An emotional journey that is unlikely to leave me anytime soon. Ellen Feldman did a remarkable job of taking the reader from the present to the past and back again throughout the book. The history of the past influencing the future is revealed chapter by chapter. Charlotte’s story is one of survival and the price that is paid to keep not just herself but also her daughter safe in war torn Paris. Ellen Feldman not only tells Charlotte’s story but also taught this reader lessons in history. The end left me longing for more of the story and needing the closure that Charlotte and her daughter Vivi were seeking. Thank you for opportunity to receive the copy of this book. These opinions are truly my own.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest and fair review.

This is a story about identity, survival, motherhood, love, friendship and guilt against the backdrop of WW2. Charlotte and her daughter Vivi survived the German occupation of France and have started over in New York City. Through flashbacks, we learn what they endured and how they survived the war which illuminates why Charlotte doesn't like to talk about the war. But Vivi wants answers and the answers might finally let Charlotte move forward.

There were some unique aspects of the war that I hadn't heard about before (no spoilers!) that made this an interesting read.

I love reading historical novels and books about Paris. I'm kinda torn on this one. I wanted to like it more, but the characters seemed pretty annoying and unlikable to me. I thought there was a bit of a twist near the end, but it wasn't enough to redeem the characters for me.
If you enjoy reading about WWII and want to read something a little different, then try this book.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

This historical fiction set during WW2 was an engrossing and thought-provoking read where a daughter questions her heritage and about their life before New York. It's a little different than some other books in that the main character's method of survival was kept secret known only to her, and she felt some guilt. I don't want to say any more because it may spoil the book for others. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I've read a lot of WWII Historical FIction recently and while I know many others have loved this book, I just couldn't get into it. I don't know it is genre fatigue? It felt disjoined to me and I didn't find the main character likeable.

Thank you St Martin’s Press and Ellen Feldman.
Dual timeline between Paris in the 40’s and New York in the 50’s.
This story is both heartbreaking and uplifting. I loved all the characters but I especially loved the little girl who was searching for the truth about her father.
I am so happy I read this story of courage, love and survival in a devastating time in history.
Well written, highly recommend.
5 stars 🌟

Paris Never Leaves You was a very captivating historical fiction alternating between the 1940s Paris and the 1950s NYC. It centered on a Parisian widow, Charlotte, who worked as a bookseller during the German occupation of France during WWII. Her will to survive and do whatever was necessary was not based on her own needs but that of her young daughter, Vivienne. Shame and guilt were always present, but a mother’s love knew no bounds.

Tensions were high as Charlotte and her daughter tried to escape their homeland by unconventional means. These means eventually found its way to her current NYC home and her daughter’s inquisitive nature. Charlotte thought she left the shame and guilt of Paris behind, but these past events made themselves known in the present and emotional confrontations and heart-wrenching consequences occurred.

This was a well written and engaging story. If you like historical fiction, you’ll enjoy
this one as well.

ARC given for an honest review.

This is a story of survival, love, hardship and strength!
World War II is finished, but the effects continue on for many.
Charlotte and her daughter Vivi are in NYC in the 1950's and Charlotte has to teach her daughter how life continues and times are slow to change.
The timelines alternate from Paris to NYC, and it was difficult at times for me to follow.
However, the plot is excellent and it is a wonderful book!

Paris in 1944; New York City in 1954. This is the story of Charlotte and her daughter Vivi living in Paris during occupied WWII in occupied France and then 10 years later in New York City. One of the few historical fictions I’ve read that depicts the humanity of both sides of the equation - the personal and moral struggles of individuals on opposite sides. In 1944, Charlotte Floret is the struggling widow with her infant child Vivi running a bookstore in German-occupied Paris. Food is scarce, friends and families are turning each other in to survive, and she has few options. Surprisingly, the bookstore still remains open with people occasionally stopping in, including a German officer. Fast forward and we’re in 1954 with Charlotte and Vivi in New York City having escaped Paris and created a new life. Tenants of the owner (and his wife) of the publishing house where Charlotte works reviewing aspiring authors’ manuscripts and Vivi is a teenager attending school curious about her own background, looking for family ties, and wanting to understand where she came from. Charlotte, on the other hand, does much to evade her daughter’s questions, deflects conversations, and results in Vivi’s frustrations and her accusations that Charlotte is hiding something. And, she’s not wrong. The storyline goes back and forth - back to 1944 and then to the present day 1954 - it’s well done and flows well. There are challenges Charlotte face in 1944 and there are challenges that Charlotte face in 1954 - and they are complicated - by difficult decisions, emotional struggles, moral dilemmas, and the will to survive. How will all this get resolved or will it? This is a well done historical fiction with a nuance that makes it just a tad different, resulting in a well-satisfied read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was an amazing piece of historical fiction that kept me engrossed. My only complaint was that the book had to end. Each of the four main characters has secrets and the wartime setting enhanced the storylines. The author did a great job writing about what individuals will be to survive and of the sacrifices a mother will make for her child.

