Cover Image: One Summer in Paris

One Summer in Paris

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Member Reviews

This is the story of two women, one in her forties and one in her late teens, both forced to change and become more developed versions of themselves. The story is set in Paris. There was a lot to like in this novel: women becoming empowered, friendship, family, love, humor. Also, IMO there aren’t enough stories about middle-aged women who are emerging and changing into a better version of themselves as they move into later life, so I enjoyed that aspect as well. The descriptions of their activities in Paris were interesting and well-drawn. However, the story lines were predictable and repetitive.

Grace has been married to David for 25 years. In a scene that is telegraphed from page one, David announces at their anniversary dinner that he wants a divorce because he's in love with a girl half his age. Devastated, Grace--ever the controlled, efficient, “good girl” -- must now decide what she will do with her future.

Audrey, eighteen, is a bit of a street-fighter. She’s unpolished and evasive, thanks to an alcoholic mother who has seriously neglected her. To escape her surroundings, Audrey, who is dyslexic and hates books, applies and is hired for a job in a Parisian bookstore practically overlooking the Seine. Even better, it comes with a little apartment over the store.

When rough Audrey and polished Grace meet in Paris, they become dear friends, each influencing the other to become better people as they grapple with their love lives, resulting in the happy ending you would expect. It's cliched and predictable, and Grace is too likely to speak in self-help aphorisms, but after a slow start, the story picked up speed and at the 50% point I was reluctant to put it down.

I did care about Audrey and Grace, and wanted to know how things would turn out for them. OTOH, the story relied too heavily on coincidence and unlikely happenstance. Much of the dialogue, particularly when Grace got preachy, was skimworthy. Finally, the happy-ever-afters went on forever. A basic Hallmark-style romance.

Thanks to Netgalley for letting me read this pre-release.

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I love Sarah Morgan's work. I adore the summer season and j'adore Paris. When I saw One Summer in Paris on NetGalley, I requested it right away. I started it at 10 pm, finished it at 2 am. I loved most of it -the writing style, the parallel stories of Grace and Audrey, their journey to find themselves, their friendship, their relationships with their families, and their love stories. I love the bookshop, the breads and cheeses, the French language, Mimi, and the cover.

Everything was heartwarming, relatable, balanced with ups and downs that were realistic. Except for the end. All the plotlines were tied up neatly with a bow even when they didn't have to be, the happy-ever-after shoehorned. It's like there was a confusion in which category to place the book so they tried to fit in in all of women's fiction, chick lit, and romance by forcing the happy ending for Grace. Her kindness was stressed over and over, but healing and forgiveness of an inexcusable wrong done to her within six months is too saintly to be believable. There are many ways her story could have ended. The choice made was disappointing.

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I read two depressing nonfiction books in a row, so I was in need of a light, fluffy read, and this cute book was just what I needed. Dyslexic Audrey goes to Paris to get away from her alcoholic mother. Grace had planned a trip to France to celebrate her wedding anniversary, only to learn that her husband has been having an affair with a much younger woman. So Grace goes to Paris on her own and befriends Audrey, helping her with her French. Together, they help each other find romance and adventure and heal from the challenges of their everyday lives back home.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book, which RELEASES APRIL 9, 2019.

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Grace, whose daughter has just graduated from high school, and Audrey, who is the same age as Grace's daughter, meet and become unlikely friends in Paris. Both of their life's are changing and they need someone to trust. They bring out the best in each other, providing friendship, safety, and the strength to open up and try things that scare them. A story of learning to live and to trust set in Paris in summer is a perfect summer book.

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One Summer in Paris is a delightful story about two people who lost their way but find each other. They each take a chance and travel to Paris alone, next thing they know they are thrown together. Audrey and Grace learn from each other and build a beautiful friendship along the way. I really loved this story, the characters were flawed and wonderful. I adored the Paris setting! I'm a sucker for anything Paris. One Summer in Paris surprised me by being a wonderful testament to friendship and love.

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I enjoyed Sarah Morgan's New York series so was looking forward to the setting of this story in Paris. It's such a shock to Grace when her husband of 25 years announces he wants a divorce and then suffers a heart attack on their anniversary. To say it's a shock would be putting it mildly. Her gift to her husband David was a trip to Paris for a month and after discussions with her daughter decides she will still go albeit now alone.

Audrey is a young girl who lives with her alcoholic mother who just got engaged. She has taken care of her Mum through all the ups and downs of the disease and worries that her fiance Ron will bail if he learns the extent of her disease. She's scrimped and saved to travel to Paris for the summer before finding a job. She struggles with dyslexia and school has been difficult.

