The crowd fell silent. As she sang the lyrics, it felt as if she was discovering them for the first time. They spoke to her in a way they never had before.
A French Girl in New York is a fun, cute, YA romance.
Maude Laurent is an orphan. Raised in Carvin, a small town in northern France, she’s always wondered about her parents—who they were and what happened to them. Her foster family, the Ruchets, certainly won’t tell her anything. For them, she’s someone to cook meals, clean their house, and look after their twin boys, but Maude dreams of much more—she dreams of becoming an opera star and singing on the great stages of Paris.
Her Cinderella moment arrives when she’s livestreamed playing the piano and singing in a café during a school trip to Paris. Suddenly she’s an internet sensation and music studios are pursuing her with promises of stardom. The only problem? They all want her to sing pop, but that’s not what Maude wants…
When Terence Baldwin and his daughter show up on Maude’s doorstep, they promise to help her find her own unique voice. Maude accepts the challenge: six months in New York to write and record three singles that become hits. If she succeeds, she can stay and record an album. If she doesn’t, she’ll return to Carvin.
Maude knows she has the drive and talent to succeed but she also knows that her father used to live in the city. Perhaps, just perhaps, she can have it all: a successful music career and a chance to learn more about her family. It’s perfect! However, there’s one big problem—her collaborator Matt Durand. He’s annoying and arrogant, a popstar on a break, and he’s determined to force Maude out of her comfort zone.
With rival artists determined to see Maude fail and the clock ticking, Maude and Matt have to put their bickering aside if they’re going to succeed. Then a sudden revelation about Maude’s parents changes her perspective on everything and leaves her wondering if she can ever find the perfect harmony.
If you like your romances light and fluffy, you will adore this story. I’m a sucker for a fairy tale retelling. Anna Admans does a great job at taking Cinderella and putting her own fun, unique spin on this classic tale. Anna has written a story that you cannot help but fall in love with. This really was a fun whirlwind of a read. I loved how this book takes us all over the world. We get to explore Paris, New York, and Nigeria, and Anna does a wonderful job of bringing these places to life. The story moves along steadily, and Anna knows how to keep hooking her readers in with either a dramatic twist or a swoony moment. It really was a fun read.
The main heroine is smart, kind, hardworking, and so talented. From the moment that I met her, I wanted to succeed. Maude’s growth in this book is centred around believing in herself and learning to stand up to her awful foster parents. This book is Maude’s coming-of-age story. She learns more about her past, which has been hidden from her by her foster parents; she grows up as a musician, and just explores the world and all it has to offer. It was so much fun being on this journey with Maude. The romance is sweet. I liked the banter and chemistry between Maude and Matt. This is a clean YA romance, so nothing spicy happens on the page.
Thank you, Wattpad Books, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
