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turnthepages_nl's review
emotional
funny
medium-paced
4.75
Let me start off with saying, I love books set in Paris, especially when the MC loves food. Because helloooo donuts, patisserie, bread, BREADDDD. And our MC Evie loves bread and donuts. She loves to bake too, her biggest wish is to open a shop with home made goods. But having a chronic illness makes chasing your dreams hard, it can sometimes feel impossible. Evie has endometriosis, and although I don't have the diagnosis myself, I sure do have quite a few symptoms, more than I'd like to admit...
Torie Jean has endo too, she writes books with endo rep, lived experience. Own-Voices representation is so so important. And Torie is doing amazing work! Creating awareness, validating peoples pain, struggles, emotions, hardships. Finding Gene Kelly is a bit graphic at times, but I loved that. It doesn't sugarcoat it. It shows how much pain Evie is in but also how hard it is to ask for and even more so to accept help from the people around you. Evie is someone who wants to take care of herself. She doesn't want to need other people. But sometimes you can really benefit from leaning on others when you are having a hard time. It was beautiful to see how she and Liam grew together, in life but also regarding her chronic illness.
Liam is 100% a cinnamonroll and I loved that. He is sunshineeeeee. But filled with puns. How Torie managed to find all these puns is beyond me, but it had me giggling tons. The chemistry between Liam and Evie was so fun, lots of banter but the further you get into the book, the more sweet moments are being thrown at you. I awwwed a lot at Liam, haha. His Gene Kelly moment?!!! Ughhhhh I want one of those!
As you maybe know, fake dating is one of my fav tropes. And it was executed to well in this story! The. Tension. Was. Off. The. Charts. Honestly loved every second of it.
Combine that with food, lots of puns, nicknames, Parisian architecture, loving friendships, old hollywood movies and you got yourself the story of Finding Gene Kelly. Or at least a big chunk of it.
Because another aspect I loved (but also hated) was Evie's family. Her grandma was absolutely amazing, but sadly isn't with her anymore. But her mother?!!! Big yikes. Her mum is a fatphobic, gaslighting, disrespectfull human being. And one of the reasons Evie is literally living on a different continent. Her mum, Caroline, is always talking crap about her. Snarky remarks, stabby comments. Seeing Evies Endometriose as a problem and a reason she hasn't got a husband yet. Because she obviously is broken and has a problem. Because baring children is the most important task for a woman right? Wellllll no Caroline it is not! And eventhough Evie knows her mum is wrong, it still hurts. A lot. Being seen as broken, wrong, a problem. That is painfull! Especially when it is your own mother who talks about you like that. When your own mother disregards your pain and hardships whilest also gossiping about you(r lack of a partner and children) to other people. That freaking hurts. But I think the gaslighting and comments from Caroline (and other people too) were displayed beautifully. This is raw and honest representation of what it's like living with a chronic illness. People who (usually) mean well, but say stuff that hurts so much. But still feeling like you have to be polite. Torie really really hit the nail on the head.
So, if you like a sweet romance story with fake dating, chronic illness rep (endometiosis), nicknames, FOOD and old hollywood movies, this is absolutely the book for you. And if not, give it a try anyway because the Endometriose rep was amazing and I think people can really learn from it!
Torie send me a copy of the new edition of Finding Gene Kelly, as part of her ARC team in exchange for an honest review. This does in no way influence my opinion.
Torie Jean has endo too, she writes books with endo rep, lived experience. Own-Voices representation is so so important. And Torie is doing amazing work! Creating awareness, validating peoples pain, struggles, emotions, hardships. Finding Gene Kelly is a bit graphic at times, but I loved that. It doesn't sugarcoat it. It shows how much pain Evie is in but also how hard it is to ask for and even more so to accept help from the people around you. Evie is someone who wants to take care of herself. She doesn't want to need other people. But sometimes you can really benefit from leaning on others when you are having a hard time. It was beautiful to see how she and Liam grew together, in life but also regarding her chronic illness.
