
Hi everyone! Today I’m going to be reviewing Love A La Modé by Stephanie Kate Strohm.
Rating: ✯✯✯✯
Love A La Modé is a deliciously adorable tale about love and friendship – a sure fire recipe for success! It follows two protagonists’ – Rosie and Henry – journey and progress through a competitive baking competition in Paris, the city of love. The whole book is unbelievably sweet and perfect for any contemporary fan!
I think one of the things that really stood out for me in this book was definitely the amazing friendship group. Henry and Rosie’s friendship group was not only incredibly diverse, but also a really fun, feel-good group who had a very interesting dynamic. Each of the characters were so distinct and different and I loved watching them bond over their one common interest – cooking. Out of all Henry and Rosie’s friends Yumi and Marquis were probably my favourite – they were just too funny!
Of course, Henry and Rosie’s relationship was also awesome. From the adorable moment they met it was clear how much undeniable chemistry the two had and this only increased throughout the book. Henry and Rosie were genuinely so well suited and I was rooting for them to end up together throughout the whole book.
Of course, their romance wasn’t the only thing I was rooting for – there was also the competition. I thought this was a really nice inclusion on Strohm’s part because it just added that extra something to the story and made it stand out from other contemporaries. The cooking aspect was definitely really interesting and truly delightful to read – the descriptions were really vivid and, cook or non-cook, I’m sure it will make your mouth water!
The setting was also absolutely delightful. I’ve always had an obsession with the idea of Paris and long to visit it someday. Love A La Modé offered a little slice of that and I loved every second of it. It was really interesting to read about the characters exploring the city and, of course, the fact that it was set in the city of love only added to the romance…
The ending was also perfect. Strohm wrapped up the whole story in a truly wonderful way and the ending was just adorable. I loved the fact that it tied up any potential loose ends and all of Henry and Rosie’s issues were resolved. Henry and Rosie’s friends were featured in the ending too and it showed how important friendship truly is.
Of course, family also played a really important role in this book. Rosie’s interactions with her family were really lovely and the bond they shared jumped through the page. On the other hand, Henry was from a Korean family and struggled with his mum over his ambitions throughout the book. His mum really piled on the pressure, and I felt so bad for poor Henry… This was just another obstacle in his way to getting together with Rosie!
The humour in this book was also incredible. Strohm did a really good job with it and I loved the banter between the characters. There were so many inside jokes and funny moments and I definitely found myself giggling at certain scenes!
There’s also just something about the whole mood of Love A La Modé that makes you so happy. It’s the perfect book for a pick me up and an instant mood lifter – I know I’ll definitely be rereading it when I’m in need of a light read to put a smile back on my face!
However, despite all of those wonderful aspects, that’s not to say that I loved absolutely everything about this book… The main issue I had with was probably the slow burn. I’ve never liked this particular romance trope and it really irritated me. That being said, I probably could’ve dealt with it if the characters had been less stupid… There’s miscommunication, and then there’s miscommunication.
I also wasn’t a fan of the love triangle. It really brought out the worst in Henry and I found myself hating the way he treated Rosie at certain points. The whole story already had a lot going on (what with a boarding school, a cooking competition, Paris, the whole romance etc) and I think it could’ve worked better without the love triangle… It just added more unnecessary drama.
Overall, though, I would recommend Love A La Modé for anyone looking for a sweet contemporary with an adorable romance. It has the awesome combination of love, friendship, baking and travelling, and, if that’s not enough to draw you in, I don’t know what is!
Have you read Love A La Modé yet? Will you be adding it to your tbr? Let me know in the comments!
I hope you enjoyed this review!
Ceri
Great review Ceri!!! I really like the sound of this book 👍
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Thank you!!
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Paris and a baking competition! This book sounds so dreamy! Paris is my favourite city!
Corinne x
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It definitely is – I love Paris too, I can’t wait to visit! Thanks for commenting x
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This sounds like a great read! I never heard of this book and was pleasantly surprised by the story, Honestly good baking competitions and an adorable romance? SIgn me in! Adding this to my TBR list now x
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It definitely is – I stumbled upon this boom by accident and it was such a lovely surprise! It’s such a great combination, isn’t it? Hope you enjoy when you read x
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Sounds like an good read – everyone needs a go to book to put a smile on their face – will definitely try it. Thanks for the great review 😀
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Thank you so much – they definitely do! Hope you enjoy when you get to reading it! No worries, thanks for commenting 🙂
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great review!! i would also love to visit Paris someday! 😍
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Thank you! Hopefully we can both go one day 🙂
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You had me at competitive baking! This book sounds just like my cup of tea. And I also love Paris!
