Cover Image: After Paris

After Paris

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Member Reviews

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

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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.

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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!

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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.

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This book has a interesting premise and unfolded well. The women were able to relate and we do see some character growth. However, for my taste, the pacing was off and took some time to adjust to the characters. I wish the friendship was more developed. Overall, this was an okay book.

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This is the story of a friendship between three women from different backgrounds. They meet at Le Bal in Paris as teenagers, and the story follows the development of their friendship over the next several years. Through their individual struggles and growth, they always share their love of Paris. The story jumps from the weekend trip they take in their mid-thirties to their trips in the years leading up to it.
I had a little trouble following the storyline at the beginning since it jumps around a bit. But by the time I caught on (I would say 20% of the way into the book) I was sucked into the story. Each chapter is labeled with when it’s happening so it’s really not that confusing, I just struggled. She incorporates small details in a very subtle way that allows for their story to unfold naturally on both timelines. And by the time I got to the climax of the story, I had a hard time putting this book down.
In addition, this book addressed a lot of themes that I haven’t seen a lot in contemporary fiction, and I really enjoyed that. I don’t want to get into the details because I don’t want to spoil anything, but it really was refreshing to read about something new. I love a good story that gives me wanderlust- and I definitely got some ideas for things to do the next time I’m in Paris- but the relationships that develop in this book really drive the story. Their friendship has lasted over so many years. They have each grown and changed during that period, but they continue to support one another through their individual struggles. And I think that is highlighted well by the time span of the story. This book is a good combination of relationship-driven story that still has a pretty juicy plot. A great summer read!

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Nice to have a book about girlfriends and female friendships gone awry. Found this to be fey poignant and an enjoyable read.

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After Paris tells the story of Alice, Jules, and Nina. They are three close friends who go on a holiday in Paris together but return their separate ways. What happened in Paris? Can it be fixed?

I was instantly atracted by this book's description and knew I would totally love it! After Paris didn't disappoint. I did see a few nods to The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald which made me feel very excited and ultimately connected to Nicole Kennedy as a writer.

In After Paris, Nicole Kennedy is able to create seemingly flawed characters that you can root for which as we all know, is not always easy to do. I was particularly interested in the way friendship was analysed, and how a small incident and miscommunication can break down a years-long friendship.

A solid read!

goodreads.com/booksireadandliked
Disclosure: I would like to thank the publisher and author for my advanced review copy of the book. This is my honest review

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I was so excited for this book but I have to say, it didn't meet my expectations. I found it difficult to keep track of who was narrating the book which resulted in me putting down the book and coming back to it a few times. Thank you NetGalley & the publisher for the ARC

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Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of After Paris.

Overall a fun read, some minor twists and turns. The way the three friends meet in the beginning was unique and creative.

A story focused on female friendship spanning multiple decades, the ties that bind us, and the circumstances that slowly sever us or completely tear us apart, After Paris is a lovely narrative on the way friendships change and evolve as we age.

Easy reading, kept me interested to turn the page.

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Alice, Nina and Jules met 20 years ago in Paris when they were teenagers. Each year they return to France to relieve their youth and enjoy their friendship. But this year is going to be different. Each of them is hiding a secret and cracks in their relationships are starting to show.

This was a beautiful story about friendship and how sometimes no matter how hard you try things don’t always go to plan.

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I really enjoyed this book from the very first chapter. Alice, Nina and Jules are all so different yet they meet in the bathroom at the Hotel Crillon in Paris when they’re seventeen and revisit Paris every year after that.

Told in all three voices, the narrative jumps around in time to give you background on their relationships. And my goodness, are they messy. Nothing is as it seems and although they tell themselves that they share everything, they don’t.

I raced through the book, desperate to find out what happened. But also to see how these women developed and grew as people - how the things that occurred in their lives changed them and their relationships. There was so much going on with each one.

I loved this immersive read. I’ll be back for more from Nicole Kennedy.

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This is a great book! The characters are believable, the settings are amazing. This is definitely one I will add to my Amazon wish list! Nicole Kennedy has a masterful book on her hands.

