3.5/5 stars! If you remember to keep this in it's genre (YA historical romance), I actually quite like it. It has spunk and cute characters and a few swoon-worthy moments. Just don't try to lump it into romance or historical romance while ignoring the target is YA and you'll likely enjoy it :)

2 ⭐️

Let's begin with what i liked. I loved that Evie stayed loyal to who she was. We get the makeover moment, but her interest in fashion kept that in character rather than a ponytail and glasses moment. I also liked Beau's storyline with his father.

The setting for this left me very confused. It's set in what appears to be 18th century France, and yet the characters behave like 00s teens. They date casually, and the speech is very modern.

I'm not sure why. It's not like the concept wouldn't have worked while keeping it accurate to the time period. In fact, it may have helped stop certain scenes from feeling like they'd been ripped word for word from the movie its inspired by.

Then there's the romances. We have Beau, and then there's another love interest. We really didn't need the second one. It took time from Evie and Beau. She had only just come round to the idea that he may like her, and then there was someone else plus the betrayal.

I received an advance review copy of this book, and this review represents my honest opinion. Thank you to netgalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

I was extremely excited for this read as I’m a big fan of a period romance but I felt this one was a let down. I found it hard to relate to the characters and there wasn’t much of a plot there that gave the story enough substance. I was left wanting a lot more from this one and I felt it had the potential.

The annual Court of Flowers ball is coming and Beau bets that he can make any girl the Bellegarde Bloom, the coveted role that gives the winning girl a ticket to a happily ever after. He chooses Evie, the unsuspecting baker’s daughter, who dreams of leaving her flour-covered life to become a dressmaker. With Beau's help Evie is thrust into a world of glamour and money like nothing she’s experienced before. Will they overcome their differences and work together, or will their history and Beau’s secrets keep them from success?
A thoroughly enjoyable read that is a must read for anyone who is looking for a more innocent Bridgerton-style story with a Cinderella twist. Great for fans of Lex Croucher and Becky Albertalli.

Bellegarde is a cute and fun regency era novel. It will appeal to it's intended audience as it's got the cutsey romance, all the regency drama. If you liked Bridgerton etc, this will be right up your street.

For me personally I see the appeal of it for many readers who I know will adore this book and the characters, I just found it a bit too predictable for my tastes. But I know it will easily become a book many who love romance and regency novels will very much take in to their hearts.

Bellegarde is the debut novel from YA author Jamie Lilac. A historical retelling of the classic 90s romcom movie She’s All That (which is in itself a retelling of Pygmalion, the play which was adapted into the musical My Fair Lady), our story swaps 20th century America for the ballrooms of 18th century France.
I want to preface this review by saying that although my thoughts are not overly positive at all, I do recognise that I perhaps was not the intended audience of the book. Bellegarde is perfect for the reader who wants a historic twist on a cheesy 90s romcom but isn’t too fussed about historical accuracy or authenticity. Personally though, these are things that I need from a historical fiction novel and my review does reflect this.
To start with the things the book does well, both of our protagonists were well written. The story is told through a largely dual POV narrative, sharing the perspectives of both Evie and Beau (with occasional input from one of our antagonists Rachelle) and this did help us to connect with both characters. Evie was a headstrong female main character with admiral drive and passion, something I think would be inspiring to a teenage reader. Beau was an incredibly charming male main character and love interest for Evie who, again, I’m sure teenage readers will love. There is a wide range of supporting characters (although admittedly some are written with more depth to them than others and some are completely pointless inclusions altogether) and I was particularly drawn to Evie’s friends who live on the houseboat. I think they were really interesting characters who could make for fantastic protagonists in another story should Jamie Lilac choose to make this a series. I did also really warm to Jo and Mia as characters and exploring their relationship as a same-sex couple in 18th century France could provide an alternative pathway for a sequel.
My primary criticism of this book is that it felt like for most of the book the narrative simply forgot it was supposed to be set in the 18th century and mistook itself for a contemporary fiction novel set in a modern-day American high school. We did have occasional references to Marie Antoinette (if you know your French history enough to pick up on them) but that was largely it. The use of repeated unintentional anachronisms in terms of language and some of the events of the story which read as contemporary fiction unfortunately left the book feeling like a poorly-executed attempt to jump on the bandwagon of period dramas such as Bridgerton. The fashion also was not completely authentic to the time period either. Whilst Evie’s designs are meant to be ahead of their time, the use of things like zips meant that they felt more like 21st century fashion than styles you’d expect from 18th century France.
The whole idea of a group of young men choosing a girl to make the subject of their bet like they were shopping for meat at a livestock market was sickeningly misogynistic. Whilst I do understand that the blame for this largely lies with the source material the story is based on, it did feel like the book made no attempt to adapt this aspect of the story for a more feminist 21st century audience, which was disappointing.
I did also find that I wasn’t rooting for Evie and Beau’s relationship, which is a shame as I think that is a pretty crucial thing to need from a romance story. She had far more chemistry with the Duke character and their relationship had far more to it than the one which was the focus of the story unfortunately.
Overall, I was regrettably really disappointed with this novel. As I’ve said, younger readers or anyone who wants a cheesy rom-com story without minding about historical authenticity and accuracy might like this book but it just wasn’t for me.

