Rosie Radeke firmly believes that happiness can be found at the bottom of a mixing bowl. But she never expected that she, a random nobody from East Liberty, Ohio, would be accepted to celebrity chef Denis Laurent’s school in Paris, the most prestigious cooking program for teens in the entire world. Life in Paris, however, isn’t all cream puffs and crepes. Faced with a challenging curriculum and a nightmare professor, Rosie begins to doubt her dishes.

Henry Yi grew up in his dad’s restaurant in Chicago, and his lifelong love affair with food landed him a coveted spot in Chef Laurent’s school. He quickly connects with Rosie, but academic pressure from home and his jealousy over Rosie’s growing friendship with gorgeous bad-boy baker Bodie Tal makes Henry lash out and push his dream girl away.

Desperate to prove themselves, Rosie and Henry cook like never before while sparks fly between them. But as they reach their breaking points, they wonder whether they have what it takes to become real chefs.

I’m a huge fan of books that include cooking, boarding schools, and Paris (or anything French!), so naturally, I was immediately interested in this book when I first saw it.  I’m very glad I picked it up and that it didn’t sit on my shelf too long before I decided to read it (as most of my books do). Another fun element this book includes is that there are characters from all parts of the world!

This book follows two teens from America who are selected to attend a prestigious cooking school in Paris, along with 18 other students.  Both are determined to prove to themselves and their families that this is what they are meant to do.  Along the way they both encounter obstacles in both the kitchen and their personal lives that could determine whether they stay in Paris for the spring semester or not.

Overall, Love á la Mode is super sweet and filled with just enough fluff that it doesn’t overwhelm you.  I also enjoyed that I loved not only the main characters, Henry and Rosie, but also the majority of the secondary characters – Yumi, Priya, Marquis, and Hampus.  I actually wish there had been just a touch more of them, or that they each get spin-offs!

4.75/5 stars