Love Requires Chocolate

Love in Translation #1

by Ravynn K. Stringfield

Whitney Curry is primed to have an epic semester abroad. She’s created the perfectitinerary and many, many to-do lists after collecting every detail possible about Paris, France. Thus, she anticipates a grand adventure filled with vintage boutiques, her idol Josephine Baker’s old stomping grounds, and endless plays sure to inspire the ones she writes and—ahem—directs!

But all is not as she imagined when she’s dropped off at her prestigious new Parisian lycée. A fish out of water, Whitney struggles to juggle schoolwork, homesickness, and mastering the French language. Luckily, she lives for the drama. Literally.

Cue French tutor Thierry Magnon, a grumpy yet très handsome soccer star, who’s determined to show Whitney the real Paris. Is this type-A theater nerd ready to see how lessons on the City of Lights can turn into lessons on love?

Genres: Romance, Young Adult, Contemporary, Young Adult Romance, Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Audiobook

288 pages, Paperback

First published August 20, 2024

About the author

Ravynn K. Stringfield is a Virginia-based author. Ravynn's debut YA romance novel, LOVE REQUIRES CHOCOLATE, will be published from Joy Revolution on August 20, 2024. Her sophomore novel, LOVE IN 280 CHARACTERS OR LESS, is forthcoming from Feiwel and Friends on April 15, 2025. In addition to novels, Stringfield has written and published short fiction, personal essays and blogs, particular on her 6 year blog project, Black Girl Does Grad School. Her fiction can be found in Voyage YA Journal and midnight & indigo, and her personal essays can be found in Catapult Magazine. At Catapult, Stringfield wrote the column "Superhero Girlfriends Anonymous." She also holds a Ph.D. in American Studies from William & Mary.

Reviews

[nikki | ཐི༏ཋྀ​​݁ ₊ ݁ . · Rating 4 out of 5]

emily in paris with chocolate and an appreciation for josephine baker

rating: 3.5

though it had cute moments and made me miss paris, i really would've liked more focus on the academics and her piece. i felt like there could've been more information about josephine baker interweaved in as well as connection or insight from her piece. it felt like alot of the book was planning on the fmc's part.

[kimberly ☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

oh my goodness this was the absolute cutest YA romance ever!! omg i’m so happy i read this! so so soooo adorable

[Holly Genovese · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book!!!! The setting, the detail (outfits, food, everything), the history of Josephine Baker sprinkled in was all SO GOOD. And I love Whitney’s love of journals and photos and a good fit. Can’t wait for love in 280!!!!

[Mava (Taylor's version) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totalnie przepadłam dla tej historii , jest taka urocza I jednocześnie tak bardzo piękna, Autorka idealnie wciągnęła nas do życia w Paryżu, oficjalnie chce przeżyć przygodę jak główna bohaterka i znaleźć swojego zrzędliwego lektora francuskiego 🤝🏻💌

[Ksia_zkowe Oliwia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Czy da się nie zakochać w mieście zakochanych?

Przedstawiam Wam mój dumny matronat - książkę, która jest tak lekka, urocza i słodka, że spokojnie możecie pochłonąć ją w jeden wieczór.
Gdy dostałam propozycję objęcia jej patronatem medialnym od wydawnictwa i zaczęłam czytać - poczułam, że w tamtym momencie właśnie takiej książki potrzebowałam. I mam nadzieję, że niejedna osoba gdy po nią sięgnie, poczuje to samo.

Mamy naszą główną, amerykańską bohaterkę Whitney, która wszystko ma zaplanowane - nawet to, że nie znajdzie czasu w swoim życiu na miłość w Paryżu.
Na szkolnej wymianie w mieście miłości, planuje rozwijać siebie, a przy okazji zwiedzać najpiękniejsze miejsca ze swojej listy. Od pierwszego momentu jest zauroczona tym, co zastaje, jednak po przekroczeniu progu szkoły… nic nie idzie po jej myśli.
Współlokatorki zdają się nie być zadowolone jej obecnością, a chłopak, lektor, który ma wprowadzić dziewczynę w paryski klimat - jeszcze bardziej.
Jednak jego pojawienie się, ciągnie za sobą wiele innych rzeczy, których dziewczyna się nie spodziewa.
I uczuć…

Czy w Paryżu wszyscy naprawdę ubierają się na czarno?
Ulice są brukowane serem, winem i czekoladą?
Ludzie mają seksowny akcent?
Wszyscy wiecznie się całują?
Jest to idealne miejsce dla wielbicieli kultury?
To właśnie tu wynaleziono romansowanie?
I chyba najważniejsze…
Czy po ulicach faktycznie niesie się obietnica wielkiej miłości?

