This was a very cute story that takes place in the most romantic city in the world, Paris. The author did an amazing job describing the landmarks as well as the food and atmosphere. It made me want to jump on a plane and experience it for myself. The story was good but needed a little more substance and the characters needed more depth, especially Leo. I felt like they needed to have a little more chemistry. Hannah's handling of Si's revelation at the end seemed a little strange to me. Overall though it was enjoyable and I loved being in Paris even if it was just for a little while. C'est la vie!!

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy in exchange for an honest review

The Paris Connection brings you Hannah's story of a whirlwind day in Paris after all her travel plans are thwarted. The day proves to be monumental as she explores Paris with a fellow traveler who's plans also got detoured and learns about herself and her current relationship with her boyfriend, Si.

This one was almost like a sunshine and a grump trope (with Hannah being the grump) but it also seemed like it was just a grump and a grump at times. Hannah saw this worst in every situation, had issues with her father that spilled over into her relationship with her mom and all of her romantic relationships. She was stuck in a dead end job and just not in a good place. I know that is a lot of people's stories but it wasn't really what I was in the mood to read.

It felt like the whirlwind day was far-fetched and although Hannah didn't cheat on her boyfriend, it felt sort of weird that she was sneaking around Paris on the back of a motorbike with a new hottie. Overall this one fell a bit flat for me. However the descriptions of Paris were great and made me want to hop on a plane ASAP!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this - I devoured this book. I finished the book and immediately wanted there to be a sequel, that's how good it was :) This is a witty, heartfelt love story about a woman, Hannah, who accidentally ends up in Paris when the train she's on with her boyfriend, Simon, splits in the middle of the night. Hannah and Simon are taking an overnight train on their way to Amsterdam for Simon's sister's wedding. After a seating mishap, they're stuck in a loud car, so in the middle of the night while Simon is fast asleep, Hannah wanders to a quieter car on the train and falls asleep.

Unbeknownst to her (and Simon), the train split and she was on the half heading to Paris. She awakens in the morning, without her bag, passport, wallet, etc. in Paris utterly confused. She's not alone though - Leo also wandered to a different car and desperately needs to get to Amsterdam for an important business meeting.

With just her camera, debit card and cell-phone, Hannah has a full day to spend in the City of Lights - a city that has brought her heartbreak int he past. This book chronicles the day Hannah and Leo spend together and this unexpected detour may not be all that bad! Hannah realizes just how un-perfect her relationship with Simon is, and she ends up questioning her relationship and if she's living the life she really wants to have.

Leo makes her question everything she thought she wanted in life....all the while she has a decision to make. Will she make it on the next train to Amsterdam for the wedding....

Loved this book, thank you so much NetGalley for the advanced copy. Can't wait for this to come out!

I really loved the premise for this book and was excited to read it, but really it was just fine. It was a quick read, so no complaints there, but I found myself lacking a connection with the characters and skimming through a lot of the details. I'm so over the trope of a woman who can't do anything for herself. Hannah finds herself alone in Paris and literally doesn't know what to do and asks everyone for help. ⭐⭐⭐ The best part was getting to explore Paris through the book.

An unexpected day spent in Paris makes Hannah realize the true meaning of what was missing in her life until now!

Hannah and Si are on their way to Amsterdam to attend a wedding. The train they are traveling in divides in two and Hannah travels 300 miles in opposite direction to Paris.

Through this story I traveled a day in the beautiful city of Paris! The story of Hannah and her coming out of her comfort zone was very inspiring and relatable

Thank you G.P. Putnam and NetGalley for the complimentary galley in exchange of my honest opinion. This adorable story publishes on August 24, 2021

Hannah and her boyfriend Si have just returned from a romantic vacation in Venice and are about to board a train to Amsterdam for Si's sister's wedding. Along the train ride, she decides to split up. Unfortunately, the carriages separate while Hannah is sleeping, and she ends up in Paris alone, without a ticket or passport and with very little money in her possession. Within the separated carriage, she meets a fellow traveler, Léo, a Paris native who assists her in passing the time until the next Amsterdam trip departs.

I finished this book in ONE DAY! It's a lovely story about breaking out of one's comfort zone and taking chances that can and sometimes should be taken. The main characters felt real and flawed, which made the story relatable.

I've never been on a train or visited Paris — the París connection made me experience both fictionally.

I had high hopes for this one after seeing some pretty stellar early reviews, but I gotta be honest: this did not do it for me. I was so excited to take a tour of Paris between these pages, but I really struggled to enjoy the setting because I was so distracted by my dislike of basically every character. Hannah, our main character, was insufferably negative, and Leo, the love interest, felt like a caricature of a stereotypical too-cool, too-hot Parisian guy. This had premise had potential, but it just didn't live up to what I was hoping for and I am bummed. Womp :(

CW: death of a parent, alcoholism

Thanks to Putnam for an advanced copy of The Paris Connection.

Unfortunately this was a miss for me. It sounded fun and cute but I just couldn't with Hannah. She was so insecure and I struggled to feel any connection to her as she was too needy for me.

