with his anxiety and second guessing and I long for Tariq's inherent comfort with being himself.

The book doesn't follow the usual romcom formula and I love the way Hall tackles serious and complex issues in such a sensitive, empathetic, realistic way. There is a twist in this one that I truly appreciated and I have not often found in other books.

As with all Hall's books there are plenty of humorous and laugh out loud moments. There are many moments that brought on introspection. And some where an "Oh, Paris" was the immediate response.

This was a wonderful follow up to the first Bake Expectations book. I love how different the story line is, how immersive it feels, how we are back on the same set, with the same essential background, but the story is fresh and new and unique. Even the familiar faces from before are seen through Paris's eyes this time and I loved that.

I thought about this book a lot after I finished it. I thought about Paris and Tariq. It left me with a tangle of emotions and a lot of empathy for these boys.

I highly recommend it, although be aware that Paris's anxiety is portrayed very genuinely and the reality of it is gut wrenching. If you have anxiety you will recognise moments here and they will hit hard. But the book is worth every minute. I'm going to go back to read it again and listen to the audiobook. It merits that.

Alexis Hall is masterful! First of all, this RomCom actually made me laugh out loud for real - so much so that my hubby woke up. No other romance that claimed to be a romcom has managed that in recent years. The other reason Alexis is masterful, is that, once again, he created an enticing story that is funny, clever, witty and entertaining, while also being very somber, serious, emotional, and intense.

Paris Daillencourt is participating in the UK reality tv competition Bake Expectations. The meet-cute with kind and funny Tariq, a fellow contestant, involves an accidental near knock-out. Over the duration of the book we get to witness their growing attraction to each other.

Paris' struggles with perfectionism and anxiety. As the story is told through Paris' view, as a reader, we're constantly in his head. While this started out as quirky and endearing that elicited compassion in me for him, along with Tariq, this grew to feel heavy at times, stressful, and confusing - feelings that Paris is constantly burdened with. Yet it was just a hint of what that must feel like in real life for someone who's living with anxiety or without a diagnosis and support. 

Amid all that intensity, we get to experience genuine moments full of warmth and adoration between Paris and Tariq, swear-word heavy banter with Paris' room mate, and light-hearted fun whenever Tariq's family or his room mates are mentioned, and the behind-the-scenes of the baking competition.   

I usually prefer romances with more heat and spice than this book had. But it really worked well for me here, given Paris' relationship background and the reason by Tariq (which I personally hadn't come across in any contemporary romance yet and was great to see here). Despite the low heat, there were still conversations around consent which is still important to see 'on paper'.

Like many of Alexis' books, this one ends with a HFN and I do hope to get glimpses into their lives in future books of the series. 

The author's questions at the end are wonderful to reflect on on your own or as part of a book club.
And the recipe section is fun, entertaining, and fabulously wonderful. In case Alexis or any publisher is reads this, I'd like to petition for Alexis' stand-alone recipe book. Please. 

This content guidance, which was readily available on NetGalley and mentioned at the beginning of the eBook version is something that I'd love to see in more books going forward too: 
Main character with an undiagnosed anxiety disorder (that does get diagnosed), on page panic attack, hospital stay due to panic attack, treatment plan for anxiety disorder discussed, emotionally-unavailable parents, very graphic swearing, cyberbullying, religious and racial microaggressions, Islamophobia (challenged).

Overall, this is a 5 star read for me. 

The book cover deserves a special mention as it's perfection - especially reflecting once you've read the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing). I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to read this story ahead of publication date.

The depiction of anxiety in this book matched my own journey with anxiety in a way that was almost painful at times. That being said, there's a joy in watching Paris learn about himself and become more himself that makes it worth any pain the previous anxiety caused.

The plot of this book is really sweet; setting a romance in a "Bake Expectations" reality tv show is such a good way to give your characters a reason to interact while also giving breaks in between the high-stress moments. This book also does a wonderful job of having frank conversations about sex/sexuality, religion, and mental health that doesn't show up in a lot of the genre. Tariq was such a joyful character and I really appreciated his bouts of self-reflection that came towards the end. This book does a wonderful job of showing that people are constantly a work in progress and that "better" is a good goal to reach for.