Liam is 100% a cinnamonroll and I loved that. He is sunshineeeeee. But filled with puns. How Torie managed to find all these puns is beyond me, but it had me giggling tons. The chemistry between Liam and Evie was so fun, lots of banter but the further you get into the book, the more sweet moments are being thrown at you. I awwwed a lot at Liam, haha. His Gene Kelly moment?!!! Ughhhhh I want one of those!
As you maybe know, fake dating is one of my fav tropes. And it was executed to well in this story! The. Tension. Was. Off. The. Charts. Honestly loved every second of it.
Combine that with food, lots of puns, nicknames, Parisian architecture, loving friendships, old hollywood movies and you got yourself the story of Finding Gene Kelly. Or at least a big chunk of it.
Because another aspect I loved (but also hated) was Evie's family. Her grandma was absolutely amazing, but sadly isn't with her anymore. But her mother?!!! Big yikes. Her mum is a fatphobic, gaslighting, disrespectfull human being. And one of the reasons Evie is literally living on a different continent. Her mum, Caroline, is always talking crap about her. Snarky remarks, stabby comments. Seeing Evies Endometriose as a problem and a reason she hasn't got a husband yet. Because she obviously is broken and has a problem. Because baring children is the most important task for a woman right? Wellllll no Caroline it is not! And eventhough Evie knows her mum is wrong, it still hurts. A lot. Being seen as broken, wrong, a problem. That is painfull! Especially when it is your own mother who talks about you like that. When your own mother disregards your pain and hardships whilest also gossiping about you(r lack of a partner and children) to other people. That freaking hurts. But I think the gaslighting and comments from Caroline (and other people too) were displayed beautifully. This is raw and honest representation of what it's like living with a chronic illness. People who (usually) mean well, but say stuff that hurts so much. But still feeling like you have to be polite. Torie really really hit the nail on the head.
So, if you like a sweet romance story with fake dating, chronic illness rep (endometiosis), nicknames, FOOD and old hollywood movies, this is absolutely the book for you. And if not, give it a try anyway because the Endometriose rep was amazing and I think people can really learn from it!
Torie send me a copy of the new edition of Finding Gene Kelly, as part of her ARC team in exchange for an honest review. This does in no way influence my opinion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Drug use, Vomit, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, and Sexual content
Minor: Death
Mentiones that grandma passed away. The death is not on the page.dogoodwithbooks's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Now, I've heard about this book a lot and I was genuinely interested in what Jean had to offer for her debut novel. While it took awhile to grab my attention, I nevertheless agree that Finding Gene Kelly is worth the reading.
I guess my main issue with the book early on was that the chapters were long and tended to be unnecessarily drawn out. For me, I'm not a huge fan of books with really long chapters for no apparent reason. It also didn't help that you don't see as much character development or plot action to get your attention early on in Finding Gene Kelly. Yet, the rest of the book makes up for the slow start.
First, I really like Evie as MC in the book. I felt that she was very relatable and I think you get to see her grow as she learns to address her past trauma and avoid having it spill out in her current relationships. I also felt that the endo representation was great and I feel that readers that have endometriosis would enjoy feeling seen as a rom-com heroine.
But I think the star of Finding Gene Kelly is the romance. With Liam as a lovable grump with a secret soft side, he perfectly complements Evie's personality. You'll also get to see a lot of pining and longing between the two that by the time you get to their big feelings confession, you can't help but cheer for them.
Overall, I do think Finding Gene Kelly is worth the read. Jean really takes the fake dating trope into a new dimension with the soulmates/childhood crush components and the Parisian setting that brings the story to life.
I guess my main issue with the book early on was that the chapters were long and tended to be unnecessarily drawn out. For me, I'm not a huge fan of books with really long chapters for no apparent reason. It also didn't help that you don't see as much character development or plot action to get your attention early on in Finding Gene Kelly. Yet, the rest of the book makes up for the slow start.