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This was a new-to-me author and I appreciated the introduction I normally read rom coms so wasn’t sure what to expect with three main character studies, but I was pleasantly surprised. There were a lot of parts of this book that I paused at just to be introspective, and I really appreciate that type of writing. I would recommend this as a great beach read or even a book to cozy up to on a rainy day.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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~thank you to the publisher Head of Zeus, Aria and NetGalley for the advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review ~

I have extremely complicated feelings about this one.
On the one hand, I devoured this is one sitting because it was so enthralling and I just needed to know what would happen next. Knowing the secrets and just waiting to see them be reveal honestly was making my heart race throughout, I haven't been so completely captivated in a while, granted the reveals felt anti-climatic when we did come to it.

But on the other hand, and I'm sure this is not meant to be the takeaway from this story - 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 (albeit a little toxic) but their friendship made absolute no sense to me. When I think of true sisterhood and friendship, I wouldn't think of trio as exemplar of this. The secrets that they kept from each other, big secrets at that, that really affected one another's lives completely blew my mind. It was completely unsurprising that they drifted apart the way they do, when you spend the first half learning how their friendship was riddled with lack of communication and jealousy. Did 'After Paris' capture the intricacies that come with female friendships? Sure. But I think I struggled with understanding the trio, when my own personal experiences and beliefs of what these friendships should be is so far removed from I read. I'm in awe their friendship lasted as long as it did if I'm being honest, but I still appreciated how it all came together in the end and the acceptance they found with each other. The epilogue was so sweet to read to.

The structure of this book was confusing to navigate - not only the back and forth between time periods but working out who was narrating at any given time.

That being said, Nicole Kennedy expertly handled many important topics throughout such as addiction, abortion, infertility, neurodiversity in a manner that never felt forced, but engaging and real.

Thoughts on the friendship aside, this was an enjoyable read that has me counting days till August when I get off the Eurostar at Gare du Nord and walk along the Seine with my closest gal pals!

3.25☆

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Such a great read! There are so many aspects of each friend that feels relatable and real, all while exploring the importance of honest connection in friends. Loved it!

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Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. This was an enjoyable book.

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Unfortunately, I didn’t connect with this book as much as I thought I would. The beginning of the story was too much of a slow burn and the character development was confusing. After multiple attempts I ultimately DNF this book but I can see how some readers may really enjoy the story - it just was not my cup of tea.

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After Paris is a wonderful story about female friendships, growing up, finding out who you are and what you really want- all the best things in a story like this. It starts with some very posh debutante types about to attend a ball in Paris - I had no idea that even happened! - and we meet Alice Digby who is there with her friend Teddy, who she doesnt find attractive at all. honest. Whilst they are getting ready for the ball, we also meet the beautiful artistic Nina, who is at the ball because of her father, and sensible (almost dowdy) Jules who is there to watch from the sidelines. The four teenagers decide to make a break for it, and leave the ball in search of wild Parisian adventures - and a circle of best friends is born that night.

Fast forward 20 years when the women are now meeting up for a regular trip to Paris to spend time together. Julia is a city exec who is desperate to have a child, Nina is head of a fabulous chain of chic bakeries , and Alice married Teddy, had three children and is trying to find out what she wants from life.

The story flits between their teenage idealism and passions to the current day where they have all such different lifestyles from one another and fear they may be drifting apart. The latest weekend in Paris uncovers deeply hidden truths for all of them and they return as very different people from when they set off. The blurb on the back tells us that they don't return together - although this is quite a long way into the story - so the seed is set from the beginning for a falling out, and how this can be handled

It is an ideal summer read, it will make you appreciate your friends and what you have, and maybe question what you're really after. Its very easy to read and get engrossed into, the friendship and love between the three of them is strong and real. It also tackles some trickier issues which aren't often covered in female-led fiction, which was refreshing to see.
A solid 4 stars from me!

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After Paris is a novel which follows the friendship and falling out of three women - Jules, Alice and Nina - who meet in Paris as teenagers and forge a relationship that grows as they do as women.
It is almost 20 years after they meet and they have a weekend together to refresh and refocus - but by the end of the trip, each one comes back alone and swears the others have ghosted her.

The blurb caught my attention as I think ghosting people has become all too much of a reality in our modern techno-focused world, Kennedy skillfully weaves the plot together, revealing just enough to keep the reader hanging on for more. I thought each of the women had a very real issue that prevented them from reaching out and the author doesn't shy away from big topics like addiction, abortion, neurodiversity and handles them deftly where the issue doesn't overtake the character.

What I enjoyed most about this novel was that the love story was between the friends and celebrated the richness of long term female friendships.

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