Happy Pub Day to "After Paris" by Nicole Kennedy! This was a really fun book that I give 4 stars.

Jules, Alice, & Nina meet on a wild night out in Paris in 1999. They come from very different backgrounds but each of them is running away from their own issues in some way. They make a pact to come back to Paris every year. Some years, they make it happen, but slowly "real life" gets in the way. The novel follows their lives over three decades - will their friendships survive all the ups and downs?

I initially found it a little chaotic with every chapter being a different year (and not in order) as well as trying to keep track of everyone's lovers, partners, and kids. This was particularly true when some side characters were connected to more than one main character. Eventually I was able to figure it out! I also thought the first half of the book was a bit slow, as it was mostly stage-setting.

BUT I really enjoyed the second half - it picked up a lot of momentum and I just sat back and watched the fireworks! I love when a book surprises me and there were tons of unexpected twists and turns throughout! I also found the ending satisfying because the characters all all found resolution in some way. 

Content warnings: infertility, IVF, bleeding during pregnancy, abortion, brief thoughts of su1cide, infidelity, gambling addiction, binge drinking, brief drug use, ableism, possible child abuse

Shareability: Readers who have ever vacationed in Paris, or wanted to! Themes of empathy, trust, betrayal, forgiveness, and growing up 

Spice: n/a

Pairs well with: ham and cheese baguette and a can of Coke

3.5 stars

At first, I couldn’t really connect to the book, and it took me a while to get into. It follows a group of three friends throughout their friendship, from when they first meet to them drifting apart. However, once the plot picked up, I couldn’t put it down because I wanted to know what happened next. As the character’s secrets were being discovered by the reader, I wanted to see what would happen when it was revealed to the other women. 

The chapters in the book alternated between past and present. Normally I’m a fan of this, however, I just felt like it didn’t work with this book. It was difficult to distinguish who was narrating or whether it was past or present. 

The book discusses a lot of relevant subjects (i.e. addiction, pregnancy/infertility, neurodiversity), and each woman is relatable in some aspect of their experience/life views. However, I found that their friendship group as a whole wasn’t very relatable, and the chemistry between them just wasn’t there. I think the alternation between the time periods played a part in this. I think it would have been better executed in a linear timeline, as it would make it easier to distinguish and see their friendship grow and drift over time. 

Overall, it was a decent book and was interesting to read. I think this would be a great book for a female book club to discuss friendship, women supporting women, and the other topics discussed in the book.

After Paris by Nicole Kennedy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Jules, Alice and Nina became best friends after a chance encounter in Paris 20 years ago, despite their differences their friendship has stayed strong and we join them on one of their reunions in the city of love.

I went into this expecting it to be fairly lighthearted read so was pleasantly surprised to find that it goes a lot deeper than that with themes of infertility, addiction, infidelity and neurodiversity.

Would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a multi timeline and POV read about female friendships


The cover alone will have you packing your bags and booking yourself on the Eurostar, or at least sitting outside your favourite cafe with a croissant and cafe au lait! 

AD PR Product

I really thought I was walking the streets of Paris when I was reading this book. It’s a story of females and their friendships in the modern era!

I really enjoyed this story focused on female friendships. I was invested in each character and the setting was an additional beloved character. Fun, light summer reading!

Set against the City of Lights, Paris, three women have a steadfast friendship. Or they did,,until one traumatic weekend was the dead reckoning for all,of,them. Each is facing her own set of challenges that involve children, jobs, and relationships. They also discover they haven’t been very honest with each other over the years. 
After Paris is about having friends, but also knowing sometimes a break is necessary, just taking a break.
It was an interesting read.

Girl power, without the cheesiness - this book gives us the p.o.v of three women, following the stages of their lives and us getting to see how they cope, love, and help one another. This was a fun, emotional ride.

I loved the different pov of each woman in the story. I as relatable in the insecurities of friendships. I was able to look at my own friendships and see if they are true friendships or not. Friendships come and go and sometimes they just grow overtime the more you learn about each other. Thank you for my advanced copy!

A special thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this advance copy in exchange for my honest review. This one was unexpected but I really enjoyed it!

I’ll admit that I requested this one because the allure of three friends meeting in Paris - I love all things French and the culture, but aside from being the setting of some of the book, these characters were so endearing and raw, and honest at times. I loved how the author described each of their stories and how they came together, and wrote with such real emotion when conflict struck. I loved it.

