The Paris Apartment is an absorbing book that I thoroughly enjoyed. The field of WWII books that take place in Paris has become a bit crowded but I found this story to be a particularly good one. The characters are well developed and both timelines are equally interesting. While it presents the seriousness and horrors of the war, it’s a lighter read than some of the other books of its kind, which was a welcome change for me.

Rated 4.25 stars.

DNF @ 25%

I just could see where this book was going, and I wasn't enjoying it, so I opted to put it down. I truly believe that this book will be loved by others. I just couldn't get behind it. I hope that if you aren't enjoying a book ever, that you do end up putting it down. I know there are lots of positive reviews here, so this is definitely an "It's me, not the book" kind of problem.

I love Kelly Bowen's other Historical Romances, which is why I was excited to try this one. It was just the wrong plot for me.

I have countless renditions of various authors’ versions of the Parisian apartment, frozen in time. Bowen offers her version which is a really good story. It transports between 2017 and WWII, Involving two spies with the apartment as its focal point. The narrative was fluid and at the end, the author connected all the loose threads. Some people may be tiring of WWII historical fiction, but I’m cannot get enough. I liked Sophie the best. She had nerves of steel. I admire her resolve, determination, and skills. Indulge in the past and read about remarkable people who defied the odds and defeated evil.

I loved this incredible story and learning more about how people survived during the German (Nazi) occupation of Paris. The secret of the apartment was so fascinating and I enjoyed hearing that story and how they tracked the information in modern day. There was great description and the dialogue was good as well. This is one of my new favorite historical fiction books and WWII historical fiction.

From the very first paragraph, this book jumps right into the thick of it. It has been a long time since I have been engrossed into a plot so quickly, and it is a refreshing page turner to say the very least. The Paris Apartment by Kelly Bowen is the perfect book to transition into the spring and summer reading mood.

The story is centered around an apartment in Paris that Lia inherits from get grandmother. An apartment that doubles as a time capsule that has seemingly been left untouched since the end of the second World War.

What unfolds is a gripping back and forth account between two time periods that leaves you wanting more and more until the very last page. I've been fascinated with Paris every since visiting as a little girl, this take on it however, was something different than anything I have ever read before. I was hooked from BEGINNING to END.

This read has anything and everything a reader could want, history, great writing, mystery, love, and the every necessary journey of self-discovery.

After reading this, I am looking forward to reading Bowen's previously published novels as I anxiously await her to write another one.

Thank you to Forever Publishing, Grand Central Publishing, NetGalley, and of course, Kelly Bowen for this advanced reader copy.

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book! I will be posting my review on social media, to include Instagram, Amazon, Goodreads, and Storygraph!

This was a wonderful book, and I loved the alternating timelines. Chapters during WWII were told from Estelle and Sophie's perspectives, as they lived through the war. The more present day chapters are Lia and Gabriel, as they try to figure out Estelle's history and the treasures in her old apartment that's been locked up for over 70 years.
As I read this, I felt all sorts of emotions alongside the characters - fear, regret, sometimes sadness. They were written so deeply.
The book does a great job of finishing up the storylines, but there was one character in particular where I felt it was left to the reader to assume/hope what happened, and everyone else got some sort of closing. I also wished there had been some scene between older Estelle and Lia, rather than just descriptions of their times together.
This is one of the best fiction books about WWII that I've read.

I absolutely loved this book. I had just read right before this one another historical fiction book with a very similar title that also took place during WWII in Paris, and was really disappointed in it. This book completely made up for it! Such a fascinating story of different women during the War and the work they did for the Resistance (plus a modern day character (Lia) who’s story ties together the mystery of how they are all connected). Sometimes historical fiction novels with multiple timelines are mixed and not all the stories are engaging. With The Paris Apartment all the characters and their stories were fascinating. A big thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing arc in exchange for honest review. I think this is going to be one of my favorite books of the year.

Three days after finishing this historical fiction novel, I still can't stop thinking about it. From the first page to the last, it's an utterly intense, captivating story of bravery, tragedy, and sacrifice. It's told from the perspective of 4 characters in two time periods -the present with Lia who is bewildered after the death of her grandmother to find herself the owner of an apartment that has lain undisturbed since the latter days of World War 2 and Gabriel, the art curator who helps Lia make sense of what she finds and discovers his own personal connection to the apartment - and the past with Estelle, Lia's grandmother, whose position in Parisian society makes her uniquely capable of a role she never wanted but believes she must play and Sophie, a young English widow whose hatred of the Nazis fires her determination to exact vengeance.

