Member Reviews

Earlier this year, I read The Last Encore and instantly fell in love with Elodie's writing style. So, when she provided an arc for her second book, I applied straight away. So excited about this book right from the minute the publisher accepted my request!

From Paris, in Love is the second book in It's Always Been You series. If you're unsure about whether to read the series in order or not, I think it's acceptable to read them individually. The story and characters are not the same, but there are connections to characters from previous books. For example, in the first book, the main characters are Josh and Avery. In this second book has Miles and Riley. Miles and Avery are siblings. And next in the third book is Charlee, who is Riley's sister. Lol. This universe is just brilliant!

Compared to the previous book, I think this one is spicier! *wink*. You will receive a complete package of friend-to-lover tropes, workplace romance, girl-boss, protective men, and a trip to Paris! What a wonderful package, isn’t it? I actually read this book after I finished watching Emily in Paris, and I can say it has similar vibes!

The only thing that's lacking is the plot for Riley’s conflict with her ex-husband. Although I'm expecting something more intense, I'm fine with it. The spicy parts are still the winner, haha. The part where Riley fought back is also remarkable. Highly recommended.

Was this review helpful?

Very cute. This is a kind of sequel to The Last Encore, with Avery’s brother and his painful crush on his colleague Riley that was set up in the first book. It can totally be read as a stand-alone though! But it was nice to get an update on Avery and Josh 🥰 Riley has finally divorced her abusive husband and sets up and new PR business with Miles, who is secretly pining for her. They’re business partners now though, so he is painstakingly trying to keep things professional. Meanwhile, Riley is finally starting to see him romantically. This all makes for a delicious slow burn. Miles is too good to be true, and I love the fantasy of him - as all book boyfriends should be 😂 I found Riley to be such a likeable character as well. Both characters also explore some deeper issues in a sensitive way - with Riley’s precious abusive relationship and Miles’s infertility.

What to expect:

- slow burn
- friends to lovers
- he falls first
- workplace romance
- holiday romance
- cinnamon roll MMC

Was this review helpful?

I wanted to love this book so much but unfortunately it wasn't for me. The story fell a bit flat, both mc's were pretty awful and I hated the ending. This could've been so good but the writing felt to juvenile. It's a 2-star for me.

Was this review helpful?

Help me because this book was just so darn adorable and sexy at the same time! This was the pallet cleanser that I needed after reading so many dark romances. Elodie has amazed me and turned me into a full blown fanatic of her writing. I cannot wait to see what other magical words she has up her sleeve!

Was this review helpful?

Oh my goodness I seriously SWOONED so hard in this one. And I share the same last name as the feisty independent female main character so OF COURSE I loved this one. Friends to lovers isn't usually my jam but when you throw in workplace romance with a heck of a lot of "he falls first" you know I'm going to be absolutely hooked. Elodie absolutely knocked this one out of the park and I loved it so so much.

Thank you to Netgalley & Elodie Colliard & Victory Editing Netgalley Co-op for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

this story follows miles and riley, former coworkers who start building a business together and get the once in a lifetime opportunity to travel to paris on an all-expenses paid trip with a new client. the catch is miles has been in love with riley for years but cannot bring himself to reveal his true feelings and riley is still finding a way to reclaim her life after leaving an abusive marriage. two weeks in paris tests their resolve as they discover the boundaries of their relationship and more...

miles and riley were both well-developed characters with their own backgrounds and struggles that influenced their actions throughout the book. the relationship between the two was so sweet and you could just tell how much miles cared for riley. this was definitely a major 'friends-to-lovers' story as we see the two try and figure out how to juggle their feelings for one another and traverse the complicated line of being friends and business partners to being in a relationship.

there were, however, a few things that took away from the story for me a bit, including the slow burn and miscommunication. the dual POV was lots of fun but it was frustrating at times to see their inner thoughts line up and them not be able to communicate properly despite being adults. and while I know that they were both working through their own issues and pasts, I just wish they would have come to a resolution a bit earlier. the pacing also threw me off a bit as I would have liked to see more of their friendship from the beginning and honestly hear a bit more about their business that they were creating together.

overall, this was definitely a fun read with a wonderful setting (paris!) I would recommend it if you are a fan of forced proximity, workplace romance, friends to lovers, and slow burn contemporary romances!

Was this review helpful?

Interesting debut novel, for me as romance reader friends to lover is the hardest trope to write. because it has to be a believable, the conflict must be realistic and the love story too, so with all that, I think Elodie solved the story well and managed to give a solid good romance story.

Was this review helpful?

A delightful journey to Paris sets two friends on a path to becoming lovers. Sweet, full of good food and wine, and a love letter to the "he falls first, and HARD" trope.

Was this review helpful?

DNF at 25%

*I don’t have star ratings for DNFs but for the Netgalley feedback (which is needed) I’ll be putting 1 star*

Unfortunately, I struggled to be invested in the story and struggled with wanting to continue reading.

It felt like the story was already 50% in when I started it. There seems to be a lot of history between them, the world has been set in such a way that feels like I should’ve been aware of before I picked up the book. I’m under the impression that these books are standalones and this can be read without reading the first one, but maybe a lot of the context in this was shown in the first book and it might be essential to have read that to get into the rhythm here. The stakes don’t feel fully developed to me too and most of it felt like it’s them thirsting for each other, and it felt way too early on in the story.