First, I really like Evie as MC in the book. I felt that she was very relatable and I think you get to see her grow as she learns to address her past trauma and avoid having it spill out in her current relationships. I also felt that the endo representation was great and I feel that readers that have endometriosis would enjoy feeling seen as a rom-com heroine.
But I think the star of Finding Gene Kelly is the romance. With Liam as a lovable grump with a secret soft side, he perfectly complements Evie's personality. You'll also get to see a lot of pining and longing between the two that by the time you get to their big feelings confession, you can't help but cheer for them.
Overall, I do think Finding Gene Kelly is worth the read. Jean really takes the fake dating trope into a new dimension with the soulmates/childhood crush components and the Parisian setting that brings the story to life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Fatphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Abandonment
Minor: Death and Pregnancy
banksa's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Fatphobia, Infertility, Sexual content, Medical content, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
reallife_kazbrekker's review
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an ARC for this book!
A romance book with disability rep and it has a gorgeous cover? Sign me up!
I was so excited for this book for the reasons listed above and I ended up liking it a lot! I didn't end up loving it for multiple reasons tho...
The first being that with my mental health being so bad right now, I just can't stand to read romance books. So that's not the books fault at all, that's mine.
The second being that quite a few scenes in this book were quite triggering to me, so it just didn't feel like a fluffy romance to me. Again, kinda my fault.
The third being that this just felt like a book that I would have loved a lot more if I read it physically. So I'm definitely gonna buy a physical copy and annotate it!
So yeah... The reason I didn't love it more was mostly my fault. Like I said definitely gonna buy a physical copy and reread it, hopefully I'll enjoy it more then!
A romance book with disability rep and it has a gorgeous cover? Sign me up!
I was so excited for this book for the reasons listed above and I ended up liking it a lot! I didn't end up loving it for multiple reasons tho...
The first being that with my mental health being so bad right now, I just can't stand to read romance books. So that's not the books fault at all, that's mine.
The second being that quite a few scenes in this book were quite triggering to me, so it just didn't feel like a fluffy romance to me. Again, kinda my fault.
The third being that this just felt like a book that I would have loved a lot more if I read it physically. So I'm definitely gonna buy a physical copy and annotate it!
So yeah... The reason I didn't love it more was mostly my fault. Like I said definitely gonna buy a physical copy and reread it, hopefully I'll enjoy it more then!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism and Chronic illness
anniereads221's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Grief, and Pregnancy
Endometriosis chronic illness Toxic relationship with mother Survivors guiltcrackedspines_'s review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
CONTENT WARNING: I discuss diet culture and weight loss briefly in the “themes” section.
OVERALL: I really enjoyed Finding Gene Kelly! I had some issues with certain scenes and characters but they were mostly minor and I still 100% recommend this book.
PLOT: This is a really fun storyline. In addition to the romance it revolves around the way Evie’s endo affects her life. Jean did a fantastic job balancing realism and honesty with hopefulness - Evie isn’t magically cured by love but there is some reasonable happiness and hope infused into her life.
STRUCTURE: I didn’t love the pacing. The entire plot builds up to Evie’s brother’s wedding but the event doesn’t take place until fairly late in the book, which made the entire first part feel quite slow.
SETTING: Both settings - Paris and Portsmouth - were so fun to read about. Both were charming in their own way and it definitely tempted me to book a flight to Paris immediately 😂
THEME: The endo rep was SPOT ON. My experience is different than Evie’s in some ways but it hit me really hard, even the parts I didn’t specifically relate to. It was both comforting and painful to see endo laid out on page. I also appreciated the body positive/body acceptance themes in the book - Evie is a size 14 and faces a lot of shaming but it is challenged and she continues to eat what she wants freely. It’s also really nice to see Liam tell her she is beautiful directly in response to her overhearing some fatphobic comments towards her. There is one discussion that bothered me about Liam cutting out carbs, which is later revealed to be to impress Evie. This is so unnecessary and furthers harmful diet culture . It was especially jarring in a book that is otherwise pretty body positive. The author addressed this briefly but she said it was “never a conversation on the body” but when Evie and Liam discuss it later Liam says “It was worth it watching you gape at me” which is a clear indication he did it to lose weight. I also want to note that Torie Jean did state she modeled Evie’s body off her own so be mindful with critiques of Evie’s body and behavior.