This novel is sweet but deep - Alexis Hall knows how to write an LGBTQIA+ romance. I recommend this for all fans of "Red, White, and Royal Blue".

3.5 stars

What Alexis hall always seems to do pretty well with his writing is make me laugh, provide a good amount of representation in the characters he writes, and tell an overall pretty compelling story. “Paris Daillencourt is About to Crumble” has all of those things. But this book was, I think, way heavier than it needed to be. The first book in the Winner Bakes All series was so lighthearted for the majority of the book, laugh-out-loud funny, and a wonderful feel good read…and PDIATC felt like a whole other world. I really loved Paris because I related to him and empathized with him, but the story hit a point—a few points honestly—where being inside his head was too much and his anxiety was too much, and it was overwhelming to read. It was hard for me to find the balance between being frustrated with Paris for not doing something about his anxiety and not realizing how he was treating the people in his life, and being frustrated with everyone around him because of the lack of empathy Paris received. 
I also didn’t really care about the baking show aspect of this book as much as I did in Rosaline Palmer because it wasn’t as lighthearted as book one.
All that said, I enjoyed this book overall and Alexis really does have a way of writing engaging and entertaining side characters that helped keep this book from being a total downer. I wouldn’t necessarily call this book a romcom like I think it was supposed to be, but I don’t mind heavier reads. This was definitely one of those books where there were a few things I didn’t think worked as well as they could have, but overall it was a really sweet story and I enjoyed it.

Paris Daillencourt is About to Crumble takes us back to the set of the reality baking show, Bake Expectations. There we meet contestants Paris and Tariq and see their journeys both on the show and in their developing romance.

While there is plenty of humor and such amazing descriptions of all of the tasty treats being made on the show, the heart of this book centers around Paris’ struggles with his mental health. The constant worrying and loneliness and the second-guessing of his every action was a painfully accurate portrayal of what it feels like to live with anxiety.

Tariq had his own struggles with dealing with racism and Islamophobia. He also dealt with being both gay and Muslim and finding his peace in both worlds. I appreciated that he stayed true to his faith, even when it could have cost him.

I love that Alexis Hall’s books tackle complex issues and not everything ends up tied up in a neat, little bow. It helps the characters and their stories feel relatable in a way that many other books don’t. They are stories that give you hope that even as an imperfect person in an imperfect world, there is someone out there that is perfect for you.

Paris Daillencourt is...a mess. He just is. He constantly doubts and second guesses himself, despite his talent for baking. When his roommate enters him into a baking competition, Paris is sure he'll be eliminated the first week. But then...he wins! And meets a gorgeous competitor, Tariq, who is kind and confident. However, Paris soon realizes that winning week one and meeting a cute guy will not solve his confidence issues.

My thoughts on this book are...complicated. On one hand, I really liked seeing Paris's journey through anxiety and getting diagnosed/starting medication. On the other hand...man was it exhausting to be in his head all the time. As someone who also has anxiety, I will say that the representation was incredibly accurate so it makes sense that it was exhausting to read. A lot of Paris's thoughts have been my thoughts, though perhaps to a lesser extent.

I think I would have preferred this book if it had dual POV to get a bit of a break from Paris's constant internal anxiety. I loved Tariq and truly he has the patience of a saint, particularly in the beginning of the book. I also loved Paris's roommate and the quintessential British humor throughout the book - it was delightful!

Again, I loved the message of this book and the journey with GAD and think that some people will find great meaning with this. And I do LOVE that the author put content warnings in the beginning because I do think that portions of this book could be hard for some people to read.

HUGE thank you to Netgalley and Forever for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. Despite what I said above, this was a 4 star read for me! I just have some complicated feelings.

This book was… a lot. It was far heavier and exhausting than I ever anticipated. As someone who struggles daily with extreme anxiety and panic disorder, I’ve never had a rom-com make me FEEL anxious due to the MC’s constant train of thought and overthinking - but somehow this book ended up being super triggering.

