When, at 23, Rachel Spencer experiences that agonizing sense of loss that comes when you realize who you are doesn’t quite match up with who you had planned to be in those dreams of youth, she decides to do something about it. So, while the symptoms are somewhat common of the twentysomethings of today, her remedy is anything but. She quits her job, gives up her apartment, applies to grad school, and hops on a plane to nanny in Paris, or Au Paris.

In her somewhat naïve outlook of this “new start on life,” she views her six week fling with Paris (and first-time nanny experience) as a vacation before the real work of establishing the life she had dreamed of. That may have been a slight underestimation, as she soon comes to realize: a new country; three children aged 14, 11, and 7; a language she has only high school encounters with; and a knack for less than responsible behavior (who needs maps or money?!). But, in true Rachel fashion (no pun intended), it all works out in the end.

Through this quirky and quick-witted adventure, Rachel certainly gets more than she bargained for. What is planned as a preamble to “the rest of her life” soon becomes the pinnacle of her search for self. Au Paris will capture your heart and soul as you experience the growth and reflection amidst the rollercoaster adventure of this American nanny in the far-off city of Paris. This feisty and often zany little memoir reads with the flair of chick lit – perhaps a new genre for this fabulous first time author?