CHARACTERS: Evie and Eli are two of my favorite characters. I find Evie very relatable in a lot of ways, and Eli was basically the best friend ever. I also thought his romance was really cute. However, Maria was a toxic friend. She was condescending and often acted like she knew Evie better than she did. Evie talks a lot about how she’s an amazing friend and I just didn’t see it. I also thought there were some issues with Liam, namely that he too acted like he knew Evie’s illness better than she did. Evie has a tendency to downplay her symptoms and push through and while I know from experience it helps to have loved ones remind you to take care of yourself, Liam was too pushy and almost treated her like a child. They clearly needed to discuss this more than they did so Liam understood a bit better.
I hope you consider picking up this book! If you do please comment/dm me your thoughts because I’d love to hear.
OVERALL: I really enjoyed Finding Gene Kelly! I had some issues with certain scenes and characters but they were mostly minor and I still 100% recommend this book.
PLOT: This is a really fun storyline. In addition to the romance it revolves around the way Evie’s endo affects her life. Jean did a fantastic job balancing realism and honesty with hopefulness - Evie isn’t magically cured by love but there is some reasonable happiness and hope infused into her life.
STRUCTURE: I didn’t love the pacing. The entire plot builds up to Evie’s brother’s wedding but the event doesn’t take place until fairly late in the book, which made the entire first part feel quite slow.
SETTING: Both settings - Paris and Portsmouth - were so fun to read about. Both were charming in their own way and it definitely tempted me to book a flight to Paris immediately 😂
THEME: The endo rep was SPOT ON. My experience is different than Evie’s in some ways but it hit me really hard, even the parts I didn’t specifically relate to. It was both comforting and painful to see endo laid out on page. I also appreciated the body positive/body acceptance themes in the book - Evie is a size 14 and faces a lot of shaming but it is challenged and she continues to eat what she wants freely. It’s also really nice to see Liam tell her she is beautiful directly in response to her overhearing some fatphobic comments towards her. There is one discussion that bothered me about Liam cutting out carbs, which is later revealed to be to impress Evie. This is so unnecessary and furthers harmful diet culture . It was especially jarring in a book that is otherwise pretty body positive. The author addressed this briefly but she said it was “never a conversation on the body” but when Evie and Liam discuss it later Liam says “It was worth it watching you gape at me” which is a clear indication he did it to lose weight. I also want to note that Torie Jean did state she modeled Evie’s body off her own so be mindful with critiques of Evie’s body and behavior.
CHARACTERS: Evie and Eli are two of my favorite characters. I find Evie very relatable in a lot of ways, and Eli was basically the best friend ever. I also thought his romance was really cute. However, Maria was a toxic friend. She was condescending and often acted like she knew Evie better than she did. Evie talks a lot about how she’s an amazing friend and I just didn’t see it. I also thought there were some issues with Liam, namely that he too acted like he knew Evie’s illness better than she did. Evie has a tendency to downplay her symptoms and push through and while I know from experience it helps to have loved ones remind you to take care of yourself, Liam was too pushy and almost treated her like a child. They clearly needed to discuss this more than they did so Liam understood a bit better.
I hope you consider picking up this book! If you do please comment/dm me your thoughts because I’d love to hear.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Fatphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Vomit, Medical content, and Gaslighting
Minor: Infertility
toxic mother/daughter relationship, details of endometriosis, depictions of depression and anxietyclairophy's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Vulnerability is like a weapon when you have a chronic illness, and the author does an amazing job at highlighting this.
However she also highlights the joys of allowing yourself to find love and a support system despite your so-called “flaws.”
I absolutely adored this book from the cheesy puns, the romance that makes you kick your feet and giggle, and the endo representation.
