I have fallen in love with Kristen Harmel’s books. She is one of the authors that I immediately add her book to my “have to buy now” list as soon as I know she has a new one being released. The Paris Daughter did not disappoint. I was hooked from the minute I opened the book and read the first page. Historical fiction is my favorite genre and when it involves WWII, I am excited to read it.

This is such an emotional read. A story of a mother’s love, relationships, trauma, redemption, forgiveness, hope, and betrayal. My heart just filled with joy at the friendship Elsie and Juliette developed and the friendship of their daughters as well. But my heart also ached at the way the atrocities of WWII changed their lives … destroying their families and the relationships around them. It was interesting to see how each character responded to the destruction of the war. I’m not sure how I would have handled the same situations. The characters were so richly developed that you become attached to them and are invested in what happens to each one. I could not put the book down once I started it. I will just say that there were many nights that I was up late reading one more chapter! I had dark spots under my eyes from little sleep and a lot of tears.

The author did an amazing amount of research for this book. Her notes at the end are very interesting and worth reading after you have finished the book. It was a book that I will not soon forget. And I strongly encourage you to put it at the top of your to-be-read list.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!

I really liked this one but not surprising because I have yet to be disappointed by this author. I did find it slightly predictable though.

There isn't a book Kristin has written that I haven't found myself enjoying. There are so many books written during this time period, but Kristin has a way of bringing this period alive with written word and telling a story in a new and exciting way. The characters become real and you can feel their emotions and their struggles. I felt a range of emotions while reading The Paris Daughter - from sad with tears to happiness with a smile.

This is absolutely a book you'll want to read if you enjoy historical fiction.

Kristin Harmel has done it again! I read this book in one day and the emotional rollercoaster she took me on was beyond! While I did see the big twist coming, it was still so satisfying and emotional gratifying.

While reading, the two female main characters started to grate on me a bit. Both were stuck in the past, albeit in different ways - but I just wanted to shake them and help them snap out of it. However, it wasn't so grating that I didn't enjoy the book or wasn't invested in the plot.

I will forever read anything by Kristin Harmel - she is a true storyteller and it is so clear the amount of effort, research, and dedication she puts into her novels.

Elise and Juliette are two Americans living in Paris in 1939. Juliette runs a bookstore and is married to a Parisian. Elise is married to an artist with socialist leanings. They bond when they both have daughters just before the Germans invade. When Elise’s husband’s actions put her life and her daughter’s in danger, she leaves her daughter with Juliette and flees to southern France. When the war ends, Elise returns to Paris but finds the bookstore in rubble and Juliette has left for America. Kristin Harmel does a wonderful job of describing life in Paris and America both before and after the war. Her characters make hard decisions to save the lives of their families. This is wonderful historical fiction and I highly recommend it.

This is the second historical fiction book that I have read by Kristin Harmel. I am not generally a reader of historical fiction so this type of novel is outside of my comfort zone. That said, I really did enjoy this story and all the emotions it made me feel. Such research must have been done to weave truth into the fiction. A remarkable novel that I highly recommend.

Get your tissues ready 🤧🥺 (especially if you’re a mama!) because THE PARIS DAUGHTER by Kristin Harmel will have you invested into the lives of it’s characters! ❤️‍🩹

GENRE: Historical Fiction
MY RATING: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 (4/5)
Tysm @gallerybooks for my #gifted copy!

READ IF YOU LIKE:
▫️Mother/daughter stories 👩‍👧
▫️Emotional reads
▫️WWII novels that incorporate many real-life events
▫️Art galleries 🎨
▫️Characters that stay with you
▫️Paris, France 🇫🇷

MY THOUGHTS:
If you are a mother and his fic book lover, I encourage you to read this book! ❤️ It was a breathtaking story about what a mother will do to protect her children in a time of crisis. At times reading this, I could literally FEEL the agony and pain coming from these characters. 😩 I will always be a fan of a book that makes me feel something emotionally. Aren’t we all?! 🙋‍♀️ It had more of a slow-moving pace, but I felt captivated the entire read. I remember setting this book down to do some chores and as I was vacuuming, I was legit thinking about these characters 😂👏 Kinda funny but truly goes to show how well Kristin Harmal can gracefully craft up a story. Lastly, the amount of research this book took… whew! There’s a reason not all authors can have success with historical fiction. If you’re already a big KH fan, you’ll be very happy with her newest work! 📖

RATING EXPLAINED:
This book was predicable pretty early on, which is FINE. A good book does not need a big twist to be good (especially in this genre). The thing with this story that tested my patience a bit (lol) was waiting until the 90-95% mark for the big event to happen! The ending was SO GOOD, but once the “thing” happened, the book was BOOM over. I was like oh?? I wanted more!!! Me wanting more though just goes to show how much I enjoyed this book! 😊

