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xosarahirene's review
5.0
Have you ever read “Anna and the French Kiss?” Think of how adorable that book was, multiply the swoon factor by 1000% for Valentin, throw in family drama and a treasure hunt, and you’ve found yourself in Provence with Jamie. As a French teacher, I love the detailed description of French villages, commentary on tourist etiquette, and the language used throughout. Even teaching into verlan melted my heart. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a great YA read.
mishale1's review
3.0
Great plot.
Jamie is “exiled” (her feeling) to Provence for the summer. On the surface it might not sound bad to spend a summer in Provence but Jamie feels she’s being punished for her parents car accident. She was told that they needed more space while her mom recovered. You know what? It did sound like they were punishing her. So she felt guilty even trying to have fun during her trip/exile.
When she finds an old love letter between her parents, starting up a bit of a treasure hunt, she feels like she can fix everything. If she finds all the letters, maybe she can make things right with her mom.
Another reason the trip feels like a punishment? Her parents sent her to stay with her grandmother. This is the grandmother that disowned her father when her parents got married. This is the grandmother she has never spoken to. Her grandmother also isn’t fluent in English and Jamie is far from fluent in French.
So Jamie faces a lot of challenges: guilt, displacement, lack of ability to communicate in the local language, a grandmother that seems to barely care for her and not another soul that she knows in the country.
She throws herself full force into the treasure hunt. She meets a cute guy very early into her trip. He speaks English and French and offers to help her out with her journey.
Along the way, he introduces her to delicious foods and new friends. He makes her feel more comfortable in France.
I liked the creativity of the story and the description of locations and foods best.
I found it distracting that the lead character was kind of talking to her mom. She said “you” and her mom was the one the story was directed to. I found that a bit awkward.
I would definitely recommend that you read this as an ebook rather than a physical book because there’s a lot of French in this book and the translate button will be your new best friend.
I got to read an early ebook edition from NetGalley. Thank you!
Jamie is “exiled” (her feeling) to Provence for the summer. On the surface it might not sound bad to spend a summer in Provence but Jamie feels she’s being punished for her parents car accident. She was told that they needed more space while her mom recovered. You know what? It did sound like they were punishing her. So she felt guilty even trying to have fun during her trip/exile.
When she finds an old love letter between her parents, starting up a bit of a treasure hunt, she feels like she can fix everything. If she finds all the letters, maybe she can make things right with her mom.
Another reason the trip feels like a punishment? Her parents sent her to stay with her grandmother. This is the grandmother that disowned her father when her parents got married. This is the grandmother she has never spoken to. Her grandmother also isn’t fluent in English and Jamie is far from fluent in French.
So Jamie faces a lot of challenges: guilt, displacement, lack of ability to communicate in the local language, a grandmother that seems to barely care for her and not another soul that she knows in the country.
She throws herself full force into the treasure hunt. She meets a cute guy very early into her trip. He speaks English and French and offers to help her out with her journey.
Along the way, he introduces her to delicious foods and new friends. He makes her feel more comfortable in France.
I liked the creativity of the story and the description of locations and foods best.
I found it distracting that the lead character was kind of talking to her mom. She said “you” and her mom was the one the story was directed to. I found that a bit awkward.
I would definitely recommend that you read this as an ebook rather than a physical book because there’s a lot of French in this book and the translate button will be your new best friend.
I got to read an early ebook edition from NetGalley. Thank you!
heather_belleslibrary's review
2.0
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for this honest review.
This is a book about Jamie who travels to her Mamie's in France for the summer. Originally she was supposed to go with her parents, but due to an accident her parents are unable to join her. She proceeds on a treasure hunt after she finds a love letter between her parents telling about a special surprise at the end of the clues scattered throughout different cities.
This book was ok. The premise of the book was very cute and mushy and made for an easy ride through the book, but there just wasn't much depth to really make it anything more. There was some mystery around Jamie blaming herself for the accident that had severely injured her mom which was hinted at over and over throughout the book. It wasn't in a way in which it built on the book though, it was just laid out there over and over. Jamie constantly stating I can't have fun, because I did this to my mom. There's also a lack of character building and I didn't feel invested in them or the story until maybe the last quarter of the book. The wrap up at the end was so fast for all the 17 years of communication issues that had been talked about between Mamie and the parents and between Jamie and her parents. It just was too easy and not flushed out enough. Overall, the idea behind the story was fun, but I wish there had been a little more depth built in.
This is a book about Jamie who travels to her Mamie's in France for the summer. Originally she was supposed to go with her parents, but due to an accident her parents are unable to join her. She proceeds on a treasure hunt after she finds a love letter between her parents telling about a special surprise at the end of the clues scattered throughout different cities.
