A review by maaikereadsbooks_
Paris Daillencourt Is About to Crumble by Alexis Hall

challenging emotional funny hopeful tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Many thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK and Alexis Hall for the advanced copy of Paris Daillencourt Is About to Crumble via NetGalley, in return for my honest and unbiased review. Quick note: I don’t recap plots in my reviews, as it’s easy enough to read the book’s synopsis and blurbs, I purely focus on my feelings & opinions of how the books makes me feel. 

Paris Daillencourt was a delight to read, although as someone diagnosed with the same mental illness that the protagonist eventually is diagnosed with, it was at times not an easy read! 

This story was a great illustration of how it’s so easy to judge those we see around us and in the media, and never have any idea of what’s actually going on. Money, good looks, being good enough to be on a baking show, it doesn’t mean you’re emotionally ok…at all. And then, when you do let your emotions show, people are likely to think the worst of you in one way or another. 

So, this book definitely really spoke to me on the mental health level. It was also really funny and light-hearted in-between the ‘deep’ bits, which I felt was well balanced. 

Tariq’s viewpoint on the relationship was an interesting one and not something I’ve read before. It did cause the story to have a natural limitation which Hall handled really well and naturally. 

I really liked that Hall included warnings, labelled as ‘content guidance, at the front of the book for contents which some readers may find upsetting and potentially triggering for their own mental health. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I found the mental health portions difficult to read, due to suffering the same problems myself, but felt they were handled well, and I enjoyed the overall story. Another well written book by Alexis Hall! 

Spice: 2/5 

Trigger warnings: as per the author’s content guidance submitted in the book: Main character with an undiagnosed anxiety disorder (that does get diagnosed), on-page panic attack, hospital stay due to panic attack, treatment plan for anxiety disorder discussed, emotional unavailable parents, very graphic swearing, cyberbullying, religious and racial microaggressions, Islamophobia (challenged) 
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