Jeśli lubicie serial Emily w Paryżu - ta książka również jest dla Was. Po moim opisaniu historii myślę, że część osób mogła sobie to nawet z tym skojarzyć. I bardzo dobrze! Tu również otrzymacie rozterki, tęsknotę za domem, bohaterkę, która ma problemy z językiem i przede wszystkim świetną komedię romantyczną!

I wiecie co jeszcze ta książka ze sobą wniosła do mojego życia? Oprocz niesamowicie słodko spędzonego czasu - CHĘĆ ZOBACZENIA PARYŻA! Ja też chcę to wszystko przeżyć!
Jest tak przyjemnie napisana, że czujemy się jakbyśmy razem z Whitney przemierzali Paryskie uliczki i podziwiali razem z nią okolicę - do tego stopnia, że naprawdę chce się to zrobić… 🩷

Współpraca matronacka z @wydawnictwojaguar dziękuję!
#miłośćiczekolada #bookstagram #recenzja #recenzjaksiążki

[rosy]

⋆｡°✩ dnf ⤵

soft dnf. just not in the mood for this rn

⋆｡°✩ pre-read ⤵

so ready for a cute parisian romance... this one looks so good, i'm excited to start!

[Gabrielle (belle.bookcorner) · Rating 4 out of 5]

“He wasn’t on the list.
Well, Whit, the best things in life usually aren’t.”

If you’re looking for a simple and quick YA grumpy x sunshine romance then this one might be for you!

I really like the easy to read writing style, I love the way the author can describes some of the places mentioned vividly which makes me feel like I’m in Paris.

I adore the grumpy x sunshine trope from this story.
I love seeing Whitney and Thierry relationship slowly changes to something more as they spend more time together. Whitney definitely has her own unique way to melt Thierry’s cold heart! Absolutely adore them both!

I also like getting to know more about Black history in Paris especially about Whitney’s idol – Josephine Baker which I’m not familiar with before reading this book.

Overall, this is such a cute and entertaining read. I devoured this sweet romance in just one day!
I’m looking forward to read more books by this author in the future!

Thank you to TBR and Beyond Tour, Netgalley, author and publisher for giving me an e-ARC of the book and for having me on this book tour. I’m leaving this review voluntarily!

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful read following our FMC Whitney as she studies abroad in Paris, falls in love, introduces said love to her families mac and cheese, and love to geek out over Josephine Baker. I will say, I found Whitney annoying at the start of the book, but that’s the point I learned. She grows as a person and truthfully, we are all annoying at some point as teenagers lol. (I’m pretty sure they’re teenagers, but I can’t remember the exact ages don’t tell at me)

This was such lovely and sweet read though. Thierry and Whitney were so endearing and cute, & they had excellent chemistry, I just adored them. So, if you’re in the mood for something light hearted, sweetly romantic, I highly recommend this!

*huge thanks to PRH Audio for ALC in exchange for my honest review*

[Mati · Rating 4 out of 5]

KOCHAMMM TE MŁODZIEŻÓWKĘ!!
Naprawdę świetnie bawiłam się przy tej książce🫶🏻
Uwielbiam główną bohaterkę- Whitney Curry, która została pięknie scharakteryzowana.
Kilmat Francji, który towarzyszył mi w trakcie czytania był cudowny<3
„Miłość i czekolada”, to lekka młodzieżówka dzięki której, będziecie podróżować po pięknych zakątkach Paryża, zobaczycie oblicze prawdziwej przyjaźni, a także udowodni Wam ona, że pomimo wielu trudności warto spełniać swoje marzenia<3

[Norchelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book review: Love Requires Chocolate 💝🍫🥐🇫🇷🎭

⭐️⭐️💫/5

First of all, thank you NetGalley and Random House Children for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy this book and struggled to get through the story.

This was a short, ya romance read about Whitney Curry, an aspiring actress who goes to an international arts school for a semester abroad in Paris to pursue her dreams. Whitney seems to be researching and writing a one-woman play on the late singer/dancer, Josephine Baker, and while she’s there, she’s given a French tutor who she eventually falls for, Thierry Magnon.

Although the entire plot of the book seems to revolve around her play and her dreams of it succeeding, a lot of it focuses on her bucket list for Paris that Thierry helps her with. But while they’re venturing around France, I couldn’t connect with the characters at all and I didn’t feel any chemistry between them. Sure, there were some cute moments, but their relationship only ever seemed to skim the surface.