This book was ok. The premise of the book was very cute and mushy and made for an easy ride through the book, but there just wasn't much depth to really make it anything more. There was some mystery around Jamie blaming herself for the accident that had severely injured her mom which was hinted at over and over throughout the book. It wasn't in a way in which it built on the book though, it was just laid out there over and over. Jamie constantly stating I can't have fun, because I did this to my mom. There's also a lack of character building and I didn't feel invested in them or the story until maybe the last quarter of the book. The wrap up at the end was so fast for all the 17 years of communication issues that had been talked about between Mamie and the parents and between Jamie and her parents. It just was too easy and not flushed out enough. Overall, the idea behind the story was fun, but I wish there had been a little more depth built in.
jessicareadsit's review
4.0
I received this arc from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Who doesn't love a good treasure hunt through Europe? Our story begins with our American girl Jamie being sent to her estranged grandmother in Provence. It really is quite mysterious as there are hints of a tragic mistake back home but nothing more. Jaime our as her counterparts says "Jaymee" feels a sense of loss as she cannot connect with her gran, the land or the people.
Just when we think all hope is lost she finds a letter in her father's old room that will change her life forever. As she rushes to connect the missing pieces of the treasure hunt with her newfound friend Valentin, I must admit the author engulfs us into a truly local experience. Each place has been beautifully captured with vivid details that truly immerse me in the experiences. I see the food and the people and the language as it flows.
Perhaps the greatest romantic feat lies simply in the words of each letter, never has love and emotion been felt so truly and openly. Perhaps my favorite line from the author is this: "You read someone's books, and you think you know them. But Books are.... They're for the reader, not the writer, So I was really only seeing myself when I thought I was seeing her." How beautiful is the simplicity and complexity of it?"
As a young girl still trying to find herself, I wanted more personal growth for Jaime. I wanted her to feel the beauty of the lands, connect with its people who have opened their hearts to her and ultimately connect with herself as a person. While I was semi-happy at the end it made me question, "did she really grow up at all? did she really mature as an individual?"
Who doesn't love a good treasure hunt through Europe? Our story begins with our American girl Jamie being sent to her estranged grandmother in Provence. It really is quite mysterious as there are hints of a tragic mistake back home but nothing more. Jaime our as her counterparts says "Jaymee" feels a sense of loss as she cannot connect with her gran, the land or the people.
Just when we think all hope is lost she finds a letter in her father's old room that will change her life forever. As she rushes to connect the missing pieces of the treasure hunt with her newfound friend Valentin, I must admit the author engulfs us into a truly local experience. Each place has been beautifully captured with vivid details that truly immerse me in the experiences. I see the food and the people and the language as it flows.
Perhaps the greatest romantic feat lies simply in the words of each letter, never has love and emotion been felt so truly and openly. Perhaps my favorite line from the author is this: "You read someone's books, and you think you know them. But Books are.... They're for the reader, not the writer, So I was really only seeing myself when I thought I was seeing her." How beautiful is the simplicity and complexity of it?"
As a young girl still trying to find herself, I wanted more personal growth for Jaime. I wanted her to feel the beauty of the lands, connect with its people who have opened their hearts to her and ultimately connect with herself as a person. While I was semi-happy at the end it made me question, "did she really grow up at all? did she really mature as an individual?"
unapolojaytic's review
4.0
I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
When I was looking through NetGalley’s Read Now selection, I was immediately intrigued by the title of this book. You see, I’m French, so when I see people talking about France without it being centred on Paris, I’m pleased. Not that I don’t like Paris, but the country has some much more to offer than the Eiffel Tower. And this is one of the strongest messages I got from this book.
Jamie’s dad is French and he and her mom met in Aix en Provence while going to university. But neither of them has been back since before Jamie was born and they moved to Philadelphia. Her dad hasn’t even spoken to his mother in seventeen years. But when Jamie’s mother gets in an accident and needs space to go through Physical therapy, Jamie is sent to spend her summer with her French grandmother, whom she has never met and can’t even communicate properly with. As she readies herself for the worst summer of her life, Jamie meets Valentin, a local French boy who agrees to help her retrace the steps of her parents falling in love.
If you’re looking for a book that will make you leave reality to go traipsing around the south of France, this is it. In it, you’ll find family drama, language confusion, south of France scenery, falling in love, a treasure hunt, and most of all, a lesson on the importance of communication.
All in all, this was a pretty good book. I loved getting to see a bit of my own country through the eyes of a newcomer, it made me want to plan a trip with friends to see all the place mentioned in the story (maybe that’ll happen once this whole covid thing is over, who’s with me?). Anderson’s writing sucks you in and makes every landscape extremely vivid, I could hear the cicadas chirping in my head and smell the lavender all around me.
This might be the perfect book if you’re longing for summer adventures and a lovely love story spanning two generations.
