Kisses and Croissants

Kisses and Croissants by Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau | Young Adult

Kisses and Croissants is a sweet, YA romance, set in Paris where Mia is attending a summer ballet program. Having grown up a dancer myself, I was instantly drawn in by the author’s seamless descriptions of life in a ballet studio. I could feel myself living the story through Mia’s experiences, feeling the pain of her intense training, and holding my breath as she waited to hear whether or not she was picked for one the top roles in the upcoming performance.

I wish the same magic was woven into the romance in the book. There wasn’t enough build up for Mia and Louise to gain a place in my heart and make me root for their relationship. I wanted to be invested, but the emotion was lacking for me and left me wanting to skip ahead.

The author does an amazing job at describing Paris and weaving French into the story, but as someone who doesn’t know French, I occasionally found the extensive use of it distracting from the story, as well as the long, drawn out setting descriptions. However, there is a hint of mystery woven into Mia’s connection to the culture and it kept me turning the pages, wanting to uncover the secret.

Overall, I enjoyed the story and feel like it would be a great fit for young adult readers interested in Paris and/or the art of dance!