Paris, My Sweet: A Year in the City of Light (And Dark Chocolate) by Amy Thomas

The Skinny: The perfect book for Francophiles, foodies, and New Yorkers (or bloggers attending BEA!).

Amy, an advertising executive, is chosen to take over her firm’s Louis Vuitton account for a year… in Paris. Amy moves to The City of Light to immerse herself in French culture and desserts.  In addition to creating adverts for Vuitton, Amy is a chocoholic and is determined to try every delectable dessert in the city. Lists are provided of the best dessert locations in New York and Paris. A combination of desserts and French culture comprise this fun, easy read.

The descriptions of deserts and her transition to French life are mouthwatering and interesting, respectively. Though I enjoyed reading pages and pages of pastry conquests, I assure you that my new trousers do not. Whenever I read Paris, My Sweet, I had to eat a bit of chocolate or nibble on a gluten-free biscuit. If you are on a diet, you should probably avoid this book. It is weight-loss kryptonite.

The one feature of the novel that I did not enjoy was the constant use of French. Although I was able to understand a good portion of the dialogue, I would have appreciated English translations. This book made me sad that I learned Spanish and Italian while neglecting French.

Paris, My Sweet will definitely occupy a small space in my suitcase during my next visit to France. I do not recommend this book for readers who are looking for an insight into expat life or culture transitions. It is more suited to those interested in eating yummy treats.

*Copy received from publisher