This latest historical fiction by Pam Jenoff takes place in multiple timelines and follows two strong women characters. It is 1953 and Louise is a housewife who is married to a veteran. Through flashback, we learn that during the war, she worked with the Red Cross delivering supplies to POWs behind enemy lines. In 1953, she comes across a necklace that she is certain that she saw in Germany during the war. That same necklace is tied to the death of her friend and fellow Red Cross worker. Louise is anxious to learn its mystery and find out if it had anything to do with her friends death. If she can discover the truth, maybe she can put the past to rest.

Helaine is from a wealthy Jewish family in Paris. She had a very sheltered childhood in which she never left her house after a childhood illness. At 18, she decides to go for walks in her neighborhood, much to her mother's dismay. Helaine meets a cellist and decides to marry him which leads to her estrangement from her parents.. Paris becomes occupied by the Germans and her husband is sent to do concerts for the Germans. Helaine and her husband each wear halves of a necklace as a promise that they will be together again. Helaine is captured and is imprisoned in the Levitan department store which is being used as a concentration camp.

Pam Jenoff’s novels are always well-researched. I enjoy learning tidbits of history that are not well-known. In this case, I had never heard of the Paris furniture store, Levitan, being used as a concentration camp.

I enjoyed reading this historical fiction novel and I liked that it also had a mystery to solve. I have read several of Jenoff’s novels and I must admit that Last Twilight in Paris wasn’t my favorite of her novels. That being said, I do recommend it. Readers of historical fiction, and especially those interested in World War II, will enjoy it. I look forward to Jenoff's next novel.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for providing me with an advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Pam Jenoff always gets my heart with her incredibly thought-provoking and emotional stories about historical events that are not so pretty. I do love how she has taken pieces of history and put them into a more digestible form and always with such grace.

Oh, this book. I’ve always loved Pam Jenoff’s books and was so thrilled to receive an eARC of her newest. Last Twilight in Paris was SO good. I was hooked from the very first page. Helaine and Louise are both fantastic main characters, and I loved the dual timelines and dual storylines. Jenoff’s characters always have such depth, and I appreciate the research she does to write her books with the utmost accuracy and care. Thank you NetGalley and Park Row for the eARC!

Pam Jenoff is a talented historical fiction writer and I always learn new things about WWII and the Holocaust from her. In her latest novel, Last Twilight in Paris, she talks about Lèvitan, a department store in Paris that was used as a concentration camp. I never knew about this and found it so interesting.

The story was engaging and compelling and there was a mystery woven throughout, which kept me guessing. I liked reading the perspectives of both Helaine and Louise and trying to figure out what happened for Louise to somehow find Helaine's necklace in what was basically a thrift store. There is also a lot of relevance to present times (sad that I have to bring this up with every Holocaust novel I read, but it's true) and is important to read!

I have been to Paris and reading Pam's descriptions brought me right back there. It was so easy to visualize people and places the entire time.

Be sure to check out this novel and read Pam's previous novels too. Another one I loved as much as this one is The Orphan's Tale.

Given this is about the horrors of the Holocaust, I don't think trigger warnings are needed. It's one big trigger already, and so harrowing.

Movie casting suggestions (since it's been a while, I just focused on the two narrators):
Helaine: Eva Green
Louise: Lily James

Pam Jenoff is becoming an author I will immediately pick up when I see. She seamlessly weaves stories together and somehow makes a heartbreaking historical event into a hopeful and inspiring tale.

I liked Last Twilight in Paris, but I didn't love it. The story has two timelines - one in 1953 with Louise, a former Red Cross volunteer who is now a housewife in England and the other in 1940s Nazi occupied France where Helaine is being held with other Jewish women in a former high end department store that is now a prison camp. The tale starts when Louise finds a half-heart necklace in the thrift store she works in, and realizes that it is the same necklace she saw in a Nazi camp during the war. She tries to solve the mystery of the necklace by enlisting the help of a former Red Cross colleague but all is not what it seems - the mystery and conspiracy is far greater than she imagined.

I found this book to be interesting, as I did not know about the history of the Levitan department store. The Nazis pillaged and looted Jewish homes in France, then brought items to the department store for their officers to "shop". They also forced hundreds of Jewish people to work at the store. I have read many WWII era novels, and I was intrigued to learn about this aspect of history. Thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

This book is so well written, and plants the reader right to the streets of Paris in 1953. It is exciting, and mysterious. I found myself staying up late reading it. I loved the characters.