Well researched and compelling, the switch from past to present is done seamlessly giving the reader some light-hearted moments in between the more heart-wrenching and suspenseful ones. There are a couple of romantic scenes in the novel but they are not the main focus; rather they serve to add another dimension to the characters making me care deeply about each person's fate. There is no way to read the story without feeling a range of emotions, from surprise to fear to relief to grief and thankfully, also to joy. While the author is known for her historical romances, this is her first foray into historical fiction and in my opinion, it's a resounding success.

This story is told from four perspectives, Sophie and Estelle's during World War 2, and Lia and Gabriel's in the present. Lia is Estelle's granddaughter to whom she left her apartment, untouched for 70 years and filled with art and mystery. And Lia enlisted Gabriel's help to unravel their secrets. I found it difficult to put the book down, as I was as keen as Lia to lear the story of the apartment and its contents.

I especially loved reading the chapters about Sophie and Estelle. In some ways, they were quite different women, but at the core, both were amazing, strong women working out a way to act on their beliefs in a time that limited women's abilities to do so.

The Author's Note reveals that some parts of their characters are based on the memoirs and records of women who actually lived through the war. For me, that made this book all the more moving. I also appreciated the discussion questions and references for further reading. I love historical fiction most when I can then determine which parts are history and which are fiction.

This book touched me deeply. The way it spanned past and present and the way it presented an inheritance not only of wealth but of family felt personal. I was utterly engrossed and recommend it to all who enjoy historical fiction.

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for this but. The opinions here are my own.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

When Kelly Bowen announced she was writing a World War II historical novel, I was both excited to see what she’d bring to the table and a bit apprehensive, as she was essentially moving from one oversaturated subgenre (Regency romance) to another (World War II historicals). However, just like her Regencies were charming and inject her own flair to that genre(even if her more recent offerings weren’t necessarily my cuppa), she brings her own style to the table with The Paris Apartment.

I was immediately drawn into the lives of the central characters, both past and present. While it was not immediately obvious how all the threads tied together, the story was engaging enough that I was able to take it all in and soon became engrossed.

The lives of both Estelle and Sophie are both deeply moving, as they both work in their own ways for the Resistance movement against the Nazis. That their stories, while fictional, are based on the lives of real women who participated in the Resistance effort, makes it all the more poignant.

Meanwhile, Lia is Estelle’s granddaughter who inherits Estelle’s former apartment that played a pivotal role in her Resistance activities. She did not know much about her grandmother’s early life prior, and I enjoyed seeing her find out more about that part of her grandmother’s life. She also works with Gabriel, Sophie’s great-nephew, who is an art appraiser, in the process, and the two have a sweet romance. It’s very understated compared to the relationships in Bowen’s prior books, but it’s no less delightful.

I adored this book, and while I’m not sure all of Kelly Bowen’s established romance fan base will agree, I like that she’s branching out and trying new things, while also showing she hasn’t completely forgotten her romance roots. If you love historical fiction and want a fresh take on World War II, I think you‘ll enjoy this one!

When Aurelia Leclaire walks through the door of a lavish apartment she recently inherited, she is both shocked and astounded. Her grandmother has not only left Lia an apartment that no-one in the family knew about but it appears to have been deserted since 1943. This mystery home is overflowing with magnificent couture, jewelry and priceless art. One particular landscape steers her to contact Gabriel Seymour in London, a well known art restorer and appraiser. Quickly arriving in Paris, Gabriel is surprisingly handsome and much younger than Lia expected, the two share instant chemistry. Some of the clues suggest the unimaginable - that grandmother was assisting the Nazi’s - but after digging deeper they discover grandmothers buried secrets and as fate would have it, the mystery draws them to Gabriel’s own family in England. Narrated by the brave women of the past and Lia’s unwavering determination to put the pieces together, we travel through war torn Europe and modern day Paris. Filled with history, art and a budding romance between delightful characters The Paris Apartment was an absolutely undputodownable read.