When I was looking through NetGalley’s Read Now selection, I was immediately intrigued by the title of this book. You see, I’m French, so when I see people talking about France without it being centred on Paris, I’m pleased. Not that I don’t like Paris, but the country has some much more to offer than the Eiffel Tower. And this is one of the strongest messages I got from this book.
Jamie’s dad is French and he and her mom met in Aix en Provence while going to university. But neither of them has been back since before Jamie was born and they moved to Philadelphia. Her dad hasn’t even spoken to his mother in seventeen years. But when Jamie’s mother gets in an accident and needs space to go through Physical therapy, Jamie is sent to spend her summer with her French grandmother, whom she has never met and can’t even communicate properly with. As she readies herself for the worst summer of her life, Jamie meets Valentin, a local French boy who agrees to help her retrace the steps of her parents falling in love.
If you’re looking for a book that will make you leave reality to go traipsing around the south of France, this is it. In it, you’ll find family drama, language confusion, south of France scenery, falling in love, a treasure hunt, and most of all, a lesson on the importance of communication.
All in all, this was a pretty good book. I loved getting to see a bit of my own country through the eyes of a newcomer, it made me want to plan a trip with friends to see all the place mentioned in the story (maybe that’ll happen once this whole covid thing is over, who’s with me?). Anderson’s writing sucks you in and makes every landscape extremely vivid, I could hear the cicadas chirping in my head and smell the lavender all around me.
This might be the perfect book if you’re longing for summer adventures and a lovely love story spanning two generations.
literaryprincess's review
2.0
ARC provided by Netgalley for review.
Aix Marks The Spot is a semi-road trip scavenger hunt romance following Jaime, an American teen who spends an adventurous, romantic summer in her grandmother’s hometown in France.
The travel story is the highlight of this book. Following Jaime along on her journey as she discovers the culture and landscape of France is such a fun adventure. The lush descriptions of landmarks, food, and experiences that Jaime and her new friend and love interest Valentin go through make this book a fun summer read for people wanting a mental vacation to a fun destination.
Unfortunately, the rest of the story falls flat for me.
Our protagonist’s main conflict is that she doesn’t speak French, much to the chagrin of her grandmother. About half of this book’s conversations are in French and only some are given translation or context, so I’m just as lost and confused as our protagonist; it really takes away from a reader’s comprehension of the story as a whole. There are so many conversations happening in (gratuitous, at times) untranslated French where we gain nothing but confusion and a lack of comprehension.
Jamie herself is a very self-loathing protagonist, and because she perceives the whole world as being against her and lets that control most of her actions throughout the story, it’s hard to root for her.
I had hope for Valentin to give her a sense of belonging and trust in this foreign landscape, and though we do get hints of their chemistry at times, for a majority of the story he seems almost lifeless.
I can’t connect with our main characters at all at all; their emotions change at the flip of a switch (or a flip of a page, more appropriately) and their motivation and feelings are all over the place. One moment they have mutual romantic feelings, the next, one of them wants to bail on their scavenger hunt adventure, the next, they never want to speak to each other again, and in the next paragraph they’re back to bated breaths and blushing.
I can say, however, that if you are looking for a quick-paced, easy YA romance, Aix Marks the Spot is a decent read for someone exploring the genre.
Aix Marks The Spot is a semi-road trip scavenger hunt romance following Jaime, an American teen who spends an adventurous, romantic summer in her grandmother’s hometown in France.
The travel story is the highlight of this book. Following Jaime along on her journey as she discovers the culture and landscape of France is such a fun adventure. The lush descriptions of landmarks, food, and experiences that Jaime and her new friend and love interest Valentin go through make this book a fun summer read for people wanting a mental vacation to a fun destination.
Unfortunately, the rest of the story falls flat for me.
Our protagonist’s main conflict is that she doesn’t speak French, much to the chagrin of her grandmother. About half of this book’s conversations are in French and only some are given translation or context, so I’m just as lost and confused as our protagonist; it really takes away from a reader’s comprehension of the story as a whole. There are so many conversations happening in (gratuitous, at times) untranslated French where we gain nothing but confusion and a lack of comprehension.
Jamie herself is a very self-loathing protagonist, and because she perceives the whole world as being against her and lets that control most of her actions throughout the story, it’s hard to root for her.
I had hope for Valentin to give her a sense of belonging and trust in this foreign landscape, and though we do get hints of their chemistry at times, for a majority of the story he seems almost lifeless.
I can’t connect with our main characters at all at all; their emotions change at the flip of a switch (or a flip of a page, more appropriately) and their motivation and feelings are all over the place. One moment they have mutual romantic feelings, the next, one of them wants to bail on their scavenger hunt adventure, the next, they never want to speak to each other again, and in the next paragraph they’re back to bated breaths and blushing.
