Review: Paris Daillencourt Is About to Crumble

I’m a big fan of Great British Bake Off and I love when novels put their characters in similar competitions. It was partially for that reason that I read Alexis Hall’s Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake back in 2021 (review here). Unfortunately, I was really upset with one aspect of the plot and the rest of the book was soured. BUT. After reading more of Hall’s work, I thought I’d give the semi-connected series another go. And I’m glad I did as I enjoyed Paris Daillencourt Is About to Crumble.

Here’s the book’s description:

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.

Paris is, like some desserts, an acquired taste. He has pretty serious anxiety that he hasn’t addressed because he doesn’t know he needs to - he just thinks he is the way he is and that’s all there is to it. But he makes excuses for himself that I had no time for, especially after he started getting help. I’m not sure how much of the “omg I’m the worst ever” was part of the anxiety (Yes, I know it would be a huge part) but there were still some instances where I felt he should have behaved better. Perhaps I’m wrong. I don’t have anxiety like Paris so I can’t fully get into his head but I know it’s tough. I wish I could remember some of the specific examples but, alas, I read this one so long ago (oops). 

I loved the baking show aspects of the book, obviously, and that the book was divided up by each episode. It helped keep track of time in a fun way. It was always fun to see what the bakers were making each week and I always liked when the whole cast was hanging out together.

The romance in this one was a delight - even with all of the awkward and terrible moments. I respected Tariq so much and wish I could be more like him. He knew who he was and wasn’t about to apologize for not being a stereotypical British baker. Is it wrong to say I think he might have been too good for Paris? It might be, right? Whether they were truly right for each other, I don’t entirely know, but the romantic in me was expecting more of a romance novel and so I was rooting for a Happily Ever After between the two of them.

Paris Daillencourt Is About to Crumble was a cute read with funny moments but a lot of really heavy topics and topics that should be tackled in contemporary reads. Alexis Hall doesn’t always deliver a total winner to me but I continue to read his books because I appreciate his talent and humour and the ability to make me look at the world a little differently than I did when I started the book.

*An egalley of this novel was provided by Forever via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.* 

Review: Pie Girls

I've read and enjoyed many of Lauren Clark's novels in the past so I was really happy to read Pie Girls, a light hearted women's fiction novel that was released last year. It was just as I expected from Clark's novels: fun, entertaining, and full of great characters.

Here's the synopsis:

Princess, Southern belle, and spoiled-rotten social climber Searcy Roberts swore on a stack of Bibles she’d never return home to Fairhope, Alabama. After marrying her high school sweetheart and moving to Atlanta, Searcy embraces big-city life—Carrie Bradshaw style.
But now, Searcy has a teeny, tiny problem. Her husband’s had a mid-life crisis. He’s quit his job, cancelled her credit cards, and left her for another man.
Searcy returns to Fairhope, ready to lick her wounds. But when her mother falls ill, she’s thrust into managing the family business—only to discover the beloved bakery is in danger of closing its doors forever.
Enlisting the help of the adorable bike store owner next door, an array of well-heeled customers, and her soon-to-be ex-husband, Searcy hatches the plan of the century to save Pie Girls.

Oh, Searcy. When we first meet her, she's the kind of woman you love to hate. She seems to have it all together and has no problem flaunting it. She has the husband, the money, the lifestyle everyone (for the most part) envies. But then it all comes crashing down around her and she has to face some hard facts. Has she really been living a life that should be envied?

The best thing about these kind of fall from grace stories is when the character is genuinely trying to figure out her life and make changes for the better. I could tell that Searcy's journey was going to be one I would be happy with, even if she did struggle mightily at times. I was rooting for her the whole way through and I kept my fingers crossed that she'd get the Happily Ever After she deserved.

One of the things I loved about this book was the small town feel. I liked getting to know the characters in Fairhope and seeing how they rally behind Searcy, her mother, and Pie Girls.

Pie Girls is a lot of fun. Lauren Clark is fantastic at balancing a light hearted storyline with moments that have a lot of depth. I definitely encourage you to check out her previously published novels!

*A copy of this novel was provided by the author in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: Since You've Been Gone

I'm a sucker for a pretty cover so Since You've Been Gone by Anouska Knight immediately captured my attention. I wish the story had been just as awesome as the sweet cover but it was still an enjoyable read.

