I loved the tropes in this! childhood friends to lovers and guy fall first.
I loved the setting in this book, in Paris. It was very romantic and I adored it.
The book was heartwarming and sweet, even made me laugh on several occasions.

I originally requested this book because I love Gene Kelly and old musicals, but I found a beautiful book about letting go of the past and accepting that some things are out of your control. The representation in this book is so needed and done with such care, but it still maintained a quirky and charming tone that made me fall in love Evie’s version of Paris.

The characters are both cinnamon rolls and I loved seeing their relationship grow. The flashbacks of their childhood together worked really well at providing context and backstory to their miscommunications.

Overall, the vibes of this book are immaculate and I look forward to more works from Torie Jean.

Thank you to NetGalley and Torie Jean for an e-arc of Finding Gene Kelly in exchange for an honest review.

Man, I just adore romance novels with plus size representation. I don't know if I can ever read a book that doesn't have it! We also need that chronic illness representation. Evie is a character I very much relate to (Eloise stans, unite), and I'm so glad to see characters like me in books!

Thanks to Sunset and Camden Creative, Netgalley and the author for an ARC of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book is what I love about contemporary romance these days - I read stories that, 10 years ago, just didn't exist. Stories about people with Endo, with Chronic Fatigue, with diverse characters who have complex histories and rich personal lives - that you can learn from.

I loved the fact that we only hear Evie's voice throughout, but we know Liam adores her from the beginning. I loved that Evie and Liam redefine what we physical expressions of love. I love the puns - screwball that I am.

This isn't an easy read - there's a lot of descriptions of pain and chronic illness, but I think it's important to read through this so we as an audience can understand the depth of what people with Endo can face, and also to understand the personal challenges that Evie faces, so we can truly have compassion for people suffering from this disease.

But it's also a beautiful love story, and a story about family, friends, and loving yourself most of all.

This was a really great read! I loved the representation in the story and the pacing. I really enjoyed reading!

I honestly have never felt like a book “got me” in a way that this book did. It took me awhile to read this book because I picked it up in the middle of a bunch of doctors appointment for my own endo issues. This book is quite triggering for those struggling, but it also felt like a hug and a sigh of relief. So often you feel invalidated with this disease and feel as if you are alone in this world. This book made me feel so much less alone. The relationship was swoony and perfect. I just love this book and think anyone who struggles with endo, or loves someone who has endo should pick it up!

The chronic illness rep really hit home with this one, it’s so good to finally have some good rep for my chronic illness babes. There were spots that I didn’t vibe with, certain aspects of the relationships/things that were said between characters and I found some of the content to be triggering (the TW are clearly documented at the beginning of the book which I did appreciate) overall this is a good book with a few flaws but good rep, this books heart is in the right place I just wish I had gelled more with the story and the characters.

I was looking for cute covers and there it is Finding Gene Kelly catch my attention! It was a light read and wonderful reading~ I will reread it asap when i have some romance book mood <3

Finding Gene Kelly was so adorable. From the writing, the characters to even the cover, this was such a good book! I read it in one sitting and I can't wait to revisit these characters again in the future!

I throughly enjoyed this novel. In fact, it’s one of the few lately that has held my attention throughout the entire story. While I could see a few things coming, I never felt like rushing though it. I would definitely recommend it to friends.

plus sized romances just hit so much better let's be honest >>>>

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.

I loved the endo rep. It was a great but realistic read about someone with endo. It was like a love letter to Paris. The scenes were set beautifully and I now want to travel to Paris and spend afternoons watching Gene Kelly movies. The romance was really cute. A great book overall. Highly recommend!!!

Very cute!!! I love the representation of Endometriosis and I actually feel like I learned a lot more about it.

The only things that I disliked was the language (curse words) and the explicit scenes which I always skip past.

I originally picked this book because the cover is oh so gorgeous but I actually very much enjoyed this book for everything behind the cover. The plot, characters and setting turned me into a smitten little kitten and I couldn’t get enough! Would recommend!

My rating: 3.5 stars

While I didn't get all the Kelly references, I highly appreciated the endometriosis rep in the book. I never knew how much pain and toll this illness took on one's body until reading this story.
Evie and Liam were so adorable together. They had to sort out their misunderstandings. After Evie gave Liam a chance to hear him out, things started to look up for them. I was a puddle whenever Liam was wordlessly there for Evie, helping and nursing her pain.
Although, I would have liked to see Evie confronting her mom, for dismissing her illness and saying insensitive stuff about her health, more in the last quarter of the book. Overall, this was a sweet story that had my heart melting.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Sunset and Camden Creative for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this, especially the chronic illness rep.

