This is the first 5 chapters of “The Paris Orphan”. Based on these chapters, I thought the author had a great way of providing a voice and background to her characters and I would be interested in reading the entire book

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for this preview. As it is not the complete book, my review is based on the chapters read and is my honest opinion.

The Paris Orphan is an absorbing tale predominantly set in France during 1942, as well as 2005. Based upon story of true model turned war reporter. It is an intensely, powerful, beautiful, emotional and moving story that was so hard to put down-I truly enjoyed reading it.

*** I received a preview of this book via Netgalley in exchange for honest feedback ***

This seems to be a very interesting story of a female photographer during WWII. Her experiences are detailed by the author and its pretty interesting. I did not finish this book. I may in the future if it's available or on sale. This is the first time that I have read anything by Natasha Lester and I would read more books in the future.

I would like to thank Forever Editions and the Netgalley website for allowing me to read this book in preview.

During World War II an American soldier and a photographer who occupied France during that war took care of a little girl and gave her a family.

The story has two parts:

First in 1942 in New York and Paris, the model Jessica arrives in Europe for the Vogue newspaper and the soldiers give her a hard time. When she meets her three friends Martha, Dan and Victorine a little girl who gives her the strength to do anything but will this success be free?

Second in 2005, sixty years after the Second World War, D'Arcy is found in a castle to see famous wartime photos. And what he doesn't know is that he will stumble upon decades of secrets well hidden by his mother Victorinne.

A book read in one go, so much so that I immediately fell in love with the story, which is so moving, captivating, full of suspense and twists and turns with endearing characters such as little Victorinne. This makes me want to read all the author's books.

The Paris Orphan is a duel timeline book. Part of it is set in 1942/43 During WWII. The other part is set on 2005. This was only a 5 chapter preview of the book so that is what this review is based on. The 5 chapters is only set in 1942-1943. So far I really enjoy it. I did order a copy of the book so I can finish it, but it has not arrived yet. I would recommend for a preview that it should at least have one chapter from the other timeline. I love duel timeline books, but others may not be familiar so without a glimpse it may not encourage them to buy it. I’ve had this book on my want to read list for awhile so it was nice to read a few chapters to see if I liked it. Hopefully my book will arrive tomorrow.

The Paris Orphan by Natasha Lester was an epic and emotional story told in an alternating time frame. Natasha Lester was able to transport her tale back to World War II. It focused on the numerous hurdles many of the female photojournalists encountered while trying to get to the front because of the preconceived views many male soldiers had about women serving in World War II. Women contributed to this war in a way that many men were unable to. However, recognition for their honesty, courage and exceptional work were rarely if ever celebrated. One of The Orphan Collector's main characters, Jessica May, was loosely based on the life of Lee Miller, a former model and later a photojournalist for Vogue serving in the Second World War. Natasha Lester brilliantly added the presence of Martha Gelhorn, Iris Carpenter and Lee Carson into the story as they interacted with Jessica May. It also described and captured the love Jess developed for both Captain Dan Hallworth and a young orphan girl named Victorine.

The alternate part of The Orphan Collector took place sixty years after the end of World War II in France. In 2005, D'Arcy Hallworth, a twenty-nine year old woman from Australia was commissioned by a mysterious artist to pack some famous photos from War War II and bring them back to Australia where they would be exhibited. D'Arcy arrived at Lieu de Reves, an almost fairytale chateau, not realizing how her life was about to be changed forever. Secrets, the mysterious artist had been harboring for decades would be disclosed over D'Arcy's extended stay.

The Paris Orphan was a masterfully written and well researched book, perfect for fans of historical fiction. It was about love, trust, secrets, hope, disappointment, discovery, and passion. I read Natasha Lester's The Paris Seamstress and loved it but I loved The Orphan Collector even more. It was captivating and I was unable to put it down. The characters were so well researched. My emotions were all over the place. I cried, smiled, laughed and even got angry. The Orphan Collector was a memorable and passionate story that told about the men and women that had to deal with the horrors of World War II and the secrets that the war held. I loved how Natasha Lester wove this story and made it so believable and at the same time, full of mystery and passion. She was so skillful in the way she did this. I highly recommend The Orphan Collector.

After receiving a free preview of The Orphan Collector from Hachette Book Group, Inc. through Netgalley I purchased a copy of the book on my own. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own..

OMG - when I started this book I was so glad I did.
The story was going good............................... but...................before the preview ended I was heartbroken that I could not continue. Now I have to run to the bookstore or library and see how the book ends!
What a shame this was just a preview!

