Book Review: The Paris Roommates

 

Emily in Paris meets Friends in this humorous and heartfelt new novel about the power of friendship and the bonds of your chosen family by International Bestselling Author Ava Miles.

Thea Rogers’ life is nothing like her romantic, elegant pastries. It’s more like a dull, dry rice cake.

Since spending that magical year in Paris in a work-study program at Nanine Laurent’s restaurant ten years ago, she’s been determined to create a delicious life for herself. But without that certain je ne sais quoi of the City of Lights and the support of her five Paris roommates, Thea’s lost sight of her dream of opening her own boulangerie. Worst yet, she’s lost sight of herself. Still, she puts on her sunshine persona, sticks another batch of croissants in the oven, and gets through each day—an overworked, underpaid baker living life through Netflix.

Then she gets the call that everyone her beloved Nanine has fallen ill.

Thea knows what she needs to go back to Paris. With the help of her roommates, they can get Nanine and her troubled restaurant back on their feet.

What she doesn’t her former roommates can see she needs help too. They might be the unlikeliest of friends, totally different from her and from each other, but they see her—more than her own flesh and blood. They always have her back, and while they assist their host mother with her restaurant, they cluster around plain Jane Thea to give her the makeover of her life. New clothes and hair are definitely on the menu, particularly after Thea meets “Mr. Pinstripes,” Nanine’s gorgeous lawyer.

Only real-life intrudes on her fairy tale when Thea’s finally offered her ownership of a bakery back in Small Town, USA. She would have to leave her found family and the man she’s fallen in love with. Will she choose the security of what she knows? Or dare to dream even bigger than she has before?

Reinvention, rediscovery, and romance… Meet THE PARIS ROOMMATES.
The good-girl baker Thea Rogers.
The restless dreamer Dean Harris.
The driven fashion writer Brooke Adams.
The charismatic professor Dr. Sawyer Jackson.
The rebel Chef Madison Garcia.
The disillusioned golden boy restaurateur Kyle Taylor.

My Review

I loved this book so much. It is very character driven. Ava writes each of the characters with great care that you can't help but instantly fall in love with them all. Friendship is very important as the gang learns and values. 

While Nanine does not appear much in the story, she is mentioned a lot. You can tell from the way that everyone talks about her that she is loved, and she made a great impression on each of them. I love the way that Nanine described each of the roommates:

Thea is first course designed to set the course of the meal

Dean is second course created to be the entry point into the mean

Brooke is third course, the main course

Sawyer is fourth course cleanses the palate for more inspiration to come

Madison is fifth course she embodies so many strong flavors

Kyle is sixth course an indulgence 

I really liked Sawyer. He was always ready to hear the tea. Then there is that scene where Brooke and Madison take Thea to the lingerie shop for Operation Thea makeover for her date with Jean Luc.  Who turned out to be a really nice guy. He has to be if he did not run off scare after being grilled by Thea's roommates. Finally, how about Madison and Kyle's kiss!

I will be continuing this series. Looking forward to reading Dean's book. He was the quiet one and I want to get to know him better. 

"The friendships you make will last a lifetime"