Young adult, magical realism, and every book in between infused with fairy dust...
GIVEAWAY CLOSED! THE WINNER IS CAROL!!! CONGRATS CAROL!!! I HOPE YOU ENJOY IT!
Find out who you can win a free signed arc copy by Sarah Mlynowski by reading the details of my review post for I See London, I See France! Best of luck and happy reading! Click on the link below!
I received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I See London, I See France (I See London, I See France, #1) by Sarah Mlynowski 
I see London, I see FranceI see Sydney’s underpants.
Nineteen-year-old Sydney has the perfect summer mapped out. She’s spending the next four and half weeks traveling through Europe with her childhood best friend, Leela. Their plans include Eiffel-Tower selfies, eating cocco gelato, and making out with très hot strangers. Her plans do not include Leela’s cheating ex-boyfriend showing up on the flight to London, falling for the cheating ex-boyfriend’s très hot friend, monitoring her mother’s spiraling mental health via texts, or feeling like the rope in a friendship tug-of-war.
In this hilarious and unforgettable adventure, New York Times bestselling author Sarah Mlynowski tells the story of a girl learning to navigate secret romances, thorny relationships, and the London Tube. As Sydney zigzags through Amsterdam, Switzerland, Italy, and France, she must learn when to hold on, when to keep moving, and when to jump into the Riviera… wearing only her polka dot underpants.
Catfairy’s Mix Tape
When I first went to Paris and Italy all I could listen to was the Marie Antoinette soundtrack from the Sofia Coppola movie (Who is a genius btw.). So here is a mix of some songs from the Marie Antoinette movie and some other songs that remind me of Sydney and Leela’s summer craziness in Europe!
Catfairy’s First Thoughts
Sarah Mlynowski is an author I have heard about through the Whatever After children’s series and when I found out she was writing a book about two best friends that go on an insane European adventure I just had to pick it up!
One of the first things I love about this book is the title of the book and the cover! The overall representation of the book just sucked me into my own little book vortex and I just had to gobble it up asap! The writing of this book is light and fluffy without a lot of descriptions.
“Coffee shops in Amsterdam do NOT sell coffee. They sell pot. So. Much. Pot.”
-Sarah Mlynowski
Mlynowski’s book was chock full of many crazy moments that I enjoyed with their visits to the “coffee shops” in Amsterdam, sex shows, (Yes sex shows.), the crazy run in’s with Leela’s ex-boyfriend, and running around topless in the South of France! Now you might think that this book is a bit risqué based on the sex show and the running around topless part but it couldn’t be further from the truth! The way that Mlynowski describes all the shenanigans that Sydney and Leela get into is all in good fun that will just make you laugh out loud!
When I picked up this book I was excited about it because of the traveling around Europe part and anybody that knows me know that I am obsessed with all things Europe! Even though I love the European trip aspect, the characters didn’t grab my attention in the story. I left not caring so much about the characters once I was done reading the story. Usually, when I finish reading a story that I love, I usually get attached to the characters and I just want to have them be a part of my world! But Sydney and Leela just left a bland taste in my mouth in the end.
Catnopsis
The book starts with Sydney who goes to college and takes care of her mom who suffers from acrophobia and she lives with her younger sister who has a stuttering problem.
Her best friend Leela originally planned a trip around Europe with Sydney who is her best friend but Sydney feels guilty leaving her mom who suffers from the mental illness agoraphobia. Instead, Leela decided to go with her (asshole) boyfriend Matt.
When Leela and Matt break up, she convinces Sydney to jump on this once in a lifetime opportunity and they go on a whirlwind trip all around Europe.
They go to London…
“Chips are French fries, by the way. And please, for the love of Prince Harry, don’t be a tourist and ask for ketchup.”
-Sydney
They go to Florence and Venice…
“Do you think there are water Ubers?”
-Leela
They literally go almost everywhere around Europe from Amsterdam, Belgium, Paris, Switzerland, Juan-Les-Pins, Monaco, and Greece! I was so jelly and I would have gladly kicked off Leela and gladly taken her place on this amazing adventure! (More about Leela in a min!)
