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

emotional inspiring slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Paris Daillencourt is a young man with extreme anxiety (although he isn’t aware of it at the beginning of the book), who is entered by his best friend/housemate for the competition show Bake Expectations (essentially GBBO). While on the show, he meets and develops feelings for fellow competitor Tariq, but at the same time his anxiety spirals, threatening both his success on the show and his new relationship.

This was an engaging, quick read.  The descriptions of Paris’s anxiety were tough to read and almost constant for the first 2/3 or so of the book -which I say more as a warning if that’s the kind of thing that will bother you. I felt for Paris and it didn’t impede my reading experience, but I wished that we’d been able to see Paris get help sooner. While the way the book was structured made sense with the conceit of the show, the pacing felt a little skewed to me. I spent a bit too much of the first bit wondering why no one had ever suggested Paris find help
and why Tariq was still with him despite not seeming to get much from the relationship, although obviously his patience ran out eventually - one of my biggest pet peeves in romance is when you can’t understand why both characters want the other, even if one is objectively more of a mess.
, and wished that we’d gotten a bit more of Paris (and especially his interactions with Tariq) once he got his shit together. Still, it was hard to watch - read? - Paris clearly suffering and not knowing that he could get help. Some of this was addressed
(I appreciated the explanation that Morag thought him going on the show would help build his confidence, misguided as it was)
but I was still confused as to why no one had suggested it to him sooner, especially after Tariq suggested that he might have anxiety.

I loved all the side characters that filled up the Bake Expectations cast and crew - they were so funny and fun, as were Tariq’s family (in the one scene we got to meet them, lol). Tariq himself was so sweet and brightened up every page he was on. I really enjoyed the arc of the baking competition, even if I wish we had spent more time with the characters after it had filmed. I didn’t realize that the MCs were 20 when I bought the book and probably wouldn’t have bought it had I realized, but I managed to suspend my disbelief where necessary 😂 Final spoiler-y quibble:
how did no one realize who Paris’s parents were once he was on the show?? I was expecting some internet troll or super fan to turn that up and use it against him, and/or for that to become a catalyst for his parents to finally contact him - wouldn’t you think that their son going on a well regarded reality show is the kind of thing these presumably very image-conscious people would want to know about and/or manage? But I digress.


Despite my complaints about the plot/pacing, I really did enjoy this book! I read it in a few days because I wanted to know what happened. If you like baking (and won’t be triggered by the descriptions of anxiety) this is definitely one worth checking out!
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