I also should note that one character’s daughter is autistic, and being the mom of an autistic son, I thought it was really refreshing to honestly describe the struggles, as well as the celebrations of being a parent to an autistic child - I’ve felt them all. I felt like she was really trying to celebrate neuro diversity, and I appreciated that. I highly recommend if you’re a fan of contemporary fiction.

Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for this advance copy! Pub date is next week, July 26th!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will definitely be looking out for more by this author. It's a story I can relate to, 3 friends for a long period of time trying to keep their friendship going amongst their personal hectic lives.

I loved the writing, the interactions between the three main characters and the scene setting, all just perfect.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an early copy in return for an ho est review.

Just wow. This beautiful book crams so much into one story, It follows the lives of three women over the course of 20+ years from the age of their first meeting in Paris, a city they return to time again, at the age of 17. It covers some serious topics, and I would say the description and portrayal of autism and ADHD, whilst a secondary storyline, is probably one of the best I’ve ever read. A gorgeous study into the complexity of female friendships and how we perceive each other, this story gave me One Day kind of vibes, but without the “romance” and instead showing us the important of friendship.

We are all flawed. We are messy. And our relationships either strengthen or falter on how we deal with our own issues and histories. 

A beautifully messy tale that bounces between three women who meet when they are teenagers and their lives leading up to and beyond their latest reunion in Paris. 

I loved 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. 

However as raw as their stories were, I was disappointed in how contrived the ending became. 

The writing was decent but choppy and confusing in parts. Solid 3.5 stars. 

I was given a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was an excellent story. I loved getting the 'inside peak' of each character throughout the novel, and it was nice to see the characters grow and develop through the years with the flashbacks. I really enjoyed the friendship and various portrayals of strong female characters - each doing her own thing, yet finding a way to connect with each other and readers. I was surprised by each of the characters struggles and triumphs throughout, and my only complaint is that the story was 'too favorable' on adultery, which I found offensive.

Alice, Jules, and Nina met in Paris as teens and have been meeting there every year since,  But now they are 35 and at crossroads involving motherhood- Julia, a banker,  is undergoing IVF,  Nina who has a chain of bakeries is hiding her pregnancy,, and Alice who is married with three kids is very worried about her autistic daughter and her own future. What happened this latest weekend to make them split apart?  No spoilers.  This goes back and forth in time and between the characters and while it caroms a bit too much, it's still an engaging story.  Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.  A good read about how friendships change over time.

I love all things Paris, so I was instantly sold on this book! I also love reading about female friendships and the importance of women supporting women. This book had all of that and more! I only wish there would have been content warnings at the beginning, as this book deals with some heavy/challenging topics and it would have been helpful to have a heads-up going into it. Beyond that though, it was a compelling read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for the ARC of After Paris. 

I enjoyed this exploration of adult friendships and how relationships and ties change over time. I resonated with the draw of memory and friendships as they were.  

I found the dialogue fresh but the writing a bit stale overall.

This novel was a struggle to engage in. The writing was stilted and the character development was lacking.  I don't recommend it.

After Paris is a beautiful story of adult friendships that spans years and really resonated with me. I absolutely loved the setting and characters and can't wait to read another story told by Nicole Kennedy. Thank you to publisher, Head of Zeus for gifting me an eARC of this novel.

I love books about female friendships — perhaps a topic that does not get as much attention as it should! After Paris was a great read that embodied the complex nature of female friendships. 

I enjoy stories where women are allowed to be struggling, messy, and relatable. I feel like I related to all the characters in one way or another, as they are all so different but similar. I loved the inclusion of different perspectives, making the story more realistic and intricate.  

Overall, I loved this book more than I thought I would. I’m excited to read Nicole Kennedy’s other books!

After Paris by Nicole Kennedy is a novel that is very...chick lit, but one that, while predictable, is about the strength of friendship and the truth of growing up and growing together.

Alice, Nina and Jules all meet by chance when they are young women in Paris by chance. After one wild night. the three women have formed a bond that is exactly what each has always needed. They plan to meet in Paris, year after year to relive that night.

This isn't like a 'one night in Paris' sort of friendship. They are friends in London and while in University, but their trips are always something special. But now, in present-day, this current trip, they all have secrets. Jules is desperate to have a child...but seems distracted by something else. Nina, currently running an up-and-coming patisserie, doesn't seem to be drinking as much as normal. Alice seems to be subdued and distracted by her children at home.

They all leave the trip separately, and without telling each other. Months go by....and silence.

This is a story of friends and secrets. And how we sometimes keep secrets from those we love the most. It's a wonderfully lovely book about women, modern women and I quite enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.