And I usually live for grumpy x sunshine tropes, but honestly, I thought the fmc was so annoying. Maybe it’s because she’s young, but she seemed so self-absorbed and self-centered throughout the book and her interactions with the other characters, and I couldn’t stand it. Thierry was also just giving ✨ nothing ✨ other than being a grump and a chocolatier.

Not only that, but her play is hardly ever discussed other than it being said that it’s her school project. The plot fell flat for me since it never seemed like it dove into anything it talked about 🫠

[willow · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars for this chocolate delight of a book.

Premise: Whitney heads off to Paris for a semester abroad at an art school where she is going to stay FOCUSED and develop her one-woman theater performance of the life of Josephine Baker. NO romantic distractions WHATSOEVER.

Ahem. Well Thierry, the love interest, was super adorable and I can't blame Whitney for falling for him!! Thierry and Whitney were full of personality. This book in general had great Black representation and I especially loved learning a bit more about Josephine Baker, Whitney's idol.

I gave this three stars mostly because I wanted more of things. I wanted more of Whitney's friendship with her roommates; I wanted more academics; I wanted a tiny bit more loneliness and angst from Whitney as she tries to settle into Paris. No spoilers, but I wanted the climax of the novel to be handled differently.

Despite all that, this was a cute read. And full of chocolate.

thanks so much to netgalley for this arc!

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute YA romance featuring an American in Paris studying abroad who falls for a local. This was good on audio and PERFECT for fans of the show, Emily in Paris. Not a super standout read but it was still entertaining and sure to delight young tweenage readers. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review. I'm excited to see what happens next in this new series!

[Kathleen Kolling · Rating 1 out of 5]

The main character, Whitney, is very one-dimensional and painful to read about. She’s like a hyper Golden Retriever puppy. 1/4 of the way into the book and there still wasn’t any tension or obstacles to overcome. I couldn’t keep reading.

[౨ৎ elsie ⋆｡˚ · Rating 2 out of 5]

to prawie bylo dobre ale nke bylo

[zaczytajka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Przeuroczy romans, nieco schematowy, lecz Paryż wszystko wynagradza! Idealna książka dla fanów „Pocałunki i croissanty" oraz „Każdego lata płakałam".

[Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me feel so connected to my inner teen on so many different levels. For one, I am a former Black girl theatre kid. I can't remember another time I got to read a book with a protagonist like that, and it made me feel so seen and brought back so many memories of being young, talented, and very intense. I love Whitney Curry for that! And of course, the other major way I felt connected to my inner teen was the shipping. Whitney and Thierry reminded me a lot of the couples I shipped as a teen—but in a better way. I always loved the antagonistic couples that had a little back and forth, that weren't just immediate sweethearts as soon as they met. Whitney and Thierry gave me that but without the toxicity that I often look back on as an adult. I was kicking my feet and giggling and squealing throughout. I love this book but know I would've loved it even more had it been out when I was a teen.

[Rich in Color is now on StoryGraph]

ARC via publisher

Having been to Paris a few years ago and fell in love with the city myself, I was so excited to read this novel because after all…Paris is the City of Love. And like Whitney, when I first went I had the fantasy of Paris and quickly learned about the real Paris (not that it was bad…I’m still in love with the city). I feel like Ravynn Stringfield captured this feeling perfectly through Whitney’s experience as she arrived all sunshine and full of expectation, but soon learns about the difference between fantasy and reality.

I will admit that at first Whitney’s character kind of annoyed me. She is very “high-maintenance” in that she is overly cheerful, has a set list of expectations for her stay in Paris, and does come on a bit strong to folks as she’s very over-eager. This behavior got on my nerves but then I reminded myself that Whitney is on a journey and the point of the story. Throughout her friendship and eventual relationship with Thierry, she learns to be open to new experiences that are not a set list and to view the world in absolutes. She had a list of places she wanted to visit, all touristy places (which there is nothing wrong with), but Theirry shows her the real Paris and those interactions are where Whitney begins to understand that there is so much more to Paris than the city in her fantasies. It is a thriving city with real people living real complicated lives. She branches out of her bubble and really begins to live in Paris rather than be an extended tourist. One of my favorite moments is when she realizes she has to refresh her braids and she uses the network of friends she’s made among Black Parisians. Having an experience that is so much like home really hits for Whitney what the true city of Paris is.

