With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an audio arc of this book, all opinions expressed here are my own.

The Paris Dressmaker by Kristy Cambron was the first book I have read by this author and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

We follow the lives of Lila a haute couture dressmaker who works for the French Resistance among the Nazi elite. And Sandrine who works for the French Resistance while cataloguing priceless artwork stolen from Jewish families.

Told across multiple timelines during the Nazi occupation of France, the story focuses on the strength shown by these woman and how they will do whatever they can to help their country.

I have read many novels based around WWII but this one felt different to me. The author has clearly researched well. I loved the characters, they were well developed and we couldn’t help feeling for them. I enjoyed the back and forth time lines showing how the women arrived in their situations, then the mingling of the two at the end. Though I did find it a little confusing with the audiobook. I had to remember to focus more when the date was mentioned.

The narrator, Barrie Kreinik did a fantastic job. She had no problems voicing both male and female characters, as well as many accents including French, British and American. Definitely a narrator I would happily listen to again, you totally forget there’s only one person.

A fascinating read, I look forward to reading more books by this author. 4.5 stars. The Paris Dressmaker by Kristy Cambron is out on the 16th of February.

The Paris Dressmaker was an unexpected read for me. I really enjoyed it but not for the reasons I thought I would.

Since I was young I've always been fascinated by WWII Germany. I read books about what happened, spent hours and hours studying German to read German history books on the subject, watched German silent films and studied the Weimar era and propaganda leading up to the Third Reich. I wanted to understand how this could happen and how so many people could be brainwashed into supporting it or scared into silence.

When I realized that this book was from the perspective of dressmakers during the Nazi occupation of France, I knew this would be a really cool historical fiction novel that I would understand enough about to be able to enjoy the book for what it was.

The story itself isn't really about a dressmaker though, it's more than that. We follow the stories of several women over a span of 4 years. The difference in the lives they live is like night and day and the contrast here gives the book dimension.

The audio was very well done. I enjoyed listening to this narrator very much. There were times that were difficult for me because of the use of a French accent, but I also feel like that tiny detail made this book feel more real and brought the setting to life.

All in all, this was a really good book. I had intended on listening to it in the car during commutes but then I ended up sitting on the couch at home and listening while painting because I didn't want to wait to finish it.

Thank you for the review copy of this audiobook.

What an incredible book! The Paris Dressmaker tells the story of two courageous, bright and strong Parisiean Women during the Nazi invasion. Lila joins the resistance, stealing Nazi secrets while dressing the women in their lives, all while trying to protect her the love of her life and his jewish family. Sandrine works to catalog artwork stolen from wealthy Jewish families, all while working with the underground resistance and searching for her missing husband. The story switches back and forth between the two characters and their journey.

I listened to this book and despite the characters stories alternating, I did not find it to be confusing. The details of the occupation and the decisions these women had to make between their safety and protecting their country was heartbreaking. I recommend this book to anyone who loves Historical Fiction!

The title, The Paris Dressmaker, is a little deceiving, as this book isn't about one woman in occupied France. It is about several women, but two in particular. Lila is a dressmaker who trained under Chanel and finds herself at loose ends when Chanel closes her doors during the occupation. Sandrine is educated in art, and at the "request" of a Nazi officer, finds herself cataloging the art that the Nazis are stealing and shipping back to Germany. Both these women are strong and honorable women although those around them may wonder.

While these two women are fictional, Sandrine's boss, Rose Valland was a real person and did keep track of the art shipments, and then assisted The Monuments Men in recovering and returning some of it.

Thank you #NetGalley for allowing me to review #TheParisDressmaker and give my honest opinion. The narration of the audio book is well done. I truly enjoyed learning more about Occupied France.

3.5 stars
Incredibly detailed look at two courage-filled women during World War II in France. Sandrine and Lila are both working to help the Resistance, but they are also praying and waiting for the men that they love and do not know what has happened to them.

The descriptions of Lila's work as a dressmaker is entwined with Sandrine's work to help catalogue stolen art work are stunningly portrayed. The author's expertise and research shines from each page. The romance is subtle, but present, and is effectively woven into action and intrigue at every turn.

The one thing I had difficulty with in my reading was that each woman has multiple timelines that fold back and forth on themselves. It often took intense concentration to follow what was happening to who and at what time. The events did have discernable themes, when one part was revealed in the past then a parallel storyline was related in the present, but it was still quite confusing.

I listened to this book as an audio book which greatly increased my enjoyment of the novel. The narrator, Barrie Kreinik, is equally skilled with British, French, and American accents and pronunciations. The transitions between them are seamless and absolutely made this book come to life in ways it wouldn't have had I read it on a page.

If you enjoy World War II novels with action, romance, and intrigue, then you will definitely not be disappointed with The Paris Dressmaker.

