An fun, historical fiction novel set in 1920s Paris by a new to me author. This was an entertaining read and refreshing change from the usual WWII fare. I liked the narration by Hope Newhouse too. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

This was a really interesting read. I really liked Zoe she was sassy and strong especially for a woman of that time. She was a little investigative sleuth trying to solve a murder. The narrater for the audiobook was really good too. Thank you to netgalley for providing me with an arc of this book I enjoyed it. All thoughts are my own.

This audiobook was an interesting take with a different perspective on the story of Ernest Hemingway's first wife, Hadley, losing everything he had written up to that point. It reminded me of the movie "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood." All of it was pretty "okay." Nothing was overly annoying but I didn't love anything aside from the uniqueness of the plot. So many names were dropped that the cast was enormous and it was hard to keep track of everyone. An okay beach read but overall the story was forgettable for me.

Interesting historical novel that isn't about WWI or WWII. I enjoyed the take on finding Hemingway's lost manuscripts and the whole mystery of it all. It was a fun read but the characters felt a bit underdeveloped at times but overall it did not take away from the story too much. It did take me a little while to get into the book but otherwise it was an enjoyable listen.

The narration of this book was solid, but I found the story on the boring side and had issues staying invested in the story. I ended up DNFing about 50% of the way in.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book for a fair and honest review

I received an ARC Audiobook copy from Poisoned Pen Press in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

This is the story of Zoe Barlow who has been exiled to Paris for four years. She is still reeling from the hoor of her ejection. Zoe manages to create a new family among fellow expats and artists, including Hadley and Ernest Hemingway. A valise containing all of Ernest's writings goes missing. Zoe volunteers to help Hadley track them down. Unfortunately the valise leads to two murders! With much more at stake than the missing manuscripts, Zoe risks everything to find out who among her adopted family is a murderer. Also where did the manuscripts end up?

This was a pretty good audiobook. I may have been more invested in the murder if I had been reading it in physical form. However, it still held my attention. I would recommend to anyone who likes a good mystery that they can try to guess.

Read if you enjoy:
Paris
Mystery
Historical fiction
Female MCC
Artists

I was lucky enough to get an ALC of this book from NetGalley and Dreamscape Media. I enjoyed the narration. I think that is what made the book truly click for me.

Zoe is a young American woman living in Paris in the 1920’s. She is an artist who has made friends with influential people of the time period, including Ernest Hemingway’s wife, Hadley. The story begins with her attempting to find Hemingway’s lost manuscripts. While she does that she stumbles upon a double murder. Then she wants to solve the murders and find the manuscripts.

I was only partially invested in the story. The narration made it worth it for me. I’m not sure I would have read it if I wasn’t listening. I love 20th century history and I’m always looking for more stories about that era. I had higher hopes for this book but it was still worth listening to.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

Good historical mystery. Pacing felt weird, both fast and slow at the same time, with too many side stories that while interesting didn't really add to the impact of the story I felt. The narrator did a good job.

I couldn’t really get in to this book, pace was slow and wasn’t exactly what I thought it was gonna be maybe I’ll try it again

First of all let me say thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for sending me a copy of this one.
Now, on to the review.
So, this one wasn't for me. Mostly because I had an incredibly hard time connecting to the main character and just could not get myself to care about the mystery. While the story was quite fast paced, I simply did not find myself engaged and had a lot of trouble getting back into it once I put the book down. But then again, I never was one for romanticizing Paris in the 1920s all that much, so maybe that explains it. The narrator was pretty solid, though.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Zoe gets exiled from her family for disgracing them. When her friend contacts her to tell her that she accidentally lost all the original transcripts of her up and coming author husband, Ernest Hemingway, Zoe volunteers to try and locate them. On the journey to locate the transcripts Zoe keeps running into unexpected deaths and as a result she is introduced to the police on more than one occasion. Not only that but a rumour starts to go around saying that the murdered woman is that of Anastasia Romanov who had gone missing when her entire family was killed. I did enjoy this book, it kept me entertained and I did look forward to seeing what the outcome would be. Enjoy!!!

