After a year full of turmoil, and much confusion, fifteen-year-old Constance de Bellechasse (aka Connie Pickles) feels as if she has finally overcome the hurdles and obstacles blocking her lifestyle, and is ready to embark on a new chapter in her life, full of fresh starts. Her first point of business, having the best time imaginable in Paris !
Connie Pickles didn't think it would happen, but somehow her mother scraped together enough money to send Connie to Paris along with the rest of her classmates, on a school exchange program that could, quite possibly, change her life forever. Gone will be the offbeat girl everyone knows and loves, and in her place will be a sophisticated, black-wearing young adult who will steal hearts every time she walks into the room. But even better than changing her image is the fact that she'll finally get to meet her grandparents - people her mother has been keeping from her since before she was even born - and distance herself from the tumultuous William/Delilah/Connie love triangle. Connie needs time to think, and constantly having to see William and Delilah suck face is hindering her thought processes. Besides, Connie is hoping for a Parisian love connection that will make William nothing more than a thought of the past. But then she arrives in Paris , and everything is one disaster after another. The family that she's staying with is crazier than her own; she's the object of an obnoxious Parisian boys affection; her grandparents either refuse to see her, or haven't been getting her messages; and Delilah has arrived just in time to surprise her, and is spending far too much time with Connie's best friend, Julie - an individual who is supposed to loathe the mere sight of Delilah. Connie thought that Paris would be a life-changing experience; instead, it's working to bring on more potential embarrassment, humiliation, and heartbreak than she ever could have expected.
I fell in love with Connie Pickles after reading CROSS YOUR HEART, CONNIE PICKLES, and that love still burns brightly even after completing BON VOYAGE, CONNIE PICKLES. Unlike many other diary books on the market, Sabine Durrant gives Connie Pickles a voice that is true, relatable, and irresistible. Life is not all fun and games, or full of riches and splendor for Connie Pickles; instead, she must cope with financial hardships, helping her mother take care of Connie's younger siblings, and dealing with other stressors that make Connie come off as a real friend. Her ability to muddle the different situations that arise in her life are humorous; and the relationship she shares with those around her - from Julie to Delilah, and William to her mother - are quite interesting, and oftentimes share soap opera qualities that make you eager to learn more. Like reading a note from your best friend!
Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer