This book was a ARC via #netgalley

All opinions are my own.

I wanted to like this book more than I did. I am a sucker for WWII books, and I love when its from a different countries viewpoint. And to be honest, I choose this book based on the beautiful cover alone.

I knew from the start that these 2 individual ladies stories would intertwine. Yet, *SPOILER* there stories seem to take a long time to do such.

First we have Lila, a dressmaker who is part of the Nazi Resistance. Through her trials she is reunited with her ex, Renee- who also happens to be part of the resistance- posing as a pastry chef.

Secondly, we have Sandrine- a mother and also a part of the Resistance. However from the outside people think she is working with the Nazi's helping to save precious art works.

This is where the stories start to intertwine. Sandrine, in her work, comes across a beautiful Chanel dress, which inside holds a secret message . This is also where 2 stories turn into 4. While there are the two present day stories, there is also two past stories of how everything came to be. This at times was hard to decipher which time period we were supposed to be in, and I had to keep second guessing it.

The writing was done very well, the descriptions and the character developments. I just found myself skimming over a lot of it. For that I give it 3 stars.

THE PARIS DRESSMAKER
BY KRISTY CAMBRON

This Author, Kristy Cambron whom this is the first of her work I have discovered is an author who definitely did her research for this historical novel. It is evident that this author poured her heart into penning this story that takes place during the beginning of World War II in a German occupied Paris until liberation by the British and the American's. While the title might suggest that this is a light novel it is anything but surface. It delves deep into the Resistance efforts taking place by the character's that she makes quite compelling.

Lila first worked for Coco Chanel who closes her doors and Lila finds herself inside the Hotel Ritz using her skills as a highly skilled seamstress. While Lila takes measurements of the girlfriend's and wives of the Nazi's, she gleans information from these women's loose lips while drinking champagne that she can pass onto the Resistance. She is in love with Rene who breaks things off from her without giving her a valid reason. She will find out during the war that her friend whom she thought she could trust actually secretly discloses to the Nazi's that Rene's family is Jewish and where they live and where they have fled. This causes Lila much anguish and guilt and is what propels her to work with the Resistance in doing something good to make up for what she perceives is his families death.

Sandrine is another character whom I really liked and respected. She lives with her in-laws with her young son named, Henri. Sandrine is forced by a high ranking Nazi officer to work shipping off valuable works's of art plundered by the Nazi's from Jewish families for Hitler's museum and Berlin. Sandrine's husband Christian is off fighting and she doesn't know of his fate. She really is repelled by her German handler and is seen as a Nazi collaborator by her fellow Parisian's but she is also a Resistance worker underneath keeping careful records of who the art belonged to and wants to see it returned to it's rightful families.

It took a lot of courage to work in the French Resistance during German Occupied France. I think this novel which is based in some factual historic facts of other character's whom I haven't mentioned for the brevity of this review. It is a tribute to the many people who bravely risked their lives and also a reminder of the horrific war crimes against the Jewish people who suffered unimaginably for their ethnicity only. I am guessing that one of this author's goals for writing this is this that we never forget so that it never happens again along with paying homage to the underground people who took part in the Resistance.

Publication Date: February 16, 2021

Thank you to Net Galley, Kristy Cambron and Thomas Nelson for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#TheParisDressmaker #KristyCambron #ThomasNelson #NetGalley

Captivating and heartrending are two words that come to mind over this book. A story of two separate women during World War II in Nazi-occupied France. At times, it was difficult to read. It also created questions of what would I do in that situation? Ultimately, it’s a story that will draw you in and make you think.

I cannot read a story like this without asking the hard questions of what I would do, or how I'd survive, if I were faced with the crises of war such as these people in this novel were. I think that is one of the crowning achievements of a novelist--to be able to provoke those questions in a reader, and Kristy Cambron does it well. Her attention to historical detail and research is remarkable. As to the emotional intrigue, the heightening danger and emotional pitch lend not only to the story but to history itself. The only thing that kept me from giving it 5 stars was that, in reading on my Kindle, I had a hard time keeping track of the time period as the story goes back and forth between POV characters, each in forward and backward time periods, so I occasionally lost track of where I was, mostly in the first half of the book. On the Kindle, it wasn't a quick flip back to the chapter or section break to catch where I was. Time slips are very popular right now, but part of me wanted to read this story in a more straight-forward manner. Still, it was an excellent and satisfying story.

The Paris Dressmaker
by Kristy Cambron
Thomas Nelson--FICTION
You Like Them You Are Auto-Approved
Thomas Nelson
Historical Fiction | Romance
Pub Date 16 Feb 2021 | Archive Date 07 Apr 2021

This was a difficult read for me. The story is told in two timelines and it was not an easy read. Not the book for me. Thanks to ThomasNelson- Fiction and NetGalley for the ARC.
I feel historical fiction readers will love this book. It just wasn't the best fit for me.

4 star

German occupation of Paris during World War II was shocking. No one understood how life would be impacted. The Nazis began systematically seizing and shipping art back to Germany. The Parisiennes were furious and fought against the Nazi occupation with La Resistance. Two women decide they must do what they can to free their country. Lila and Sandrine work for the Resistance while maintaining the appearance of everyday citizens. This is a very hazardous existence for these women and their families. With each message passed, the odds of being discovered elevate. The story is nerve wracking, tragic, and romantic.

The characters are memorable and the author does a masterful job of weaving her characters with the historic figures of that time. She blends fact and fiction beautifully compelling you to read on. The movement forward and backward in time as the story unfolds is something that seems distracting at certain points. It is not relayed in a linear format which may confuse some readers.

This is a wonderful book and people who are fans of historic fiction will thoroughly enjoy this read.

Kristy Cambron weaves a heartrending story of two separate women during World War II in Nazi-occupied France trying to survive but also to fight in the avenues they have been placed in. The book goes back and forth between the present (1944) and the years prior with events that brought both Lila and Sandrine to that moment. The reader feels the strain that the characters are under in trying to live in their war-torn world but also not giving in to the fear and oppression that they face. It is an excellent story showing resilience in the midst of terrifying circumstances.

Paris, 1939.
Lila de Laurent and her friend Amelie work for Coco Chanel as dressmakers and one day they arrive at work to find the salon closed. Lila begins working for another fashion designer Nina Ricci and she dresses the Nazi officer’s mistresses living at the Ritz hotel. Life in France during WW II is hard, the city has been completely over run by German soldiers and they take everything. Lila joins the La Resistance, her job at the Ritz provides perfect cover, the Nazi’s girlfriends like to chat while being measured for their new gowns and it gives Lila access to high ranking German officer’s rooms. When pastry chef René Touliard saves her from being captured, she’s drawn deeper into the resistance and she’s really worried the Germans will see through her disguise.

Paris, 1943.
Sandrine Paquet’s husband Christian is missing in action, she’s hopeful he’s still alive and she has a six year old son Henri. Captain Von Hiller notices her; she’s requisitioned by him to catalog priceless art stolen by the Nazi’s and it’s being shipped to Germany. Sandrine's considered a collaborator, of course she can’t tell anyone the truth and she actually passes on information to the resistance. When she’s asked by Captain Von Hiller to unbox a beautiful blush colored Chanel gown, she’s shocked to find a piece of stock card sewn into a seam and it has a message written on it.

The Nazi’s in Paris know the end of the war is near, for Lila and Sandrine it makes life harder. Lila and René are fighting with the La Resistance in the street of Paris and Sandrine is desperately trying to dodge Captain Von Hiller’s advances. The Paris Dressmaker is a story about two strong French women risking their lives to free France, to end the Nazi’s reign of terror in the city of lights and both have a link to that beautiful blush gown. I received a copy of the book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and four stars from me.

This book seemed to have a lot going on which at times I had a hard time following. The story is told in two timelines.
Normally I really enjoy every book this author writes. I can’t help but feel like it’s just another book about the resistance and Nazi invasion of Paris. I do think historical fiction fans will embrace it
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy

The Paris Dressmaker by Kristy Cambron is a World War II novel with a delightful cover that I loved looking at. As for the story, it was not actually what I was expecting. The plot line was interesting, and I really loved the idea of the Paris Resistance fighters and all the undercover work that they did during the 1939 – 1944. It was interesting and a little different than most novels I have read. It was a delight, BUT . . . the issue I had with the story was the delivery of the plot lines. I have read a number of timeslips novels and have no problem following the story. It usually goes back and forth between two heroines or heroes in two different time frames, but Cambron took two heroines and placed them in a number of different time frames. First, the reader starts out in 1944, then jumps back to 1939, then to 1943, then back to 1940. Sometimes when I started a new chapter, I would be confused as to what is going on. I would have to find whose perspective I was in, and the time period to see where we were out in the narrative. I really wished the story would have been told in a linear fashion. It would have been easier to follow. The romance sparkled and blossomed as the story progressed. The story, once I understood what was actually happening, evoked a sense of Parisian pride. Overall, Cambron crafted a wonderful story with unheard elements, which I liked, but the flip-flopping of the timeline confused me.

I received a complimentary copy of The Paris Dressmaker by Kristy Cambron from Thomas Nelson Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

Excellent heavy read of WW2 fiction which centers on Lila and Sandrine, a dress maker, and art cataloger, both working for The Resistance while making dresses for the Germans, and handling stolen art to survive and save their lives and Paris fashion. My only issue was I kept seeing the authors name and the letters rst in the middle of the chapter breaks. Other than that, great book! My thanks to Net Galley and the publisher.

3.5 stars

I enjoy timeslip novels, and I've read everything this author has written ... and I've never been disappointed.

This story is told in alternating flashbacks between Lila and Sandrine. At times I had to flip back to see which POV I was in, but that generally only happened if I'd put the book aside and come back to it.

Both storylines are well written and featured strong female leads, but I preferred Sandrine's story. Lila's had a lot of detailing about how she'd become a dressmaker for the Nazis. It was interesting, but the pace was sometimes slower than I would've preferred. That wasn't the case with Sandrine's story. It was easy to stay fully engaged in those chapters.

It's obvious that Cambron did her research! I enjoyed how certain points were based on factual events.

I have read and enjoyed every one of Kristy Cameron’s books. I especially like historical fiction and WWII stories in particular so I couldn’t wait for The Paris Dressmaker. The story is beautifully complex, definitely not a breeze through it in a weekend book. The story is an engaging look at two French women’s bold, courageous choices in support of the country and people they loved.
I highly recommend this book. Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the advance copy to read and review.

Every time I read a book set in WWII, I marvel at what people went through and how strong they were.

Even though it's fiction, it's based on true facts, set in Paris, from the beginning of the siege in June 1940 to the liberation in August 1944.

The story follows two French women, Lila and Sandrine. The both live in Paris and they become connected by the dress that Lila designed for Maison Chanel, and the dress becomes a symbol.

The two timelines are very close, just a few years apart, and that was confusing some times.

It was very interesting to read about the women who protected the art from the Nazis.

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. I'll be posting my review on Goodreads and Amazon

This might be my favorite Kristy Cambron book to date, and I'm so happy to say the story inside is just as beautiful as its gorgeous cover! The characters are compelling and intriguing, the romance is pitch-perfect . . . and that plot! I tend to gravitate toward character-driven stories, but when an author can give me such a fantastic mix of deep characters AND a plot packed with both heart-thudding and heart-wrenching moments, I'm the happiest reader ever. And while I've always been impressed by Kristy Cambron's writing, I feel like she took it to a whole new level in this story. I absolutely loved it The Paris Dressmaker!

I loved Cambron's The Butterfly and the Violin. I've also read her Lost Castle series. What I like most about her books is the main characters are strong, resourceful women who are determined to fight for what they believe in. This book is no exception. The story focuses on Lila, a dressmaker who finds herself fighting with the French resistance to relocate items belonging to her loves family stolen from the Nazis because they were Jewish. It also focuses on Sandrine, a woman who works to documents those many items stolen from Jewish family and either sent to the Furhermuseum or destroyed because they are deemed degenerate. Both women must overcome the evil imposed by the Nazis during their occupation of France during World War II.

This is a story of courage, strength and grit.

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

Lila has been working as a seamstress for Chanel before the Nazi occupation of Paris, she has met a man she hopes to marry but all of that changes when he must leave town and Chanel closes its doors. When an old friend, who has become a Nazi collaborator, draws her into the high fashion world at the Ritz to design gowns for the high ranking officer's women she makes the daring decision to funnel information to La Resistance. Even if the choice may cost her everything.

Across town Sandrine has been ordered by a high ranking German officer to work cataloguing priceless art that has been taken from Jewish families and is bound for Berlin. Secretly her and her colleagues begin keeping a record of all of the stolen art and who it belonged to in hopes that after the war it will be returned to its rightful owners. One night they uncrate an exquisite Chanel gown with a secret message hidden inside.

I am a fan of historical fiction and the Parisienne resistance during WWII which is a highly saturated genre but this was a unique story about the strength of some real women who did what they could to survive and fight the occupation. It is well written with strong female characters who were beautifully illustrated. I can not to read more about these real life heros and look forward to more works from Kristy Cambron.

I have read every single one of Kristy Cambron's book since her debut, The Butterfly and the Violin in 2014, and I can confidently say that each novel of hers is even better than the last. She blows me away with her ability to do that! Very few authors, or even artists in general, are able to perform such a feat, but Kristy is one of them.

The Paris Dressmaker transports us to the City of Light + Love, our beloved Paris in one of it's darkest moments. The Paris Dressmaker takes us not only to the fashion houses of Chanel and Ricci, but also to the war-torn tapestry of what WW2 Paris was like under Nazi occupation. Following the lives of Resistance warriors Lila de Laurent and Sandrine Paquet, the reader feels as if they are really there alongside the women in Paris 1943, fighting against the Nazis in covert and subtle ways, risking their lives for truth + justice. Beyond that, Lila and Sandrine have magnificent relationships with the people around them, including heart wrenching and heart warming love stories. While it took a little bit to get into The Paris Dressmaker, soon Cambron's unusual timeline and gripping characters convinced me to keep reading until I could barely put the book down. This was the kind of book that kept on building and building and building until it burst with the most beautiful and satisfying conflict and resolution.

I really, really enjoyed The Paris Dressmaker and would recommend it immediately to anyone asking. It is a luminescent, thought-provoking and empathetic read. Bravo, Kristy!! You have soared past us all with flying colours once again.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of The Paris Dressmaker in exchange for my fair and honest review.

I was excited to be granted access by Edelweiss to read The Paris Dressmaker. Two women's stories are intertwined by their collective work in the Resistance. The narrative moves back and forth between events leading up to the war and the final months before Liberation. One of the best parts of the book is the description, energy, and depiction of Liberation. I had chills while reason hat section. It's another good contribution to the canon of WWII historical fiction.