The Paris Dressmaker, by Kristy Cambron, is a lovely novel. And the audio version is well done. It has been a long time since I last listened to an audio version of a book and I was skeptical, but I really enjoyed this one. It took me a bit to get used to the accent of the reader, but it added a realistic piece to the story. She read at a good pace and I'm glad I gave this version a try. Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC audio version of The Paris Dressmaker for my enjoyment...I mean honest review. I recommend this novel in any format, but must say that the audio version was a much-enjoyed change of pace for me!

Left me speechless. Poignant, emotional, romantic, realistic and inspirational. Wow. Kristy Cambron can write, but this story is a league of its own as it comes to life! Lila and Sandrine are ordinary woman called to extraordinary measures in the clutches of war. Both women demonstrate how far one will go to honor and protect those that they love, no matter the cost. The leading men show they are worthy of these women as they too serve their country in a tumultuous time. I felt like I walked the streets of Paris, visited the dress shops/dressing rooms and experienced all the fashionable glory and tasted of the goodness to be found in the bakeries. The depictions of war and occupation were well done and evidence of all the meticulous research that went into this tale. The narrator does an excellent job of representing the characters, male and female, and adds a depth of emotions that I did not experience in reading the book alone. Highly recommend the audiobook! I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own, freely given.

The writing in this novel is lyrical and gorgeous. Every word gripped me, and I couldn't put the book down. At the same time, I tried to savour it and make it last.

The romance was perfect, it was so painful and really pulled at my heart because of the setting. But I could feel its depth in every word. I particularly love René, as we get to see more of him throughout the book than we do Christian.

I loved the characters, and I was equally invested in Sandrine and Lila's stories. The supporting cast of characters also felt very realistic. I'd have liked to see more of some of them, but that would have increased the length of the novel considerably, and I know that it would have probably then made it far too long for many people. As it was, I still felt invested in them all and I cared about them and if they would be ok in the end.

There are almost four stories, as the novel jumps between 1944 and back to 1940, moving between Sandrine and Lila's lives. We see what is happening to both Sandrine and Lila in the present, and then the past events that led up to it. This helped build suspense and I think if the novel had been told in a linear fashion we would have lost some of that. I really enjoyed how the novel was structured. Even though the structure is quite complex I found that I was able to keep track of all of the events. One of the things I found most incredible is that Sandrine and Lila's stories are seemingly separate, but you know they must connect somehow. And they do, in more ways than one. It takes time to see those connections, and details that you wouldn't have even thought were significant are later revealed to be important. I really loved how the author was able to weave their stories together in this way. There was one particular moment in the story where I saw that all along, their stories had been connected, and it hit home perfectly. I know some readers have found it frustrating that their stories only connected later on, and that Lila and Sandrine didn't really interact during the novel. This didn't bother me personally, I didn't feel like they actually needed to spend time together for the ways in which their lives were connected to matter.

I listened to the audiobook which was read very well and I'd highly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC audiobook to review!
Rating (on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being excellent)
Quality of writing: 4
Pace: 4
Plot development: 3
Characters: 3
Enjoyability: 3
Ease of Reading: 3

Overall rating: 3 out of 5

This was absolutely poignant and lovely. The narrator was incredible. I was swept away from the first word and captivated to the very end, Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced audio of this book.

Audio review: Wow! The narrator just grabs your attention from the first! With her perfect accent for the story of "The Paris Dressmaker"! Readers will be sucked into the words of this story with vivid imagination from the start.

Content review to come.

Two women in Paris, both of their stories in two different years that are just four years apart, but almost a world apart! Lila de Laurent is a dressmaker and while working with Chanel and then on her own, she is able to be a part of the Resistance in her own unique way. Sandrine Paquet says goodbye to her husband and must live with her in laws with her child and unfortunately catches the eye of a captain of the Nazi regime, but she uses him to her advantage to do her own part for the Resistance.

It took a bit for me to realize we had two women and both stories were to take place in 1939 and 1943 and would progress until they collide. Once realized, I reread a few pages and took some notes, so I could keep each woman's story apart, but what I loved most was when their stories ended up intermingling and the genius behind the way they did.

The timing of reading this book was interesting as I read it shortly after another book about a woman in the Resistance who was coordinating supply drops, so I appreciated seeing a different aspect of French women contributing to the war effort in their own way and how many different ways that could take place. Being in the heart of Paris in this book compared to the country of France in the other, I enjoyed the extra fever that was brought in this book as you saw the Nazi party come in and then retreat.

I have read most of Kristy Cambron's catalog and enjoyed each of them. I would love to complete her list and look forward to her next one!

For the audiobook, having the book read with an accent gave so much to the story when I listened - better than my American thoughts butchering pronunciations!