⭐️⭐️/5

I have posted an extended review on my blog www.yourschloe.co.uk and the post is linked.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free ARC in exchange for a review.

This was an early DNF for me. I thought it was historical but then a "break up" of a boyfriend and girlfriend was a plot point?? And they have boned stays but they all go to high school? What year is it???

I did not care enough to find out.

I absolutely loved this. It promises Bridgerton meets She's All That and completely delivers. What I loved the most was the descriptive writing; cakes, dances, flowers, fashion, I wanted to live inside the pages. It was pure joyful escapism.

If you enjoyed books like Reputation by Lex Croucher you should give this one a go.

I loved how it was a modern (but also not modern) take on Bridgerton and She’s All That. It was also nice to see an 18th century France rather than England.

I loved Evie’s character and her development, the writing really made you feel like you knew Evie’s character and you could trust the author to keep Evie’s character true to herself. I enjoyed Beau’s development and I liked the character he grew into. Violette was for sure the best character though.

Although it’s classed as YA, it’s still enjoyable for older readers. This novel was fun, a burst of joy, and utterly entertaining.

Bellegarde is a flirty, frothy and endlessly fun YA historical romance. It is so reminiscent of Bridgerton for a YA audience.

Evie was a character that I fell in love with early on and I do not think I ever fell out of her spell. Here was a kind, caring and deeply lovely person, trying her best for her family and secretly harbouring her dreams. Watching her trajectory over the course of the book was heart-warming. Her chemistry with two significant characters were sparkling in their own ways. Lilac’s dialogue was spot on, allowing tensions to rise, dynamics to shift and also including the subtleties of romance. Every little gesture meant something in the wider scale of it all.
This is such a brilliant book, resplendent in its gorgeous and evocative writing. Every detail was captured, allowing me to imagine the lush ballgowns and splendid parties. Lilac really captures your imagination. Upon first requesting this title, I was not aware of the She's All That historical romance retelling marketing behind it. However, I can now say that captures this book to a T. I mean, one of my favourite 90s romcoms transported to 18th century Paris - you have got me hook, line and sinker.

I really liked how Lilac brought in elements of class, race and sexuality. They were both normalised and acknowledged in the difficulties faced. In particular, class was something that was a core facet of the tensions and issues prevalent in the book. Evie is constantly driven by wanting to protect her family and is keenly aware of the knife’s edge they live on in terms of money. In stark contrast to this, you have the world of elitism, glamour and privilege through the Bellegarde Bloom contest. Those two worlds clash, but also find striking harmonies in unexpected ways.

Let Lilac draw you into this sumptuous world of fashion, fame and fortune. Join the dance and whirl through the streets of 18th-century Paris.

I’ve been loving the resurgence of Regency romances lately, so I was very happy to see some YA takes on the genre, and the whole bakery element of this made it so much fun!

I was provided with an arc copy of this book by Netgalley free of charge in return for an honest review.

The story in itself is nothing new. It's a retelling of she's all that.
What makes it special is the passion and realness of the characters that the author has created for us

Evie and her friends are all working class. Yes they all go to school but they have worked hard and know the value of money.

Someone like Beau Bellegarde will never understand what it's like to work for opportunities, to worry over money. His is a world of opportunity and society.

Can they ever see past being the society boy and just the flour girl?

Join me in Paris and find out .

3.5 Stars -
As a big fan of She’s All That and Bridgerton, I was really excited for this book. I did get through this book pretty quickly, which means I definitely enjoyed it. Jamie Lilac's writing is easy for readers (and I think that would also extend to audiobooks), so I think a lot of people would enjoy this! If you've seen the movie, you can definitely see the parallels, so the story line is predictable if you know that. Regardless, Evie and Beau's love story is worth a read! I was hoping for a bit more out of Evie's character development over the entirety of the book. The book definitely has the contemporary meets historical, but it is a bit too much for the dialogue at times.

Overall, it was a good read, I'd consider reading it again one day!

I received this book as an ARC from Little Brown Books and Net Galley. I'm very grateful for the opportunity, and this review is my honest opinion.