I liked the descriptions of Paris and it was a quick easy read.

Harlequin Junkie Recommended Read!

The Paris Connection was a lovely introspective novel by Lorraine Brown that crisscrossed Europe, following thirty-year-old Hannah as her life changed bit by bit after an unplanned day in Paris.

Told from our heroine Hannah's POV, The Paris Connection (to me) seemed more like women's fiction than a straight up love story. There were romance elements in it, definitely. But the storyline itself was more focused on Hannah realizing that her relationships--and her life--were not exactly as perfect and happy as she was letting herself believe. So due to that introspection, it wasn't a super fast moving book. It moved along at a steady pace, though, building a picture of Hannah's past, how it influenced her choices in the present day, and why she had negative feelings toward Paris. In turn, the romantic glow was ripped away from her views about her boyfriend Simon. That was where it got very complicated.

The premise--with Hannah moving to a different train car that later separated from where Simon was sleeping, ending up in Paris, not Amsterdam--was an interesting one. It gave this novel a road trip vibe while exploring Hannah's concerns about her personal life. And what better city for her (and us!) to lose herself in than Paris, right? Especially with Leo as her guide. I wasn't really sold on him at first, to be honest. He seemed gruff, abrupt, and not particularly nice. But as Hannah opened up to viewing Leo's city through his eyes and they began to understand one another, he wormed his way into my heart. And Hannah's. I will say outright that there is no cheating involved. But there was an emotional connection they shared that influenced Hannah's decisions moving forward.

Feel like spending a day in the City of Lights? If so, The Paris Connection, with all of its vivid details, drama, personal revelations, and touching moments will be just the novel for you.

Some books are plot-driven, some books are character driven. This one seems to be fueled by its location: Paris. If you're looking for a book to transport you to another country, to show you the beauty of Paris on the back of a motorbike with a handsome Frenchman (anyone having flashbacks to Passport to Paris with Mary-Kate and Ashley?), then this is the book for you.

When the forever-clumsy Hannah accidentally gets separated from her boyfriend on her way to his sister's wedding when the train they're on separates in the middle of the night, Hannah is stranded in Paris for a day until she can get another train. Handsome stranger, Leo, made the same mistake and is determined to show her some of the city instead of sitting in the station all day. One day makes Hannah reevaluate her relationships with others and herself.

The downside of having a romance that at times reads like a guidebook, is you're left with very long paragraphs that can be difficult to read, and I end up skimming. Yeah, I skimmed much of the Paris backdrop to get to the rest of the story. But not everyone might make that choice. Overall, I think the premise of this book is intriguing, and the characters were well-thought out and developed. I'm just not quite sure the writing style resonated with me.

Thanks to Putnam for my ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4 stars - 6/10

This was fine -- I didn't love One Day in December so maybe I should have skipped this one altogether but I am a suck for anything that sounds like Before Sunrise. I did rather like the ending and I generally like books that take place in a single day but this one just wasn't my favorite. It felt a little predictable and also read so slow. You may have better luck!

The Paris Connection comes out next week on August 24, 2021 and you can purchase HERE.

I was halfway through Gone Girl, which my friend Ellie had lent to me because allegedly I was the only person she knew who hadn't read it. The female protagonist's psychotic tendencies notwithstanding, I thought there was something very appealing about the idea of dropping out of your current life and reinventing yourself as somebody else altogether.

I couldn’t get into this book and ended up giving up on it. I didn’t like the main character and felt like she was way too whiny and immature. I’m sure others will enjoy it but it wasn’t the book for me.

Hannah and her boyfriend Simon are on the way to Amsterdam for his sisters wedding, but after a series of unfortunate events Hannah is left in Paris while Simon ends up in Amsterdam. Hannah isn't the only one who missed the train messaging though, so did Leo. At first, they rub each other the wrong day, but eventually they start touring the city together to kill time and are surprisingly honest and open with each other. Through their conversations, both realize they've been holding onto issues that aren't serving them. And when Simon reveals a secret, Hannah pulls the trigger on a new life path.

This book really made me want to travel and see Paris. While, this book was cute, it was the slowest of slow burns. I felt like we read 85% of the book to see any real plot forming and any real twist didn't come til the last half hour. I also found it annoying that the whole book Hannah was this negative Nancy just trying to wait off her time and Leo just wont stop pursuing her in this non romantic way. I feel like no guy would actually try that hard after a girl was rude and said no 30 times. I don't know, maybe I'm just being a cynic. My favorite part was the epilogue where they agree to meet up after 7 months and they're both basically different people and all they do is reconnect. I don't know why I thought was a romance read not just women's fiction so I guess I was expecting there to be more chemistry and romance. I feel like we need a part 2 to get to the real meat of their relationship. It was a quick and easy read. Definitely read it if you are looking to escape to paris and are looking for something not too intense. Overall I'd give this 3.5 stars.

