Review: 'Petite Confessions: a Humorous Memoirette' by Vicki Lesage (2015)

From champagne bottles to baby bottles, this memoirette offers a humorous look at an American mom's decade in Paris.
Party Girl Vicki moved to Paris hoping to drink her fill of wine and fall in love. She accomplished her goal, but encountered many bumps along the way: romantic encounters gone awry, absurd French bureaucracy threatening her sanity, and two adorable but impossibly energetic kids keeping her on her toes. This memoirette takes you on a journey of the ups and downs of Vicki's 10 years in the City of Light.
You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll want to open another bottle of wine.
It's already been quite some time since author Vicki Lesage first e-mailed me with a review request regarding her book 'Confessions of a Paris Party Girl' (click here to read my reviewy). I straight away liked the sound of the story which is partly biographical and based on Vicki's own experiences of being an American girl who decides to pack up everything and move to the City of Love, Paris. After her first book, Vicki released a second one titled 'Confessions of a Paris Potty Trainer', which is just as entertaining (click here to read my review). On the 8th of March, 'Petite Confessions: a Humorous Memoirette' was released and when Vicki contacted me about it, I already looked forward to sitting down with another one of her works!
'Petite Confessions' is a collection of author Vicki Lesage's personal experiences living as an American in the city of Paris. The book is a short and quick read (approximately 60 pages) and consists of several stand-alone chapters which showcase the author's writing style. I personally really enjoy Vicki's stories; her writing is funny, easy to get into, and flows well. Vicki doesn't mind sharing all of her personal experiences with French culture with her readers, embarrassing or not. 
This is a great introduction to the author's work, if you want to check out her writing style before picking up one of her longer books. If you enjoy these short stories, definitely give her other books a try; you won't be disappointed. 'Petite Confessions' is the perfect read for when you have a few minutes to spare, either on the bus home or during your lunch break; a funny, short but sweet read!

Rating:8/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads

Thanks to the author for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review: 'Dangled Carat' by Hilary Grossman (2013)

For every girl who wondered if she should love him or dump him.....
For every girl who listened to her heart instead of her friends advice....
For every girl who l wondered if she was wasting her time dating that guy....
Meet Hilary....
She had gotten used to dating the commitment-phobic Marc, thirteen years her senior. They had a great relationship--why rush into things? She saw no need to pressure him for marriage, believing that when the time was right, he would propose. But after they had been together for four years, their friends decided to take matters into their own hands, pushing Marc to propose and making Hilary realize how much she really did want to marry the man that she loved. Unfortunately, Marc still wasn't ready--and their friends' meddling in the form of a faux engagement party led to a disastrous New Year's Eve that brought their relationship to an inevitable turning point.
Several weeks ago I was contacted by Hilary Grossman with the question whether I was interested in reviewing her book, ‘Dangled Carat.’ I straight away liked the cover and have to admit I was quite curious to find out more about the story which focuses on ‘one girl’s attempt to convert the ultimate commitment-phobic man into a doting husband’, according to the cover. The issue of men being afraid to commit to a woman and their relationship is one that pops up quite often in the world of chick lit/romance, and I looked forward to reading about Hilary Grossman’s own experiences with this!
Hilary and Marc appear to be the perfect couple to the outside world. Hilary is head-over-heels with Marc, who is thirteen years her senior, and she can’t wait to spend the rest of her life with him. The two of them never felt the need to rush into things, satisfied with the state of their relationship, until one New Year’s Eve their friends decide it’s time for them to take the next step after four years of being a couple. A fake engagement forces Hilary and Marc to think twice about where their relationship is going. Hilary suddenly realises she really wants to get married, but Mark’s issues with commitment come to the surface and Hilary realises she’s found herself a true challenge.
‘Dangled Carat’ is Hilary Grossman’s own true story; a memoir which mainly focuses on her experiences with a commitment-phobic boyfriend. The reader is taken on the journey of Hilary and Marc’s relationship on which we get to know both of them, their background stories and the issues they are struggling with. It wasn’t difficult to warm to Hilary; she obviously loves Marc, she trusts him and has a lot of patience when it comes to their relationship. I really enjoyed the realistic character of the book, because I think many female readers will be able to recognise some of their own thoughts or experiences in Hilary. At times, Marc’s actions and the things he said really frustrated me and I just wanted to shake him, feeling for Hilary and admiring her determination.
I think it’s great and admirable that Hilary managed to write down her own story like this and decided to share it with the world. I hope she will continue writing, because her writing style was really comfortable and pleasant to read; I’d certainly love to see her write some fiction. ‘Dangled Carat’ is an easy-going and contemporary story of love which many readers will be able to relate to in one way or another; an enjoyable read and I’ll be looking out for Hilary’s future work!
Rating:

7,5/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads
Thanks to the author for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review & Interview: 'Confessions of a Paris Party Girl' by Vicki Lesage (2014)