Here's the synopsis:

How do you learn to love again?
In one tragic moment, Holly Jefferson's life as she knows it changes for ever. Now to the external world, at least, she's finally getting back on her feet, running her business, Cake. Then she meets Ciaran Argyll.
His rich and charmed life feels a million miles from her own. However, there's more to Ciaran than the superficial world that surrounds him, and he too is wrestling with his own ghosts. Will Holly find the missing ingredient that allows her to live again and embrace an unknown and unexpected tomorrow?

I don't like to reread the synopsis before diving into a new book. I'll have read it before I request it/agree to review it but I like to go back in almost blind because I sometimes find that the synopsis gives too much away (but a heads up...I'm going to be more explicit about the tragedy that's mentioned). So, because it had been awhile between requesting Since You've Been Gone on Goodreads and actually reading it, I forgot how serious it actually is. The cover completely threw me off...as I imagine it would to others, too. This isn't a novel of a bakery owner looking for her Prince Charming and having fun as she goes on dates. This is the novel of a widow. A woman who doesn't think she can ever love again and doesn't plan on finding out if she can.

Holly is a pretty tragic character. She's young and already a widow, after just a few months of marriage. I can't imagine how hard that would be to deal with. Luckily, she does have friends and family who are determined to check in on her (I adored her sister but was just as frustrated as Holly when it came to her mother) and make sure she's doing ok. She has a flourishing bakery with an awesome co-worker. But she has a huge hole in her heart. I knew that, in the end, she and Ciaran would end up together. I looked forward to seeing how she would evolve over the course of the novel and learn to move on from her tragedy. Holly really grew as a person. She had a few stumbles but I really liked her (except when she was being extremely judgey about Ciaran's wealth) and reading about her journey.

I found the writing in this novel to be a bit awkward. I don't have any good, concrete examples but the flow seemed to be a bit off and some sentences were just plain odd. When there are enough examples of poor writing (or editing), it tends to turn me off the book. Plus, the beginning is really odd. It's hard to explain but Holly is talking about Charlie not being home and then she wanted to have dreams about him...? It was hard to know for sure that he was dead and I just couldn't figure out when certain things were happening. I understand what the author was trying to do but it just left me confused.

Since You've Been Gone isn't a bad read. I just didn't find it to be an awesome one. I wish I had enjoyed Anouska Knight's novel more. I'll keep an eye on what she publishes next. Maybe you'll like this one more than I did!

*A copy of this novel was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Guest Post: Cindy Arora

Welcome to my second stop for the tour of Heartbreak Cake by Cindy Arora! I reviewed the novel earlier this week (my review is here) and I thought it was really sweet! Today Cindy was kind enough to stop by with a great guest post. I was curious to know how she made her novel stand out when there are all sorts of baking themed chick lit novels out there. I hope you enjoy her post!

When I set out to write HEARTBREAK CAKE, my desire was not to just write about a bakery, but to write about the food world as it stands today. These days, in the world of Twitter, Facebook, food blogs and Pulitzer Prize winning food writing, it can be said that chefs and food people have a certain level of celebrity panache—but  with that also comes a newfound level of accountability.

Here in Los Angeles, food culture has reached a new level of cool. People who are interested can get their daily dose of food gossip from media outlets. People follow with interest when new restaurants open, old favorites are closing, when chefs have tantrums or when they change their seasonal menus. Much like celebrity magazines or online news channels, people who love food and want to be in the know can easily find out “who’s who and what’s what” with the click of their mouse or iPhone.

I come from years of working in the food industry in one form or another—I’ve been a coffee girl, fromager, baker’s assistant, cocktail waitress and ornery breakfast slinger. The last 10 years, I worked as a food writer and publicist, so I was able to get behind the scenes and see how the media has become a huge part of the food industry. It also allowed me to witness how small the world is and how one’s reputation can and does precede you! So play nicely!

HEARTBREAK CAKE is set in a bakery, and there’s plenty of talk about cake, cookies and pie. But at the core of the book, it’s about the unique dynamic of the food community and how the main character, Indira Aguilar, must delicately weave her way through it in order to save her business while also trying to get over heartbreak with the wrong guy, deal with family issues, and also meet a great new guy.

