2.5 stars (rounded down to 2)

This started out as a really cute, fun YA romance. I had pretty high hopes, it sounded like something I would love and it being a historical/period romance??? Sign me up!!!

First thing that kind of threw me off was the use of anachronistic language - them using phrases I hear in my day-to-day at a time where balls are still a thing? It bothered me the whole time and I really struggled to get past it. It was also very VERY cliche. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE a good cliche when it's done well, but this just felt like it was following a formula and it really takes the excitement out of a story when I can predict basically everything that will happen. I ended up skimming all the non-dialogue bits towards the end, and it was a really sweet ending so that was nice!! I really liked the parts of the story that focused on her designing and dress-making, I wish we got wayyy more of that because it might be my favourite part. I know it was a normal length for a YA book but it really did feel like everything was touched very briefly and not elaborated on. Like, this all happened in the space of a few weeks? A month? I just wasn't convinced, and the characters felt very 2D to me.

I liked the addition of the duke as a love interest, the way they met and their later meetings were so so lovely, so much so that I found myself rooting for him as a love interest instead of Beau. He felt more invested in the MC, more passionate, he just read like he cared more for her. That being said, he sounded like he was in love with her and hearing wedding bells after knowing her for a week tops, and after one date with her which again, fits the pattern of everything in this book feeling rushed and surface level.

I liked the side characters, but it sometimes felt like their sub-plots held more importance and were more fleshed out than the MCs' romance. I wish we got to see more scenes on the boat, maybe more shenanigans, I really loved the theatre scene, it was super fun, and felt like a real bonding experience between the characters. That was the one scene that actually felt well paced for their emotional development. It also sometimes felt like Beau was being pardoned for his faults because he wasn't intrinsically a bad person/was just wanting to fit in. Although he apologised, I don't feel like the effect it had on the MC was fully addressed, and things just felt very conveniently tied together at the end. I just didn't feel myself rooting for them as a couple, and although their cute scenes were very sweet, it just didn't have the depth that I need to see to fully enjoy a romance.

Overall, I really liked the story, but it fell short more often than not which was a shame.

Picked this up for the candy-coloured cover and the promise of a Bridgerton-adjacent historical romcom.

And honestly, it is that, but this also definitely wasn't for me. Nothing is really wrong with this book, but I found it a little bland and not the refreshing historical romcom I was hoping for. This had a couple of reasons.

Firstly, I never watched She's All That, and maybe if I had, I would have appreciated this more. Going off the reviews, this is a pretty close retelling, and maybe you need to know the source material to fully enjoy it.

I also felt confused by the time period the book was set in. The historical vibes are just... not there. This felt more like a contemporary in a somewhat strange setting. I do enjoy books that aren't strictly playing by the rules of the time period, but I do need a certain atmosphere and that was just lacking here.

And then finally, the characters. For one, there were way too many and none of them really stood out. Even the main characters weren't really given the depth they deserved, and they didn't spend enough time together to make me actually feel the romance.

This book was such a hoot. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for a review.

If you're going to set your book in a certain time period in a certain location, for the love of Dieu, COMMIT TO IT. Maybe don't copy and paste an American high school book into pre-revolutionary France and change nothing else.

"Bellegarde" is a "She's All That" retelling in an undisclosed period of French history. They wear dresses and go to balls, but they also use American slang and have cupcakes and all attend what the author calls university, but is actually high school. And I have the same problem with this book as I've been having with another book I was reading recently - but this one was pacy enough that I kept reading until the end and that's a distinct lack of detail in the world surrounding these characters. If you're going to set a historical book in France - in Paris, no less - you cannot ignore the historical context, regardless of how light and fluffy the subject matter is. There's suspending disbelief and then there's just flat-out ignoring reality.

It felt like the author wanted to rewrite "She's All That' and figured France would be a fun place to do it - but the depth stopped there. Does anyone in this book speak French ever? No. Is there a distinctly American tone to almost everything? Absolutely. This novel would have been so much better if the author had bothered to immerse themselves in the world a bit more - I just can't get over how it was an American high school novel but occasionally someone would be called Madame or have a French sounding name and THAT was the full extent of the context.

The writing is fine. I think (?) this is YA, so it's all bit 'and then they kissed and that was it' - and far more time is spent on overlong conversations about characters not talking to each other than moving the action along. Evie was interesting enough, but underdeveloped. Also, about 70% of the way through a Duke character is introduced who serves literally no purpose but filling out the third act. Like, he's not involved in some nefarious plan, he's not connected to anyone - he's just a guy who saw a girl and was very amicable about what happens between them.

