"A nostalgic shiver terrorizes my spine. Only one person calls me peaches."

An endometriosis rep, childhood lovers romance.

I enjoyed the pining and development of the relationship between the main leads. I liked the two main leads, however I did find moments of the female lead being unjustifiably judgemental of characters and other women which I did find it hard to connect to the character. However, although slow, I did enjoy the development of the main female lead.

Many cute romantic scenes that I loved throughout the book and I liked the scenes of the main female lead finding her passion and the scenes with secondary characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and Xpresso Book Tours for an eARC.

First off, this book is an excellent contemporary romance. I loved Evie and Liam’s dynamics, their banter, the puns, the many sweet gestures. It once again shows how great the friends to lovers trope is: the shared history and mutual love and pining is perfect ground for a relationship! I loved how Evie and Liam married at age five and fell out at age seven when he ruined the book she was reading. I mean, come on. How cute is that?

And then, I really loved how this book was so insightful showing a heroine with endometriosis. If one out of ten persons with a menstrual cyclus has endometriosis, it means we all probably know at least one person having this illness. Can you name them? Probably not as many as you should according to the figures. That means right at this very moment your friend/family relative/neighbor/co-worker is suffering in silence.

I appreciate Finding Gene Kelly for carrying many meaningful lessons, raising awareness about endometriosis as well as showing how we tend to try to ‘soothe’ and ‘fix’ the uncomfortable - and hurt people with our good intentions instead (I will definitely try and do better).

My comfort movies include Singing in the Rain, An American in Paris, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Roman Holiday, On the Town...basically anything Gene Kelly or Audrey Hepburn. And that being said, my comfort book list will now include the lovely, heartwarming, not to mention sweet as a pain au chocolat Finding Gene Kelly by the endo-warrior goddess Torie Jean. I devoured it in practically one sitting and I didn't want it to end!

Finding Gene Kelly is about Evie O'Shea, an American in Paris, who has been struggling. Not only with some grief as well as some grudges, but with her disease endometriosis. Endometriosis has a myriad of symptoms, and Jean's description of them in Evie's life made me realize just how the chronic pain and daily battle with this disease can be for those who have to face it in their day to day living. Evie while trying to live her life in the City of Love, she comes face to face with her childhood-crush-turned-mortal-enemy, she has some tough decisions to make. Liam Kelly may look as handsome as the suave and magnetic Gene Kelly did dancing across the screen, but Evie knows she cannot trust his dimples or toned-forearms, no matter how enticing they may seem. When ad invitation arrives family event back home in the states (along with some surprising news), Evie begrudgingly must ask Liam Kelly a favor...be her wedding date. Liam, ever the charmer, agrees, but has some conditions to their fake-dating ruse: elaborate backstories, practice dates, and few other things that make Evie realize what she has been truly craving in her life.

Not only was this story hilarious with Evie's antics, Liam's punny banter, and movie references ranging from the beloved classics like Lina Lamont in Singing in the Rain to Disney's Emperor's New Groove and Kuzco's poison, but the substance was truly what made it special. Books truly are my favorite form of art - not only do they serve as a way to escape or educate, but as a pathway to helping to shape readers into more compassionate and aware people. This book has truly done that for me! Endometriosis is not something that people can just "get-over". It is a constant battle of pain management that is physically AND emotionally draining to the warriors who fight against it day after day. This book will not only be a source of comfort or encouragement for those endo-warriors, but will hopefully spark a change in how the rest of the world views the brave individuals fighting this invisible illness day after day.

Finding Gene Kelly made me feel a range of emotions and I truly enjoyed every page. There were a some points toward the end where the pacing felt a little off, and even though a good chunk of the book took place in beloved Paris, I could have done with more descriptions of the setting there to truly feel transported to the city. I know that I will be purchasing a copy of Finding Gene Kelly when it hits the shelves September 20th, 2022 for gifts as well as to read again and again! I hope that Torie Jean keeps writing about the friends that I fell in love with reading Evie's story.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and the author, Torie Jean, for providing me with an Advanced Readers Copy.

Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 Stars)
I don't often give 5 Stars, but when I do, know it means that I will be reading this book again and recommending it to anyone who will listen. This book has been the warm cup of coffee and croissant I have needed this week!
Ease of Reading:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(4 Stars)
I did receive an ARC of this story - with it being an ARC I did notice some grammatical errors, but it didn't take away from the story!
Banter:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 Stars)
Liam and Evie's puns...just they are *chef's kiss*. Liam isn't just an attractive love interest in this book - he is what all men should strive to be!
Maturity Rating:
Adult
Trigger Warning:
Concussion, Endometriosis, Adult Content and Language

ISBN 9780578380766

The endo references are real. Right down to the panic toot. This was a cute rom com with an original setting and backstory for the characters. Evie’s realness was refreshing. It was nice to have a main lead like Liam too who wasn’t a selfish rude broody person. Instead he was caring and sweet to Evie especially about her condition. I’m feeling like I should also name my heating pad.

I was onboard for this book as soon as I read the description. Childhood loves and crushes, yes - enemies to lovers, absolutely, and a Paris romance that can beat no other. Sign me up

I loved the incorporation of old movies and love stories into this romance This book showcases the struggles women with endo have to endure beyond the physical pain but the emotional, and physiological. As well as the ways a support system can change the experience

I found Evie and Liam to be hilarious when they "hated" each other - Although it was super clear that Liam loved Evie.

I also love when the man with longing looks and crush on the female= the fact that they realized this halfway through the book was awesome no one likes a book where the couple gets together at the end of the book

I found this romance handled some real-life issues in a great way while keeping me in love with the main and supporting characters

I LOVED this book! Drawn into the story from the very beginning, I couldn't put it down until I had finished it. As someone who suffers from chronic pain in my own daily life, I related so much to Evie and the struggles that she goes through - physically, mentally, and emotionally. The down to earth and realistic perspective about how her diagnosis permeated her everyday life and relationships wasn't sugar-coated or trying to downplay the impact; instead it allowed you to enter into that with her and experience it from her perspective.

The sweet sweet character of Liam and how he loves Evie made my heart both break and soar. Imagining this man who just wants to love her openly but is constantly rebuffed due to past perceptions/assumptions/actions was so sad and made me want to just give him a hug. Torie did an excellent job of drawing you into each scene and conveying how hard - even painful - it was for him.

As someone who is still looking for her own Gene Kelly, this book helped to underscore how important it is to look at someone's actions - the quiet (any maybe sometimes not so quiet) ways that love and support can be shown. It also gave me things to think about in my relationship with myself, and so many good quotes! I can't wait to have the physical copy in my hands!

“Nana said taking care of you is my full-time job now.”“Like forever?”“Guess so.” He shrugged, running a piece of ribbon from the crown through his fingers. “But I don’t mind.”

I absolutely loved this story because I had tears streaming out of my eyes while I was reading certain parts of this book. It bought out so many emotions like love, laughter, sadness and joy. I can honestly say that after reading this book, I'll pick up every other book that Torie Jean would write. The subject that Evie has to deal with (endometriosis) was really truthfully portrayed and the way Liam always took care of her so selflessly, made me swoon hard. This was a very special book for me with major feels, such a good banter, humour and sometimes it broke my heart but seeing Liam & Evie fall in love harder, put the pieces back together! The cover made it seem like a lighthearted book but it was so much more than that. It had substance, a well constructed plot and great side characters. Liam made me swoon hard and Evie was just my favourite character ever! I loved her snark and vulnerability and I loved how determined Liam was to finally get her to see what had always been brewing between them since they were five. And all their scenes when they were reminiscing about Evie's Nana were so heartwarming. I have zero complaints from this book which made it a perfect five star read! It touched me in a way that most other books rarely do and I was so interested because of the topic that was regarded. This book was a pleasently delightful surprise, my heart ached for Evie when she was struggling to deal with her condition but having Liam by her side surely made me feel ecstatic!

