Colette International Series by Zelda French

One of them had a plan. The other was clueless. Together they will discover what love really is about.Guarded and studious, sixteen-year-old aspiring actor Zak favours being alone above all else… Except perhaps Alberto, the Italian god from Drama Club, with whom he’s secretly in love.When their drama teacher takes the club to the French countryside to shoot a short film, Zak decides to temporarily hang his introvert hat and joins the party, confident Alberto will be cast as his love interest... moreOne of them had a plan. The other was clueless. Together they will discover what love really is about.Guarded and studious, sixteen-year-old aspiring actor Zak favours being alone above all else… Except perhaps Alberto, the Italian god from Drama Club, with whom he’s secretly in love.When their drama teacher takes the club to the French countryside to shoot a short film, Zak decides to temporarily hang his introvert hat and joins the party, confident Alberto will be cast as his love interest.Only… By accident or by mistake, the beloved — and most likely overrated — star football player Eric is chosen to play Alberto’s part. But it cannot be! Zak hates everything about Eric. For starters, he’s not Alberto. Besides, he’s a straight jock, an impossible flirt who takes nothing seriously, and especially not Zak’s attempts to keep him at a distance.If he wants to be seen as the professional actor he always claimed to be, and still get the chance to impress Alberto, Zak must set aside his resentment and put up with Eric and his boisterous ways, at least until filming is over.But as time goes by, stuck in the middle of nowhere with the most popular boy at school, Zak quickly sees his opinion of Eric shift from sworn enemy to endearing new friend, and soon his feelings for him threaten to grow into something far more dangerous.His vulnerable and inexperienced heart only a small kiss away from being shattered, Zak will have to ask himself the right questions and undergo significant changes if he hopes to obtain true love at last.A story about friendship, self-awareness and the dangers of appearances, You're The One for Me is the second instalment in the Colette International Series, where students from an international high school in Paris navigate their tumultuous love lives. Though it isn't necessary to have read the first volume beforehand, it's still recommended to get the full reading experience. less

Be not inhospitable to – handsome – demons, lest they be angels in disguise. Two things are well-known about Alberto.One: he's gorgeous. Like it or not, like him or not, there's no debating that.Two: Alberto feels nothing and everyone constantly jokes about it. There isn't much else to say about him. He's a model and he's gay. He's soulless and he's vain. Or is it the opposite? No one knows for sure... moreBe not inhospitable to – handsome – demons, lest they be angels in disguise. Two things are well-known about Alberto.One: he's gorgeous. Like it or not, like him or not, there's no debating that.Two: Alberto feels nothing and everyone constantly jokes about it. There isn't much else to say about him. He's a model and he's gay. He's soulless and he's vain. Or is it the opposite? No one knows for sure.Floating about like a drifting cloud, Alberto likes minding his own business, but out of nowhere, an angry guy named Mathias charges into his life, demanding answers.Alberto doesn't have answers, he never did, but for once he's curious, and he has questions. And deep down he knows Mathias isn't the solution to his problems, but it doesn't matter, as long as he feels something.But here's the annoying thing with feelings: they can sneak up on you at the least opportune time ...Mathias is new in town and enrolled at Colette International due to unfortunate circumstances. His devotion to his family places him face to face with a puzzling equation, one he never thought he'd have to solve before.Now he's forced into the path of a schoolmate he particularly dislikes, and not without reasons. The only problem is, he can't seem to take his eyes, nor his hands, off him.He was promised a peaceful senior year after everything he went through. But Mathias already knows life is never that easy.And now he's in the thralls of an unfeeling demon.He looks so fine is a book about two young men's rediscovery of empowerment, communication and trust, about the lasting damages of trauma and the healing virtues of friendship.The seven-part story seeks to challenge the way we regard others as well as ourselves. Just like its two protagonists, the readers are made to look in the mirror and hopefully, come to realise they too deserve to be happy. Content Warning: Due to the presence of difficult themes, sexual content and other potentially upsetting scenes, this novel isn't intended for readers below the age of eighteen. (A full content-warning list can be found at the beginning of the book.) less

"The first time Alberto watched a revenge flick, he was so mesmerised; he discovered something about himself: if the retaliation in the second half of the movie was satisfactory enough, there was no amount of abuse he couldn’t stomach in the first half.Catharsis, he found out it was called.Alberto was fond of that word.Catharsis."After spending the Christmas holidays together, Mathias and Alberto return to school disenchanted, and convinced of the other’s indifference... more"The first time Alberto watched a revenge flick, he was so mesmerised; he discovered something about himself: if the retaliation in the second half of the movie was satisfactory enough, there was no amount of abuse he couldn’t stomach in the first half.Catharsis, he found out it was called.Alberto was fond of that word.Catharsis."After spending the Christmas holidays together, Mathias and Alberto return to school disenchanted, and convinced of the other’s indifference. When they both find themselves in detention, they decide to skip school together, consequences be damned. But as they are inexorably pulled toward each other, their personal demons are working their hardest to keep them apart. For good.♥Beautifully illustrated, He Looks So Part Two takes its time unravelling the two young men’s respective traumas and leading them to their inescapable climax.Asking difficult questions, the conclusion to Mathias and Alberto’s journey promises to be a heart-wrenching experience for the characters and readers alike.Due to its difficult themes, sexual content and potentially upsetting scenes, this book isn’t intended for readers below the age of 18.> less