Thursday, April 10, 2008

Paris in the Spring Time

Winner of the day: Meredith please email us your name and mailing address at author2author(DOT)blog(AT)gmail(DOT)com to claim yesterday's book Zig Zag. Congrats!

The book I’m giving away today is French Kiss by Aimee Friedman. It’s a story about two friends who have an awesome time on their spring break in Paris. Senior Alexa St. Laurent originally went to Paris with her boyfriend for a romantic getaway (Note: My mother would SO not go for this when I was in high school. I couldn’t even have a boy in my room WITH the door open.) That turned out to be a sucky idea, however, and he left right after a fight at the beginning of their trip. So Alexa calls her friend, Holly, who is on a school trip in England and asks her to join her in Paris. They meet up and have a great time. You know great time=some hook-ups with cute French boys right?? (Question for all blog readers: Do the French call French kissing, French kissing? Hmmm…)

From the Publisher:

“Two beautiful girls. One sexy city.

Endless opportunities for l'amour.

When Alexa St. Laurent falls in love, she falls hard. Can she keep her cool after meeting a French guy who's too good to be true and too hard to resist?

For Holly Jacobson, being in love with her boyfriend Tyler is as natural as breathing. But there's no denying that Alexa's Parisian cousin, Pierre, takes Holly's breath away...

On a whirlwind rendezvous in Paris, the City of Love, Alexa and Holly are about to discover that everything sounds sexier in French.”



I thought this book was great—a fun, fast read. It was one of those books where I just read the blurb on the back and was hooked to buy it. There was a lot of brand name dropping and commercial stuff like that but I kinda like that stuff. And the scenery and experiences of the girls in the book felt so real that I wondered if the author herself went and experienced these things firsthand, maybe when she was a teen.

Which then made me think, why didn’t I go to Paris when I was a teen? Or really anywhere abroad? I did have a chance once to study abroad in England but a stinkin’ guy talked me out of it because he just couldn’t bear to be without me. Ha! (It was all very Dawson’s Creek when Dawson talks Joey out of studying in Paris. Note to all teenage girls who may find themselves in this position one day—ditch the guy! Take the trip!).

I just love books set somewhere outside of the U.S.—especially in Europe. And taking a trip to Europe is great for inspiration to write these kinds of books. Granted I didn’t go when I was a teen but I did go with my husband and toting two babies a few years ago and it was awesome! And it gave me great ideas for a second Espressologist book set in Europe (so, when my book comes out next fall, please buy one so they ask me to write this book, ok? Thanks.)

So if you want to escape to romantic Paris for a few hours by reading this book (and you know you do), Comment below and enter for a chance to win. Double your chances of winning by posting a link to our contest on your own blog (and leave the blog address in your comments). Winner announced tomorrow!

Kristina, Miss Soon-to-Pub


25 comments:

amuse me said...

Looks like another fun book. I agree about "why didn't I travel when I was a teen?" Anytime I travel, my imagination gets recharged.

the story siren said...

sign me up please! looks like a fun read!

AvaMom said...

I'm on Spring Break right now, although as a teacher and not a student! Would love to read the book!!

Rachael Stein said...

ooh la la!!! i read the third book in this series (hollywood hills) and i loved it :D please enter me

my extra post:
http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

i would like to be entered, please :D

-Samantha

Amanda Morgan said...

Wow, sign me up! That looks AWESOME! :)

Unknown said...

Would love to be entered, seems like a cool book!

Kimberley Griffiths Little said...

Oh my, I NEED this book! Paris. Boyfriends. French pastries. Kissing at midnight.

Can you tell I'm writing my own book set in Paris on a class trip and would love to read this!

(Also blogging about the contest so throw my name in the hat twice - THANKS!!!)

Emily Marshall said...

This book looks so good, I don't know why I haven't read it yet, especially because I think I bought it. Must read sooner. And I wish I traveled more when I was younger too. I did go on a high school trip to Germany just because all my friends were going and fell in love with traveling abroad instead, which I wasn't expecting.

Kate Fall said...

I begged my parents to let me take a senior trip to France with my class. Begged, pleaded, reasoned, cried, made wild promises. No go. We argue about it to this very day.
Them: "Look at [insert FOX news story]! And you wanted to go to Paris in high school!"
Me: "Yeah, of course I did!!!!"

I'd love to read an Espressologist book set in Europe, what a great idea!

HilLesha O'Nan said...

Sounds like a good book. :)

Meredith said...

Thanks for the contest! I am soo happy that I won! Do I get another entry into this one? Haha.

Aimee Friedman said...

Hi!

I am the author of FRENCH KISS (as well as its prequel, SOUTH BEACH, and its sequel, HOLLYWOOD HILLS). Thank you so much for the wonderful review of the book, and for having this giveaway! I did in fact base the book on my experiences in Paris, both as a teen (I went there for the first time at fourteen) and as an adult (I've spent a lot of time in France in general...am a complete Francophile!). I do encourage readers of FRENCH KISS to read (or maybe even start with) SOUTH BEACH for more of Alexa and Holly's delicious adventures. I also am dying to write another book set in Europe, maybe with these two girls again...
Happy reading!
xo
Aimee
www.aimeefriedmanbooks.com

Aimee Friedman said...

PS. Kristina, I cannot WAIT to read your book! It sounds amazing...

DeenaML said...

Yay! The author herself has posted! Thanks!

And, uh, yeah, the farthest I went in HS was Florida with a marching band trip. That was cool, but it's not Paris. My first trip to Europe was after my soph yr of college and I had a BLAST!

paperxxflowers said...

posting about it here:

www.paperxxflowers.blogspot.com

abscae said...

Enter me please?

and my blogged link:

link

Thank you!

Steph said...

Ooo this book sounds good! I like Aimee :)

Extra post: http://reviewerx.blogspot.com/2008/04/contest-funk.html

Tali said...

yesss enter me please!!

Anonymous said...

thanks for the contest! enter me please!

Grace L

Hillary said...

entering...

Tasha said...

Sign me up too!!!

Kristina Springer said...

Yay for all the entries! I'll be drawing soon.

And hi Aimee!! Thanks for stopping by! :-) I can't wait to check out your other books!

Bunny B said...

Uh-oh! Hope I'm in time for this. I would love to read this! Thanks!

Bunny B said...

Hi again!
I blogged about it HERE! Thanks!