Meet Sydney played by Maia Mitchell
Sydney is a 19-year old girl that is just trying to do right by her family by taking care of her divorced mother who suffers from agoraphobia. She is described as a goody two shoes kind of girl who has a passion for reading in the beginning but throughout the story, you see that she has a bit of a wild side especially when she falls for Leela’s ex-boyfriend friend Jackson.
Sydney is a natural caretaker and a nurturer because of her mom and because of this she is always there to take to pick up the pieces for her best friend Leela. Although her nurturing side gets used and abused by Leela and there were many times where Sydney was made out to be a pushover.
Throughout the story, I didn’t particularly care for Sydney until she finally stood up for herself and she told off Leela!
Meet Leela played by Alia Bhatt
Leela is described as Indian which is bonus points for diversity in Mlynowski’s novel and she is described as someone who always wants everything to be done for her. Leela is also an extremely needy person and can’t seem to get over her asshole of an ex Matt who cheated on her twice right in front of her!
Leela was the character that infuriated me the most because she kept taking advantage of Sydney’s good nature based on her mood and emotions. When Leela decides to get back with her ex-boyfriend Matt she basically ditched Sydney and when she has to break up with Matt a second time she wants Sydney to be miserable along with her when they are in FREAKING EUROPE! NO WAY JOSE! I felt that Leela is a manipulative and selfish person who only cares about herself and Sydney should have dumped her butt somewhere in Europe a long time ago!
Meet Kat played by Serena van der Woodson
Even though Kat was a minor character in the story she was one of my favorite characters in the book! She made everything light and fun and she always made Sydney smile when Leela was being LEELA! Kat also became good friends with Sydney and this made Leela crazy jealous and possessive like a typical Blair and Serena relationship…
Kat is described as a New Yorker that comes from money and is always partying it up whenever she has the opportunity! If that isn’t your classic Gossip Girl Serena van der Woodson, I don’t know what is!
Catfairy’s Final Thoughts
Sarah Mlynowski has a way of telling a great story and I was along for the ride! She made a fun and accessible read overall. Also, I enjoyed the parts where she added the tips that Sydney learned from each country that she traveled. Mlynowski also had Sydney be the narrator in the story but it felt like it was written as a voiceover and it reminded of something out of the Wonder Years…
When Mlynowski had Sydney play the narrator the writing of it felt out of place and awkward at times…
Even though I loved the story I felt that there needed to be more character development and in the end, the characters fell very flat for me. I felt that there were so many things lacking with the characters and I just wanted more from them. I See London, I See France will teach you to let go, have fun, grab your best friend, and have a crazy adventure before it’s too late! This story gets three stinky slices of cheese in Europe out of five for me!
Now tell me if you can go anywhere in Europe where would you go? This is a sweepstakes giveaway! The winner will be chosen at random! The winner will be announced officially on July 20th! Answer this question and you will win the author signed arc paperback copy of Sarah Mlynowski’s I See London, I See France! Only lower 48 states apply.
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Peter Kavinsky played by Harry Styles
Finally, it’s my favorite day of the week! Book Boyfriend Friday! Since this is my first Book Boyfriend Friday post and I am in the last book of the trilogy To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before it seemed fitting to have Peter Kavinsky as my first Book Boyfriend Friday post.
If you haven’t read the trilogy series by Jenny Han To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before please do yourself a favor and read it now because Peter Kavinsky will melt your heart in all kinds of ways! This guy is an absolute dreamboat and he makes his girlfriend Lara Jean the center of his universe! I thought he was amazing throughout the series but now I that I am getting to the third book HOLY SMOKES he is perfection in the last book in the trilogy! There were so many times where I was just laughing to myself and squealing simultaneously!
The cuteness that would ensue between Peter and Lara was just unstoppable on almost every page! Peter Kavinsky was just the perfect boyfriend that every girl dreams about and he would pull out all the stops for his girl Lara Jean that I just couldn’t handle it! Please read the Jenny Han to series to find out and look out for my upcoming review of this gem of a trilogy that I will always hold close to my heart and Peteeerrr! Sigh…
Since Harry Styles is becoming a fledgling movie star since he starred in Dunkirk and he has that dreamy boyish appeal I thought it was quite fitting to have him play Peter Kavinsky! Enjoy your friyay! And do tell…who is your book boyfriend Friday?