Hannah is on a trip with her boyfriend Si when they get separated. Half the train continues to Amsterdam, their destination, and half the train splits to Paris. When Hannah wakes up and goes back to find Si, she realizes the half of the train he is in is gone. She didn't hear the announcements because she had to use her earplugs to sleep due to the fact the guy on the train next to her was blasting his music. So, technically it is his fault.
So when she is at the train station running to get to the next train to Amsterdam and she trips over his bag and hurts her ankle, it's only right that he comes back and helps her out till she can catch the next train. Leo comes back and takes Hannah around the city for the day, showing her the sights and all the delightful food that can be found. As they spend more and more time together, Hannah feels softer for this man she thought was just terribly arrogant hours before.
At the same time, she is beginning to wonder if Si has been hiding something from her for a while now. She looks back at their relationship through different eyes and knows something is up. Having insightful conversations with Leo about life and happiness leaves her feeling like she is missing something.
When she finally meets up with Si will she keep on living the life she has been or will the dream of something more push her to change?
While I loved the parts of the book that had Hannah taking a look at her life and realizing that she wanted more, there were also things that didn't work for me. I loved Hannah and completely understood the feeling of being stuck and wanting more to life. The parts I didn't connect with was the relationship with Leo as more than a friend and the twist with Si. I liked that the end gave us an epiloge and we got to see where the two of them went, but I would have liked to have seen more of them getting there. I also didn't really understand much about Leo's life at all and would have liked a little more of that explained rather than some of the Paris culture.
Thank you to Lorraine Brown, Netgalley and Penguin for an early copy of this book!

3.5 stars, rounded up. This was cute! It's a nice story when you have a touch of wanderlust and want to explore a new place, fictionally (and who doesn't these days). It's fun seeing Paris through both Leo and Hannah's eyes. Hannah figures out a lot about herself and her relationship while being separated from her things and taking steps outside her comfort zone. Overall a sweet and easy read.

This wasn’t a bad read. It kept me interested and entertained. But I do have to wonder about Hannah’s goals. She seemed to make one bad decision after another and then blame problems on her boyfriend. Not sure she’s exactly a catch.

Seemed a bit too inspired by Before Sunrise and other works.

I was so happily surprised by this book. It was fun, lighthearted, hopeful, and lovely! The main characters were amazing and I love how the author wrote them. I could feel the chemistry sizzle off the pages! I will for sure read this author again!

For fans of Laura Jane Williams and Elizabeth Neep comes a Parisian romp whose protagonist doesn't do much to challenge her status as a damsel in distress.

I found this book almost unreadable from the very first chapter, mostly because protagonist Hannah can't stop reiterating how hopeless she is at... everything. Her boyfriend, Si, loves to both control and infantilize her, reminding her how bad she is at various things, such as holding on to her own train ticket. As Hannah frames it, "For the first time in my life I didn't have to try to work everything out for myself -- he did it for me, and much more successfully than I'd ever managed." Insert eyeroll emoji.

When Si and Hannah are separated on their way to Amsterdam, Hannah is concerned that Si will worry about her and "more to the point -- think me incapable of looking after myself." Later, she considers how "Si would guess the plotline [of a movie] before it had barely begun, and I'd constantly need clarification about what was going on. Problem-solving was not something I was proficient at."

Honestly, I could go on. The setup is, essentially, "Hannah is inept, and two very different men show her how to live better than she could manage on her own." Meanwhile, the stakes around Hannah getting to Amsterdam are extraordinarily low; she's trying to arrive in time for Si's sister's wedding, but Hannah's relationship to Si is so doomed from the start that I can't imagine anyone will care if she's there or not. I certainly didn't.

Hannah and Leo are each on the train from Venice to Amsterdam. They meet when they both wake up n Paris after the train has split and the back half gone on to Amsterdam. They spend the day in Paris while they wait for the next train. A fun romance where each of the characters learn about themselves and grow. I like a smart heroine like Hannah who won't put up with a guy just because he's good looking and rich. I enjoyed how this story progresses differently but still ended up HEA.

3.5 stars (rounded up)

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with an ARC of this easy and breezy novel by Lorraine Brown.

Overall, I thought this was an enjoyable summer read. It begins with a traveler's worst nightmare: Hannah is on a train to Amsterdam with her boyfriend Si, when the carriages separate, and she accidentally ends up on a train to Paris, sans Si. All alone, Hannah is left without her luggage, very little money, and a time crunch to get to Amsterdam in time for the wedding of Si's sister. However, another (very attractive) Parisian guy named Leo is in the same situation. In a series of unfortunate events for Hannah, including losing her phone in the Paris train station, she winds up having hours to kill before the next train to Amsterdam. With nothing left to lose, Hannah consents when Leo offers to show her around Paris. With each destination, Hannah becomes more enthralled with Paris...and her cute tour guide. She can't help but feel the facade of her idyllic relationship with her boyfriend start to crumble.

I think this story is--as many other readers have pointed out--kind of corny. However, I enjoyed the escape nonetheless and thought the overall premise was a good one. It's not only about love and loss but about awareness of one's own needs and self-acceptance. If you want an easy and uplifting book, check this one out.