2 Books Review-Both by Natasha Lester
🔖The Paris Orphan (Extended Preview)
Original Publication Date: September 3, 2019 .
🔖The Paris Seamstress (Preview)
Original Publication Date: August 11, 2018
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Description from NetGalley... .
🔖The Paris Orphan
“New York City/Paris, 1942: When American model Jessica May arrives in Europe to cover the war as a photojournalist for Vogue, most of the soldiers are determined to make her life as difficult as possible. But three friendships change that. But her success will come at a price...France, 2005: Decades after World War II, D'Arcy Hallworth arrives at a beautiful chateau to curate a collection of famous wartime photos by a reclusive artist. It's the opportunity of a lifetime, but this job will uncover decades of secrets.”
🔖The Paris Seamstress
“1940: As the Germans advance upon Paris, young seamstress Estella Bissette is forced to flee everything she's ever known. She's bound for New York City with her signature gold dress, a few francs, and a dream...Present day: Fabienne Bissette journeys to the Met's annual gala for an exhibit featuring the work of her ailing grandmother - a legend of women's fashion design. But as Fabienne begins to learn more about her beloved grandmother's past, she uncovers a story of tragedy, heartbreak and family secrets that will dramatically change her own life.”
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Thank you to @NetGalley @grandcentralpub for the digital ARCs in return for my honest review.
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My thoughts...
🔖The Paris Orphan (Extended Preview)
The premise of the story was interesting. It had a slow start and it looked to be promising. However, because of the slow start, I didn’t connect with the characters. I still have some interest in the story, but, it’s not on top of the TBR pile. .
🔖The Paris Seamstress (Preview)
This book’s pace is much faster, but as much as I like fast paced plots, this ended up lacking depth. I hope that it will get more detailed as the story goes, but I wouldn’t rush out to buy it. .

Overall thoughts... From this experience I will be super choosy with “preview books.” They come to an abrupt end. Knowing you won’t get to the end is distracting. Hopeful for great excerpts in the future.

I received an extended preview of this book courtesy of NetGalley in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own.

The Paris Orphan had been recommended to me by a few friends, so I was excited to see the book pop up in NetGalley. Jessica May is a model trying to make it in New York City in the early 1940's. When her fledgling career sidetracked by a jealous lover, she decides to become a war correspondent. Jessica is able to get through the security and questioning by the war office, and is flown to Italy. Once there, she is accidentally placed on the front lines. She meets a handsome captain who keeps her safe and out of trouble. He also has in his charge an orphan, Victorine, Jessica and Victorine become close friends quickly.

This is where my preview ended, but I will definitely be finding a copy and finishing this book soon! I am excited to see where Jessica and Victorine's stories will go.

A tantalizing glimpse of what could be an interesting read. Not sure I will ever request a preview novel again though, I have too many books to read to remember to go read this when it is released.

I received an extended preview of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed Natasha Lester's book The Paris Seamstress, which was one of my favorite reads in 2019. When I saw she had a new book I was thrilled to receive the preview. I will be anxiously waiting to get the full book so I can learn what happens to the characters.

Jessica May is most well known as a fashion model, but her passion is photography, so she jumps at the opportunity to become a war correspondent in Italy when the Allies are slogging their way up the Italian peninsula. She meets American Captain Dan Hallworth in a roadside ditch when the jeep shes riding in has to stop because of German shelling. Through Dan she meets his orphaned niece Victorine in a Army field hospital and becomes a mother figure for the 4 year old girl. And that's where the preview ends, at Chapter 5...once I've read the full book I'll be back for a full review. I can't wait!

I loved this preview. The characters are vivid and compelling, and I'm rooting for them. I care about them. The writing is emotional, and I love the feminist look at gender issues during the war. I personally can't wait to read the rest of the book; I know it's going to be amazing. Only sometimes did I feel the writing was a little awkward or rushed, but overall it was so good.

I was just really enjoying this story about a model that needed to take a break and ended up as a war photojournalist in WW2 when it ended abruptly. I didn't know it was a preview of the book. very interesting story with great detail so far. I will have to find the book to finish the story.

My thanks to Natasha Lester, Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley. A sumptuous and sweeping tale of historical fiction set in WW2.
New York City/Paris, 1942: An American model goes to Europe to cover the war as a photojournalist for Vogue, She quickly realise that her soldier companions are determined to make her life less than simple and she must find ways to adjust to the world she faces. An unusual premise which promises a wonderful read for historical fiction fans in the full book.

This is a nice long preview, about 60 pages! Certainly enough to get me hooked and want to buy the book so I can keep reading!

“The Paris Orphan”, by Natasha Lester, is the beautifully written historical fiction story of model Jessica May who goes undercover during WWII as a photojournalist to show the world the human side of war. A likeable character that the reader can root for, Jessica is beautiful, witty and courageous. Fighting back sexism of the time, fear of the war and the unknown future, Jessica shows her strength as she leaves behind the finer life of New York for the battle fields of Italy.
Her time in the war torn country has her joining forces with another female journalist, Martha, a handsome Captain Hallworth and an adorable orphan named Victorine. Despite some military personnel being against her desire to be part of the war, Jessica, with the support of her new friendships sets out to show the war within the lens of her camera.
Decades later, the story will further unravel as Victorine’s daughter discovers the secrets of the war time.
I really enjoyed this book as historical fictions tend to be my favorite genre as of recently. This book will capture your heart.

I need to download full book now, such a good read I need to know what happens. Intriguing, and compelling, unputdownable

Yet another WWII fiction! The extended preview contains a few chapters a brief outline of plot, strong female lead who is a model turned photojournalist trying to break stereotypes in 1940s.. enough said. Gotta buy this book!
Thank you NetGalley, author and publisher!

This extended preview was enough to make me go out and by the book! Darcy’s story is a bit carefree, so I’m excited to finish it and publish my final review on Goodreads. 4 solid stars.

I received a complimentary extended preview of #TheParisOrphan from #NetGalley for review.

This novel is strong on character development and interpersonal relationships and is set in WWII so it's also appealing to those who enjoy historical fiction. I liked that the novel alternates between the two time periods of WWII and modern day.