I have literally found myself recently enjoying historical fiction books; I am not even sure why. It is like being able to see history through someone else's eyes, yet it isn't fully true; just some things are. With the Last Twiling in Paris, I had never heard of a department store being turned into a place that sold Jewish items that were plundered from their homes. So, to me, that was very interesting, and I had fun googling this information.
A necklace is what causes the memories to resurface, and the mystery of what happened to the entertainer all brings Louise to get answers.
It was interesting to see how the Red Cross was working behind enemy lines, as I never thought they were around back then, but they were.
We go between the past and the present. Louise was sending packages to help those who were captured. She couldn't really do much, and you could tell she wanted to. While across enemy lines, her friends die in a mysterious accident, and it bothers Louise even after she has moved on and started a family.
Heleine, another character, but has nothing to do with Louise, finds herself in trouble when the Germans come to Paris. She is taken to the department store to work and has no clue if her husband, who is a musician, is dead or alive.
The two lives of these characters come together, and it all has to do with a necklace and how their paths crossed without really crossing.
Overall, a great historical fiction story, and I plan on looking into this author's work even further.

Another Historical Fiction gem from Pam Jenoff, Last Twilight in Paris follows Louise, a housewife who is trying to get her life back, as she discovers a necklace in a box in a thrift shop. When she sees this necklace, it stops her dead in her tracks, as she knows where it came from and she begins to wonder if it'll help her find the answers to finding her long lost friend, Franny, who disappeared during the war.

This is one of Pam Jenoff's best books, in my opinion! Felt a lot like THE GIRL WITH THE BLUE STAR in terms of writing, storytelling, and character development.

I always appreciate when I learn something new about a time in history I have read a lot about. I had no idea about the furniture store in Paris that was used as a labor camp. Jenoff expertly crafts a narrative around this lesser-known piece of history, creating a compelling story about two women and their bonds through war that they had no idea about.

I was constantly hooked to the page and invested in what would happen. I did guess a few of the "twists," but that doesn't bother me so much in historical fiction. They definitely add to the intrigue and keep the reader turning the page.

I tend to like stories of people’s lives during WWII, and this story did not disappoint. But with what is happening in my country right now, a whole different set of emotions were churned up for me this time around.

The story is told from a split timeline, with Louise’s story taking place both during the war and many years later. Helaine’s story takes place during the war.

I was filled with fear for Helaine and her husband, Gabriel. I knew the fate of so many Jews during WWII, and while Gabriel wasn’t Jewish, he spoke out against the Germans frequently before he went away to perform.

Louise confused me a little. I wasn’t sure if she really loved her husband or was carrying a torch for Red Cross supervisor from back in the day. And I worried that her insistence in trying to discover what happened to her friend Frannie would become dangerous for her.

I don’t want to give away spoilers, but I developed several theories as I worked my way through the book, about possible spies, romances, betrayals, and deaths. Most of what I predicted came true, but not everything (and I was glad about most of the things that didn’t come to pass). There was one twist however, that I did not see coming at all.

The ending felt hopeful and made me content.

Disclaimer: I received an eARC through HTP Book Tours and NetGalley in exchange for a spotlight post and review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Certainly! Here’s your updated review with the recommendation note added:

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Review: The Last Twilight in Paris by Pam Jenoff

This book was really good—emotional, immersive, and deeply moving. Pam Jenoff delivers a powerful story that blends historical mystery, romance, and resilience in the face of unimaginable hardship. I felt completely pulled into the world of The Last Twilight in Paris, and it stayed with me long after I finished.

The characters are so endearing, and their emotional growth felt genuine and earned. I especially loved seeing the evolution of their relationships and how each of them carried the weight of the past. The story doesn’t shy away from heartbreak, but it also offers glimmers of hope and healing. You will feel all the emotions with this one—grief, love, frustration, and ultimately, satisfaction.

As a history teacher, I was especially fascinated to learn about Lévitan, the Parisian department store turned Nazi prison. That part of history was completely new to me, and Jenoff weaves it into the story in such a compelling and respectful way. It added depth to the novel and reminded me how many hidden stories from WWII are still waiting to be told.

I switched between the ebook and audiobook, and both formats are excellent. The narration by Saskia Maarleveld and Therese Plummer is outstanding. Saskia is always my favorite—she never misses a beat—but I have to say, Therese Plummer is quickly becoming a standout for me too. They both brought so much nuance and emotion to the performance.

The ending was especially satisfying—a necessary emotional payoff after some very heavy moments. It wrapped up the story beautifully and left me feeling hopeful, even after all the loss the characters had endured.