Audrey and Grace meet and form an unlikely friendship. Although Grace is 47 and Audrey 18 they share a similar background and realize that it's much easier to be honest and truthful with a stranger many miles from home than it is with their lifelong friends. They form an alliance and help each other traverse the present challenges in their lives.

You can feel the thrill and beauty of Paris along the Siene. Sara Morgan transports you to the cobblestone streets, the musty bookstore, the opulent theatre, and the small apartments with wonderful views. There is a bit of magic in her storytelling and a surprise at the end. Enjoy the story, I did!

I received a free ARC eBook from Net Galley and the Publisher in exchange for my honest review.

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I love Sarah Morgan! I read everything she writes always. This romance was classic swoony Morgan and I couldnt be more pleased!

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A wonderful romance! The story is engaging from the first pages, as we meet two women from different generations and circumstances who end up having more in common than they would have realized. Both are in Paris for the summer, and after their unexpected encounter, go from strangers to dear friends. In fact, as much as this is a romance, it is also a story of strong, intergenerational female friendship and loyalty.

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“One Summer in Paris” is a deep and charming book about finding yourself and living your best life. Grace is excited to celebrate her 25-year anniversary with her husband David, whom she loves deeply. She is planning to surprise him with a one-month trip to Paris that she has painstakingly planned. However, at the Valentine’s day/anniversary dinner where she gives it to him, he shocks her by revealing that he wants a divorce and is in love with a different woman.

Although he ultimately asks to buy the trip from her for his girlfriend and himself, Grace decides to take the trip alone- after all, she was the one to plan it. Although initially depressed, Grace soon begins to discover herself and take new paths to happiness. It is on her journey that she meets Audrey, who is, in many ways, a kindred spirit.

Audrey is 18 and has come to Paris to work at a bookshop- despite being unable to speak French and despite hating books due to her dyslexia. The job came with an apartment, which was key for her. Her mother is an alcoholic, and Audrey also has the opportunity to live her own life with her mother being newly married. Luckily, Audrey has met Grace who helps her with the job and finding her own passions.

In a smaller and more sporadic story, we also follow Mimi, Grace’s ninety-year-old grandmother, who is still the free spirit she has always been. Mimi has never revealed who Grace’s grandfather was, and she had many lovers over the years when she traveled as a ballerina. Paris has always held a special place in her heart, as the place where she was born and found herself. While this story was tertiary, it was really interesting and Mimi was a fantastic character. I would love to read a whole book about her and her life from the tidbits we are given.

The book’s primary focus is Grace, and I loved the journey she takes to find herself. I am not sure how much I loved the ending for her, but I understood it due to the way the story evolved. What I really enjoyed was how she analyzes her life and makes changes for herself and no one else. She is a strong and impressive character, and I loved seeing the world through her eyes. The friendship between Grace and Audrey was somewhat mother-daughter but more balanced, and I loved it regardless. They were fantastic characters, and I felt like I knew and loved them through this beautiful story.

Overall, this was a powerful book about finding yourself and living your own life, and will definitely make you want to travel to Paris in the process. I completely fell in love with these well-developed and multidimensional characters and would love to read more about them and the secondary/tertiary characters in the future.

Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

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This was a fun afternoon read. The characters were well defined, and the descriptions of Paris, the food, tourist attractions are always a treat. I especially liked the bookstore scenes. The plot, however, had no surprises and it sometimes begged believing. But it was a good exploration of the power of friendship.

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This was a beautiful love story set in the romantic atmosphere of Paris. It was difficult to tear myself away from the heroine's live affair. I was rooting for her the whole time. I highly recommend this gorgeous novel.

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Another great book by Sarah Morgan! As always with her books I was hooked from the start and finished it in record time. A fun story, bit of drama, famly love, pains of growing old.

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This was a sweet book about romance and friendship. The main character, Grace is stunned when her husband asks for a divorce on their 25th anniversary. She has a month long trip to Paris planned for them and instead of canceling, she goes on her own. There she meets Audrey an 18 year old from London with her own problems. The two become unlikely friends helping each other become stronger and deal with each of their pasts.
The story is predictable and there are a lot of coincidences, some of them a little over the top to believe.

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This is a great story. It deals with friendship, betrayal, love I really like this authors writing style. I will definitely be reading more from her.

