The Paris Dressmaker by Kristy Cambron is historical fiction at its finest. The research behind this beautifully written story about some of the brave women of The Resistance is impeccable. The story is moving and memorable. And important.

This story had two heroines with 4 timelines to keep up with, so it was a bit difficult to follow at times. Lila’s story included the prewar fashion world, dressing the Nazis’ women at the Hotel Ritz, and eventually fighting with the Free French. Sandrine’s story focuses on her journey from wife and mother to forced work with the Nazis at a museum (and secretly recording the art stolen by the Nazis). I think the author was trying to show that the choices for the women of Paris during the war were often different and more difficult than that of men during the war. The constant jumps back and forth in time for each woman and between their stories kept me somewhat confused. I had to make it a point to read the date at the beginning of each chapter to remind myself where I was in the story. I find it interesting that she chose Paris Dressmaker as the title when the book was really as much about Sandrine as it was about Lila. In fact, I think I preferred Sandrine’s story more than Lila’s. You know from the beginning that their two stories will intersect at some point, but it was very near the end and seemed a bit forced to me. Cambron’s notes at the end were very interesting.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Publishing through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A fantastic story set around world war 2. With dual storyline that involves the fashion industry during the same time period. I loved this book. I read it straight through, not wanting to put it down! Perfect for fans of WW2 historical fiction, but will appeal to others as the book was wonderfully researched and written.

An ARC of this book was provided to me by Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Kristy Cambron’s latest, The Paris Dressmaker, is by far my favorite of her novels. As I closed the book last night, I couldn’t help but sit and reflect on the moving story before me. Set in WWII Paris, Cambron presented the tale of 2 women fighting behind the scenes for freedom. Amid the horrors of the Nazi regime, each must sacrifice, face un-believable loss, and struggle on when all hope seemed lost. The depth and emotion were so poignant and expres-sively delivered, that I felt as if I was living the story right alongside Cambron’s characters. This is a truly meaning-ful and powerful story that I will not soon forget.

Cambron paints a tale so rich it cannot be ignored. I cannot praise this book highly enough.
I received this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Spoiler alert: this novel isn’t really about dressmaking at all.

I’d requested The Paris Dressmaker on Netgalley because I’m a big fan of reading about fashion houses in the past. This seemed to be a beautiful book about the house of Chanel during WW2. It ended up being about the Resistance in Paris during WW2, and one of the main characters used to be a Dressmaker and used this as her code name in the resistance. Not completely what I expected. Luckily, I also really enjoy a good WW2 novel every once in a while, so once I got my head wrapped around the actual premise, I did quite enjoy it. It just threw me off a bit because my expectations were a little different.

All throughout the novel, it felt like we were building up to something. There were two different timelines that followed two different women in their efforts for the Resistance, and I felt the tension growing during the entire book. There was a dress with a secret message, long lost husbands and loves turning up all of a sudden and covert operations to keep track of stolen art and jewelry. I was certain there would be one point towards the end of the novel where everything would come together and there would be a nice resolution to the story. Except, it never came. I felt like I was listening to a song that at the moment where you expect the beat to drop, just stopped. Yes, almost all the storylines were finished by the time the ending came around, I just felt it lacked a good climax at the end. It left me feeling a little bereft when I finished reading, to be honest.

All in all, I enjoyed The Paris Dressmaker, I was just never swept off my feet at any moment. It was a good book, but lacked too much to be great in my opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

I really enjoyed Kristy Cambron’s The Paris Dressmaker. I found it an interesting read and take on this genre, especially focusing on the role of art during this time. The women and men who fought to keep the culture and art of the past safe during such a terrible time in history was fascinating to read about.

I found Lila and Rene’s story just as captivating and beautifully heart-breaking at times as Christian and Sandrine’s.

I am rating this book 4 stars for great story-telling and characters I connected with.

