Lovely feel good book to read. It was a joy to read. Lovely characters. Great plot. The book was charming. Very well written. I’d definitely recommend this book

At first, this was a DNF for me having requested it off Netgalley as I just didnt understand or enjoy the first chapter. A couple of weeks ago, someone I follow on Twitter mentioned how brilliant it was so I decided to give it another go and do some research into the first chapter and some of the words (like debutante) that I didnt understand. Having done the research I was able to enjoy the book a little more. Unfortunately I still didnt love it but thankfully I didnt hate it hence the 3 star rating. It's ok. It raises awareness about autism which I think is good, it also mentions some other subjects which some readers may find hard to read about. The overwhelming theme running throughout the book though is friendship and how important friendship is.

After Paris is a grown-up, thought-provoking and gripping novel set in Paris about motherhood, friendship, secrets, and the face we present to the world. However, I just could not for the life of me understand why Alice, Jules and Nina were ever friends in the first place. I found their individual stories so compelling, but their friendship made no sense. It was completely unsurprising that they drifted apart the way they do, when you learn how their friendship was riddled with lack of communication and jealousy. The structure of the book was also confusing to navigate, not just because of the back and forth between timelines, but also who was narrating. I did love the deep hard issues that these women are faced with and how it is clear, like in real life, that they aren’t simple resolutions or decisions to be made. This book was an interesting read as it represents a lot of women’s problems in current days. It has an important message regarding women supporting women, which gave it a very good ending.

I was so excited to read this book after reading the synopsis and it didn't disappoint. Though the start was fairly slow moving, once I got into it, I finished it very quickly.

The characters and description are beautifully written and the author really brings Paris to life. I loved the serious themes which were covered in such a gentle but thought-provoking way.

Definitely worth a read.

After Paris is the story of three friends, who meet randomly in Paris as teenagers at a debutante ball in a very opulent hotel, and become lifelong friends. They take trips to Paris together once a year, and on their most recent trip, something happens and they take separate Eurostar trains back to London, and never speak again.

This was such a brilliant concept, of a friendship formed in very unusual circumstances and how that friendship changes over the years. There are so many secrets they all hold from one another for a variety of reasons and finally, before they turn 40, their friendships fracture under the weight of their individual secrets and lies. The three women are all very different characters, but they are all relatable and real, and I found I identified with each of them in different ways. There are some difficult issues that arise throughout the book, neurodivergence and difficulties with parenting and schooling, addiction and debt, cheating and betrayals, pregnancy and abortion. I do think that they were all handled with sensitivity, with all three women being flawed, but human in the way that they handled their issues. It also made me think about friendships that I have and how much I censor what I tell different people.

I enjoyed the writing style of this book, it was engaging and really made me feel as if I was in Paris myself, a city that I have loved for years. The one thing that didn’t really work entirely for me were the jumps between past and present, but it did not detract from a great read.

This was a wonderful story of friendship, love, how we censor what we reveal of our lives to the people around us, and just how easy it is to let friendships slide when life gets in the way.

This book had a slow start but definitely grew on me by the end and I really enjoyed the “after Paris” will-they-won’t-they about Alice, Jules, and Nina’s friendship. A fast paced or emotional read this is not.

I almost put this book down multiple times in the first half - there was too much context setting about the incredibly drama-filled weekend in Paris and it became a slog to read without understanding where the story was going.

But I’m so glad I continued! Each of these three women - friends since their teenage years - have lives that diverge so far “off course” and it’s entertaining, inspiring, and saddening to watch their lives crumble but eventually be reconstructed.

I appreciated how the book showed the complexities of female friendship where you may be very close to someone but it may be difficult to share some of your deepest or most personal feelings with them.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book. A great book about female friendships and their ups and downs. I really liked the characters and the topics covered sensitively like abortion, neuro diversity and addiction.
It did take a little bit to get into but I was soon utterly engrossed and loved it

After Paris by Nicole Kennedy. Pub Date: July 21, 2022. Rating: 3.5 stars. Focused around three best friends on an annual trip to Paris for a girl's weekend, this book packs a punch with themes of motherhood, friendship, secrets, regrets and heartbreak. Following the girl's weekend, all of the girls leave and don't speak again. This is an exploration of what it means to hold secrets from others, how life can creep into friendships and losing touch with people can be a crossroads in life. This book is very thought-provoking and allows the reader to explore their own insecurities in friendships/relationships in a very grown up and realistic way. I loved the theme of females and how as females navigating life can be tiresome, emotional and problematic. Thanks to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review. #netgalley #afterparis

I wanted to love this book but it just didn’t make the cut for me. I wish my outcome was different but unfortunately it was not.

Best friends for 20 years, a trip to Paris usually brings back happy memories and is a time of relaxation, but not this year. Nothing goes right, there are no shared secrets. Why? A lovely story of friendship, love and relationships.

A quick and easy read that I found myself picking up after a long day to unwind. The characters are beautifully written and I came to love them within the first few pages and was rooting for them all the way to the end. At times I wanted to stop reading because I just wanted the experience to go on for longer.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

"Three best friends take the same Eurostar to Paris for a girls' weekend, but take separate trains back. What happened that weekend? A grown-up, thought-provoking and gripping novel set in Paris about motherhood, friendship, secrets, and the face we present to the world." What could possibly go wrong? And that's only the beginning of this friendship that travels abroad and brings a ton of baggage!

I only got to 60% completion. Really sorry but I found it muddled and choppy. I wasn’t able to follow which years we were in and the story went back snd forth.
I found the character Jules at about 50% in focusing so much on her addiction it became boring as a story line and I lost the inclination to continue.
Very personal view and sorry for the negative view.
Positive notes were I liked the characters and the way they interplayed with each other.
I won’t post reviews on line to Amazon or Instagram

We are used to reading about the perfect friendship, the one that saves us from making mistakes and keeps us happy; but we are all aware that this is only fiction. Friendship is not perfect and sometimes when we struggle, the most difficult person to tell is the one that we trust, for fear of disappointment and shame. So, this is a book about “real” friendship, the one you have with your friends, the one that you want to talk to and normally talks about everything, but that sometimes you keep pieces hidden, because you don’t know how they will react…
“After Paris” is a beautiful book about friendship; one that has been connecting Alice, Nina and Jules for years but now is crumbling down. They met a long time ago in Paris, and for years they’ve been meeting for a weekend in Paris, to remember good old times. But now, the lives of these three intelligent and brave women are changing, the only safe place they know and trust is not there. Will they be able to repair their friendship after everything is broken? You’ll have to read the book to discover the answers!
I have to say that this was a quick read, it was easy to enter the story and keep turning pages to discover what happens in the end.
The story is told between different time lines and the voices of the different characters; I have to say that in the beginning I struggled to like all of them, but once you start discovering their stories it’s impossible to not love them all!
I liked how the story talks about neurodiversity, abortion, addiction and IVF; they make the reader remember that we all struggle and that, step by step, it will get easier.
I think this has been a beautiful and emotional read; a story I will never forget.
Are you ready for “After Paris”?

A lovely story of female friendship - I loved the characters of Alice, Nina and Jules. I felt that I could almost recognise a fragment of myself in all of them! I loved the careful study and observation of all the nuances of female friendships - the good, the bad and the ugly. I also enjoyed following these three characters over time. I felt that they were well written and well developed. I loved the backdrop of Paris too. Reading this book has definitely made me want to look up other books by this author. I think I've found a new favourite!

I was lucky to receive an advance copy of After Paris by Nicole Kennedy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review and opinion. I absolutely LOVED this book! I loved the perspectives from three different friends and how it explored their lives. Such a great read and will leave you wanting more from this author. Do yourself a favor and read it as soon as you can!

Alice, Jules, and Nina meet at a debutante ball in Paris and become instant friends.
They return there once a year, to relive their youth, leave the cares and troubles of home behind and indulge in each other's friendship. However, over the years, each of them has been keeping secrets from the others and after their last trip to Paris, they don’t speak again...

I found the structure of the book sometimes a bit confusing to navigate, not just because the back and forth between timelines, but also who was narrating. I did love the realistic issues that these women faced and how it is clear, like in real life, that there aren’t simple solutions or decisions to be made. This book was an interesting read as it represents a lot of women’s problems in current days. It has an important message regarding women supporting women.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Head of Zeus, Aria for allowing me the opportunity to get an early copy of this novel!

After Paris begins like an episode of Gossip Girl. Teenage sons and daughters of the great and good have descended upon Paris for the grandest Debutante event in Europe. And this is how Alice, Nina and Jules met. The start of an unlikely friendship that has lasted for 20 years. No matter what life throws in their way they always agree to meet up in Paris every year and spend one valuable weekend together.

Except this year is different. All three women head to Paris together on the Eurostar train but end up taking separate trains back home at the end of the weekend. What happened on the trip that sees their lasting friendships torn asunder?

Nicole Kennedy has crafted a surprising novel. At the beginning I was expecting it to be quite light and frothy – more in the vein of Gossip Girl – but she has a surprise up her sleeve and After Paris becomes the ultimate expose of the women’s friendships and their other relationships.

Each friend gets to tell the tale from their point of view and all of these scenes are woven together as each believes themselves to have been betrayed by the others. Life causes their paths to diverge quite differently and it is nearly always not the way that they had intended. After Paris is a fascinating book that will make you think about the girls and your own friendships long after you’ve closed the cover.

Supplied by Net Galley and Head of Zeus in exchange for an honest review.

I liked that this book focused on long lasting friendships as well as earnest honesty in the long run. The characters were fun to get to know and were genuinely enjoyable. There were a lot of character shifts within chapters which I did not love, but you get used to it while reading. The setting was ever so decadent, it made me wish I was travelling with some girlfriends right now! The story really was phenomenal and I enjoyed it so so much. You should read this book if you want a warm and fuzzy feeling after you finish it!

Jules, Alice and Nina have been friends for some time, yet the friendships have broken down over the years, although the bond that entwines them together remains strong.

This story is character driven and recommended to anyone looking for a fast plot that explores the boundaries and limits of these characters. The complexities within their companionship and personalities are well written, resulting in a relatable, enticing, and fascinating read.

This author's writing style is easy to follow, with multiple points of view adding to the dimension of the plot. There are also entertaining plot twists that I didn't expect at all, and the descriptive writing of the destination is flawless.

There are a lot of sensitive issues within this book some readers may find upsetting. It would make a great book club read, as this is thought-provoking and has plenty to discuss.