I should also touch on the fact that though there is a TW for islamophobia, it is so much MORE than I expected. In a book that on its surface is a cute, queer story about baking… the racism isn’t a sprinkle, it’s a downpour.

I think that this is being marketed heavily (given the cover and category) as a romance - and though Paris and Tariq’s story is romance in nature - most readers are going to come away feeling a bit like i did - that this was not, in fact, a romance. And that’s 100% fine. This is a story of Paris working on his mental health. But it should probably be marketed that way.

Overall, this is a 2.5 star for me. I rounded up for this star system. It was just a lot heavier and harder to read than I anticipated.

You know who else is about to crumble? Me, for forcing myself to finish this. Hoo boy, there's a lot to unpack here.

Let's start with the racism. Yes, there is a lot of racism in this book. Yes, there is a warning for islamophobia at the beginning of the book. No, that is not enough. I don't know who sat down and thought "Hey, this book needs like 50 more pages of racism in it, we'll just slap a warning on there and it will be fine!"

And don't even get me started on the Nazism and Paris wondering if he's secretly antisemitic.

It's 2022, what the fuck.

Next, Paris is the most unlikable protagonist I have ever read. He's such an unreliable narrator that this should be an entirely different genera of book. It's basically House of Leaves but with baking. Yes, he has crippling anxiety, emphasis on the crippling part, but the book spends the entire time in his head and it's exhausting.

Paris was exhausted. I was exhausted. We were all exhausted.

The romance was an afterthought. The relationship was toxic. The only happily ever after that came from this book was me finishing it.

But hey, the cover is cute as hell.

Thank you NetGalley and Forever for providing me an ARC of this book.

Paris, a baker in his free time and a uni student in Classics at all other times, is nominated by his friend and roommate for the television show "Bake Expectations." On set, Paris meets fellow baker Tariq (perhaps "meet" isn't quite right -- Paris hits Tariq in the face with a fridge door and feels supremely bad about it) which leads to a very awkward friendship that turns into something more.

This one was a bit of a ride. If you want to know what an untreated anxiety disorder looks like under highly stressful conditions this is your book. If you are a person with an anxiety disorder (treated or not) this book will either deeply resonate with you or it will be minorly exhausting. I LOVE reading stories with mental ill-health representation, and I think the "anxiety spiral" that Paris tends to do is really spot on. However, I also live inside my own anxious brain and sometimes being confronted with someone else's constant anxiety and fear is... a lot. I really wish this book would have been dual POV with Paris and Tariq, just for a mixture of perspectives.

I'm kind of having a hard time rating this book. I did enjoy it, as usual with anything written by Alexis Hall. I just also struggle reading books where the main character has the same disorder I do. Settling on 3.5 stars -- not my favorite read of the year, but it was a great mix of baking fun and realistic mental health representation.

This book did not disappoint! I love husband material so much I just knew I was going to fall madly in love with this book as well.

Part fun/frothy gay romance and part serious examination of mental health, this book returns to the Great British Bakeoff-esque world of Rosaline Palmer. Diverse cast. Strong voices. Bakes.

It was okay. I liked the premise but it just dragged and the category of romance is a bit of a stretch. I think it was a nice refreshing book, but I doubt I'll ever reread it
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions expressed are my own

Paris Daillencourt Is About To Crumble by Alexis Hall

Paris, an upper-crust classicist with severe but undiagnosed anxiety, is entered into baking competition Bake Expectations by Morag, his fat Glaswegian sex goddess roommate. He meets Tariq, an extroverted, confident baker who wants to be a little bit famous and finds Paris charming. Paris struggles with the competition and his growing relationship with Tariq, and tries to learn to manage his anxiety, his relationships, and the internet’s cruel response to the mildly famous.

Paris Daillencourt was hard to read as a person with anxiety. Some of Paris’ spirals began to feed into my own anxiety, and I had to take a some breaks in order to emotionally regulate. I can see some readers might be frustrated with Paris, especially if they don’t experience anxiety (they might agree some of the tweets in part two, tbh). Watching Paris respond to pressure of the competition in addition to having a sort-of-boyfriend was so rough, and my heart ached for him. Tariq is a gorgeous character — full, interesting, well-intentioned, and obviously trying his best. I loved him, and it was good to see someone try so hard to work with Paris’ more obvious hang-ups, but the way he responds to Paris at the end of part one was rough.

