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

challenging emotional funny 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

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing an ARC for review.

Paris, an upper-crust classicist with severe but undiagnosed anxiety, is entered into baking competition Bake Expectations by Morag, his fat Glaswegian sex goddess roommate. He meets Tariq, an extroverted, confident baker who wants to be a little bit famous and finds Paris charming. Paris struggles with the competition and his growing relationship with Tariq, and tries to learn to manage his anxiety, his relationships, and the internet’s cruel response to the mildly famous. 
 
Paris Daillencourt was hard to read as a person with anxiety. Some of Paris’ spirals began to feed into my own anxiety, and I had to take a some breaks in order to emotionally regulate. I can see some readers might be frustrated with Paris, especially if they don’t experience anxiety (they might agree some of the tweets in part two, tbh). Watching Paris begin to break down from the pressure of the competition in addition to having a sort-of-boyfriend is rough, and my heart ached for him despite recognizing he was creating many of his own problems. Tariq is a gorgeous character — full, interesting, well-intentioned, and obviously trying his best. 
I loved him, and it was good to see someone try so hard to work with Paris’ more obvious hang-ups, but it killed me when Tariq declared Paris too much — that he thought he could handle it, but he couldn’t, and so he was leaving. This is perhaps the biggest fear of anyone who has severe anxiety — that they are a burden, that they will never be worth putting up with their problems, and the people they love will eventually leave. It was unsurprising that this, combined with his elimination from the show and the unflinchingly cruel responses of fans of the show, culminates in a breakdown.
 
I think without the lengthy, slow attempt at recovery and healing, the first part of the book would have been too much. But you do see Paris get help, you see him try to get better and accept the way he caused harm but also how had been harmed as well. The way Tariq badly handled Paris’ anxiety was addressed (I wish a bit more, but I’m coming from a sensitive place with this), and I liked that they were slow to come back to each other. If there was one thing that I wish had been stated outright, was that the way Tariq left Paris, said he could handle him but decided he couldn’t, was precisely what all those people who left Tariq because he wouldn’t had sex did to him. That parallel wasn’t explicitly stated, and I think having Tariq make that connection would have gone a long way in helping him realize how harmful that was for Paris, and ultimately make a reader want them to come together in the end.
 
Ultimately, it wasn't the feel-good rom-com I was expecting, but honestly with Alexis Hall I should know better. He gives us the love, the tension, and romance, but there's always a deep and raw struggle for the characters to overcome. I think, perhaps, this was the first book for me where the character's struggle hit so close to my own, and that's why I ended up feeling it so intensely. I enjoyed the book a lot, and love, love, love this universe of the Bake Expectations series, but would advise others to be aware of how deeply you delve into Paris' anxiety and the repercussions of it. 
 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings