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talasa's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Medical content
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders
abidavisf's review
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I’ve waited thirteen years for a book like this. As someone with suspected endometriosis who lives everyday in pain, who consistently feels misunderstood, like a burden, and worries what those in my life really think when I have to cancel plans or tell them I’m hurting or stumble over my words because I can’t catch my breath let alone form a sentence, Finding Gene Kelly was the reassurance I needed.
For one, several of Evie’s symptoms are things that I’ve experienced but nobody else in my life has, even my friends with endo. To read about Evie having the same issues reassured me that it isn’t just me and also that I am right to keep pushing for a diagnosis. The mental journey that Evie goes through hit me so hard, from never feeling like it’s possible to have a normal day to feeling like attempting to make or hold down relationships is pointless because who would want to stick around for this?
Thank you, Torie Jean, for sharing this story with us. I feel so seen. I cannot begin to explain how much I needed these words.
For one, several of Evie’s symptoms are things that I’ve experienced but nobody else in my life has, even my friends with endo. To read about Evie having the same issues reassured me that it isn’t just me and also that I am right to keep pushing for a diagnosis. The mental journey that Evie goes through hit me so hard, from never feeling like it’s possible to have a normal day to feeling like attempting to make or hold down relationships is pointless because who would want to stick around for this?
Thank you, Torie Jean, for sharing this story with us. I feel so seen. I cannot begin to explain how much I needed these words.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness
Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Infertility, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, and Pregnancy
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
carlaah1984's review
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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? It's complicated
4.0
I'm biased toward this book, but as someone with endometriosis, I loved how it's shown and written about here. Evie has many relatable experiences, feelings, and fears it was great to see it in a book. Showing Liam, Eli, Maria, and others as caring and supportive is wonderful to see for people with endo, and I would hope for people with different chronic illnesses as well. I also love old musicals, thanks to my grandma, and former football players, and faking dating is my preferred troupe, so it feels like this book was written for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness
Minor: Emotional abuse, Infertility, and Gaslighting
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
n_binversie99's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness
wildflowerleahg's review
4.25
4.5/5
I DONUT know how to articulate how adorable this book was.
There is some incredible Endo representation from an author that experiences it herself. Also, a small trigger warning for toxic parental relationships.
If you're like me, who dreams of flying to Paris and living out your dreams of baking pastries and falling for a man that has the charm of Gene Kelly. This is the story for you.
I found it utterly delightful and even emotional at times. I think this book made me realize I do love friends to lovers.
I DONUT know how to articulate how adorable this book was.
There is some incredible Endo representation from an author that experiences it herself. Also, a small trigger warning for toxic parental relationships.
If you're like me, who dreams of flying to Paris and living out your dreams of baking pastries and falling for a man that has the charm of Gene Kelly. This is the story for you.
I found it utterly delightful and even emotional at times. I think this book made me realize I do love friends to lovers.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic relationship
glass_carousel's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness
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