Oh my I loved this book! Set in Paris during the occupation of the Nazi regime in World War Two this tale charts the paths of 3 different women all linked by one thing a dress. Lila created it, Amelie wants it, Sandrine is gifted it. However each woman has a very different story to tell which is more important than the dress. This is a tale of resistance, collaboration and survival and really brings to life what life was like in Paris during the occupation.

If you love history, strong women and a gripping story this is a book for you

The book covers the history of the Nazi occupation in Paris from the point of view or from the story of two women, two characters that serve to highlight the little-seen role of women in World War II.
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I Always admire the work of the writers of the genre, there is so much previous research work, corroborating dates and places for the characters to find their place in the plot and not fell from it. The Paris Dressmaker runs through the invaded Paris, its queues of people with food vouchers and the most famous aut couture showcases closed so vividly
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I really liked the story although it was difficult for me to keep up with the dates, there were three time lines between them and they changed according to the character. Besides that, I can only say that I was disappointed that the story was not finished by Lila, or some one related to her.I was really hooked on her story and I wanted to read more about her ,Sandrine's parts feels longer to me.
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Paris Dressmaker is the first historical fiction romance that I read in a long time and I liked how the writer addresses the less told side of history and prey to us to remembers a story that we must never forget
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Thanks to #NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for let me #TheParisDressmaker, that will be realesed 16 feb, i'll be looking forward to read more works from Kristy Cambron

This is a dazzling book, both in descriptions and historical accuracy. The sacrifices and decisions to make in wartime France came alive through the pages. I found the different timelines fascinating, pulling me in, and yet as the story came along, it seemed like there would be some clashing interaction between Lila and Sandrine's characters and then yet, though victorious in the historical sense, felt dulled by the expectation built up to that point.

Now, honestly, I love this author. I love her writing style and way of telling stories. Overall, this is a beautiful story, one of great sacrifice and spiritual truths. The fashion aspect was fascinating and made the story unique. There's plenty of drama and a bit of romance. I just tend to try to look how I felt with the style of writing and how the story developed. I liked this story, I enjoyed it, but I wasn't in love with it and probably wouldn't reread.

If you enjoy history and tales of intrigue, this book will be right up your alley.

This book centers on several women during the Resistance in Paris.

It took me a bit to get to where these women's lives connected in order to be able to read the story as a whole, instead of two different tales in one book.

Once I found the connection and was able to merge everything together, I really loved the story. I liked that the book confirmed some of the research and gave descriptions at the end of the book.

This was overall a good read. A good mix of fact and fiction.

I'm the type of reader who only reads one book at a time. I just find it hard to really get immersed in a story if I'm jumping around from one fictional world to another, so I was especially distracted by the piecemeal storytelling. Between the alternating POVs and nonlinear narrative, there are essentially four different stories going on. It doesn't actually add to the overarching story and just feels like a misguided attempted to drum up some suspense. The constant jumps between time and perspective are confusing and breaks up any kind of flow Cambron tries to establish. It made it hard for me to connect with any of the characters when I was constantly trying to get my bearings and orient myself every time the chapter changed.

It’s a shame because I really wanted to like this book. It definitely has potential. The premise is intriguing premise and the opening scene pulls you in. Unfortunately, it falters a bit in terms of execution. The story never really comes together. There isn't any kind of emotional pull to the narrative, which makes it hard for the reader to engage, and the whole thing falls flat. It felt like a bit of a superficial reading of Paris in WWII, and I wish there had been more depth to the story and more character development. I also think the convergence of the stories isn't particularly compelling and some of the plot twists are a bit of a stretch. The Christian themes aren't incorporated as seamlessly as they could be but aren't obnoxiously out-of-place or in your face.

TL;DR: decent book, but it just didn't quite deliver the beautiful story the cover promises.

What first caught my eye about The Paris Dressmaker was the cover. I mean, isn't it just gorgeous? Combined with the promise of Paris, especially World War II-era Paris, and the world of fashion, and I was intrigued. I've read and enjoyed Kristy Cambron's writing before, so I thought this one would be a winner. Unfortunately, The Paris Dressmaker turned out to be an average read for me.