Nevertheless, there were small aspects of it that I did enjoy. It has a lot of the tropes and elements that romance readers love. I also love the culinary element as part of Miles’ character, the writing of it makes it really delectable.

Was this review helpful?

From Paris, in Love has everything you want. It's the sequel to The Last Encore and this time it follows Miles and Riley. (Finally). It's friends/co-workers to lovers. There's food, friendship and so much tension in it. If you loved The Lat Encore you definitely have to pick up this book.

Was this review helpful?

Two former coworkers break out and start their own PR firm. The catch? Their secret feelings for each other. Things get tense when they take a work trip to the City of Love!

I really enjoyed the author's sophomore novel. I can't wait for book three in this series.

Recommended if you enjoy:
-workplace trope
-friends to lovers
-open door
-slow burn
-golden retriever, rugby playing, baking MMC

A strong 4 stars!

Was this review helpful?

This was a very sweet, sexy, friends to lovers (they are co-workers) read. He falls first and when I tell you that he does is because he is LITERALLY secretly in love with her. The slow burn is 🔥🫢 I was going crazy waiting for something to happen and when it did I was giggling ✨

The spice was SPICING 🌶️ but I did love them together and their relationship, especially after leaving both of their previous relationships.

Was this review helpful?

this story follows miles and riley, former coworkers who start building a business together and get the once in a lifetime opportunity to travel to paris on an all-expenses paid trip with a new client. the catch is miles has been in love with riley for years but cannot bring himself to reveal his true feelings and riley is still finding a way to reclaim her life after leaving an abusive marriage. two weeks in paris tests their resolve as they discover the boundaries of their relationship and more...

miles and riley were both well-developed characters with their own backgrounds and struggles that influenced their actions throughout the book. the relationship between the two was so sweet and you could just tell how much miles cared for riley. this was definitely a major 'friends-to-lovers' story as we see the two try and figure out how to juggle their feelings for one another and traverse the complicated line of being friends and business partners to being in a relationship.

there were, however, a few things that took away from the story for me a bit, including the slow burn and miscommunication. the dual POV was lots of fun but it was frustrating at times to see their inner thoughts line up and them not be able to communicate properly despite being adults. and while I know that they were both working through their own issues and pasts, I just wish they would have come to a resolution a bit earlier. the pacing also threw me off a bit as I would have liked to see more of their friendship from the beginning and honestly hear a bit more about their business that they were creating together.

overall, this was definitely a fun read with a wonderful setting (paris!) I would recommend it if you are a fan of forced proximity, workplace romance, friends to lovers, and slow burn contemporary romances!

Was this review helpful?

I really enjoyed this one!! The way this man is so obsessed had me GIGGLING. i love a forced proximity book, coupled with the fact that it’s in PARIS of all places. couldn’t be better. i loved her healing journey, it was truly so admirable, and she was so independent and a bad a**. they were so HOT the tension i cannot handle it!!!

Was this review helpful?

FROM PARIS, IN LOVE brings together so many things I love both in life (wine, travelling, ridiculously happy and loveable doggos) and books (strong characters, emotional and engaging writing, loots of tension), how could I not love it?!

Dual POV romances can be hit or miss for me, but hats off to Elodie for writing two complex and compelling characters in a way where both feel truly distinct and you can feel the tension building in both POVs.

Riley and Miles are both dynamic characters. I appreciated how they each had been through difficult situations in their pasts, were making efforts to grow and heal, but at the same time, still encountered very realistic moments of struggle where they fell back into old patterns.

The romance itself is a slow burn filled with lots of pining. It takes a while for Riley and Miles to give into their attraction, but once they do 🥵🥵🥵. The chemistry between them is excellent and although they both frustrated me at different points, their actions felt very real to what I knew of them each as characters.

Romance aside, what also stood out to me is how FROM PARIS, WITH LOVE touches on a range of more serious topics (domestic abuse, infertility, workplace harassments) in a skillful way with compassion and care.

Was this review helpful?

There was just an overwhelming collective of so much that I love mentioned in FPIL that I couldn’t help but grin- giddy in love from beginning to end. Miles and Riley stole my heart, I loved the sweet buildup from business partners to friends to lovers, I loved the baking, the awkward exchanges (bebes 😭😭) the references to Taylor Swift, Timbits, Lake Ontario, the wholesome sibling dynamics, and just overall their whole dynamic 🥹 but not only was it sweet and wholesome and just all the feels, it also delves into some heavy topics (spousal abuse/infertility) that I found were handled really well! I also just have the BIGGEST soft spot for a man who cooks/bakes (my love language) so if that sounds like your thing as well then definitely pick up From Paris, in Love 🥰

Was this review helpful?

My first book by Elodie but certainly not my last! I enjoyed this so much. It’s cozy and feel good with the amount of depth I enjoy in stories. And the setting was everything. I know this is new, but I already can’t wait for what’s next!

Was this review helpful?

This one was just as cute as the first! Definitely one of my most anticipated for 2023! Cant wait to see what the author is cooking up next!

Was this review helpful?

I love finding new and refreshing reads.

This book hit all my wants, foreign city, languages, food and love.

I loved it overall and would be a great pick for someone who wants a cozy, enjoyable read. I just wanted a little more but I know I’ll be getting another book from Elodie in the future.

Was this review helpful?

a friends to lovers story with depth and lots of love. I loved Miles and Riley so much, and I'm always a sucker for he falls first!

Was this review helpful?