This is a wonderful book. It is the story of a young French mother, widowed when her husband is killed in the war, living and surviving in Germany occupied France during World War II. The nature of her survival and how she ultimately escapes to America fills her with survivors’ guilt. The character development is superb and the descriptions of living in a country occupied by a foreign power is so well researched that the reader is transported via the written word. I cannot recommend this book enough, especially if the WW II genre is one you enjoy reading about.

The story begins in 1954 with Charlotte Foret as an editor at Gibbon and Field in NYC. Her and her daughter’s story is revealed through dual time line, going back to WWII.

Most of the past story is revealed through Charlotte’s thoughts, making it feel often as it goes abruptly from present to past and vice versa. I need a good structure for fluency purposes.

A lot of scenes are about Charlotte being in one place, but thinking about another event. There is too much jumping around with thoughts, instead of story progressing forward.

Charlotte’s daughter wanting to know about her father moves the story back in time again. It’s like the story is moving forward, but not really.

The secrecy about her life in Paris keeps building up and building up, thus slowing the pace a bit.

It seems as there is no clear path to the plot. It’s a little bit of the present and past, something continues to be missing. A good structure to connect it all.

For me the story had the strongest point, when it was alternating in time being separated by chapters. It had clarity.

The most interesting part of this story ended up being about the publishing world.

I thoroughly enjoyed Paris Never Leaves You by Ellen Feldman. The story takes place in two time periods and places, Paris in WWII during the 40s and NYC in the 50s and follows bookseller Charlotte and her daughter Vivi and their journey through WWII and its aftermath. It questions different views on morality and doing what you need to do to survive and maintain your humanity in horrendous times.

Thank you to the author, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this thought provoking novel in exchange for my honest opinion. A beautifully written novel!

A different story of war that flows seamlessly between the war years in Paris and ten years later in New York. The story at its core is about love and grief and and who should and how to draw the lines around morality.

I look forward to reading other books by this author and I thank NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for providing me an early version of this novel.

Of all the historical fiction about WWII currently on the shelves, it's refreshing read a story with an unexpected plot.

Set in occupied France during WWII and in America in the 1950's, the story begins with Charlotte and her baby Vivi desperate to survive the invasion of Paris. Everyone is trying to survive and no one can be trusted. But is surviving enough? Her soldier husband is dead. Her best friend is arrested. She is alone.

Until a man walks into her bookshop wearing a uniform she detests.

It takes a talented storyteller to weave into the plot a narrative so tender that it almost eclipses the horrors of war. The tumult of emotions in both time periods is consuming, yet not without hope.

One of the best books I've read this year.

I received this book "Paris Never Leaves You" from NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own. I like to read historical fiction and this was a really good book. Alternating between Paris and New York the story takes you through the time period. A story of love and survival.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for providing me this ARC book. I enjoyed it immensely and will certainly recommend it. I have read many books on the subject of living through WWII, and this story gave me a different perspective. I also think it would make a terrific movie.

Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and Beatrice Jason for an egalley of this novel in exchange for an honest review.


Alternating between New York in the 1950's and Paris in the 1940's, Paris Never Leaves You was a compelling story about a bookseller, Charlotte and her baby daughter, Vivienne, who survive occupation during the war and are sponsored by acquaintances to find a new life in the United States. But as Vivienne grows older she is asking for more information about her family history. Can Charlotte overcome her guilt and finally open up to her daughter about the past?

Again, I felt myself flipping the pages and wanting to see where Ellen Feldman was going to take us. I have read other WWII books that feature children questioning what happened to their families during the war and this book was different in invoking many different types of feelings and questions in me as I read. I should probably leave some of my thoughts on certain characters until after the publication date. Half because I wish to not spoil anything for any other readers and also because one character has me percolating a bit over some of her actions and words(Hint: it's not Charlotte or Vivi). I did enjoy it though!

Goodreads review published 05/01/20
Publication Date 02 /06/20

This is a story about a young woman and her daughter, trying to survive in German occupied Paris during WWII.
Charlotte Foret a young widow, works in a Paris bookshop during the war, her daughter Vivienne, is also there with her.
While at the book store she meets a charismatic, German soldier who ends up helping Charlotte and Vivie survive by bringing them a bit of food and medicine for the child.
Well written and some unusual twist to this story, which takes place in Paris and later in New York City.
It is a story of misconstrued words and actions. It is a story of survivors guilt and the actions it takes to save oneself.
Full of engaging characters, some harsh description of how the Jewish people were treated, yet it is also a story of love, friendships, and a will to live.
I would like to thank: Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book.