When I created all of the characters, I pulled from different parts of the food world to play important roles for the heroine and her merry band of friends—the city Farmers Market, the luxury resort hotel on the California coast, a national award winning chef who works on a food reality television show, a French patisserie, and the media (blogs, newspapers, social media). They all affect Indira and the decisions she has to make in order to find the right journey for herself.

It’s a tough time for Indira, but nothing a little heartbreak cake, some laughs and good friendships won’t help her get through!

Thanks so much for having me here to talk about HEARTBREAK CAKE! It’s been a real pleasure. You can learn more about me and my book at www.cindyarora.com.

  

Blog Tour: Heartbreak Cake

I was so looking forward to reading Heartbreak Cake, the debut novel from author Cindy Arora. The story sounded delightful! This was a great chick lit novel and, even though I had a few issues with it, I would still recommend it to others.

Here’s the synopsis:

Business is sweet for pastry chef Indira Aguilar. Her indie bakery, Cake Pan, is fast becoming the talk of the wedding circuit for its unique take on cakes and homespun creations for the modern bride, garnering national recognition and drawing in celebrity clients. But while her professional life is blossoming, her personal life is crumbling.
Indira may have a talent for blending buttercream into bliss, but when it comes to relationships, she’s got a lot to learn. Considering that the love of her life, Josh Oliver, is not only married, but also runs the award-winning pastry department of her fiercest competition, Crystal Cove Resort, Indira puts much more at stake than just her heart when she ends her affair with him.
Rumors begin to fly as the small seaside community of Long Beach learns of her secret relationship, and Indira must defend not only her actions, but her wedding business and her reputation while trying to maneuver the choppy heartbreak waters of starting over, finding new love, and facing her past. With the support of friends and family, a fondness for butter, and a determined spirit, Indira may just bake her way back to happiness and possibly into the heart of Crystal Cove’s dishy new chef, Noah. But one thing is certain. Where there’s heartbreak, there must be cake.

My issues came from what I suppose you could call flow problems. I felt like things weren’t explained well enough up front, like what the relationship between Indira and Josh actually was and how long it had been going on. Things were gradually revealed but sometimes in an odd, out of sequence way that made it hard to follow. I also noticed a few little grammatical errors throughout (so I’m really hoping I was sent an advanced copy…). I also couldn’t really understand why Indira made some of the choices she did at the end of the novel. Obviously I can’t say much more than that but I wished she had continued to face her problems instead of running away and I didn’t see why she had to start over new. It just seemed a little odd.

I really did like reading Indira’s story though. She was a smart woman who had made a really dumb decision and was being almost blacklisted because of it. I hated seeing people judge her without having all of the facts but, as she even said herself, I probably would have judged her too. 

I adored the baking aspect of the story. You see cute little bakeries in a lot of chick lit novels but Arora kept things from seeming too familiar. Indira and Pedro have a great chemistry (and I wish he had had just a slightly bigger role in the book) and reading about him interacting with (read: yelling at) the interns was amusing…but makes me never want to become a chef or baker (well, I wouldn’t become one anyway – I hate cooking!). I really wanted to be able to visit the Cake Pan Bakeshoppe and see, and taste, all of the delicious sounding goodies that are mentioned throughout the novel.

Even though I had a few issues with it, Cindy Arora’s Heartbreak Cake was a delicious novel (yes, pun intended). I think all chick lit lovers would enjoy it as I did – especially those who adore a good dessert filled story. Stay tuned as I have a guest post from Cindy coming up on Wednesday the 18th!

*A copy of this novel was provided in exchange for an honest review.*

Review: The Parisian Christmas Bake Off

I really enjoyed The Parisian Christmas Bake Off! Author Jenny Oliver has written a really adorable story that mixes the Christmas season with a baking competition in Paris.