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This book tells the story of Grace and Audrey and all the people their lives touch in one summer. While Grace is a mature 47 and Audrey is only 18, they share a lot in common. Their paths merge for one summer and they are able to help each other immensely to become the women they were meant to be.
This book was lovely! It is all about love and all the emotions that surround it.
I love how both Grace and Audrey need to find out who they truly are. It’s neat that Sarah Morgan explores the concept that this self discovery comes at different times for different people.
I think this would be a good book club book as it explores so many relationships and the idea that we help each other as we need it and friendship is a lot of give and take and propping each other up. Audrey at one point says the friend with the greater crisis takes precedence. What an awesome way to look at friendship.
The book is well worth a read! Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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I loved this book! This book is mostly set in Paris and follows the lives of middle aged Grace and teenager Audrey. They form an unlikely friendship and support for each other. I was a little surprised at the ending of Grace's story but still could understand it. The themes of forgiveness and letting people in are definitely embedded in the story. I love the switching of their view points to move the story along. It was very difficult to stop reading sometimes (darn life...getting in the way!). Sarah Morgan is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. More please!

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This is a sweet book and what I would categorize as a gentle read. Good for the beach or for those who read to relax and don’t want anything too emotional or thought provoking. Many middle aged woman could recognize themselves in the main character Grace. She finds herself again but is a little too quick to forgive in my opinion. Audrie the other main character is a good foil for Grace. She finds herself for the first time. The plot offers no real surprises and like a sitcom wraps up the loose ends rather quickly at the end of the book. Perhaps a little too neatly. There were some contextual issues that need some edits. Grace as an American would never say “rung” in terms of making a phone call. She would say “call”.

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This is a wonderful story about Family, friendship, betrayal, forgiveness and love. I really enjoyed the story and like this author's style. I've read a couple others from her and plan on reading more. Audrey is a very likable character who finds herself in a position she never expected to be in. And thus begins her journey to an eventful summer in Paris. Along the way the friendship that happens between her and 18 year old Grace, however unlikely, is simply heartwarming and very therapeutic for both of them.

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Grace is happy with her life. After 25-years of marriage, she’s still madly in love her husband. They live in a small, East Coast town where they’ve known everyone for years. Their daughter, Sophie, is ready to head off to college on the West Coast next fall. Grace spends her days teaching at a local school and a French course to her grandmother and other senior citizens at an elderly facility. For her and her husband’s 25th anniversary, Grace decided to buy them a month-long vacation to none other than France. Grace hasn’t been there since she was 18, where she created lifelong memories, so she’s excited for her husband to experience the city of love with her.

She can’t wait to tell him, but at their anniversary dinner, Grace is blindsided. Her husband isn’t excited about the trip whatsoever and tells Grace he wants a divorce. Grace’s put-together life is shattered in an instant and now she is left unsure of what to do. With her daughter traveling Europe for the summer and her husband spending his days with his mistress, Grace thinks she has nothing to lose—she’s going to go to Paris and enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime experience solo.

Across the Atlantic in London, 18-year old, Audrey, is itching to graduate high school so she can finally leave the nest. Audrey doesn’t like to complain, but her circumstances are far from ideal. Her dad passed away years earlier and her mom is a functional alcoholic, jumping from relationship to relationship, never being a proper mom to Audrey.

But once she finishes school, Audrey will be free to live her life without the responsibility of taking care of her mom. She’s been saving money from her weekend job for the past 5 years as an “escape fund.” Audrey decides to travel to Paris, get a job there for the summer and leave her dismal life behind her.

Audrey and Grace meet each other on one fateful evening. Grace was headed to the bookshop her grandmother always talked about and Audrey happened to be working there. As it turns out, Audrey needed to learn French in order to work at the bookstore and the salon, where she also got a job, and Grace happens to be an excellent teacher. Grace’s romantic vacation for one has been rather lonely, so she offers to teach Audrey French. Not only will Grace have some company, but Audrey will avoid getting fired if she can speak French properly.

Grace and Audrey strike up an unlikely friendship. Although they are decades apart in age, they have a lot in common. They’ve both experienced similar childhoods and they can relate in many ways. They were expecting to be completely alone in Paris, but their solo vacations turned out to be not so lonely when they found each other. And their travels turned into a journey of self-discovery for them both.

One Summer in Paris is Sarah Morgan’s newest release. It’s a sweet story about friendship, independence, and opening yourself up to new experiences. I thoroughly enjoyed the two main characters, Audrey and Grace. Although they weren’t close in age, they were struggling with very similar hardships. Their relationship was heartwarming and I enjoyed seeing them both blossom into new individuals by the end of the book. Sarah Morgan has a way of writing that makes me feel like I know her characters, and thus I feel attached to them, not wanting the book to end. This is the perfect summer read, especially if you’re like me and have always wanted to travel to Paris. Another winning book from Sarah Morgan! 4/5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, HQN and Sarah Morgan for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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This was a really great story. It started out reminding me a bit of Under the Tuscan Sun with the surprise divorce request and the exotic locales. Then we meet Audrey and read a wonderful story of an unlikely friendship. I would recommend for fans of Susan Mallery and Kristan Higgins.

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