Review

Whitney Curry is a girl with a passion for fashion, musical theatre and Paris, where her glamorous grandmother dazzled audiences as a young performer. So she arrives in the City of Love for a high school semester abroad with a vintage steamer trunk full of outfits, an ambitious and detailed itinerary, and a dream to create a brilliant theatrical performance about Josephine Baker, African-American performer, fashion icon, and spy for the French Resistance.

What isn’t on her detailed itinerary? Grumpy but gorgeous French language peer tutor, Thierry. After a rash response to some racist taunts, he’s been suspended from his soccer team. He needs a good report from his tutee — Whitney — to end his suspension. So they make a deal. Whitney will give Thierry a rave review if he will help her complete her Parisian bucket list.

Between writing and rehearsing her show, immersing herself in French, seeing unexpected sights with Thierry, and thawing out her chilly roommates, the months rush by. And Whitney begins to suspect that perhaps some of life’s best experiences are spontaneous rather than meticulously planned.

*

When I started listening to this book, I thought it would be clichéd, but it didn’t take long before I fell under its charm. While it’s not the most original narrative, I really don’t care. It’s called genre fiction for a reason! It’s well constructed, although (see below if you don’t mind a spoiler)…

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The third act breakup (of which I’m not a fan, but I understand the genre imperative) was a bit of a weak point: Fatima (the ex-girlfriend)’s behaviour required substantial suspension of disbelief. Whitney’s response, which originally seems like an overreaction, makes sense when you consider that she’s a genuine drama queen.

I loved Whitney — she was so ebullient. I love that she was a talented, self-assured young Black woman, and that she was both fashion-fabulous and not tiny-bodied. Her amusing and breezy first person narration really sold the whole book to me. Really — she’s inspirational. I also very much enjoyed the Josephine Baker angle: it’s great learning more about this icon. Writing’s good; pacing’s good. Excellent chocolate references.

I know the ‘foreigner in Paris’ concept has been done many times, but, hey: I enjoyed it. It was a sweet, lighthearted sashay around the sights of Paris. And I am 100% here for that.

Age: 12+

Print: 275 pp.

Audiobook: 7 hours 39 minutes (Audiobook narration was excellent once I sped it up to 1.25.)

Cover notes: Adorable!! Love the pink, the light and shadows and the adorable Parisian rooftop setting (although, full disclosure, at no point do the characters stand on the roof in this manner). The font just says love and chocolate to me. The cover completely conveys the feel of the novel. 10/10.

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YA depictions of: jealousy; mild gossip; occasional mild unfriendliness, sadness & anger; Instagram influencers mentioned; Thierry’s father died and he doesn’t get along perfectly with his stepfather; Whitney’s parents are amicably divorced; a little bit of kissing: quite sweet and wholesome. Representation: both main characters and many minor characters are Black; main romance is mlw; brief mentions of wlw romance for minor characters; Whitney is an excellent academic role model!

*

Stringfield, R. K. (2024). Love requires chocolate (J. Wheeler, Narr.) [Audiobook]. Penguin Random House Audio

*

Stringfield, R. K. (2024). Love requires chocolate (J. Wheeler, Narr.) [Audiobook]. Penguin Random House Audio.

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