Love Requires Chocolate is of course a romance and I would be remiss if I didn’t write about the romance in the story. It is a nice slow build because Whitney is resistant to wanting to start a relationship with Theirry because she’s there to focus on her senior project and her time in Paris is limited. As Theirry encourages her to try new experiences, her heart opens to him and when they finally admit they feel something for each other, it really is sweet at chocolate. I liked Theirry as a character and he was a great balance for Whitney as he was a little more laid back but had his own issues that Whitney helped him through as well. I really liked them as a couple and hope to see glimpses of them in the upcoming novels.

[vlogaski_sloneczka · Rating 5 out of 5]

RECENZJA „MIŁOŚĆ I CZEKOLADA”! 🩷✨

Piszę tą recenzję kilka sekund po jej skończeniu. Była to chyba moja pierwsza książka z „slow burnem” i mimo, że fabuła była bardzo opóźniona, nie żałuję jej przeczytania. Bohaterowie byli wykreowani przeciętnie. Nie było ich też za dużo + imiona nie były do siebie podobne dlatego łatwo było się odnaleźć. Niestety to wykreowanie pozostawało wiele do życzenia. Do tej pory nie potrafiłabym wymienić trzech cech wyglądu głównych bohaterów, ale to może wina mojej pamięci złotej rybki. Jak już mówiłam fabuła była dosyć wolna. Chociaż myślę, że dało to uroku tej książce. Jest to zdecydowanie książka na jeden wieczór ponieważ ma 300 stron + wiele wypychaczy ( np.: listy głównej bohaterki ) + dosyć duże rozpoczęcia rozdziałów. Nie mówię, że to źle, ja wręcz lubię krótkie książki. Sama opowieść była ewidentnie dla czytelników 12+ - nie miała przekleństw ( co u mnie jest plusem ) no i styl pisania autorki był ewidentnie pod młodzież. Nie zabrakło plot twistów. Był jeden bombowy, na którym po prostu zamknęłam książkę i bałam się czytać dalej. Był również jeden moment, na którym skakałam z radości! 🤭🫶🏼 Podobało mi się tutaj to, w jaki sposób rozwijała się relacja naszej „książkowej parki”! Było to wolne, ale totalnie przesłodkie! Jednak dam tu 4,25/5 ⭐️ ponieważ minusem była fabuła. To wszystko z mojej strony i dziękuję wydawnctwu za egzemplarz do recenzji! ✨

ps.: ta książka zachęciła mnie do nauki francuskiego 🤭🫶🏼 kto wie? może i ja znajdę swojego Thierry’ego? 🤭🫶🏼

4,25/5 ⭐️

{ współpraca barterowa @wydawnictwojaguar }

[kim baccellia · Rating 5 out of 5]

What worked: Warm, engaging story of a Black teen whose love of Paris and Josephine Baker leads her to the city where she finds along the way just how enchanting the city really is.

I really loved this romance. Whitney Curry's enthusiasm and love of Paris is a refreshing treat. Her tale feels like drinking a warm cup of Le chocolat chaud and chatting with your friends. Whitney is not only excited about going to an exclusive school in Paris to work on her senior thesis on Josephine Baker, but tries to capture each day by visiting known landmarks, which include the yummy chocolates and macarons. She's kind of like a teen Emily of Paris but with more heart.

Stringfield does a great job weaving in facts about Josephine Baker and her impact on Paris.

The romance between her and cute French tutor Thierry builds into one that is believable as he opens Whitney's eyes to the hidden treasures of the city.

Stringfield does a great job of showing Paris through the eyes of Whitney. Even when she's disillusioned by some aspects-Thierry's ex for one-her determination carries her through.

Lush descriptions, great dialogue, and a very engaging diverse protagonist had me glued to the pages. A fun, light romance set in Paris. What isn't there to love?

Original post:https://www.yabookscentral.com/love-r...

[Hristinaaa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Literally one star for its cute cover.
I wanted this to be so good and I pushed myself to read because of the premise and the male lead but it's actually bad
The story progressed so slowly and I got second hand embarrassment so much

[eva · Rating 5 out of 5]

kocham kocham kocham
thierry my beloved

[Madeline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so cute, it was like a young Emily in Paris with some black girl magic. It was very funny and somewhat educational. I’m currently craving chocolate and booking my flight to Paris. 💕🍫🫶🏽

[book.x.Lena · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐️
ZNALAZŁAM MOJA NOWĄ KSIĄŻKOWĄ MIŁOŚĆ💕🙏
Polecam dosłownie WSZYSTKIM, a szczególnie fanom ,,pocałunki i croissanty”, ,,bliźniaczy płomień” i ,,11 papierowych serc”.

