Reveiw: Bonjour Cherie – Robin Thomas

Bonjour Cherie by Robin Thomas
Published by Harlequin Enterprises Australia on 1 September 2013
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
Pages: 70
Format: eARC
Source: Netgalley

It's Paris or bust in this New Adult comedy of errors about seeing beyond the surface...

Beth Jenkins is into all things French — especially her French teacher, André LeBlanc. She’s on the fast track to Paris and nothing will stop her, not even the very Australian Zach Mills, whose abs and attitude are a powerful combination. As she endeavours to catch André’s interest, she also stubbornly ignores the growing chemistry with Zach.

But as mishap after mishap delays her dreams, Beth begins to learn that neither Zach nor André are quite what they seem. Will it be too late to win the one man who shows her that Paris is not the only destination worth planning for?

*I received a free ARC of Bonjour Cherie from Harlequin Enterprises Australia via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review*

Bonjour Cherie is a contemporary romance set in Australia, about Beth, who is obsessed with all things French. She is taking French-classes while working at her local super-market so she can save up for her epic trip to France. She is also kind of obsessed with her French teacher, even after the very hunky Zach arrives in class one evening – and he seems to only have eyes for her.

Sadly, I really didn’t like Beth at all! She is judgmental, a little arrogant, and really has no idea what to do with her life. I can get being in love with a country, but Beth really takes it all to a level that is not realistic in the least! I enjoyed Zach a lot, though, but I have no idea why he wanted to get to know Beth better after the way she treated him in that first class, and then afterwards, when he helped her get her car started when her battery was flat.

Beth never lays off thinking badly about other people, Zach, her friends, her sister and even her parents a little bit. Her inner dialog is quite annoying to say the least. Nobody is good enough for her, and she really doesn’t see how egotistical she is. Bonjour Cherie starts with a French class, but then it really is all about Beth this and Beth that. I never really got into the story, because every time there was something interesting happening, Beth would go on again with either her obsession or her inner dialog talking down at other people.

The writing is very good, though, with a nice flow and a good pace. Of course, I cannot finish my review without pointing out the insta-love in Bonjour Cherie. The one positive thing I could say is that it all happens in Australia, apart from the fact that the whole story could have taken place anywhere in the world, even in France, and Beth might not even have noticed. And she remained pretty clueless up until the last few pages as to what and who she wanted in her life.

 “Très bien, Mademoiselle Jenkins.” André beamed at me. I flatter myself that my accent was pretty good. I twinkled a modest smile back at him as Mrs Ingham began a complicated sentence that told him she had blue eyes and blonde hair (as if). But I was prepared to be kind. Perhaps she didn’t know the term for mousey brown. We weren’t all meant to be Francophiles. (Is Francophile actually a word? I have not seen it before…)

I considered this. I didn’t really want to accept help from this guy, who would no doubt use it to his advantage. I could tell ‘smug’ and ‘arrogant’ were his middle names.

Why I didn’t leave the dance floor right then, I don’t know. I really didn’t like Zach Mills. He was not just small town and unsophisticated; he was arrogant, rude and just plain annoying.

While not exactly fat, Lisa was a comfortable size, witch fit with her comfortable personality. I was slim, but not a racehorse fit like Kirsty.

I thought Zach was a Neanderthal? Paul made Zach look like one of those nerdy scientists from The Big Bang in comparison. I looked over at Lisa, who was still rapt.

He took a step back. “It’s the damned Frenchman, isn’t it?” I was silent, not wanting to deny it. Truth be told it had nothing to do with André. It was Zach himself. I didn’t want small town, I didn’t want my horizons to end here the way that Lisa would have been happy to accept.

I asked Lisa if she wanted to come over and share the meal with me, but apparently she was busy. Probably washing her hair or something equally important.

 

 

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