Jess is the recently divorced mother of three girls whose job as a journalist has ground to a bit of a halt and she is spending her working day responding to Agony Aunt Letters. Out of the blue she is asked to undertake the marathon task of writing the biography of acclaimed artist Adelaide Fox, who lives in Paris almost as a recluse. Jess is able to accept the position because her ex-husband is going to be looking after the girls. Adelaide’s past is full of intrigue and mystery and Jess has a mountain to climb trying to unravel the truth from Adelaide who is secretive and also temperamental making it hard for Jess to get to the bottom of the things she already knows about Adelaide. There are many events which have shaped the person Adelaide has become, perhaps most significantly the death of her younger brother but also the disappearance of her best friend after a massive argument. Jess has also lost her best friend but the two women have little in common besides this. I really enjoyed the twists and turns in this book and the way it told the story of Adelaide in her heyday and the many escapades she got up to. The characters are well formed and easy to relate to. The book is interesting and slightly unusual. There is some romance but it does not dominate just the way a good story should be. Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this ARC.

I love how Lucy dimaond weaves together stories and the lives of the characters and this one was no different! A difficult artist, a years old mystery and a subtle romance. I very much enjoyed this book!

I thought this was a slightly different style of book for Lucy Diamond but I really loved it. I have been left wanting to know more about Adelaide and the stories she might share in her memoir as well as her future plans. But it was also good to have the life of Jess and her family woven throughout the story too.

Jess is a journalist and has just been offered a job in Paris away from her family.
Her subject is an artist, Adelaide Fox. She is 80 years old and ready to tell her story.
Both Jess and Adelaide need to face the past and also learn to work together.

This book will make you want to visit Paris immediately, be warned. It was lovely, writing books, Paris in the sunshine, the food, a dog, art and mysteries it has it all. I really enjoyed reading it especially the warm sunshine in the middle of a very wet winter.
Thank you for the opportunity to read this book.

In I Remember Paris, journalist Jess travels to Paris to write a memoir for the famous reclusive artist Adelaide Fox, Their dual narratives unfold as Jess tries to prise out the secrets of Adelaide's long and eventful life, whilst also investigating past mysteries of her own.

At first I thought this was a bit same-old chick lit, but actually I found it increasingly engaging. I was particularly drawn to the Adelaide storyline, and I think the history of her life and her career in art was nicely detailed. I also enjoyed the evocations of Paris and the interesting cast of supporting characters. I thought Jess's tendency to make new best friends everywhere she went was a bit twee, and was much more drawn to the ascerbic Adelaide as a character. This was an engaging and enjoyable light read.

This was such a wonderful and enjoyable read!!!! I loved this book and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys this genre. Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a bit of a slow burner for me but once I settled into the plot and got to know the characters I enjoyed it. I liked Jess but found myself frustrated by the moods and crotchety behaviour of the elderly artist, Adelaide who was very bitter about past experiences in her life and took out her anger on Jess and others. Her only soft spot was her move for her sweet dog, Jean-Paul, a delightful addition to the cast. I enjoyed the two timelines, i.e. Paris past and present and the slow thaw in Adelaide's personality as time went on changed my opinion of her. I would like there to have been more about Lucas, Jess's possible love interest, as he was more of a background character. All in all this was an enjoyable read with numerous twists, turns and mysteries to unravel. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC. This review is voluntarily given.

Single mum, Jess, returns to Paris to write a biography with Adelaide Fox, a famous, cantankerous, artist . Many secrets are uncovered of both characters' past lives. A wonderful read, I loved it.

When Jess gets offered to be a ghost writer for a worlds famous artist who now resides in Paris. She thought her life was on the up she was not expecting to the artist to be so difficult….

Both the main characters, Jess and Adalaide are too busy burying their secrets to actually realise what is in front of them.

A good book by Lucy Diamond.

A wonderful story of a woman reclaiming her life and gaining some lovely new friends alone the way. Loved the jumps back and forth in time as the story unfolded. A great book.

Moving, Heartfelt..
When a writing assignment takes Jess Bright to Paris, it may well be the assignment that is to change her life. Her subject is an iconic artist, now in her eighties, whose life was heavily laced with scandal. As both women face up to their respective pasts, they may realise how it impacts their present. A moving, touching and heartfelt tale with beautifully drawn characters, a well imagined setting and a tender storyline at its very heart.

Absolutely brilliant, loved it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me an advance copy, I will definitely be recommending.

Wonderful characters who we get to know through a dual timeline. I loved the development of both leads as they found each other. A beautiful location and a very relatable family life! Great read.

I really enjoyed this story , especially the dual timelines. Our heroines are Adelaide and Jess, the latter being tasked with writing the former's memoirs. The story develops as Adelaide takes us back to her younger years whilst Jess explores Paris with us. An excellent example of story telling and Paris through two completely different ages.

Wonderful characters, fabulous location, what’s not to enjoy. Another brilliant tale from Lucy Diamond

My last read of 2023!

A lovely book about friendships and letting go of the past.

I loved how Lucy captured the history and essence of Paris and can't wait to create my own adventures in the future.

What an absolute pleasure and pure joy this book is to read!! Loved it from the first page to the last, transported to the gorgeous streets of Paris in the summertime.
Jess mother of three teenage girls and a self employed journalist, has been offered a ghost writing job in Paris with the renowned British artist Adelaide Fox to write her memoir of her life and art. Jess has interviewed Adelaide before after an exhibition in London but now she is crotchety and elderly and difficult to work with. Whilst Adelaide relives her life and loves, Jess is also remembering her time in Paris twenty years ago and searching for her long lost friend Pascale.
Totally loved this story, the characters and settings, both in Kent and Paris. Pure joy to read, and will be highly recommended. An absolute delight and easy reading but also a little food for thought about jumping to conclusions and discovering yourself….. it’s never too late!
Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus books for the early read which is greatly appreciated.

I have yet to read a book by Lucy Diamond that I haven’t adored. I pick up each new book knowing I’m in safe hands and I Remember Paris was no different. Full of relatable, flawed and interesting characters that I couldn’t help but love. There is an intriguing mystery to the story that kept me up late on several nights as I didn’t want to put it down!
Thoroughly enjoyable read that I absolutely recommend.

A wonderfully moving read. This really got me thinking. Adelaide is a great character and as a reader we can see how holding on to all that hare and heartache for decades really affected her, but how many of us do it? We all hold on to negatives from our past and this really opened my eyes. Jess is a fantastic character to help bring Adelaide out of her hate fog and in the process helps herself to reevaluate who she is as a person after being a wife and mother for so long. It was an interesting journey of self discovery and ever changing relationship dynamics. Parenting teenagers is tricky and seeing Jess try to navigate it as a single parent still weighed down by her ex husband’s negativity was very interesting to read about.

Jess and Luc strike up a good friendship and I like how they take time to explore their feelings for the other, the impact it will have on her daughters and for Luc how to really achieve his own happiness., finally.

Seeing the changes in Adelaide was also great. I loved taking those steps with her as she reluctantly took on board what Jess said to her and how she opened herself up to try new things and most importantly how she learnt to let things go so that she could move forward, which resulted in her finding her best friend again.

A wonderful read that copulated all the different generations of society and how showing how they can all slot together.