[Toni · Rating 3 out of 5]

okay so this MIGHT be the first YA I've read all year. got the recommendation from TikTok and didn't hate it. on a scale of YA romance i really liked it. now taking it to my list of romances as a whole not one of my favorites. something about under developed YA or romance in general doesn't do it for me. as i was reading this i was really craving fantasy, but also reading multiple books at once and as i have learned that turns out not to work for me more times than not. i was happy that this was on the shorter side, i think more pages would've allowed for more details but at the same time the way it's written in current state anything longer would've annoyed me.


what i liked: you know...i actually liked Whitney! old me would've thought she was annoying but hello she's in high school, i expect her to be a little immature. i liked how dramatic she is, i was definitely getting first hand embarrassment when she walked into her room day one. i like how energetic and star-studded she is. i thought the romance was cute a nice enemies to lovers plot.

what i didn't like: really overall the story lacked depth. some things that were mentioned once, i would've liked to explore more. things like their backgrounds, Thierry's dad (did he die?) i feel like we didn't get a full explanation of what happened to him or their relationship. Whitney's grandmother's and then mom's relationship. i did feel very distant from the extended family. even though we're in Paris i would've liked them to have been a bigger part of the story. even her final performance as Josephine seemed a little lackluster for me. there also could've been more details about their world, and how they integrate or work past racial struggles (i thought the braiding hair scene was good, but even getting more representation through Monsieur Laurent felt one and done).

[Zaczytana Martix · Rating 5 out of 5]

𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐙𝐉𝐀

𝐓𝐲𝐭𝐮𝐥: 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐜 𝐢 𝐜𝐳𝐞𝐤𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐝𝐚
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐫: 𝐑𝐚𝐯𝐲𝐧𝐧 𝐊. 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝
𝐖𝐲𝐝𝐚𝐰𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐰𝐨: 𝐉𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐫
𝐌𝐨𝐣𝐚 𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐚: 5/5 ☆

𝐖𝐬𝐩𝐨́𝐥𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐤𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐰𝐚 𝐳 wydawnictwem Jaguar

Jest to słodka, romantyczna historia o amerykance która przyjeżdza tu do liceum i poznaje francuza który okazuje się być jej lektorem.
Nie oczekiwałam od tej książki w sumie to nic. Podeszłam do niej z nastawieniem że będę się na niej super bawić i poczuje klimat Paryża. I tak też się stało. Już od samego początku byłam zakochana w tej cudownej historii.
Książka była bardzo urocza i zarazem komfortowa. Moim marzeniem odkąd pamiętam jest pojechać do paryża ale niestety mogę się zadowalać jedynie książkami w którym ktoś żyje moim wymarzonym życiem. Bo kto by nie chciał w paryżu poznać swoją miłość życia? No myśle że każdy by chciał. Jeśli powiesz mi że książka ma motyw paryża to będę pierwszą osobą która ją kupi.
Historia tych bohaterów jest bardzo urocza i lekka. Oczywiście mimo tych określeń nie może zabraknąć również łamiąca serca. Nawet nie da się policzyć ile razy przeżywałam załamiania ale zaraz byłam happy bo jednak wszystko się ułożyło :))
Przepadłam dla Thierra zdecydowanie. W jego zachowaniu nie ma nic toksycznego przez co jest chodzącą green flagą!!! I przy okazji jest totalnym słodziakiem.
Myśle że zdecydowanie musicie przeczytać tą książkę jeśli lubicie motyw paryża!! Na pewno nie raz wróce do tej historii!!

[Jaimes_Mystical_Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good young adult romance. I enjoyed following main character Whitney as she experienced a semester abroad. I loved the Paris setting as it’s a place I’ve always wanted to visit. This book had a lot of cute moments and overall was an enjoyable read.

Read this if you like:

📖 Grumpy/Sunshine
�� Paris Settings
📖 Sweet Romance

Thank you to @joyrevbooks for the gifted book.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5
This was a fun, clean YA romance...and in Paris! It made me look up Josephine Baker and learn a little about her, which was interesting. Would have been 4 stars except that for all the over confidence and go-to attitude of Whitney - she decides to leave Paris and throw it all away after one little tiff with Thierry? It was kind of annoying from that point on.

[phoenix_of_culture · Rating 4 out of 5]

fajny i lekki romans, klimat Paryża tylko na plus jak dla mnie

[zagubiona w fikcji · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'M SO IN LOVE

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful read. I would highly recommend this book, especially if you have a desire to travel, live life away from home, and find love with a new city, food, and someone special.