I was sent this book through NetGalley. My ratings and reviews will be my own personal opinions and are in no way influenced by publishers or authors who may have sent me books to review.

Historical Fiction tends to be hit or miss for me. Sometimes it will work and others I just can't seem to get into it. I was so happy that The Paris Seamstress was in the latter. I loved this.

I loved that the main character, Estella, heads to the United States and is following her dreams. You will a love interest and learn about family secrets along the way that ended up keeping me interested the whole story.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one and recommend picking it up if you love historical fiction.

In the early 1940s, Estella, in her early 20s, is sent away by her mother to the United States when the Germans are coming close to Paris. Estella takes with her the knowledge of Paris fashion, how to design, and how to sew. In 2015, Estella is in her late 90s and lives in New York City. Her son has recently died, and she has a very close relationship with her granddaughter, Fabienne. Fabienne hasn’t heard her family’s story. In fact, much of Estelle’s own family history was a surprise to her when she arrived in New York in the 40s.

I really liked this. I got caught up in it early on, and I was kept wanting to read to find out. I don’t feel like there were many twists, but I thought the secrets were unraveled very nicely. One thing that did come as a surprise to me was in the author’s note about what events were historically true.

It's 1940 and Estella Bissette is fleeing France, one suitcase, a sewing machine and pain in her heart as she leaves her mother behind in Paris. Taking the last boat that leaves for America, she is bound for Manhattan. Her dream to become a fashion designer leads her down many roads, with many doors closed to her. We read as Estella creates her world as a fashion designer, starting out with nothing and overcoming the obstacles that stand in her way as she establishes Stella Designs. However, it is the pain of leaving her country and her beloved mother that hurts the most.

In 2015, her granddaughter Fabienne Bissette arrives in Manhattan to attend the Met Gala celebrating her grandmother's fashion design. Inheriting Estella's fashion house, Fabienne is very sensitive about stepping into her grandmother's footsteps lacking the confidence to do so. Along with that, having found out some details of her family's past, she has questions of her own regarding Estella's secrets.

More than anything this book is about relationships. How damage can be done between the two sexes, and how their lives and love evolve between one another, how love is taken for granted, how hurt builds up and pain takes over. Sometimes it takes a lifetime for that pain to ease, sometimes it never does.

This book is set up with dual time periods and layers of drama, love, heartache and war time espionage. There were those who risked their lives to help the resistance, to help servicemen who were wounded and needed help to escape the Germans. And behind this setting, the life of Estella Bissette is played out. We see her as a strong, confident woman even at the worst of times. We go down the road with her to find out her family's secrets, painful and numbing as they were. Will both women overcome the heartache of the past as the door eventually opens for them?

Ms. Lester's writing is outstanding, as is her research for this novel. I am so thankful to have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve been waiting breathlessly to read THE PARIS SEAMSTRESS and thrilled to finally receive a review copy. Natasha Lester’s lush language and sweeping story from 1940 France to the present captivates from page one. If I could give this wonderful story of two brave women set across generations 10 stars, I gladly would. Most highly recommended!

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.

#TheParisSeamstress #NetGalley

I loved this historical fiction! Deeply moving, with characters you just want to be friends wth, the evocative writing and keen attention to detail had me hooked. Such a good book!

Available September 18, 2018: The Paris Seamstress

***** 5 stars, Loved it and stayed up all night reading: The Paris Seamstress is a romantically charged, multi-generational story of two women and their modern day and WWII lives.



Recommended readers:

If you like novels with WWII history and drama
If you want an action-packed, historical read
If you like strong female characters
Here's my Rankings:

5/5 for characters
5/5 for plot
5/5 overall
REVIEW FROM BOOKS FOR HER:
The Paris Seamstress is amazing. Estella, who grew up with a seamstress mother, is on her way to New York alone to start new as a designer fleeing German rule in pre WWII France. There’s so much to love in this dual plotline story – and you’ll love all the characters you meet along the way, especially the strong women who learn to love in their different ways. Excellent storytelling, combined with some amazing characters, made this one of my favorites reads of the year. My favorite genre is historical fiction and romance – and the combination of current day romance with WWII historical fiction is one of my favorites.

I read The Paris Seamstress right after an intense and somewhat heartbreaking The Dutch Wife, also set during World War II – so I loved the bittersweet flare that Natasha Lester brought to the era. With some historical facts that are fascinating, Lester weaves a tale of love, loss and overcoming challenges.

Available this September 18, 2018: The Paris Seamstress

The Paris Seamstress is the first book of Natasha Lester’s that I’ve had the pleasure of reading, and it definitetly won’t be the last. This book was beautifully written and the character’s have such rich history! The book is about two really strong women, two different generation’s, and the secrets that can bring them together or tear them apart. Natasha’s style of writing flows easily, and the storyline and love story had me hooked early on. I was worried with all the names and time periods it would get a little confusing, but the chapters are separated by time periods and was so well written I never found myself confused. I wish I could tell you everything that happens in this book, all the wonderful twists and discoveries, but I don’t want to give anything away. I’ve written a little teaser to give you an idea what it’s about. Read the book yourself, you won’t be disappointed. I will be adding her other books to my stack soon.

A beautiful story spanning two generations of women trying to make their mark in the fashion industry. 1940- Estella Bissette lives in Paris with her mother and earns a meager salary as a seamstress. As the German’s advance on Paris, Estella’s mother pleads with her to flee for America, and must reveal the first of many secrets, that Estella is actually a US citizen. With just a suitcase and a sewing machine Estella boards the SS Washington headed to Manhatten ready to begin her new life. On the boat she meets Sam who is also in the industry and has many connections that can help Estelle. Quickly the two become close friends. Estella struggles to find her place in New York and is burdend by this secret that her mother has kept from her. One night at a bar Estella run’s into a man she has previously met in Paris, a handsome spy named Alex. Estella is immediately taken by him, and when she’s introduced to Alex’s date she realizes looking at her is like looking in the mirror. Who is the lady and what other secrets will she learn about her family and their past? She must do everything she can to figure out who she really is…..
2015- Fabienne lives in Australia and comes to New York to attend the annual Met Gala for an exhibit honoring her grandmother, fashion designer Estella Bissette. Ever since Fabienne could remember she was sketching and designing dresses, and Estella is hopeful that one day Fabienne will take over her company Stella Designs. The two have an incredibly close relationship and after the death of her father Zander, Fabienne needs answers from her grandmother. Why are the names on her Father’s birth certificate different then the one’s she was told all these years? Is her grandmother who she adores even her blood relative? Why are there so many secrets?