Confessions of a Paris Party Girl (American in Paris)

Being a major Francophile myself, I am always thirsty for more Paris (and more French wine!) and Vicki Lesage's Confessions of a Paris Party Girl totally quenched my thirst. From late nights drinking at The Long Hop to living in (and learning to love) tiny Parisian apartments to navigating those oh-so-romantic Frenchmen, Vicki's lighthearted and humorous Parisian tales brought me right back to my days as a student in Paris and made me yearn for more. Vicki's writing is so personable and real that I felt like I was experiencing Paris with my best friend--a best friend who appreciates all the little things about life in France, even when some of those things aren't easy (hello French bureaucracy...!). But she makes the most out of all of her adventures in Paris, even the mishaps, and this made me love her even more. Vicki's story is an absolutely fabulous read for anyone who has that Paris itch that just won't go away or for anyone who has ever wondered what it's really like to live as an expat in the most magical city in the world.

Vicki Lesage, an American from St. Louis, Missouri, finds herself newly single at 25. When she loses her job in an IT company, she decides it is the perfect time to move to France and start over. As soon as she arrives, she relishes the delicious food and rich culture. However, she soon finds out that making new friends is not as easy as she thought and that life in Paris can be expensive. Dating is also a bit tricky when you barely speak the language. But there is nothing the self-described party girl can’t handle.In this memoir, Vicki Lesage relates with humor her experiences with French bureaucracy and the challenges of being a foreigner in France. From the hassle of shopping with a credit card to the difficulties of adapting to the French way of working, the author always stays positive and upbeat. In fact, her love of France is evident in the book in spite of the country’s idiosyncracies. Confessions of a Paris Party Girl is a fun and entertaining read. In addition, I love the beautiful cover design. The only negative comment I would have is that there are a few errors in French here and there, but this shouldn’t bother the non-French-speaking readers.Confessions of a Paris Party Girl was sent to me for free in exchange for an honest review.Please go to my blog, Cecile Sune - Bookobsessed, if you would like to read more reviews or discover fun facts about books and authors.

Moderately amusing memoir.

Just finished this book today and LOVED it! A great story of the love and frustration only an expat can feel. It brought me back to a summer spent backpacking through Europe (many, many years ago) and to a semester spent abroad two years later. I was nodding my head along with Vicki knowing just how wonderful and terrible it is to live so far away from home. It made me want to go back. Desperately. I felt like I'd met my travel soulmate (especially when she described her love of wine and cheese!) HA!A MUST read for anyone who's ever been to Paris or who would ever like to go to Paris. (So I think that pretty much means everyone!)I loved Vicki's confessions, self-depricating writing style and willingness to hold nothing back. At the risk of sounding cliche, this book was seriously laugh-out-loud funny!

I read the first chapter for free, bought the book immediately, and kept reading until I was finished, although I had plenty of other things that I was supposed to be doing. I was surprised that I liked it so much. I lived abroad for two years and love everything to do with Europe, but I'm not a “party girl” by any means (and I was always annoyed at the Americans who were). But Vicki's style is so fun and engaging that I was happy to experience France alongside her, parties and all.I like how the book is organized. The plot progresses steadily from Vicki's first days in Paris as she gradually gets her bearings in her new country, while at the same time, specific themes are presented in each chapter (crazy people in the Metro, for example). I never got bored. If anything, I would have liked to know more about why Vicki decided to stay in Paris after the first few months. The transition between that summer and her having lived in Paris for three years seemed a bit sudden. But when my main critique is that I wanted to hear more of a lovely story, it means the book was good. I will purchase the sequel as soon as it comes out.

Oh how I wish the author's trials and tribulations in France didn't ring so true! But France is France--one of the most impossibly frustrating and impossibly lovely countries in the world--and life here is never simple but never boring.This is a fun memoir that I gulped down in two hours. Vicki has a wonderfully chatty voice, though at times it veered a bit too informal for my taste. Reading this book was like talking with another expat friend over a pint of Kronenbourg. Miserable appointments to the immigration office followed by "strip! and take a lung selfie!"? Been there. French people wrinkling their noses asking, "Vous préférez que je parle en anglais, Mademoiselle?" Been there. Charming, self-assured Frenchies with zero knowledge of American geography who become your new BFFs over the course of a Friday night and numerous bottles of wine? Been there.Alongside her fantastically recounted stories of French life, Vicki gave me encouragement that this whole France thing works out even in the darkest moments. This is a terrific ode to an exasperating country. For any expat, it will remind you why you persist on living here even when the Sécurité Sociale asks you to submit your birth certificate (apostilled, officially translated, and no less than 6 months old, of course!) for the fourth time in four months. For any Francophile considering a séjour in France, it will convince you to give it a try, but caution you about the inevitable struggles you'll encounter. A funny, happy, and informative read!

Quelques réalités de la vie parisienne: une vision intelligente et amusante avec une mise en évidence de choses que l'on ne remarque même plus au quotidien...Tout cela mené par une jeune femme dynamique et positive qui donne le sourire à chaque ligne...Un anglais facile à lire, à comprendre ou à deviner pour ceux et celles qui hésiteraient, et cela sans tomber dans le stéréotype des livres sur la France et les Français ;)Et mieux que tout: un Happy Ending qui donne envie!

I loved this book and read it from cover to cover in a couple of days. Having lived in Paris for a couple of years myself I could relate to so much of the frustrations with the french bureaucracy that Vicki came across. Also the language barrier and some Parisian bad attitude - Believe me nothing is easy in this City!! She is to be admired to have gone there alone and to have made a life for herself there. She obviously loves this City with all its barriers and difficulties!! It is laugh aloud funny and I look forward to her next book with her detailed and hilarious escapades in this City.

I enjoyed reading this book and thought it gave a good portrayal of how it must be to up sticks and move abroad. I would recommend reading this book I found it a light hearted warming read. Hoping the author gets a cup cake for this review 😉

Vicki is a young American full of dreams and ambition. She decides to move to Paris when she loses her job. Her adventures in the city of lights are hilarious and full of surprises. Her struggle with French men, love, work and bureaucracy made me laugh out loud, I could not pu it down before I was done with it !

Just awful...like the most mundane descriptions of Parisian life you can imagine....having lived in a few countries and written about them; I would never go into a full fledged description of buying groceries and getting change..etc...no one cares...gawd...I didn't even finish this book which is a no no for me and the fact that I am writing a review about a book I didn't finish seems wrong too but I just hope to save someone 7$ and would like to recommend if you like travel literature...to buy a Paul Theroux book...this is a trashy travel book for "homebody susie" sipping cheap chardonnay dreaming about Bob taking her to Paris someday---but he never takes her.