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I definitely recommend it then, it sounds perfect for you! Thanks for commenting.
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Oo, I like the sound of this! It sounds odd but I really do enjoy books with baking hehe, I’ll have to add this one to my TBR x
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Oh no it isn’t odd at all! I hope you enjoy when you get round to reading it x
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This book sounds so lovely and sweet, may have to add his to my reading list. Great review!
TheQuietGirl | http://www.quietgirlblog.com
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It definitely is! I hope you enjoy if you get to reading it. Thank you!
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This book sounds incredible and something right up my street!! Your review is amazing, can’t wait to order this book, thank you for sharing!
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It really is – I’m so glad to hear that! Thank you so much, hope you enjoy. Thanks for commenting!
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I love Paris! This book seems to be my style thanks for the recommendation!
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So do I! I’m so glad you like the sound of it, thank you so much for reading and commenting!
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Awww I just love the fact that the book is set in Paris! Sounds like a good book, and I like how you said all of the loose ends were tied. I hate things being left unanswered! I have a post about Paris out on Friday, so keep a lookout for it 🙂 I hope you get to visit one day.
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So do I, the setting was definitely my favourite part! It really is, I’d highly recommend it! Loose ends are always the worst, they can really spoil a book sometimes. I definitely will, thanks so much for taking the time to read and comment your thoughts 🙂
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This sounds like such a cute read! I love books set in Paris too! I’ll be adding this book to my TBR. Thanks for sharing.
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It really is, it’s adorable! You really can’t go wrong with a Paris setting! Hope you enjoy, thanks for reading and commenting!
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Wow! This is my first time hearing about this book but it does sound like a great read. The fact that this book was set in Paris and the fact that it does have romance attached to it is a gamechanger for me. I’ll check this one out!
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I’m so glad to hear you like the sound of it! It’s such an awesome combination, Paris romances are next level. Thanks for reading and commenting, I really hope you enjoy!
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I have never heard of this book, but the timing is funny of me coming across your post because I have been telling myself for quite some time I need to get back into leisure reading and I want to add this to my list now!!
Thank you for the post!
-Gigi Lee | https://www.guidancebygigi.com
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I really hope you enjoy, this would actually be a very good book for that – it’s definitely a very fun and easy read! Thanks so much for taking the time to read and comment.
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These types of romance novels aren’t always my thing, I think I would be the same as you and be annoyed by the stupidity of the miscommunication, haha! Sounds like the kind of book my mum would really love though!
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I can definitely understand that, it’s so annoying sometimes – I just want to step into the book and shake the characters! I hope she enjoys it she does read it, thanks for taking the time to read and comment.
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You love a book that has humor in the story. You would want to read it again for that. Interesting review!
Fransic – https://querianson.com/
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Humour is everything in a book! Thank you so much for reading and commenting.
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Amazin review, i usually don’t read books a lot but this caught my attention, thanks for sharing!
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Thank you! I’m glad it still caught your attention, I really hope you enjoy if you do read it. Thanks for reading and commenting!
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Great review. I’m not always a fan of a slow burn book either but sometimes it can work.
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Thank you! I definitely agree with that, it can be really frustrating sometimes. Thanks for reading and commenting!
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Nice review. We had been to Paris when my son was 3 & now he is a teen. Maybe time to go again to Paris.
Thanks for the review
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Thank you! You should definitely go again then, haha. Thanks for reading and commenting!
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I actually found myself on the fence until your last paragraph, but “love, friendship, baking” has hooked me – will definitely look this one out! 🙂
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I’m so glad to hear I was able to convince you at the end! I really hope you enjoy, thanks for reading and commenting.
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Great review. I love books with great friendships as well as romance. It sounds like a great read x
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Thank you! So do I, it’s a fab combination! It definitely is, I’d really recommend it. Thanks for reading and commenting x
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You had me at friendship, love, and Paris! Thank you for this great review! I’m not a fan of slow burns either, but I’m happy you still really enjoyed the book. Wonderful take!
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I’m so glad to hear that! Same, they can definitely be annoying sometimes but I’d still really recommend this, it’s such a fun read! Thanks for taking the time to read and comment.
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Great review! I haven’t heard of this book before, but it sounds like such a fun read. I love books set in Paris!
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Thank you! It’s a really great and quick read, I’d definitely recommend it! I really love Paris books too, thanks so much for reading and commenting!
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