The summary for the book indicates that there are two timelines, with each timeline featuring a different heroine. However, there are actually four timelines--two for each woman--and while it didn't take me long to follow along, the jumps back and forth between characters and years was initially a bit disorienting. As the story continued, I felt as if these splits kept the story from being as cohesive as it ought to have been, and it made for a choppy reading experience. That being said, I generally liked all four timelines and the way they caught up to one another.

In regard to the characters, although I liked Lila well enough, I found myself much more invested in Sandrine's story. I feel like many more of the Paris-based WWII books I've read feature a lead character who joins La Resistance and fights for their country through subterfuge and cleverness. This plot makes for a fine story, and having Lila gain access to information through her role as dressmaker to the women of the Ritz is a unique addition, but it just wasn't enough to really distinguish this narrative from similar stories on the market.

Sandrine's story, however, while still having the familiar "Frenchwoman unwillingly associating with a Nazi as a cover for her clandestine work" trope, takes a more unique path in incorporating the Nazi's theft and destruction of Jewish artwork. Although I'm vaguely familiar with these actions by the Nazis and the subsequent efforts to retrieve the stolen artwork to be returned to the rightful owners, I don't think it's a detail that's been included in any Christian fiction novels I've read. Sandrine's work in La Resistance and the unique role that allows this work to be done makes for some very interesting reading, and I often found myself looking up different artists as their work was mentioned and seeing if the pieces had been recovered. The seamless inclusion of real historical events is, for me, the sign of a good story.

Frankly, I would rather have read an entire book of Sandrine's story than had a book split between Sandrine and Lila. Of course, since Lila is the titular Paris dressmaker, a book without her would've been something very different, but I think that book would've filled a more unique niche in the ever-growing genre of WWII fiction. I may have also enjoyed the book more if Lila and Sandrine's stories had intersected sooner; their paths don't cross until very late in the story, and they could just as easily never have met and their stories would be largely the same. As a reader, this seems odd, and I find myself thinking that maybe Lila and Sandrine should've been given their own novels, perhaps as companion novels or even novellas.

Overall, The Paris Dressmaker had its ups and its downs. Cambron does a nice job of evoking the strangeness and the desperation of occupied Paris, and I really enjoyed Sandrine's character and her role in saving the cultural works pilfered by the Nazis. As a whole, though, this book wasn't better than average for me, and while I might suggest it to a few people, it wouldn't be my first suggestion for a WWII read.

This book was hard to follow, trying to sort out the timelines and Lila and Sandrine's stories. Many books have recently been written about the resistance groups in France during WWII that were much easier to follow. Although this is a fascinating subject, this book was not appealing. I've enjoyed other books by this author so I'm looking forward to her next book.

Haute couture dressmaker Lila de Laurent has a stable job with the house of Chanel, a glamorous boyfriend, and a future full of possibilities. But on the night she expects René Touliard to propose, he bids her farewell, instead. Half Jewish, he chooses to join up with the French army to fight for his family and his country, leaving behind a devastated Lily.

In another part of the city, Sandrine Paquet bids her husband farewell as he leaves to join the fight against the Nazis. No one knows how many days until they reach Paris, and everyone fears their inevitable arrival. Christian Paquet warns Sandrine to stay close to the art and culture—in doing so, she’ll find a measure of safety. He leaves her with a letter she must only open when she feels desperate and secretive instructions on how to get word about him.

Two women, abandoned in a soon-to-be-occupied city, must use their resources and wits to survive Nazi occupation. Lila survives by using her talents to create haute couture for the mistresses and wives of the Nazi occupiers who station themselves at the Ritz Hotel. She uses her entre to spy on the Nazis and send all she learns to La Resistance.

An over-attentive Nazi officer orders Sandrine to put her education to work for him at a former museum where the Nazi regime sorts and catalogs the priceless art and jewels they steal from the Jews. Sandrine and her colleagues keep a secret catalog, hoping to one day reunite the treasures with their rightful owners. As the years pass, she struggles to keep the officer at a distance.

