Click here to see my review on Goodreads. ♡
I received a free copy of that book and decided to post an honest review in order to help the author reach more potential readers.
A Book Out Of My Comfort Zone.
When the author contacted me to review her new book, I immediately read the summary. I also immediately knew it was not my « type of book » but I really wanted to get out of my comfort zone and review a book belonging to a genre I knew almost nothing about: New Romance.
The book being rather short (86 pages on my PDF. Version), it was a nice way to try (again). The author published the book both in French & in English, and I chose to review it in English given the fact that more people will be able to read it and that it is the main purpose of a review. Nonetheless, I need to tell you that the version I read was the French one.
What I Loved With The Story.
New romance, in my eyes, mainly involved heterosexual relationships. Maybe that idea comes from 50 Shades, Calendar Girl & After, but the fact is that I really appreciated the two protagonists to be two men. I think, indeed, that even when we see homosexual relationships, in New Romance or any other given genre, protagonists are more often women than men, which is pretty sad in my eyes. Everybody deserves to be and feel represented in literature.
Unfortunately, 86 pages is a little too few to go deep into the relationship, the fears and everything linked to relationships in general. However, the effort is here and well-appreciated.
* Stop here if you want to avoid the tiny little spoilers (which are more “plot information” than actual spoilers) you may find in the parts below.
Shocking Book, Or Not?
New Romance can be rather shocking at times, especially for people who are not at ease with reading about sexual intercourses. Usually the sexual intercourses mentioned are not the cute-with-flowers ones, right?
Here, we obviously have the necessary details of a New Romance book, but it is not as shocking as 50 Shades for instance. I really think the author found the middle-ground in order to create more of a « cute new romance » book, even though « cute » is probably not the best word to describe these scenes, but you got my point lol! We feel that there is genuine love between our two characters, not only sex and Jamie points at it himself at some point when he asks Benji not to focus so much on sex and go for a walk in the park instead.
More Than New Romance.
What I mean by « more than New Romance » is that the book really has several topics. Too often, elements are added to the « romance » story in order to make the parts implying sexual intercourses more « natural ». Otherwise, the book would simply be an addition of several similar scenes, and would no longer be a novel.
Here, there are two major side-topics that are not directly related to the « romance story » (which remains obviously at the core of the book): art and anxiety.
Benji, the main character and the one we are given the feelings of most obviously (it is a third-person narrative focused on Benji’s point of view and feelings) is, indeed, an anxious artist. Art actually decreases the anxiety he suffers from.
Negative Points & Overall Feelings About The Text.
My only « regret » with that book is that, as I said previously, it goes a little too fast given the very short amount of pages. I felt like the two characters went from friends to more-than-friends in the blink of an eye and, in my romantic’s eyes, it went a little too fast and lacked depth. Nonetheless, the story is really beautiful, it would simply have been even better if it had been at least 50 pages longer.
Moreover, there were several typos in my French version, but Heaven knows typos are so hard to get rid of so to me, it was not really important. I think it is my proofreader’s mind that got in the way of my reading, but any person who is not familiar with proofreading will probably not even notice.
Altogether, I really liked that book and I am so happy I accepted to get out of my comfort zone. For once, I got out of my Classics and children’s books and I could not be happier. Actually, for me, the small size was a great point as I am still not used to that type of book, but I mentioned it as a negative point because I know those of you who love New Romance may feel a little disappointed.
Once more, I would like to thank the author for that copy. I wish you the best and would be glad to read your next book as well.
The English-speaking Frenchie 
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Camille!
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Thank YOU for taking the time to read. 🌷
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