I was sold on this when I heard it was a historical reimagining of the film She's All That - and I'm so glad I did! Joyous, uplifting, heartwarming wonderfulness all wrapped up in the most wonderful setting!

I had fun reading this historical romance, an entertaining pastiche that could have been set now as the characters are quite modern.
I'm a fan of Georgette Heyer and the attention to the details is something i missed.
That said it's funny and well plotted, if you like Bridgerton it's recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

YA (on the lower end, imo), enemies-to-lovers, queer side character, 'Bridgerton meets She's All That.'

Evie attends Parisian high school during the day and spends the rest of her time mainly working at her family's bakery and honing her sewing skills in hopes of one-day designing dresses for a living. Beau is the second son of the upper-class Bellegarde family, the most popular guy in their high school, and is seemingly loved by all except Evie. Beau, however, is illegitimate, so his conniving older half-brother Julien is supposed to inherit their dad's entire fortune. Unfortunately for Evie, who wants nothing to do with Beau, Julien bets Beau control of their entire inheritance that he can't turn wallflower Evie into the winner of the renowned title 'the Bellegarde Bloom'. Evie can't help but be intrigued when Beau attempts to befriend Evie and bring her into his upper-class world; she just doesn't understand why.

Many forms of media throughout history have used the rhetoric of a female character who 'isn't like the other girls', whose core character traits are defined by how she's distinct from this caricature of what 'girls' are like. This might be that she likes to run and climb trees while the other girls like makeup and dresses, or that she isn't interested in men/marriage like the other girls, but ultimately her character revolves around putting down other 'girls' to bring herself up. This concept and the effect it has had on generations of people's perception of what girlhood and womanhood are/should be is complex and has bodies of research and literature behind it, but I felt like this book touched upon an aspect of this in a positive way. Evie could very easily be written as a 'not like the other girls' character, but there are subtle ways the plot deviates from this throughout the book, and an important scene even features a gentle acknowledgement that many women throughout history have had to partake in the social climbing and fill the roles set out for them (that they are so often mocked for) to survive. This, in combination with the relative normalisation of queerness in the form of lesbian side characters and the overall cute cosy feel of the book, was my favourite aspect.

I felt the book's plot was almost a complete copy of She's All That, and whilst I enjoy retellings and cliches in many ways, I didn't feel like the characters and romance were well-developed enough to make this work for me.

Another issue I know many have brought up is the categorisation and marketing of this book as historical fiction when it wasn't really anywhere close. Perhaps due to the author's experience, the book was incredibly American for what was supposed to be a French Regency historical fiction, with anachronistic language like 'bet', university' when referring to a high school, and 'crush' used throughout the book. I understand that it may not be appropriate for a YA novel to be entirely historically accurate and use all the language of the time, but I felt this was past suspending my disbelief. I ended up reading this book as more of a fairytale version of France, and I feel like that would've been a better route than attempting a mix of historical and contemporary and ending up with the historical aspects seeming out of place.

I think this book has good aspects, and some of the issues with the period setting could have been avoided if it had been advertised differently. The romance was cute, albeit underdeveloped, but I think it's okay for a YA novel. I wouldn't reread it personally, but I would perhaps recommend it to young readers if it were up their alley.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and the author for the Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Such a unique book, I loved the plot, and oh my god the characters were so amazing!! I definitely will be recommending it!!

Thank you, NetGalley and Little Brown Books, for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

We have an effortless writing style to follow I read this book in 2 hours. It's a very sweet YA romance book.

I was also wondering about the historical period the book was set in. Simply put, the historical vibes are lacking. This had the air of a contemporary story in an odd environment. While I like works that don't adhere to historical accuracy to a certain extent, this one lacked the mood I require.

Although underdeveloped, Evie was nonetheless engaging enough. A Duke character who serves essentially no purpose other than to round out the third act is introduced around the 70 per cent mark. Like, he's simply a person that saw a girl and was really amiable about what happened between them, not a part of any evil scheme or related to anyone.

This was a sweet YA romance, perfect for fans of the rom coms of the noughties. Pitching it as historical fiction is perhaps a misstep - I read it much more as She’s All That in a fairytale setting. Some will find the modern sensibilities not to their taste, but I enjoyed the touch of Clueless and American high school vibes. This is - as others have mentioned - an EXTREMELY close retelling of She’s All That which I wasn’t expecting, I thought the strongest parts of the novel were where the author deviated more and found her own voice - Evie’s fashion design storyline was a real highlight for me.

Shes all that retelling? Yes please! This was such a fun story that I flew through it and to be honest I see myself giving this one a re read! it's like a big hug in a book lol

Highly recommend