Right at this moment, I am jumping up and down with fangirl glee because of the new guests that are being announced for BookNet Fest! BookNet Fest is a convention for the online book community that is free and is located in the Caribe Royale Hotel in Orlando! I am sooooo thrilled and relieved because unfortunately, I missed BookCon last May because my teacher funds couldn’t afford to go to BookCon in New York after all my fun adventures going to Disney with my annual pass last year…
Flower and Garden Fest Beauty and the Beast Restaurant Be Our Guest!
My wedding and honeymoon in March…
My backyard wedding and gelato in Florence! Yum! Sigh….come back to me Florence…!
And after all those amazing experiences I am a bit on the broke side and need to save my money for all my teacher supplies for the new school year! Sooo you can see that I am super excited about BookNet Fest because since I am based in Miami it will be in Orlando this year and the event has very special guests speakers that came to BookCon!
The speakers are….wait for it….my favorite YouTube Book Vloggers! WEEEE! (My fangirl yell!) Kat O’Keefe from Katytastic, Jesse George from JessetheReader, and my favorite of them all Christine Ricco from PolandbananasBooks! Can you tell I am excited now?! These YouTube Vloggers are the ones that really turned me on to YA literature! I mean I have always loved to read Young Adult but these Book Vloggers had such a crazy and fanatic passion for YA that they influenced me so much in my reading choices and inspired me to create this YA book blog! I cannot contain my excitement for this event!!!! There are so many speakers besides the ones that I mentioned but these are the ones I am shouting with glee about! This will be like a Mini BookCon event for me and I am sure it will be for many of you! Please check my link below so you can learn more about this AMAZING event and other speakers that will be featured in this event! Are you planning on going and what speakers are you excited to see???
There are many people that ask me, “Why do you read young adult novels?” There are other people that laugh it off and say, “Oh your still young you will get over reading “these” kinds of novels.” There are also some other people that are outright rude and say, “You mean you like to read romance novels between two teenagers and you’re a 30 something-year-old woman?” And then there are some other people that silently judge me by giving me a side-eye while smirking to themselves. Many people have the wrong perception of YA and they feel that it shouldn’t be held in the highest esteem and that it is a frivolous genre. This common perception couldn’t be further from the truth.
YA books aren’t just for just middle school or high school students. The way that these books are written can be almost identical to adult fiction as well. In fact, YA books can be for any age from someone who is 13 to someone who is 50 can pick up a YA! There is no age range when it comes to YA. When it comes to YA, it just happens to be that the characters are teenagers but it definitely doesn’t mean that the writing is simplistic in the slightest. Here is an excerpt of my favorite magical realism YA novel Ava Lavender and you can be the judge of whether this writing is worth its merit or not.
“To many, I was myth incarnate, the embodiment of a most superb legend, a fairy tale. Some considered me a monster, a mutation. To my great misfortune, I was once mistaken for an angel. To my mother, I was everything. To my father, nothing at all. To my grandmother, I was a daily reminder of loves long lost. But I knew the truth—deep down, I always did. I was a girl.”
-Leslye Walton, The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender
YA books are my passion because it brings me back to those first time life experiences. Those first experiences are that pivotal time where everything is so dramatic and felt so strongly.
Who can forget those first experiences of your first day of high school, your first dance, first crush, or first heartbreak? Those are the experiences that are so visceral, so raw, and so much a part of who somebody is as a person. There is no one that I know that can ever forget what it is like to be a teenager. Being a teenager is an experience that never leaves you because it is the time where you are experiencing all those unforgettable firsts and they truly are “unforgettable” in every way. I feel so much for the characters in the book because I have been there and all I want to do is hug them and let them know that they will laugh about this one day. YA novels make me stop and feel again. When I read YA it takes me back and it makes me feel those special “first-time feelings” which can never be repeated but they can be relived. That’s why I read YA. Why do you read YA?