If you are going to read this book and have a chronic illness, I recommend reading the content warnings and being kind to yourself <3
However she also highlights the joys of allowing yourself to find love and a support system despite your so-called “flaws.”
I absolutely adored this book from the cheesy puns, the romance that makes you kick your feet and giggle, and the endo representation.
If you are going to read this book and have a chronic illness, I recommend reading the content warnings and being kind to yourself <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Medical trauma, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Infertility, Medical content, and Pregnancy
kbairbooks's review
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Thank you Netgalley, and the publisher, for giving me an ARC of this book and allowing me to experience it in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to the author for being so incredibly vulnerable and sharing this piece of you with us.
This book has me speechless. I normally don’t rate books that have no magic/fantasy elements with five stars but this… THIS. Is beyond five stars. The humor had me genuinely laughing out loud. Multiple times. Genuinely the funniest book I’ve read in a long time if ever. There was so much personality and soul this book felt like a hug. The own voice chronic illness representation was incredibly honest, vulnerable, and raw. I want to put myself in financial distress to buy a copy for every single person I love so they can experience this magic for themselves. Beautiful. Brava!
Thank you to the author for being so incredibly vulnerable and sharing this piece of you with us.
This book has me speechless. I normally don’t rate books that have no magic/fantasy elements with five stars but this… THIS. Is beyond five stars. The humor had me genuinely laughing out loud. Multiple times. Genuinely the funniest book I’ve read in a long time if ever. There was so much personality and soul this book felt like a hug. The own voice chronic illness representation was incredibly honest, vulnerable, and raw. I want to put myself in financial distress to buy a copy for every single person I love so they can experience this magic for themselves. Beautiful. Brava!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infertility, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Blood
britreadsbooks_'s review
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
*ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
CWs pinned on the author’s Instagram & on storygraph.
HEART ON FLOOR. HEART ON FLOOR. Now that I’ve got that off my chest, I’m just gonna tell you how much I adored this. Torie Jean has delivered a total emotional gut punch that also lends itself to humour and chaos. Let me just say if you’re looking for a story with unrequited love and pining, this will be right up your alley. Did I mention Liam’s love language is taking care of Evie? Any man who would drop everything to bring a woman in need bread is a total keeper. Would I have appreciated this more if I had an attachment to Gene Kelly and Audrey Hepburn? Probably. But that didn’t stop me from absolutely swooning into oblivion. Especially every time Liam blushed. I was also weak in the knees every time a pun was delivered. Word play is my soul food. I also love that Evie’s character gives insight into life with endometriosis. Torie doesn’t paint a pretty picture either; she gives a raw, uncensored look into life with chronic illness. We need more of that in romance. If you enjoyed books like Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert, The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez, and Always Only You by Chloe Liese then you might want this on your tbr.
CWs pinned on the author’s Instagram & on storygraph.
HEART ON FLOOR. HEART ON FLOOR. Now that I’ve got that off my chest, I’m just gonna tell you how much I adored this. Torie Jean has delivered a total emotional gut punch that also lends itself to humour and chaos. Let me just say if you’re looking for a story with unrequited love and pining, this will be right up your alley. Did I mention Liam’s love language is taking care of Evie? Any man who would drop everything to bring a woman in need bread is a total keeper. Would I have appreciated this more if I had an attachment to Gene Kelly and Audrey Hepburn? Probably. But that didn’t stop me from absolutely swooning into oblivion. Especially every time Liam blushed. I was also weak in the knees every time a pun was delivered. Word play is my soul food. I also love that Evie’s character gives insight into life with endometriosis. Torie doesn’t paint a pretty picture either; she gives a raw, uncensored look into life with chronic illness. We need more of that in romance. If you enjoyed books like Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert, The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez, and Always Only You by Chloe Liese then you might want this on your tbr.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Chronic illness, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Pregnancy
Minor: Bullying, Infertility, Sexual content, Vomit, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail