Review: Bonjour Cherie by Robin Thomas

It's Paris or bust in this New Adult comedy of errors about seeing beyond the surface...

Beth Jenkins is into all things French — especially her French teacher, André LeBlanc. She’s on the fast track to Paris and nothing will stop her, not even the very Australian Zach Mills, whose abs and attitude are a powerful combination. As she endeavours to catch André’s interest, she also stubbornly ignores the growing chemistry with Zach. 

But as mishap after mishap delays her dreams, Beth begins to learn that neither Zach nor André are quite what they seem. Will it be too late to win the one man who shows her that Paris is not the only destination worth planning for?
(From NetGalley)

My Thoughts:

I have to admit when I first read the premise for this book, I thought it was going to be just your average cutesy romance book. I was pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be more than that. Is it cute? Yes. Is it a romance? Definitely. But it is also charming and witty, a nice little ode to the power of dreams and positive thinking.

What I liked: the story itself. It started out being about a woman obsessed with all things French, who obsessively worked towards her goal of getting to France one day, almost to the exclusion of all else. In fact, she'd rather go to France than go to college, like her family wants her to. So of course she would have to fall for the instructor in the French class she was taking in preparation of realizing her long-held dream. And she did not have time for the charming and oh-so-accessible surfer type who joined her class one day. But things keep conspiring to throw these two together, much to the heroine's chagrin.

What I loved: the characters. Despite her obsession with all things French and the resulting abstinence, Beth is a sweet, caring character who really loves her family and is supportive of her friends. She just wants to have things her way. Meaning, she doesn't have time for anything that would come between her and her goal - not only of going to France, but of catching the fancy of the French teacher, too. Enter Zach, and those plans go up in smoke. Zach is everything she thinks she doesn't want: down-to-earth, hardworker with too much charm but not enough ambition to get out of the town where they live. Ah, Zach, so full of surprises!

This was a quick, fun read and I would definitely recommend it for an afternoon of lazy reading.

Dare You To by Katie McGarry: A Review

Beth’s the bad girl that no-one wanted, not even parents.
Ryan’s the high school hero that everyone wants a piece of – even if no-one knows the real him.
Their paths should never have crossed – now they’re each other’s only life line.

If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk’s mum they’d send her mother to jail. So seventeen year old Beth protects her mum at all costs. Until the day she can’t. Suddenly sent to live with her uncle in a small town Beth’s now stuck with an aunt who doesn’t want her, and at a school that doesn’t get her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn’t go anywhere near a girl like Beth. . . .

Ryan Stone is gorgeous, a popular jock and the town golden boy—with secrets he can’t tell anyone. Even his friends. As Ryan and Beth dare to let each other in, they’re treading on dangerous ground – and the consequences could change their worlds forever.

(From NetGalley)

I first became aware of this author with her debut book, Pushing the Limits, a book which I really enjoyed for its gritty portrayal of the romance between a good girl with issues and a bad boy with even more hard-hitting issues. I wasn't sure what to expect with Dare You To because I was wondering how the author could top the first book, but I didn't need to worry. The author very capably depicts the romance between the main characters, just as she did in Pushing the Limits, only in this case, the roles are reversed - the girl is bad and the boy is golden. But, somehow, it works. And even though their relationship begins on a dare, it really blossoms into something else and it does so in a believable way.


I really liked the characters. Sometimes I wanted to shake Beth and scream at her not to throw away her second chance - just as I would if she were a real person. Sometimes, it really grated on my nerves that she kept pushing Ryan away and was so stubborn in her anger toward her uncle - who was really just trying to help her - but I'm glad I stayed with the story long enough to see it through to the end. It was well worth it. Ryan, on the other hand, was just the type of guy you want to take home to Mom - loyal, kind, and a little bit tortured. His biggest flaw is probably his loyalty to people who don't always deserve it, namely - his parents. They drove me crazy. They were so into image, they didn't really care what was important to their sons.
So if you liked Pushing the Limits or - if you haven't read that one yet (you should) - you just like gritty, realistic contempiorary YA stories, you should really give this book a try. Dare You To.