This book was amazing. When Lia inherits a Paris apartment from her grandmother. An apartment she never knew her grandmother had. At first glance it looked like a museum rather than an apartment. It hadn't been occupied for over 70 years...dark and filled with dust there was more to the apartment than that first look. Hidden behind a wardrobe filled with glamorous clothing was a room that held mysteries. A cot made up perfectly, a locked trunk and more that told the story of a world on fire, WWII. Within the apartment itself was a fortune in art. How did her grandmother possess such a collection? With the help of a London art appraiser, Lia discovers her grandmother's secrets.

Told in dual timelines, each chapter telling the tale of 3 women, the apartment being the central focus point that was the glue that held the book together. Every twist and turn was like a scavenger hunt, as each clue opened the story of the past to help solve the mystery Kelly Bowen wrote a fantastic novel, so different from other WWII novels, a book I couldn't put down. Highly recommended. My thanks to NetGalley .for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Kelly Bowen does an amazing job going from past to present throughout the The Paris Apartment. Her detailed description of the apartment made me feel like I was actually there. The courageous efforts of Aurelia during World War II left me breathless and the secrets that granddaughter Lia unravels are astounding! Lots of suspense and great characters made this wonderful historical fiction book a page turner that left me wanting more!

When a woman inherits a Parisian apartment undisturbed since WWII, she discovers that it may hold the key to unravelling her cold and distant great-grandmother's secret life -- a past of sacrifice during a mission to protect those she loved

The Paris Apartment by Kelly Bowen is a compelling historical fiction full of fantastic imagery that transports the readers into the present-day along with WWII Paris. Bowen has created a novel that hooks readers on the first page with the imagery that she has created. I generally navigate towards fantasy but The Paris Apartment has made me fall in love with historical fiction. Kelly is able to incorporate a timeless feel when reading the novel. I had difficulties putting the novel down. By the time I finished it was 12 am!

To summarize this novel all I can say is breathtaking, transforming and heartbreaking~ in the best way!

In @readForeverPub's The Paris Apartment, Aurelia Leclaire inherits an apartment kept secret of her grandmother's and finds a treasure trove of art hidden.⁠
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The book chronicles the search for who owned the artwork in modern day, as well as the struggles from the past that lead to the art being hidden in the first place.⁠
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I really enjoyed it and found myself eager to solve the mystery of where the art came from! I hope you'll consider picking this one up and doing just the same!⁠
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Thank you to Forever for allowing me to read this one and give my honest opinion!⁠

This was a great book I read in two sittings only. I couldn’t put it down and lost sleep because of it. Beautifully written.

This book was INCREDIBLE! I stayed up all night to finish it - and then cried because it was over. Kelly Bowen’s writing had me hooked on page 1 - and it only got better as I read!

After the passing of her grandmother, Lia inherits an apartment in Paris that she did not know existed. She is surprised to discover that the apartment has been untouched for 70 years and is filled with incredible paintings, couture gowns and secrets. When Lia hires Gabriel Seymour, an art restorer to help her, they find themselves working together to uncover the details of their surprisingly connected past.

The story switches between 2017 and World War II - from the perspectives of Lia, Gabriel, Estelle (Lia’s Grandmother) and Sophie. Estelle and Sophie both work for the resistance, fighting against the Nazi Regime. The strength, bravery and intelligence of these women is incredible. The determination of Lia and Gabriel to discover the hidden secrets of the past is heartwarming. The way the stories are so easily intermingled and written is so smooth and easy. There was no need for me to turn backwards to clear up any confusion about the perspective or timeline.

Easily one of the best books I have read in 2021. Anyone who loves historical fiction, especially WWII era needs to preorder this book!

Thank you Netgalley, Kelly Bowen, Forever and Grand Central Pub for my Advanced reader copy.

I was incredibly moved by this book, in particular by the attachments between the undercover agents. So often, these selfless individuals are painted as simply actors in a bigger scheme. While they certainly sacrificed their autonomy for the greater good, it was beautiful to see the way that Kelly Bowen humanized these people. The scene at the house with Sophie's brother is just breathtaking. And the book is incredibly cinematic. I would watch this movie over and over and over. What a gorgeous tribute. I have all the feels.

I received this book in exchange of a honest review. I loved This book and Kelly Bowen knocked it out of the park. Alternating between WWII and present day, this book had me deeply invested in it’s characters, completely wrapped up in history, sitting on the edge of my seat with my heart pounding, crying at times, and falling in love with the opulence of Paris. I am going to buy other titles from this author now, I enjoyed this so much.