“Trust me— my fantasies of you aren’t weird.” Open mouth. Wince. Repeat. He quirks an eyebrow. “Good to know.”“They’re . . . bloody.”


ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange of an honest review

This was stunning. The plot was well-paced and captivating from start to finish. The characters were well-developed; complex, and intriguing. I highly recommend this beautiful telling of the power of love. Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

- Endometriosis/Chronic pain as a central theme.

- Toxic family dynamics (TW: infertility talk/comments, encouraging EDs, I’m-only-proud-of-you-if-you-do-what-I-say-when-I-say-so, narcissistic mother figure).

- Enemies-to-lovers with a past.

- Curvy FMC / Athletic af MMC

- Fake dating.

Evie is an American living in Paris, the city of her dreams, trying (and kind of failing) at being the pastry chef she’s always wanted to be. She has an awesome wedding planner roommate and life is going… well, it’s going. Evie also happens to have a disease called endometriosis, an uncurable condition that leaves her with chronic pain and an array of symptoms that make day to day life… interesting, to say the least. Interesting, different and, mostly painful. Now what’s a girl like Evie to do when, on her way to meeting a couple of friends for an afternoon delight (read doughnut), she bumps into her high-school-crush-turned-arch-nemesis and into a lamppost at the same time? Yeah, idk either.

This book was such an interesting read: fun at times, painfully true at others, ‘Finding Gene Kelly’ was both eye opening and mind settling. As a woman, I relate to many things that have made Evie’s health journey harder than it should’ve been. As a person with painful periods who have left them bed-ridden in the past, I can relate to some things experienced here as well, mostly in the social aspects of it. But, God, does endo suck. Not that I didn’t know before but reading about it in such detail was hard for multiple reasons, mainly because of the hopeless finality of it. There is no solution, just pain management, and no one is really scrambling to try to find a cure either. It’s an unacceptable truth, but it’s all there is. And for all the reasons that it was painful, it was also mind settling in the sense that reading about experiences like these validates and cements the voices of all others who feel like they’re drowning in the un-heard, un-seeing patients that are still looking for a diagnosis to their pain.

Now, there were many things in this book that did not work for me. The story is cute and I love the romance, but Evie is very a millennial, I’m-clumsy-and-quirky character to the point of feeling like she’s cursed, but it’s described as her being “accident-prone”. Seriously, it’s like every other scene, but she’s also kind of judgmental? Make that make sense. Liam is a dream, and I mean that literally. In a story so grounded into reality, it was hard to picture a man as perfectly thoughtful, sweet and caring as Liam, one that had held a candle for her for so long. His character felt flat: too fake, too perfect, especially when put against a character as well-rounded and complex as Evie. The miscommunication was also extremely annoying, an ongoing issue through most of the book.

That being said, this book is amazing in all the things it should and feels like a great entry into the world of diverse romances, which I can never get enough of and of which we definitely need more.

3/5 ⭐

Finding Gene Kelly is an absolute delightful read that is sweet as the freshest macaroons! From our two main characters, to the supporting cast, I found myself invested in all the characters set among the iconic backdrop of Paris.

The accurate portrayal of chronic pain was refreshing while the many nods of old Hollywood legends made me as giddy as our female main character with a pink sprinkled donut!

All around fantastic read!

GOD. THIS. BOOK.

This might be included in my fave books of the year holy cow it was so good!!!! Our Quick Katie Summary: Evie lives in France and is going through life and loves baking, but BAM the boy she married when she was five and was super close with but then became her MORTAL ENEMY SHOWS UP, and she has to find it in her to fake a relationship with him despite hating him but also not really hating him to appease her mother all while having to navigate her journey with endo.

