Review: The Art of French Kissing, by Kristin Harmel

After being dumped by her fiancé and losing her job as publicist at Boy Bandz Records, Emma Sullivan has nowhere to turn. Out of the blue, her friend Poppy calls from Paris with the opportunity of a lifetime: to come to France and become the publicist for famed rockstar Guillaume Riche. It turns out that Guillaume has a penchant for getting into trouble—including hanging upside down from a rope thirteen stories up in the air. Adding to Emma’s trouble is reporter Gabe, who she finds herself attracted to. As an antidote to Emma’s dating woes, Poppy suggests going out and dating, not seriously, French men. Hence the title!

At first, the story seems formulaic, but it really picks up when Emma gets to Paris. Harmel really knows Paris well, and it shows in this novel (so much so, that there’s a guide to Emma’s Paris in the back of the book). It’s a light, frothy tale, one that hardly seems realistic at times—but we don’t go to chick lit for reality. Some of the characters seem wooden, and Guillaume’s antics get old after a while. Harmel had the chance to really infuse this story with humor, which she failed to do at times. Also, the ending was a bit predictable and cheesy. But all in all, reading this book was a fun, non-serious way to spend an afternoon. And the cover is gorgeous.

Also reviewed by: Booking Mama