Title: Fromage à Trois
Author: Victoria Brownlee
Publisher: 9th October 2018 by Amberjack Publishing
Pages: 280 pages
How I Read It: ARC book
Genre: womens fiction, chick lit, contemporary, romance
My Rating: 4 cups
Synopsis:
Meet Ella, on the brink of turning 30 and full of regret for a life only half lived.
In a haze of heartbreak after splitting up with the man she thought she was going to marry, she makes the only decision that seems rational and buys a one-way ticket to Paris, embarking on a pilgrimage of food, wine, and joie de vivre.
After arriving, Ella struggles to grasp the nuances of French manners and friendship. She soon finds herself caught between two men who inhabit opposite ends of the Paris food scene, getting wined and dined by one, and inadvertently making a bet to try every type of French fromage with the other.
As the seasons change, Ella realizes that there’s more to life in France than champagne and cheese. At some point the Eiffel Tower stops sparkling and she needs to decide where her heart truly lies.
My Thoughts
‘I’d relearn how to live life as a solo adventurer. I’d take things as they came and make up a plan on the way.’
‘Fromage à Trois’ is worthy chick lit - lighthearted and entertaining. It’s a tale about Ella escaping to Paris after her dreams of marriage did not come to pass and her ensuing journey to rediscover herself. Many a cliched story like this has been told, so what invites the reader to this particular version?
‘... the makers of the cheese had known that I would move to Paris to mourn a breakup. It was as though they’d anticipated that I would start to fill the void in my broken heart with French cheese.’
Well ... we’ll always have Paris ;) One never really tires of a fictional journey to wander the streets of this city. Add into this an incredible and delectable selection of cheeses and this book really does provide that something different to this genre. The Instagram cheese journey is really something different and enlightening. Then there is a solid array of characters to make life interesting in Ella’s new venture. Overall, this is worthwhile writing and reading. Of course there are some moments that are cringe worthy and just drag the story down a bit but I try to overlook that and instead enjoy brief escapism on this whimsical and rather decadent ‘cheesy’ journey.
“Can you please write the name of the cheese and where it came from on a piece of paper for me?” I asked. “I’m interested in learning more about French cheese.”
This is a tale that will leave you with a good feeling - characters that engage you and an introduction to Parisian fromageries! You will be given a little of everything - romance, deceit, anguish and laughter - a little of everything except cheese! There is more of that than you can imagine!
“So what is it with you, Paris and cheese?”
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.
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