DETAILS:
▫️Published: 6/6/23
▫️Pages: 384

Kristin Harmel's novels of WWII are always a go to for me. Although this is set against the backdrop of WWII - with Elise needing to leave her daughter in the care of her friend Juliette as she leaves France to elude the Germans - I feel this could have been in any era. This is a beautiful story of motherhood, friendship, loss and resilience. I loved it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher, Gallery Books, through NetGalley. Full disclosure: I have read all of this author’s books and have enjoyed them all. So grateful to the publisher for this Advanced Reader Copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. This book is written in true Harmel form. I couldn’t put the book down! A historical fiction with so much research that it feels authentic and realistic. The character development is outstanding.

Elise was an artist, wood sculptor who marries a famous painter, Olivier LeClair. Elise befriends Juliette, who owns a Paris bookstore with her husband, Paul. The two families’ daughters became very close friends. Germany makes its way across France and the story shifts. Jewish Ruth Levy and her two children are separated trying to survive. These three families are integrated throughout the book. What makes this book different from other WWII books is the interrelationships between the three families, before, during and post-war. Hope, guilt, sadness, loss, coping, suspense, cruelty, greed, and surprise are all in this story. Art is integral to the story and, through it, produces many surprises are in store.

The book is well written that it gripped my emotions, heart wrenching at times. As a reader I felt like I was there! It is so descriptive I felt the anguish of the characters. Well done!

The Paris Daughter is an incredibly moving book. It put me right into my feels...in a good way. I was resistant to read yet another sad WW2/Holocaust book but this is so much more than what I thought it would be. It's a story of mothering, grace, despair and hope. It was hard to read at times but so worth it. This is a really great story-thank you Kristin Harmel for putting it out into the world. Thanks also to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC.

Elsie LeClair and Juliette Foulon meet in the park and become fast friends. Juliette is married with two boys and owns a bookshop along with her husband. They are expecting their third child. Elsie is also married to a talented painter and are expecting their first child. Elsie is worried about her husband who has begun drinking and staying out late. They are both having their children around the same time.
When Germany invades, Elsie's husband's activities put her in danger causing her to flee Paris, leaving her daughter in Juliette's care.
After the war Elsie returns seeking her child to find the bookstore is destroyed, the entire area is destroyed. Where are Juliette and her child?
I am not telling anymore, you must read the book to find out how Elsie's search ends! No spoilers here !!
I loved this story, it is filled with the rich historical detail and captivating characters that we have come to expect from Kristin Harmel. As good if not better than previous works by her. You won't want to put it down once started, I read thru the night and had to force myself to stop! I give 5 stars and highly recommend.
Thank you to Gallery Books and to Net Galley for the free ARC, I am leaving my honest review voluntarily.

This story is about two mothers faced with protecting their children in a time of war. Both make unimaginable choices that will haunt them forever, Elise and Juliette are young mothers that form a friendship. They spend several afternoons in Juliette’s family bookstore watching their children play together. As Nazi occupation looms closer, Elise becomes targeted by the Nazis. She begs Juliette and her husband to take care of her precious daughter. Both are faced with regret and question their choices as the world they know changes into one of war, fear and survival.

This was a heart wrenching story that left me so wrecked! The life that these two women lived was so heart breaking. Kristin Harmel has the incredible ability to pull you in to theses stories and make you feel the emotion and desperation of the characters.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

#NetGalley #TheParisDaughter #KristinHarmel

This new title from Kristine Harman showcases her storytelling gifts and her love for sharing history. Set in Paris and NYC, WW II once again comes to life with a focus on two young mothers (Elise and Juliette) and two daughters (Lucy and Matilde). Woven through there stories are historical strands regarding the Paris art world, saving Jewish children, the bombing of the Renault factory, and more. After reading Harmel's notes at the end, I could hear Paul Harvey's voice saying, "And now you know the rest of the story." Quite possibly my new favorite of all Harmel"a titles
Thank you to Gallery Books and Netgalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

I didn’t totally expect to be ugly crying at different points of this book, but I was! This is a beautifully written tragedy following the lives of different women through WWII. You will laugh and cry with the main characters Elise and Juliette. The story shows their relationship and the transitions that they go through during the war. I feel like the historical fiction genre is saturated with stories from WWII, but this one seemed different and it was refreshing.

The Paris Daughter is another heart warming and gut wrenching WWII story by the one and only Kristin Harmel! Its a historical fiction at its finest with emotional and graphic description so vivid a reader can’t help but feel reliving the scene as if its happening right in front of our very own eyes.

