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REVIEW: Paris My Sweet by Amy Thomas @SOURCEBOOKS

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 Description

“From the New York cupcake wars to the perfect Parisian macaron, Thomas’s passion is palpable, her sweet tooth, unstoppable.”—Elizabeth Bard, bestselling author of Lunch in Paris
Forever a girl obsessed with all things French, sweet freak Amy Thomas landed a gig as rich as the purest dark chocolate: leave Manhattan for Paris to write ad copy for Louis Vuitton. Working on the Champs-Élysées, strolling the charming streets, and exploring the best patisseries and boulangeries, Amy marveled at the magnificence of the City of Light.
But does falling in love with one city mean turning your back on another? As much as Amy adored Paris, there was part of her that felt like a humble chocolate chip cookie in a sea of pristine macarons. PARIS, MY SWEET explores how the search for happiness can be as fleeting as a salted caramel souffle’s rise, as intensely satisfying as molten chocolate cake, and about how the life you’re meant to live doesn’t always taste like the one you envisioned.
Part love letter to Paris, part love letter to New York, and total devotion to all things sweet, 

About the Author

Amy Thomas is a New York–based writer who, for two lucky years, got to call Paris home. In addition to working as a copywriter in advertising, she writes about food, travel, design, and fashion for various publications such as the New York Times, National Geographic Traveler, Town & Country, and Every Day with Rachael Ray. She is slightly obsessed with sweets.

 Details

  • Paperback: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Sourcebooks (February 1, 2012)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1402264119
  • ISBN-13: 978-1402264115

SOURCE: PUBLISHER

MY THOUGHTS
LOVED IT
After getting her dream job in Paris, writing copy for Louis Vuitton, Francophile, Amy Thomas, finds that the grass may not be as green as it should be.  Oh, it is green alright, but like all good things, even chocolate, you can overdose.  So when Amy’s dream job starts to dump on her, she tries to stand up for herself and well, she finally realizes that her golden ring of a job is more brass.  She discusses using a bike as transportation around town and her descriptions of the major bakeries and their wares will make your mouth water.  I was dying for some chocolate truffles, maybe some tarts, and for sure a nice loaf of French bread.  I never knew there were so many different kinds!

Of course, at 36, no 37, years old, her friends are married and having kids, so when a health crisis develops she really must decide if children are in her future.  Her parents come to visit and there are some really funny moments.  She does become very introspective at this point.  Where the book truly shines is when she raves about the sweets and how she hunts them down.  Her searches around New York are amazingly descriptive and it would be wonderful to plan a trip around some of the places she mentions.  Some of the things she talks about (cupcake bubble anyone?) are really insightful and I would weigh a billions pounds by eating all of the things she writes about. Truly a wonderful read about sweets and how to get through life in a new country by yourself.

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Comments

  1. I enjoy memoir, but I find it really hard to just pick one up without having heard some positive reviews about it. THIS book is going right on my TBR list! Excellent review – this book sounds great! 🙂

  2. This books sounds too good to be true! This is exactly the sort of thing I love! I haven’t heard of it before so thanks so much for bringing it to my attention, I’ll definitely be checking this one out.

    I actually read Elizabeth Bard’s Lunch in Paris last year and enjoyed it. She writes with passion about Paris but is an American girl at heart. This book sounds quite similar.

    Megan @ Storybook Love Affair

  3. I wish I loved this as much as you did. I got really tired of the flowery writing, run-on sentences, and endless complaining by the author. She spent a lot of the book sporting the “the grass is always greener on the other side” mentality, and I got tired of it. If she was in Paris, she missed NYC. If she was in NYC, it wasn’t good enough. She was giddy about food. Food solved all of her problems. I wish she’d expressed more of her happiness in other areas of life.

    I did enjoy the food descriptions, but after a while it was like reading a cookbook. I was hoping for more depth. I’m glad you loved it, though! And the cover is adorable. 🙂

    – Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl

  4. Great review. I have not read any of Amy’s books but this one does sound good. I love all things sweet so know I will enjoy reading. Thanks for the review.

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