Wine, romance, and French bureaucracy - the ups and downs of an American's life in Paris. This laugh-out-loud memoir is almost too funny to be true! 
Drinking too much bubbly. Meeting sappy Frenchmen who have girlfriends or are creeps or both. Encountering problème after problème with French bureaucracy. When newly-single party girl Vicki moved to Paris, she was hoping to taste wine, stuff her face with croissants, and maybe fall in love. 
In her first book, this long-time blogger and semi-professional drinker recounts the ups and downs of her life in Paris. Full of sass, shamefully honest admissions, and situations that seem too absurd to be true, Vicki makes you feel as if you're stumbling along the cobblestones with her. 
Will she find love? Will she learn to consume reasonable amounts of alcohol? Will the French administration ever cut her a break?
I’m not the biggest fan of France. I don’t know what it is exactly, but my experiences with both the country itself and French people just haven’t been too positive. Yet, I have to admit I do have a bit of a soft spot for Paris, because in all honesty, who doesn’t love Paris (or at least certain parts of it), right? I’ve read some wonderful books set in Paris over the years, so when I received an e-mail from author Vicki Lesage about possibly reviewing her novel, ‘Confessions of a Paris Party Girl’ I was looking forward to reading another story set in the city of love. The lovely Vicki also took the time to answer some questions about her book and writing career, so be sure to scroll down to read an interview with her!
Vicki is an American twenty-something who after losing her job decides to pack her bags and move to Paris for an unforeseeable time. With the money she earns with her work as a freelance web designer, Vicki can afford a small apartment and is ready to throw herself into the Parisian night life (which of course includes lots of wine in all forms!). The reader is taken along on Vicki’s Paris adventure, which consists of numerous hilarious situations, a large amount of complaining about France, but also her transformation from an American in Paris to a true Parisian who happens to be from America.    
‘Confessions of a Paris Party Girl’ is a collection of Vicki Lesage’s stories of her time living in Paris, which started out as blog posts. I’m personally not a big fan of memoirs, but I really enjoyed reading about Vicki’s experiences in France. The book felt more like I was chatting to a friend who was telling me all about her adventures in Paris; stories which made me both shake my head in amazement and laugh out loud. I think it’s great how Vicki managed to convey this particular feeling into words and it’s definitely one of the strengths of this memoir. The fact that all of it is based on real-life experiences also gives it a realistic feel, because it gives a true account of what life in Paris as an expat is like.
I love how, as the book progresses, you can really see Vicki grow as a person and experience how her initial plan of going to Paris for a few months turns into a stay that lasts for much longer. I am sure people who love to travel and/or read about other cities and cultures will really enjoy this because of its distinctive voice and entertaining stories. ‘Confessions of a Paris Party Girl’ is a fun, light and quick-paced memoir, and I already look forward to reading the sequel, ‘Confessions of a Paris Potty Trainer’!
Rating:

8/10   For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads    Thanks to the author for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.  

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Author Interview with Vicki Lesage

Can you tell us something about your book, ‘Confessions of a Paris Party Girl’? Confessions of a Paris Party Girl takes the reader on a journey from my first confused days in Paris, through some crazy years of partying and unbelievable bouts with French bureaucracy, and ends up with me finding a life for myself in France. Much to my mom’s relief, I do finally settle down (a bit).
The book is based on your own personal experiences. Why did you decide to move to Paris and start blogging about your adventures? After losing my job and running into my ex-boyfriend seemingly everywhere around town, I decided I needed a change of scenery from my Midwestern town. I’d always loved Europe and figured, why not go to Paris? I blogged about my adventures to keep my family back home in the loop, but the blog kind of evolved into a “What did I miss in Paris last night?” update for other people on my bar circuit. Because, you know, it’s really important to know what so-and-so said at such-and-such bar!
Is everything in the book based on your own true experiences or is there also a part fiction? It’s all true! A few names have been changed and some storylines have been combined for simplicity’s sake (like, maybe a particular conversation was actually two separate conversations on two separate days) but the gist is the same. And in fact, much of the dialogue is actually what people said. Like the florist who wouldn’t let me order my wedding flowers more than a week in advance literally said “I could be dead by then!” (in French). I remember things like that word for word because they’re so unreal!
If you had to pick three things you like the most about Paris, what would they be? The unique charm of walking down a characteristic Parisian street, the insanely affordable prices of wine, cheese, and baguettes, and running into people you know on the streets – reminding you that Paris is just a big small city.
And the three things you dislike the most about the city of love? Only three? Just kidding. I dislike the ever-present smell of human urine and dog poop, rude taxi drivers, and the sheer quantity of people who walk around with frowns on their faces (though with the offensive odors and even more offensive taxi drivers, I guess I can’t entirely blame them)!
Can you perhaps tell us something about your future plans as an author? Are you already working on a next book? My sequel, Confessions of a Paris Potty Trainer, is due out this month. It picks up where Party Girl left off and covers my life as a mom in Paris. If you thought my partying days were crazy, wait until you see what it’s like raising kids! I also have plans for a few more books in the series, with stories about my travels around Europe and even juicer confessions that didn’t make it into the first two books. Stay tuned!
Do you have any tips for aspiring writers? Write a little every day. Eventually you’ll finish your book! Even one page will get you that much closer. Then when it’s time to publish (either traditionally or self-publishing), edit the heck out of your work and have others give feedback as well. Proper editing turns good work into great work, work you’re proud of that gets rave reviews!
What is the last book you read that you’d like to recommend to others? I loved Build-A-Man by Talli Roland. It’s the first book I read by her and now I’m hooked on all her books. She writes fun chick lit that never disappoints.
Which book could you not live without? The Very Hungry Caterpillar. My son likes me to read it to him at least 10 times a day. It’s our special time together and even though I’ve read it so many times I have it memorized, I still love it.
And last but not least, if you had to describe ‘Confessions of a Paris Party Girl’ in just three words, which words would you pick? Sassy, hilarious, real
Thanks so much, Vicki!