The Key to Love by Betsy St.Amant

Heyo girls! Today I am going to be reviewing The Key to Love. This one was so weird for me because it wasn’t like, okay maybe it was. I don’t read a whole lot of romance books, so this one was out of my league and wow. It definitely mixed me up.

The only thing Bri Duval loves more than baking petit fours is romance. So much so, she’s created her own version of the famous Parisian lovelock wall at her bakery in Story, Kansas. She never expects it to go viral–or for Trek Magazine to send travel writer Gerard Fortier to feature the bakery. He’s definitely handsome, but Bri has been holding out for a love story like the one her parents had, and that certainly will not include the love-scorned-and-therefore-love-scorning Gerard.

Just when it seems Bri’s bakery is poised for unprecedented success, a series of events threaten not just her business but the pedestal she’s kept her parents on all these years. Maybe Gerard is right about romance. Or maybe Bri’s recipe just needs to be tweaked.

The Key to Love

The Characters

So I was laughing from page one. The naivety of Bri (Abrielle) was shocking and hilarious and at the same time, as the story progressed, she grew into a complex puddle of sickly sweet goo that you had to make sure turned out okay.

Gerard was so annoying to me until chapter three when we got to see him from Bri’s POV and everything that he pretended to be inside was just a shell of the actual Gerard. And I know they were gonna end up together so I was a little skeptical of where the story was even gonna go. Was it all gonna be about the bakery?!

Charles from Gerard’s POV. He was like all of us. Judging Charles but playing both sides. Hilarious.

The Plot

The plot line was a little slow starting out. I didn’t really know where it was going, what the point was. Was it all about losing or not losing the bakery? I knew that eventually Gerard would win Bri over and Bri would win him over. What was the point?

Well, come chapter 15 ish (I can’t remember anymore) there was PLOT TWIST and that’s when I saw where the thread was at! And I laughed and was devastated for her at the same time and yelled about last names. And then I grinned and kept reading. It was a good plot line with a satisfactory ending. I can’t say more without spoilers.

The Romance Part

So as I get older obviously my reading changes. And I know that if you were here from the very beginning of my blog there was hardly any romance. You have read me say over and over, I don’t read romances. And I don’t! I love a good book that has a solid plot line. This doesn’t mean it can’t have any romantic interest, but that can’t be the drive of the story (like it was in this one). So personally, would I recommend this book? If you’re over 16 and you’re not droppy over boys and obsessed with roses and rainbows and date nights, then you’re probably safe reading it. If you enjoy a funny cute romance book, you’re probably safe too. But if you find yourself filled with loneliness and longing and pain after reading or watching a romance, this probably isn’t for you. Even if you wanted to read it, it’s better to guard your heart.

Recently I came across a quote from Jana Duggar. She is one of my role models in glorifying God in her singleness. She said “Contentment is realizing that God has provided everything I need for my present happiness.”

That quote was pretty huge for me. God has given ME everything everything I need to be happy right now. Who am I to worry and cry and wonder where and when God will provide what I need to be happy? He already has! So I challenge you, Christian. Take those things God has provided you with and be happy!

The Content

There wasn’t much content in The Key to Love. The word “cr*p” was used twice. There was also talk about ones parents having an affair. Someone’s mom was thought to be abusing alcohol and went through multiple abusive relationships. There are also quite a few kissing scenes towards the end of the book. Three or four of them were semi-detailed. Two almost kisses with a lot of tension. But there was nothing sensual or inappropriate (other than that they weren’t married).

The Rating

I give this book 4 stars. Over all I enjoyed laughing through the whole thing and it was a sweet (sickly sweet) book. I got to yell about some parts with a friend of mine and that was fun. And it’s such a cute cover.

If you want to add it to your goodreads, you can do that here!

Thank you to Revell Books and Betsy St. Amant for a complimentary copy of The Key to Love! I enjoyed reading it. A positive review was not required and all opinions are my own!

What are your standards on reading romances? What do you think about Jana’s quote on contentment? Do you have you one you wanted to share? That’s something God is teaching me right now, so I’d love to hear what you have learned on the subject!

Read more book reviews by me here!