First chapter impressions - this is going to be C.U.T.E.

Boy next door with a sprinkle of enemies (but really childhood friends to pining) to lovers meets Waiting for Tom Hanks, part fake dating because Evie needed a date to a wedding and part The Friend Zone. All set beneath this magical parisian backdrop.

The puns (those postcards!! 🥰 How did Evie not know who they were from?!)The friend group. The pastries! And LIAM. Gotta save the cinnamon roll. Liam quickly rose to one of the favorite book boyfriends list. I mean their kindergarten backyard Nana officiated wedding. Seriously. How could they not be meant to be. This was cuter than I could have imagined and the ending grand gesture, too perfect for words.

Thank you Netgalley and Xpresso Book Tours for the ARC in exchange for my review!

This one is hard. I really loved parts of this book and I really did not enjoy parts of this book, which has left me unsure of how to actually rate it. I will start by saying that it very clearly reads as a debut. What I mean by this is that there are a lot of big tropes and microtropes and very obvious romance type beats/moments crammed together in a way that reads as if the author was just trying to fit everything that they have ever wanted to write into this one story. I think that large parts of the plot, and even smaller moments could and should have been cut out to streamline what was happening and give it room to breathe because the basic bones of the story worked. Amidst all of this, there are sections of writing and dialogue that are really excellent! The intimate scenes and the banter between Evie and Liam are great. And, I'm not someone who has experience with endometriosis but I did learn a lot about it from this book (it is a major part of the plot and it is quite heavy so if you aren't prepared to read something like that then just be prepared). Overall, it's a book that is good for people who love extra tropey-ness from their romances and love a good misunderstood by the heroine cinnamon roll hero.

Paris. Slow burn friends to lovers. Humour. Heart.
This book has it all and was a lot of fun to read. I loved the banter between the characters but what I appreciated most was the authenticity. The main character (Evie) deals with a chronic pain condition (endometriosis) and how it can - and often does - impact her life. Learning to love herself - including the parts she struggles with and wishes she could change - Evie grows so much through the story and her experiences which was fantastic. There were so many great references to old musicals and actors/actresses which was lots of fun to read. I also appreciated the trigger warnings at the outset of the story.

All in all, a realistic rom com that will warm your heart and help you feel all the feels!

Thank you NetGalley for the electronic version of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Finding Gene Kelly follows Evie and Liam as they reconnect and possibly move into something more. The two of them grew up as neighbors and best friends but one night changed everything between them. Since that one night the two characters have no crossed paths...until one afternoon when Evie runs into Liam in Paris. He wants to make amends for what happened years ago but, she is not exactly ready to forgive and forget.

Evie grew up in America but always wanted to live in Paris. She also wanted to open her own pastry shop sharing her beloved grandmothers recipes and creating her own. She has been able to accomplish one of these goals but, the other has turned out to be a little bit harder. She also has endometriosis which is one of the reasons accomplishing the second goal has been hard to achieve. When Evie has an attack on her body from the endometriosis , everything else is put on hold. It is very debilitating for her and the pain is excruciating. All of this is distracting enough but suddenly throwing Liam into the mix really does not help anything.

Liam is such a sweetheart. Honestly, he appears also too good to be true. It's easy to understand why Evie has had feelings for him for so long. Feelings that she has desperately tried to ignore. Feelings that she does not realize have always been reciprocated. I could tell from his first introduction just how bad he had it for her. The two characters have a deep history together but have alot to work out for themselves. There is some growth needed especially for Evie.

There is a very strong focus on endometriosis through out this story. it is shown how the pain can interrupt Evie's daily and social life. It's hard for her to plan anything for fear that she will have an endo attack and all will be ruined. This is why she feels that she can never be in a committed relationship and fears letting someone down. I really enjoyed the representation of having a chronic illness. We need more books like this so that readers with endometriosis feel represented and understood.

Overall, Finding Gene Kelly is a cute story. There are some sweet moments and some frustrating moments. The frustrating moments include the classic misunderstanding that takes forever to be resolved. Those have a tendency to drive me crazy. As for the sweet moments, those are all the relationship between Evie and Liam. When they communicate and are honest with each other, they really do make pretty good team.