The Last Twilight in Paris is a compelling, heartfelt read that’s perfect for fans of historical fiction, especially those who appreciate a well-crafted dual timeline and stories rooted in lesser-known real events. I would especially recommend it to fans of Rhys Bowen—The Venice Sketchbook readers in particular will likely find a similar mix of history, romance, and emotional depth to love here. Highly recommended.

Another stunning masterpiece from Pam Jenoff! She really is a historical fiction favorite! The multi-POV plot was crafted so good it was very smooth to follow. I listened to audio as well and it was great!

🇫🇷 historical fiction
⏰ dual timeline
❤️ young love
🔎 mysterious necklace
🎻 cellist MMC
✍️ writer FMC
⛑️ Red Cross co-FMC & co-MMC

It is always a pleasure to read one of spam Jenoff’s novels. The character development was done so well and the dual timelines made it so easy to follow and keep up with everything happening within the then and now.

The buildup of heartbreak, angst and healing was done so well. I can’t wait for the next!

"Twilight in Paris" is a glimpse behind the shrouds of mystery and sadness that were the unexpected and unwanted remnants of a World War. The characters' stories and their lives post-war were reminders that life is hard.

Louise, an English Red Cross worker, is thrust into a mystery when she discovers a necklace that belonged to Helaine, a Jewish woman imprisoned in Paris during World War II. Louise last saw the necklace during the war when she visited a POW camp in Germany, and her friend was killed in a car crash shortly thereafter. Louise has always suspected that there was more to her friend’s death than a simple accident, and she sets out to solve the mystery of the necklace as well. This book is very enlightening about the treatment Jewish people endured in Paris during WWII, and I was invested in finding out what happened to Helaine and her family. I did get bogged down by the writing in the middle, but I loved the ending. And since this was my first read by Pam Jenoff, it was a great introduction to her work! If you like historical fiction, you’ll enjoy this one!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Park Row for my copies! ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

On the historical fiction front Pam Jenoff did not let me down. I found her use of the Levitan Department Store in Paris and the POW Camps informative nd engrossing. Yes, the book is compulsively fast moving and creates the wartime period vibrantly. However, except for Franny, I had difficulty believing in the characters who drive the story. In my mind they were props to tell a story and not a story in themselves. Additionally, too many of the events seemed contrived. In sum, I wanted to be blown away, but, I wasn't.

I love Pam Jenoff’s writing and she has written another compelling historical fiction novel. If you love historical fiction, dual timelines and WWII intrigue, this one’s for you!!

Set between 1953 London and Paris during World War II, the novel centers on Louise Burns, a former Red Cross worker, who discovers a puzzling necklace that brings new light to the long-unsolved mystery of her friend Franny’s wartime death.

At the heart of the story is Louise and Franny’s deep bond, which propels Louise’s search for the truth about what happened to her friend. As the plot unfolds through flashbacks and recollections, readers witness the strength of their friendship and the powerful emotions that tie them together.

Jenoff’s detailed research sheds light on lesser-known facets of the Holocaust, including the haunting past of the Lévitan department store and the harsh realities faced by Jewish prisoners in Nazi-occupied France.

The novel stands out for its rich emotional layers, compelling female leads, and a suspenseful, engaging mystery.

🎧The story bursts to life in audiobook format, thanks to the outstanding performances of Saskia Maarleveld and Thérèse Plummer.

These gifted narrators masterfully navigate the novel’s shifting timelines, infusing each character with emotional depth and distinct voice. Their narration captures every heartbeat of tension, heartbreak, and resilience, especially as the heroines confront the harrowing choices of wartime.

With flawless pacing and an extraordinary ability to express even the subtlest emotions, they elevate Jenoff’s richly layered storytelling. The result is a powerful, immersive listening experience that lingers in your mind and heart long after the final chapter.

Last Twilight In Paris is Pam Jenoff's most remarkable novels to date! (imho) Once again I learned something about the WWII era I never learned in school history classes or during college WWII history classes and that is one of the main reasons I love historical fiction. Impeccably researched, beautifully written. Highly recommended.

Jenoff is one of my favorite historical fiction authors. I love discovering stories about history that are typically not known at all. If I had not read this book, I probably would never have known about Levitan and it's history with the Nazi's. While it wasn't as heartbreaking as novels surrounding the concentration camps during WWII, there are still horribly sad moments. So many people experienced loss and devastation during those years in countless ways. I love that authors like Pam take the time to research and bring those stories to life. It's so important to give them all a voice through books.

Highly recommend if you are a historical fiction fan.