I think without the second half of the book, and the lengthy, slow attempt at recovery, the first part would have been too much. But you do see Paris try to get better and accept the way he caused harm but also how had been harmed as well. The way Tariq badly handled Paris’ anxiety was addressed (I wish a bit more, but I’m coming from a sensitive place with this), and I liked that they were slow to come back to each other.

Ultimately, it wasn't the feel-good rom-com I was expecting, but honestly with Alexis Hall I should know better. He gives us the love, the tension, and romance, but there's always a deep and raw struggle for the characters to overcome. I think, perhaps, this was the first book for me where the character's struggle hit so close to my own, and that's why I ended up feeling it so intensely. I enjoyed the book a lot, and love, love, love this universe of the Bake Expectations series, but would advise others to be aware of how deeply you delve into Paris' anxiety and the repercussions of it.

I feel like I should get a gold star for finishing this one. I don't know why it wasn't edited to remove a couple of hundred pages, but it really needed it. Also, this is not a romance. It has subtle whiff of romance, but this does not end with a HFN/HEA.

This book also had a heck of lot of racist words, ideas, and thoughts. I will not focus on them as others have done a much better job that I could have. But how in the world could this happen in the year of 2022?

**If the one Bangladeshi in the competition goes out because a white guy hit him in the face with a fridge I will be... completely unsurprised. #bakeexpectations

If Tanya doesn’t win this whole thing I’m not paying my licence fee next year #bakeexpectations

im just gona say it paris can hit me with a fridge any time #bakeexpectations #gotohornyjail

A Muslim drag queen talking about the environment is peak BBC. #bakeexpectations**


Spoilers ahead, you have been warned.

Alrighty, onto to the story. Apparently this was based on the great british baking show, which I have never seen so most of that part flew over my head.

In this one we have Paris who seriously should have had help years before this book happened. Someone at his boarding school should have noticed and gotten him help. He was not just anxious, he had serious mental issues. I mean, he could not even speak in full sentences. Being that this was only in one POV, we could only see things from Paris' view and he was an unreliable narrator at best. His parents abandoned him, he lived in this expensive flat with a woman who was supposed to be his friend, but did nothing but torture him, and a cat that deserved better. And I need to mention that the phrase "Because she was a cat" was typed out more than once, and drove me batty. Of course she is a cat, you told us that many many times!

It was not only that cat that was done wrong, let's talk about the roommate. It may be that I did not want to read about vagina cookies, but that opening was rough. The only one I liked from the beginning was the naked guy who ate the vagina cookies.

“Everyone’s attracted to you.”

“Well, I’d say that’s because I’m a fat Glaswegian sex goddess, but mostly it’s because I fucking ask them if they want to have sex with me.”


That was one of the best lines she got. I am not sure who these books are aimed at, but its not women, non white people, nor romance readers because the rep of all of these people was bad.

Now Paris was entered into this baking competition by this roommate and went through with it because he had mental issues. He meets Tariq, who he tries to be in a relationship with. It does not work out. Now I want to put in here that this was in a 3 month time frame. He did the show, met the guy, got broken up with, and fainted due to anxiety all in 3 months.

After he fainted, he was told he had to go to group therapy and get some help. So he does. And it actually seems to be working. He tries to get back with Tariq, but the other guy doesn't really want to be in a relationship but Paris actually pushes on this and he gives in a little bit and decides to be his friend.

I am not going to lie, all the way up to 80% was a freaking slog. It got a little better after Paris started working himself, but I went into this thinking I was getting a romance. I did not get that here. And it honestly had nothing to do with the lack of sex. If had to do with the fact that at the end of the story, Paris and Tariq are not together. Did they talk about getting back together? Somewhat, but it was iffy. There was a kiss, but a kiss does not make it a romance. At the end Paris was alone, but doing better, which is awesome, but not what I was expecting.