Lila and Sandrine represent the fighting spirit of the women of Paris during World War II. When ordinary women had to decide how to confront evil while ensuring the safety of their families. How long can they carry hope in their hearts with no end to the war in sight?

Why I Loved this Book


I love history, and a well-researched historical novel always gets my pulse racing. Once again, Cambron creates a multilayered tale with rich characters and the push and pull of tension.
The author pieces the stories and time periods together like a skilled haute couture dress designer. Each incident a pattern piece fitting snuggly with the others to create a masterpiece no one could have imagined.

Kristy Cambron’s lush writing and addictive narrative reveal how two gutsy women defied the Germans during the Paris occupation from 1939 to 1945. Lila makes couture gowns for top Nazi wives, while Sandrine catalogues stolen treasures for the Germans. Both gather intel valuable to La Resistance, a cause for which they’re willing to die. THE PARIS DRESSMAKER is not always an easy read due to the heartbreaking times, but an ever inspiring one, as it asks, “Would you give all if called?”

5 of 5 Stars
Pub Date 16 Feb 2021
#TheParisDressmaker #NetGalley

Thanks to the author, Thomas Nelson, and NetGalley for the ARC. Opinions are mine.

Kristy Cambron has been one of my very favorite authors for the past two years and I always look forward to her new releases with so much excitement because her books are amazing 😍 This one was no different.
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The Paris Dressmaker follows two Parisian women living in Paris during WWII and the German occupation of Paris. One woman is a dressmaker for Coco Chanel and the other works at a bookstore. This book follows them as they live during the occupation and do their bit to help France and the French Resistance during this hard time.
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If you know me, you know that I love WWII fiction and, to be honest, I was a little afraid that this one would be cliche with the same old storyline, but it wasn't. Kristy Cambron did a fantastic job of weaving the stories of these two women together in an easy to follow way. I really got invested in the lives of these women and the Parisians around them. And yeah, we all know the outcome of WWII, but still yet, the ending of this one was surprising and there were some heartbreaking things in there too. Also, I haven't really read much about the German occupation of Paris, so this was something a little new for me to dive into.
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All in all, this was a wonderful story that I highly recommend to anyone who loves historical fiction. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬 𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫 is simply 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦! 👗

Paris just before occupation, young girls living life’s full of promise and parties. Two extraordinary women used their talent and cunning to help the Resistance in Paris.Lila a gifted seamstress,uses her talent to silently gathe4 information from the mistresses and wives of the Nazi regime. Sandrine must catalog precious artifacts to be sent to Germany . She uses every opportunity to gather information on her husband. Two women United in spirit yet so different. Lila decides to take a more active role in the underground, reuniting with a lost love in a most James Bond way. Sandrine comes under attack from the locals who see her betraying her heritage. A easy argument to make from the safety of their homes. A first person narrative this is a look at youth lost to war and the strong women that emerged.

This was absolutely captivating. This lovely and poignant story takes place during WWII. The characters were well developed and the plot was completely engaging and mesmerizing to the very end. Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

The Paris Dressmaker is a breath-taking book that you can preorder now. I think it’s this year’s The Nightengale, and I fully expect it to win a slew of awards because of the beautiful writing and story.

In this sweeping novel, you’ll follow two women (and a host of other characters) from 1938 to 1945. It highlights the ways that Parisienne women survived the years the German occupied the city. Kristy highlights many of the events without lingering on them…yet gives a feel for the scope of the occupation. Everything doesn’t go well for the characters, also realistic, but the hope and the grace in the pages is healing.

A time slip novel set completely around Paris during WW2. The more current time line is set during 1944 while the older time line starts in 1939 and works it's way up to 1944. Not only is the story a time slip story but both time lines follow 2 different Parisian women dealing with working with/for/around Nazis while also working with the French resistance. What I enjoyed about the story was the richness of the story and the lengths that people went to fight against what was going on, despite the dangers and sometimes unpopular decisions. The stories of the two women are beautifully intertwined and overlap with out connecting. Definitely worth the read

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own