WOW. Okay, this book was incredible. Seriously. Like, I cannot think about more that I love about this book that I legit just made a list as I was reading it because my heart could not take it. Here is that list:
✨ THE WRITING. WHAT THE HELL. The writing of this book was BEAUTIFUL. The descriptions and just the way that you could FEEL every characters' emotions was AMAZING.
✨ The start. The beginning of this book INSTANTLY hooked me into wanting to read more
✨ Having the Imperial March as the ringtone from when Evie's mother was calling: IN.CRED.I.BLE
✨ PEACHES (FUCK ME UP)
✨ You can tell throughout the book how painfully into her he is and it is just soul crushing (the scene when she shows up at his door and he legitimately slammed the door in her face for *reasons* literally made me scream)
✨ THE. FIRST. KISS. Literal butterflies in my chest
✨ The entire book

But seriously, this book was amazing. If I had to even think of one thing that I didn't like about this book was that the confession happened so early on, but like, I'm not even mad about that. It felt so raw and real when it happened that it didn't feel rushed at all which is why I normally don't like it in a book, but I ended up actually preferring it.

Also, the third act conflict felt so REAL. I feel like so many times, books make it come out of nowhere or make it seem so ridiculous that I can't even believe that it would be an actual conflict. This one felt real. This one felt raw. This one felt legitimate, and I loved the reasoning behind why it happened if that makes sense? (I'm trying not to give spoilers, and like while I don't love that the character felt that they had to do what they did, I get why).

Watching Evie also move along with her endometriosis was so interesting and fascinating and so heart-wrenching to read. I have never met with or interacted with anyone who has endo, and I can't even imagine what it's like, but I feel like the author really did an excellent job of showing what it's like and how much of a person's life it can affect.

A SUPER HUGE thank you to NetGalley and Xpress Book Tours for providing me with an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review!!! I will absolutely be recommending this book to everyone I know, and I just went and pre-ordered myself a physical copy to have when it eventually comes out!

dnf at 15%. i have endometriosis and completely understand the daily pain and struggles, as well as the need for better representation. what i dont need is a main character who reminds you every other page of the disease she has (that she mentioned 2 pages ago!) and how shes always in pain (again; you just said it). i like to complain about my pain and talk about it too; but this was nearly constant.

First up: do not judge this book by its cover. Yes, there are some swoony romantic moments in here (come on, it’s set in Paris), but there is so much more that sets it above many others of its genre. I don’t have endometriosis myself, but I know people who do, and this is an absolutely unflinching take on living day-to-day with a severe form of the disease. Seriously: no punches pulled. For Evie, dealing with the realities of endo is another dimension in a lifetime of Never Feeling Good Enough, and hence it impacts all her life choices including her reactions to Liam. I spent the first third of the book wanting something from Liam’s point of view, before realising that it was unnecessary and in fact works much better without it; this is Evie’s story, and it deserves to be undiluted by outside noise. If you’re looking for something that will make you laugh, cry, cheer a heroine on, cringe at some donut-related puns and maybe also educate you a little, get hold of this novel. Highly recommended.

This book hit all the feels.. A chronic illness rep more specifically an endo rep done perfectly, with all the right trigger warnings in the front of the book, an enemies to lovers, fake dating trope, set in Paris.

Yes this book was a typical romance but it did not shy away from all the things that someone with a chronic illness deals with on a daily basis. Everything I'm taling about accepting their illness, parental struggles, snide remarks from strangers, estranged relationships with friends, not knowing how to act at family gatherings and oh the flare days. Torie Jean perfectly depicted those flare days to the absolute T. I loved this book. If you know someone with a chronic illness pick up those book and you will have a better understanding about what we go through on a daily basis. This book helped me understand myself so much better. Loved it!!

I was gifted an arc by Net Galley in exchange for an honest review as always all words are my own.

*Thank you to Torie Jean, The Publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a E-ARC of "Finding Gene Kelly" in exchange for an honest review*

I did like this romance. Especially the endometriosis representation, as it's rare to read about in fiction.

This story did not work for me. Not because of the endo, which was an interesting angle, or even the snarky male main character, but because Evie, the female main character is SO dang unlikable. She's so unforgiving, so mean and sarcastic, I don't know how anyone stands being around her. Having a chronic illness and even a toxic mother does not give someone license to behave the way she does. She's terrible to everyone but no one ever calls her out. That's not right. If I cannot sympathize with the main character then how can I possibly care what happens to her? I can't. Big nope from me.