I can say, however, that if you are looking for a quick-paced, easy YA romance, Aix Marks the Spot is a decent read for someone exploring the genre.
reese_haleth's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this book! I flew through it and it kept my attention the entire time. Having visited France myself last year, I related a lot to Jamie, the main character, and her struggles with jetlag, culture shock, not being able to understand the language, and being embarrassed by other Americans! (Sometimes we are seriously the worst). The descriptions of France are so beautifully detailed you can almost feel the breeze, hear the cicadas, and smell the fresh bread from the boulangerie. You can definitely tell that the author grew up there. While the main plot of a treasure hunt was fun and engaging, I also enjoyed the exploration of damaged relationships and how to heal from them. I have to admit, I was a little annoyed at Jamie for some of the book, but she learned from her mistakes and apologized, and by the end of the book I was a fan of both her and Valentin, the cute french boy Jamie falls for. Valentin is the absolute sweetest, and I enjoyed watching Jamie and Valentin's relationship grow. (Actual rating 4.5)
readwithethel's review
5.0
A real postcard of Provence with lots of humour and love
Key words: Romance, Provence, French, treasure hunt, love, family, contemporary, travel
This book, written by [a:S.E. Anderson|16568264|S.E. Anderson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1577034860p2/16568264.jpg], is like walking into a postcard of Provence. It has so many great descriptions (not too long, don’t worry) of the landscape that the main character, Jamie, saw. I really enjoyed it. The best thing was being able to visualise most of the places as I have already visited them before. Moreover, I was really enjoying the fact that I speak French and could understand the French sentences that sometimes appeared in the text. I was trying to imagine what someone not speaking French would think about it. I liked the characters a lot, especially Jamie and Valentin (my new love) but sometimes Jamie, as she grows during the book, was annoying me, like I couldn’t wait for her to understand her mistakes and the situation. I also liked the writing a lot, it was really easy to read and I often laughed. A friend already asked to borrow it so I’m happy. Finally, I have to say that this edition was really nice; the first page of each chapter is really cute and I liked the feeling of the book.
I absolutely recommend it.
4.5/5
Key words: Romance, Provence, French, treasure hunt, love, family, contemporary, travel
This book, written by [a:S.E. Anderson|16568264|S.E. Anderson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1577034860p2/16568264.jpg], is like walking into a postcard of Provence. It has so many great descriptions (not too long, don’t worry) of the landscape that the main character, Jamie, saw. I really enjoyed it. The best thing was being able to visualise most of the places as I have already visited them before. Moreover, I was really enjoying the fact that I speak French and could understand the French sentences that sometimes appeared in the text. I was trying to imagine what someone not speaking French would think about it. I liked the characters a lot, especially Jamie and Valentin (my new love) but sometimes Jamie, as she grows during the book, was annoying me, like I couldn’t wait for her to understand her mistakes and the situation. I also liked the writing a lot, it was really easy to read and I often laughed. A friend already asked to borrow it so I’m happy. Finally, I have to say that this edition was really nice; the first page of each chapter is really cute and I liked the feeling of the book.
I absolutely recommend it.
4.5/5
booktiamo's review
4.0
I really loved this book. It's so easy to read, I loved the treasure hunt aspect and how it helped Jamie, find out what she wanted and who she was.
A great summer read!
A great summer read!
cathy_acasefullofbooks's review
4.0
As this was an advanced copy, I'm going to review based on the plot alone. I will say, I hope this went through another round (or two or three) of edits. There were so many typos and phrasing problems and just plain missing words in sentences that it was a bit frustrating to read. None of the other ARCs I've received have ever had this many issues.
That being said, for the story itself, the book was a solid 3.5 stars. It reminded me a lot of 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson, which I adored. Jamie was relatable, her adventures were fun, and her relationship with all of the different people in her life - Valentin, Jazz, Mamie, and her parents - were each given the spotlight at one point or another. I do wish we'd seen more of Jazz. I feel like she could have been one of my favorite characters. But the growth of every relationship was very satisfying.
I also really enjoyed the setting. You bet Provence is now on my list of places to visit someday! It sounds absolutely dreamy.
*I received a digital ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
That being said, for the story itself, the book was a solid 3.5 stars. It reminded me a lot of 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson, which I adored. Jamie was relatable, her adventures were fun, and her relationship with all of the different people in her life - Valentin, Jazz, Mamie, and her parents - were each given the spotlight at one point or another. I do wish we'd seen more of Jazz. I feel like she could have been one of my favorite characters. But the growth of every relationship was very satisfying.
I also really enjoyed the setting. You bet Provence is now on my list of places to visit someday! It sounds absolutely dreamy.
*I received a digital ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*