I enjoy reading historical fiction, and my favorite genre is murder mysteries, so putting the two together had the potential for being a perfect book for me! Additionally, I love Paris and that’s where this novel is set.

The main character, Zoe, is a wonderful heroine who at age 22 has already endured devastating loss, injury and betrayal. She’s strong minded and intelligent, as well as brave and feisty. I liked her a lot. She’s an artist, and when she accidentally discovers two murder victims, she uses her expertise in observing people and situations to help the police find the killer.

I’m a fan of the TV shows Frankie Drake, Miss Scarlet and the Duke, and also Miss Fishers Murder Mysteries, and the plucky heroines of those shows are similar to Zoe.

I would have liked the plot to stay streamlined by focusing exclusively on the murder mystery. The author introduces multiple tangents, however, and these bored me. Every time the narrative devolved into one of the many irrelevant subplots, I felt impatient and wanted to hurry ahead to get back to the main plotline.

Long chapters are told from the point of view of a side character, Gabrielle, and in my opinion those chapters could be edited out entirely for a tighter narrative.

I’m giving Lost in Paris a solid three stars. I received an advanced audiobook from Netgalley and DreamScape Media in exchange for my honest feedback. Thank you Netgalley and DreamScape for giving me this free audiobook.

Unfortunately Lost in Paris didn't hit the right notes for me. Set in 1920s Paris after The Great War, Zoe, a young woman from Alabama who has been disowned by her family, finds herself ingratiated with the artist set. When Ernest Hemingway's written works are stolen we begin the journey through a series of murders, twists, turns, and lovers. I found that from chapter to chapter or time period to time period the tone of the novel would shift drastically. It was almost as if they would have been better as two separate stories (Zoe's tragic past and the murder mystery). This left me struggling to relate to the story and enjoy it.

The infamous real life theft of a valise containing Hermingway manuscripts is the clever jumping off point for a fictional murder mystery that centers on American ex-pat Zoe Barlow, an intrepid young woman exiled from her former life.

The idea behind this was good, though some inconsistencies in plot and tone made the book feel a bit goofy and insincere at times, if still fun to read.

Zoe’s supremely tragic backstory doesn’t quite fit with the madcap, romp-style mystery in play here. Nor does it fit with the tone of most of the book, creating a feeling of disparate plot elements that really don’t work together. Given the choice, I would have preferred that the author stay more in line with the tone and feel of the book. The true tragedy of Zoe’s backstory feels out of step (as do a few other plot points like it) from the rest of the content.

The Hemingways themselves are very minor players here and even the valise is more starting point than integral piece of the puzzle, but I think that worked just fine, as the mystery was able to stand on its own as it moved from theft to murder. And I liked Zoe, despite the mishandling of the character’s origins. The familial tensions caused by her family’s bigotry relating to her interracial relationship would have sufficed as the explanation for why she ended up in Paris. The kidnapping and torment and missing baby were just too much for this sort of book.

I did enjoy the mystery regardless, and while I wouldn’t advise using this book to learn the real history of this era in Paris, it is fun to see so many genuine historical figures cameo in the story.

Zoe has been disowned by her family in Alabama. They have just dropped her off and abandoned her in Paris. But, she makes her way and makes friends with artists and expats. She even becomes friends with Hemingway. And when Hemingway loses his valise with his latest writings, Zoe helps out and chases it down. But, she discovers a double murder and this leads to some hard times with her newfound friends.

Zoe is a sweet girl but she is also tough. And she takes no sass! But, this story is a bit slow in places. I did enjoy when Hemingway had an appearance. He is not really a nice man and the author portrays this very well.

The narrator did a great job especially with the accents. That’s a big trigger for me. But, Hope Newhouse, is splendid!

Need a murder mystery with the fabulous setting of Jazz Age Paris…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

Debutante Zoe makes a new life in Paris after being exiled for disgracing her family in Alabama. Her new circle of friends are famous artists and writers most of which are also disgraced Americans. She is good friends with Hadley, Ernest Hemingway's wife and when Ernest manuscripts are lost she tries to help Hadley out by looking for them only to stumble upon a string of murders.
Zoe is willing to put her life on the line to continue searching for the lost manuscripts and try to discover who the killer is.
The Author does a good job describing the setting and some of the characters... But I was left wanting to know more about Zoe and Hadleys friendship and that wasn't developed enough for me. And while we eventually found out why Zoe was exiled from her family I wish it would have been sooner in the story. I felt like it was thrown in at the end as an afterthought.

