Paris for Two

• Paris for Two by Phoebe Stone on Amazon

Stories for young adults don't get any better than this! True to real life, historical flashbacks, insecurities at all ages, misunderstandings, family eccentricities and craziness, forgiveness, generosity—Paris for Two has it all.

The fam is in Paris for Dad the Flaubert scholar's sabbatical—somewhere it said year long, but events read more like spring semester. Main character Petunia Beanley – that at first I misread as "Beauley," probably because of Francophile Dad in a Parisian setting – has been crushing forever on schoolmate Windel Watson who by misfortune that in the end turns into good fortune also has come to Paris from the greater Boston area.

Phoebe Stone's characters all are that stereotypical "larger than life." So sorry about the Mom, who favors and coddles elder daughter Ava from a previous relationship, and who apparently is a gifted artist who can't find herself because she's socially and existentially lost on the wrong side of the vast Atlantic expanse. The apartment building's concierge shares a lot about and until the book's conclusion still spends much of her time reliving her World War !! mis-history; come to think of it, Collette may be the lynchpin of the entire narrative! Protagonist Petunia is creative, curious, enters her own sartorial creations in a fashion show … that ultimately leads to her winning Beau Windel. However, Petunia and Windel end up together not so much because of the runway, but because complicated circumstances subvert sisterly envies and jealousies into sisterly love that would do anything to delight her younger sister.

Read the book!

• My Amazon Review: Petunia and Windel