This book is something every Endo warrior needs to feel not only seen but heard! An Own Voices where I can relate to the character like none before.

I absolutely loved this book and will be thinking about it for a long time to come that’s for sure! In 2019 I became one in ten as I was diagnosed with endometriosis.

In this book we meet Evie who has Endometriosis. She lives in Paris. Evie does not have a job and is struggling with what she wants to do. Endo has taken everything from her. In comes Liam Kelly, Evie married him when she was five but now they are enemies as Liam humiliated Evie on one of the biggest nights of her life. Evie has never forgiven him and considers Liam the bane of her existence! Evie gets some news her brother is getting married and she is required to have a date. Liam and Evie agree to fake date. But how can you fake date someone you married when you were 5?

This book was like a giant hug of validation that you are not alone in flare ups or the constant pain that riddles our bodies. That we deserve love and should not let Endo take the things we enjoy like intimacy as well as our dreams! I created a whole page and half of quotes I loved from this book! My favourite being “ You deserve to find your Gene Kelly, Peaches. Please don’t let it take that! Your ability to dream big and believe in the unbelievable we’re such big parts of you” I cried reading this book and laughed at all the cheese and food puns.

Most of all I appreciated the note from the author Torie in the front of the book that states all the trigger warnings such as endometriosis, loss of a loved one, toxic mother daughter relationship etc.

Everyone needs to pick this up on September 20! I can’t thank Netgalley, Xpresso Book tours and most of all Torie Jean for this book!

Francophiles will love the backdrop of Paris as a character of its own, while chronic illness sufferers will appreciate being 'seen' in literature. This book reminds me a bit of Jean Meltzer's "Matzah Ball" in that regard; it's a trend we should see more of in books...the silent illnesses represented. This is a cute read with serious undertones and evokes all the emotions.

4 Stars There are some books that are so cute and swoon-worthy that they make it hard not to spend my entire review just gushing, and Finding Gene Kelly by Torie Jean is one of them. I’m a sucker for the pining, “it’s always been you” trope and this book knocked it out of the park. Liam’s love for Evie since they got “married” when they were five years old was just so freakin’ sweet. And being set mostly in Paris? You can’t beat that.

What really sets this book apart is the endometriosis and chronic pain representation. Torie Jean did a wonderful job showing how endo/chronic pain can affect one’s life and their feelings about themself so much. How it impacted Evie’s feelings about intimacy was especially important and accurate (I speak from personal experience).

I absolutely recommend this one and it’s probably one of my favorite books this year!

Thank you very much for the opportunity to read/review this book. As a lifelong sufferer of endo I’m so happy to see if finally highlighted in a book. I can’t wait to see the character development and also the message that you could still find love despite a medical condition. The cover is also gorgeous by the way!

When five-year-old Evie O’Shea married her next-door neighbor in the wedding of the century, she had no idea she was swearing an oath to love the man who would grow into the bane of her existence until the end of time. Or that in ten years time, she’d start a long and winding journey to an eventual endometriosis diagnosis.

Now, aged twenty-six, Evie O’Shea lives in Paris, balancing precariously close to her Charlotte Lucas birthday. A burden to her parents, with no prospects and no money, Evie’s humdrum life needs a shake-up.

Enter Liam Kelly, the man Evie married at the age of five and promptly divorced at seven when he had the audacity to throw a muddy football at her while she was reading Eloise in Paris. Clad in a Henley and equipped with toned forearms and eye crinkles that rival Gene Kelly himself, Evie is determined to keep her ultimate temptation at a distance while she flails wildly navigating life, love, and endometriosis on the banks of the Seine.

But when a family announcement shakes up Evie's world weeks before her brother’s wedding, Evie seeks Liam’s help to get through the wedding with some semblance of sanity intact.

Her request? Fake date.

Making a deal with the Devil always comes with a cost, though, and when Liam’s conditions which include elaborate backstories and practice dates, reignite passions her disease smothered long ago, Evie has to learn to fight for her dreams and break free from her life measured in ibuprofen pills and heating pad settings. Or else risk being alive but never truly living.