Thanks to #netgalley for a copy of this audiobook. This review is my honest opinion given voluntarily.

Lost In Paris by Betty Webb

Synopsis: Paris, 1922: Zoe Barlow knows the pain of loss. By the age of eighteen, she'd already lost her father to suicide and her reputation to an ill-fated love affair—not to mention other losses, too devastating for words. Exiled from her home and her beloved younger sister by their stepmother, she was unceremoniously dumped in Paris without a friend to help her find her way.

Four years later, Zoe has forged a new life as a painter amidst fellow artists, expats, and revolutionary thinkers struggling to make sense of the world in the aftermath of war. She's adopted this Lost Generation as her new family, so when her dear friend Hadley Hemingway loses a valise containing all of her husband Ernest's writings, Zoe happily volunteers to track it down. But her search for the bag keeps leading to murder victims, and Zoe must again face hard losses—this time among her adopted tribe. If she persists in her reckless quest to find the killer, the next life lost may be her own.
🥂
I had high hopes for this book, but it fell a little flat for me. From the beginning, I was a little confused. There was a lot of back and forth on what exactly was going on. And there was a lot of information that I felt was just… unnecessary.

The last third of the book definitely picked up and helped salvage my opinion - a good pacing, better explanations, a interesting twist.

I’m not sure I fully understand the ending?

Overall, If you enjoy historical fiction, mysteries, tragic back stories, and 1920s Paris - you will probably find this interesting and I’d recommend giving it a listen or read.

The narrator did a good job, I think her voice was perfect for the book and times.

I think I’d like to try and read a physical copy in the future and it may read better.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape for this audiobook for my honest opinion!

Zoe Barlow is such a spunky, unique character and I hope the hint at the end means we will be seeing more of her.

Paris in the 1920s was so interesting to read about. I often only read about Paris in terms of WWII, so this was a nice change.

Zoe finding herself in the middle of a mystery because of a suitcase that went missing turned into quite the adventure. The cast of characters in this book had me laughing so many times during this story. The real-life characters included in this story only added to it and definitely kept my interest.

I cannot believe this is my first book by Betty Webb. It won’t be my last.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media for the ALC. Hope Newhouse did a fantastic job bringing the characters and story to life. I hope to listen to more by her in the future.

All views here are my honest opinion.

Lost in Paris-

This book was in theory a lot of fun. This novel was a historical fiction mystery, with a dabble in murder and an undercurrent of Ernest Hemingway.

It fell flat, there were quite a few things going on, and you sort of get lost. The whole Hemingway thing really irked me, even if it was accurate. That whole subplot felt like it was just to jab at the author. There was also the gambling, sleeping with a married police officers and the double homicides. Listen, I’m down for an adventure but as an audiobook it was hard to weave it into a cohesive story, and make it impactful.

What I loved: As a historical piece, it was done well. The setting of Paris in post WWI was very real, and it was easy to buy into that world.

What I hated: the affair, the multiple plot lines— is it about the gambling, Hemingway a bag, the Russians… it’s too much. I felt overwhelmed for a good portion of this book.

Lost in Paris takes place after WWI and follows Zoe Barlow as she solves a complicated mystery surrounding the lost manuscripts of Ernest Hemingway. I enjoyed the setting and the characters in this novel! I especially enjoyed some of the quirky side characters. I really liked Zoe and her love interest. I liked how the author explored the art scene in Paris and the aftermath of WWI. I also thought the mystery was interesting. While I enjoyed this book, I felt that there was a lot going on with the two subplots. They were interesting but also felt like they needed to be fleshed out more. The second point of view in the novel felt a bit odd and unnecessary unless there is going to be a sequel to this novel.

This would be a good novel for anyone who enjoys historical fiction!