You'll get more out of this if you've seen / like "She's All That". I have to wonder if the author was just a tad too faithful to the movie, simply recreating it rather than elevating the original concept. I know the film is a My Fair Lady revamp - and this novel was not even close to that. In fact, very little time was actually devoted to Evie being elevated; it was more Beau being shown what it's like outside of the gilded cage and fighting with his brother.

Overall, I felt this book was rather sweet, lacking necessary detail and a bit chaotic - not in a good way. It's my general reaction to YA now. I feel like the concept deserved much better than what it got.

As a die hard 00s rom com and regency fan I was intrigued by the premise of She’s All That meets Bridgerton and thankfully this one hit all the sweet spots! I really appreciated the development of the story and although it was fairly close to the film so I knew what was coming, it was still an enjoyable read. Of course I fell in love with Evie and Beau and shouted at the book at the dastardly Julien and Rachelle, and swooned a little at the Duke!

Overall a cute regency read that would be a great stepping stone for younger readers.

I loved this book! I couldn’t put it down and I know I’ll pick it up again! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for access to this title!

The novel's concept of taking a 'peasant' girl and turning her into a lady of class and sophistication reminded me of 'My fair lady' especially with the bet between two characters. This is a loose plot that holds the novel together with other subplots of romantic relationships, aspirations and friendship that develop at a good pace.

The novel is a historical fiction but I don't think it can be classed as completely historical, if I wasn't aware that this was set in Paris in the past there were no direct hints in the opening chapters from what I could read. I think adding a date or historical context would have established a clearer picture. I only assume it is set in maybe 17th or 18th century France from the reference to the Queen of France (Marie Antoinette?) which is a guess. This doesn't distract from the novel's aim and story but could help the world building to immerse the reader. The novel's pace was good for a YA novel and there weren't too dark or heavy themes. I enjoyed the character building of the novel's 'villains' Julien and Rachelle and they were well established as characters to dislike (with good reasons).I think the relationship between Beau and Evie was lacking and could have had more scenes of vulnerabilities that helped create a deeper relationship. I couldn't understand why Evie went from hating Beau to kissing him. These characters needed a spark. I enjoyed the relationship between the Duke and Evie, this presented a different side to her character.

Evie's decision at the denouement emphasises her as a strong and female empowered character which is a great message for young female readers regarding having control of ones fate. Overall, the concept was nice and light-hearted with moments of tension. A good introduction to YA fiction and a female lead that is not swayed by pretty jewels and petticoats.

Described as Bridgerton meets She’s all That I knew this was going to be my kind of book, but also an entertaining read, I wasn’t wrong, it’s exactly what I was hoping for and the description spot on ! Bellgarde is an addictive story that I couldn’t put down. I loved the relationship between Evie and Beau, it was so lovely, full of chemistry, this is a wonderful debut and I’m so looking forward to more from Jamie Lilac

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was such an interesting read! I found myself so engrossed in the story, the characters had such incredible arcs, and I can't wait to follow this author's journey!

Bellegarde is described as 'She's all That' meets Bridgerton and that is exactly what it is, which is both its strength and it's weakness.

Take the exact plot and stock characters of 'She's All That' and put it into a pseudo regency era France, which is vaguely historical but also has modern views on dating and you have this very weird mish-mash. The story is pretty much lifted from 'She's all that' scene for scene, including some of the dialogue, which had this weird uncanny valley effect on me because I knew exactly what was going to happen next without even reading it. Some changes were made to make it fit a vaguely historical novel - but these didn't really make sense with each other - there were FF side relationships that were seemingly tolerated in a way they wouldn't have been for the time period they were set in (a better way to handle it can be seen in 'A Lady's guide to Scandal') even though the idea of a womans worth being defined by a man being a very big plot point and the dialogue was very much early 2000's teen movie which clashed with the setting. There was also absolutely no worries past the first meeting about the two protagonists being alone with each other.

The story was fleshed out a bit, with a poison pen gossip rag being a main driving force in the story and there being more suitors, but overall it basically was the story of 'She's All That' capitalising on the love for all things Bridgerton for the YA market.

That being said, it was an enjoyable fluffy read that I enjoyed but not one that I probably would reread.

3 stars.

Bellgarde was a beautiful story that i consumed within 24 hours - I absolutely adored the "she's all that" remake between Evie and Beau, their friendship/romance was magical and swoon-worthy. A phenomenal debut by Jamie, I can't wait to see what she brings us next.

A super fun and well written story. The characters were fun and fleshed out. It was a bit different to the many other historical romances coming out at the moment off the back of Bridgerton.

I not a big historical fan, but I know with the launch of Brigerton and Downtown Abbey things of this nature have become quite popular. I love the premise of this story and how it is like She’s All That mixed in with Brigerton. I’m so excited to acquire and share this book with our readers.the way it is written and the storyline def has me intrigued. I cannot wait!