Two young American women, living in Paris, two young mothers , bound by friendship and promise, caught right in the middle of war, forced to make decisions to save their children. This is a story that is gripping and explores art and history. True to Kristin Harmel’s fashion, it is very well researched and it involved side stories of heroes that worked in the sidelines to save children during the war, giving them identities and future and hope that they will be reunited with their families when the war was over. I love it very much! Mother’s grief and loss is incomparable like no other and there is no amount of words that can describe how the war has brought such loss to every human being on this planet, not just to mothers and children but to the entire humanity in general.

Special thank you to Gallery Books via Netgalley for the e-arc in exchange of my honest review. I love Kristin Harmel’s books always and she is an auto buy author! Highly recommend!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5 Stars
Thank you to @gallerybooks and @kristinharmel for allowing me to read an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) for an honest review! This book was published on June 26, 2023.

Lovers of historical fiction should run, not walk, to secure their copy! The Paris Daughter is one of the best Historical Fiction novels that I’ve read in a while! This book is perfect for lovers of The Nightingale, Things We Cannot Say, The Alice Network, The Keeper of All Things, Lilac Girls, and Sarah’s Key.

This book follows the stories of two families in France and how the German occupation in France impacts each survivor. The writing is wonderful and the narrative really pulls the reader in. Although the content is heavy it’s 💯% heartfelt, captivating, and uplifting.

✨The following review contains spoilers.✨

🎨 Elise LeClair and her husband Olivier met in New York but moved to France to live their life together as artists. Oliver a painter. Elise a sculptor and painter. They had a daughter, Mathilda, who was Elise’s pride, joy, and best friend. Oliver joined a group of artists during the German occupation in France that displayed anti Nazi artwork and ultimately was killed. Elise was forced to leave Paris for her safety and was challenged with the tough decision to travel with Mathilda or leave her behind in the safety of family friends. 🖼️

📚 Juliette Foulon and her husband Paul own a quaint and enchanting family bookstore. They work hard to make the store inviting to customers and to obtain rare copies of French books. They have three children. When a bomb hits their neighborhood instead of the intended Renault plant, Juliette’s life was turned upside down. She lost Paul and both sons. Her only family member remaining was her daughter, Lucie. 📖

Elise’s decisions deeply impact Juliette’s world 🌎 view. Elise experiences a level of loneliness that she never knew possible. They both end up in New York 🗽after the war. Will they be able to forgive each other and become friends again or will their individual sadness and remorse force the two to hold a grudge?

Best book of 2023 so far for me! So many tears- so many characters to get behind and have a connection to. The ending was a bit predictable. I don't know if I'm unsatisfied with it because it was predictable and bit abrupt, or if I just did not want the story to end. Still, such a great read!

The Paris Daughter is heartbreakingly beautiful. I love historical fiction and this story did not disappoint, This book brought to light so many different things - friendships, promises, being a mother, and ultimately some mental health issues after trauma. I really couldn’t put this book down. Wonderful work Kristin Harmel, you must be so proud.

The Paris Daughter by Kristin Harmel adds another notch in her ever-stretching belt of intriguing historical fiction gems. Like all her books, this story was equally heartbreaking and heartwarming.

Two women become friends, each with daughters close to the same age. When Elise is forced to leave her daughter behind due to her husband’s role in the resistance, she places her child in Juliette’s care. Harmel created wrenching scenes as Jewish mothers all over Europe were sending their children to the countryside or even further to protect them from going to the Nazi work/death camps.

I adored the descriptions of the art that was threaded throughout the novel, and I could easily imagine the wood carvings that Elise worked on. Harmel also brought Paris to life, especially the bookstore where much of the book was set. This is definitely an escapist novel.

I dare say more because I fear if I keep typing it will lead me to spilling a spoiler. Book clubs will adore this one!

If you’re looking for a light summer read, you might want to skip The Paris Daughter. Light, it is not. But it is beautifully written and does make you think—two fabulous traits of a great book. I kind of have a thing for World War II books, so I couldn’t resist it. Plus it’s about artists and book lovers. What?! That’s just the best.

It opens in Paris—another subject I find hard to resist—in 1939. Three mothers, Elise, Juliette, and Ruth become friends at Juliette and her husband’s bookstore in Bois de Boulogne. With war on the horizon, Ruth is the first forced to make a gut-wrenching decision. Elise is next. The book is told from the dual viewpoints of Elise and Juliette, but Ruth remains an important part.

One reason I like World War II books is because they typically force me to question myself. Would I make the same choices? How would I cope with unrelenting stress for years? Would I persevere in the face of heartbreak? I hope I never have to answer those questions. Too many have and still do.

But the themes of motherhood, love, friendship, endurance, and who we are at our core weave together to tell a heart-breaking, beautiful story. Keep the tissue box handy. 4.5 stars (just because it made me so sad) rounded up to 5.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for my advanced review copy.