Here’s the synopsis:

Welcome to the most celebrated patisserie competition in Paris – ready, steady, bake!
Watching snowflakes settle on the Eiffel Tower, Rachel Smithson’s cosy English village feels very far way – as, thankfully, does her commitment-phobic ex, probably already kissing someone else under the mistletoe. But Rachel hasn’t come to Paris to mope she’s come to bake. Hard.
Because the search for Paris’s next patisserie apprentice is about to begin! And super-chef judge Henri Salernes is an infamously tough cookie. But Rachel isn’t about to let her confidence (or pastry) crumble. She’s got one week, mounds of melt-in-the-mouth macaroons and towers of perfect profiteroles to prove that she really is a star baker.
As well as clouds of flour, and wafts of chocolate and cinnamon, there’s definitely a touch of Christmas magic in the air… Rachel hasn’t come to Paris looking for a fairy-tale romance, but the city of love might gift-wrap her one anyway…
Not even a dusting of icing sugar could make The Parisian Christmas Bake-Off a more perfect Christmas treat!

I had a couple of wee issues with this book. I was really confused at the beginning because a lot of names were being thrown around (main character, friends, teachers, students, the parents of students) and I couldn’t really keep track of who was who. And, in the long run, it really didn’t matter too much. I think it would have worked if the book had been longer and there had been more of a back story with the town but as it was, it was just too much. Speaking of back story, I’m still not entirely sure what happened to Rachel’s mom other than she died at some point prior to the start of the book. I am left to assume that it happened around Christmas because Rachel does not like the holiday but I don’t know how old Rachel was when it happened or even what exactly happened. It was an odd thing but there were some times where I wanted more information and other times where I wanted to cut out the unnecessary info. It’s unfortunate because if these things had been fixed I think this would have been a knock it out of the park novella. 

Oliver does a good job of keeping the romance from seeming too predictable. I had a pretty good idea what would happen at the end but there were some twists and turns that I was not expecting and I so appreciated that. It kept things from being boring and we can all agree boring is not good!

While the romance makes this story that much sweeter (pun intended), Rachel’s journey isn’t about finding a man. She needed to learn to accept what happened with her mother and learn that she can use the memories she has for good instead of torture devices. While she’s in Paris she remembers why she used to love to bake with her mom and I really loved seeing her grow and finally come into her own.

The baking competition aspect of this story was a lot of fun. I adore watching those kinds of shows on the Food Network so it was a lot of fun to read about it. I really felt like I could see the creations the contestants were baking thanks to the way Oliver wrote. My mouth was watering as I read about some of the goodies they were making – hot cross buns, soufflés, macarons, chocolate croissants…oh, I could go on and on!

The Parisian Christmas Bake Off is more of a novella than a full length novel (it’s just 125 pages) so Jenny Oliver’s story can give you just the hit of sweet Christmassy goodness that you need this time of year without taking a lot of time out of your busy schedule. It’s really enjoyable and I think many others would like it too!

*A copy of this novel was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Review: Bake It, Don't Fake It

Pastry chef turned cookbook author Heather Bertinetti's Bake It, Don't Fake It! is a great recipe book...if you have all the tools and the desire to make super special desserts. I was under the impression that the recipes would be a bit easier for the every day baker but I was mistaken. I've had my advanced reading copy for ages but I actually ended up only making two recipes because I didn't have a lot of the specialized tools or ingredients the book calls for. I was disappointed in that but the two recipes that I made were very delicious!

This is the cookbook's description:

Looking to impress your friends and family with decadent desserts but afraid you lack the skills to pull it off? Are you reaching for that packaged cake mix and can of frosting instead of whipping something up from scratch? Fear no longer; we’ve got the fix for you. Heather Bertinetti, a talented pastry chef with years of experience in Manhattan’s top eateries, is sharing her insider tips for how to make restaurant-worthy desserts right in your very own kitchen.
Bake It, Don't Fake It! is filled with recipes perfect for the home cook, such as Bourbon- Chocolate Pecan Pie, Strawberry Daiquiri Truffles, Red Velvet Macarons, and PB&J Whoopie Pies. Once you learn the whys and why nots of baking, you’ll be able to get creative and give all of your favorite treats a special touch. As an added bonus, you’ll find Heather’s “Chef It Up!”; tips throughout the book, where Heather reveals her tricks for giving homemade desserts the wow presentation factor. All of the equipment you’ll need is probably already in your kitchen and all of the ingredients are readily available in your local supermarket, so it’s time to get baking!

My very first thought as I was flipping through my copy was that I wished there were more pictures. Raise your hand if your favourite thing about cookbooks is the pictures. Be honest! :) Since I don't cook often, I like having a visual when I do (so I can see how far off I am...), especially when it's a recipe for something I've never even heard of. Do any of you know what a St. Honoré cake looks like? What about canelles or Pâte à Choux? These recipes are all in this book but do not have pictures and I wasn't even going to think about making them.

I had an issue with the recipes themselves, too. Some of them don't really look all that challenging but there was more effort required than I think most people may look for on an average night. On the flip side, they are easy enough for someone to make the dessert to wow friends and family for a weekend party or holiday. Going hand in hand with this issue is that a lot of recipes require special baking accessories. Both recipes I made actually required a stand mixer with various attachments. I am a 26 year old unmarried female. I do not own a stand mixer because I am too poor to buy one myself and as I haven't had a wedding I haven't been able to put it on a registry. I don't have a bundt cake or cheesecake pan and I didn't know where to find special, large liners to make bigger muffins or how to even use them if I did find them. Do I put them in a regular muffin tin or what? These all seem like little issues and if you have all sorts of cool gadgets, I think you'll be just fine!

The first recipe I made was double chocolate chip muffins. I made them for a baby-bunny date (a friend with a then six week old baby came over so I could meet the baby and she, my friend, could meet my bunny) and they were a hit. I was a little worried at first because the batter was really wet and I was afraid that I'd overflow my muffin cups. Everything worked out fine and they were delish. They were super chocolatey as it was a chocolate batter with chocolate chips mixed in so they were basically cupcakes without the icing. We weren't complaining though and I sent home a couple of extras with my friend so her husband could enjoy them as well. And she asked for the recipe! I'd say this was a win.

I was intrigued by the banana cream pie recipe but there was one problem with it...it required rum and I don't drink rum. This crisis was averted when I realized I would be visiting a friend who does drink rum before this review would be written. She's a fan of baking and said she was in for making the pie when we came to visit. Good thing she likes baking because she actually ended up doing all the work. In my defense, I had a wicked cold and wouldn't know where anything was in her kitchen. I proved to be a pretty good supervisor though, I think! :) This recipe was super involved as it required making a crust (out of shortbread cookies, which I liked because I'm actually not a fan of typical pie crust), the whipped topping, and the cream (which was another recipe entirely) for the filling. We made the crust and the filling before going out for brunch and we learned something important: when leaving a bowl in an ice bath, ensure there is not too much water in the bowl with the ice as you may come home to discover that the ice has melted, the bowl has sunk, and the water has overflowed onto the wrap covering the bowl full of cream. Oops. My friend managed to save it and we carried on with assembling the pie. We didn't use all of the filling because our pie crust wasn't high enough. It would have been a massive pie had we been able to do one more layer of banana and cream as the recipe called for. That wouldn't have been a bad thing but there's no way you could get all of it in when you're using an average pie plate. We left the pie to chill the three hours as directed and then we set out to eat it. Hilarity ensued as my friend tried to lift pieces out of the plate but the end result was a freaking delicious pie. We actually probably could have finished it off between the four of us that night!

I wanted to love Bake It, Don't Fake It! by Heather Bertinetti but my lack of flare in the kitchen, not to mention my lack of baking accessories, led me to feel a little disappointed in this cookbook. I don't think "easy" should be included in the subtitle: "A pastry chef shares her secrets for impressive (and easy) from-scratch desserts." The desserts aren't hard, at least the two I made, but they're definitely not what I'd call easy. It's a little misleading, I think. That being said, the two recipes I was able to try turned out well and were really yummy. So, if you fancy yourself a baker and like challenges I would definitely suggest you try this book out. And perhaps send me some of your desserts? :)

Happy reading...and baking!

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher, Simon and Schuster Canada, in exchange for an honest review.*

Update, November 22: After receiving a comment telling me I was wrong when I stated that there was not a photo of the St. Honoré cake in the book I decided to check out a finished copy (I had received an advanced reading copy from the publisher). The commenter told me the photo was on page 73, which was incorrect. I, however, was also incorrect. There is a photo of the cake on page 155 (I believe. I'm going from memory). In my experience, recipes that have photos on another page usually state that in an obvious place in the recipe. In this particular recipe, the author referred to the photo but it was buried in the recipe. You wouldn't know it was there unless you were looking for it. I apologize for not being thorough in my original review and erroneously stating that there was not a photo of the St. Honoré cake.