Thank you to Netgalley, Park Row Books, and Harlequin Audio for an advanced reading copy and an advanced listening copy provided for an honest review.

This story is told in dual narratives and timelines following Helaine in Paris at the beginning of World War II and Louise in 1953 London as she searches for answers in the death of her friend Franny while working with the Red Cross in 1944. Helaine was sick as a child and her parents have become very protective of her keeping her indoors. She longs to explore the city and meet other people her own age, and when she falls in love with a musician, the conflict puts a strain on her relationship with her parents. When Louise comes across a necklace that looks like the one that was in the possession of Franny when she died, Louise resolves to find out the truth about what happened all those years ago. Her journey will bring her to the former department store Lévitan, where Jews were imprisoned by the Nazis and forced to go through their belongings to redistribute to the Nazi officers.

I really enjoyed following Louise through her journey to find out what happened to her friend as well as her memories of the past. While I was a bit frustrated by the bubble that Helaine was raised in leading to her naivete of the world going on around her, especially when her new husband kept her in the dark as well, I still enjoyed reading about her experiences. I was interested to learn about the history of Lévitan as that was an aspect that I had not read about prior to this book. I thought the story came together beautifully in the end. I will say that there was a supporting character in the book that set off red flags for me a little too obviously and I had a hard time believing that one of the main characters trusted this person so much. It sent me off on a few rants and probably cost the book a half star though I rounded up for my rating.

I primarily listened to the audiobook for this read. It was narrated by Thérèse Plummer and Saskia Maarleveld. This was my second listen by Plummer, and Maarleveld is a favorite of mine. I definitely recommend the audiobook if you enjoy them. Both narrators did a great job with the storylines for both of the main characters.

Recommended to historical fiction lovers that enjoy World War II reads.

There were many heroes during the war. I love the stories of the ordinary people doing extraordinary things.

In another brilliant World War II historical fiction novel, Pam Jenoff brings the stories of Louise and Helaine to life as Louise, adjusting to her postwar housewife role, discovers a necklace that she’d seen while working for the Red Cross in occupied Europe. Looking for Helaine, the original owner of the necklace, with her former boss Ian’s help, Louise discovers the history of Levitan, a department store turned Nazi prison during the occupation of Paris and Helaine’s story there. However, the investigation and what it uncovers brings more secrets and uncomfortable truths to life, so Louise must do her best to figure out the mystery before the truth disappears. Helaine and Louise are excellent, fascinating characters, and their unique wartime and postwar experiences really bring them to life by offering insights into their personalities. The timeline skipping really helps the mystery develop and keeps readers guessing, while the historical details and atmosphere are so well-written and really immerse readers in the novel, the mystery, and occupied Paris. Based on the true history of the Levitan department store in Paris during the occupation, this dual-timeline World War II historical mystery novel is a fantastic new read that Jenoff’s fans will love.

Thanks to the publisher for the gifted e-copy.

Pam Jenoff writes some great historical fiction, and Last Twilight in Paris is the newest edition to the list. I enjoyed the multiple POVs, the dual timelines (even though they were only a few years apart), and the fact that I learned about an aspect of the war I wasn't previously aware of. We all know about the work camps, concentration camps, and death camps. I didn't know that there was a prison camp in an old department store building smack in the middle of Paris. All of the furniture and items that were stolen out of the homes of Jewish people were brought to this building, and the prisoners sorted and cleaned it all and then worked as salespeople as the higher up German officers "shopped" the items. to get sent back to their own homes. I knew the homes were ransacked and things were stolen, but I never really knew where it all ended up.

I also enjoyed reading about Louise's work as a Red Cross volunteer during the war. It gives us an inside look into the work the volunteers were doing to try to help the POWs.

As far as the rest of the plot, I was curious about what happened to the two parts of the necklace, and how Franny was involved. I liked that part of the story more than actually reading about Helaine and Gabriel, and I"m not sure why. I think it's because I never really bought their relationship, and Gabriel always struck me as kind of a sketchy character.

Jenoff always delivers a well written and. well researched novel.

Absolutely LOVED this one! Beautiful writing and storytelling from Pam Jenoff. I'm newer to her work and this makes me want to snag all of her backlist and read for days.

I swear, only Pam Jenoff can get me reading historical fiction again. I've long since taken a break from it. Our current climate just seems too similar sometimes and sometimes I just can't. But I received this book and sure enough, Pam drew me in. Not only that, she managed to teach me something I did not know about WWII. A camp in a department store? Absolutely wild. Full of heart, hope, yes - sadness, and triumph, Last Twilight in Paris is a thrilling ride with a twist. Jenoff does it again.

I received an advanced copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

Set against the backdrop of WWII and its aftermath, this novel weaves together two timelines that gradually reveal a powerful connection. At its heart are two resilient women, each navigating their own path in pursuit of truth and liberation. The unfolding mystery kept me hooked—I couldn’t wait to see how their stories would collide.

This was my first Pam Jenoff read, and I’m certain it won’t be my last. I loved how she seamlessly wove together two timelines and brought the story to a satisfying and emotional conclusion. Each woman’s journey was given the depth and justice it deserved, and despite the various issues and challenges presented throughout the book, Jenoff never lost focus on showing us how these two women lived—and survived—during wartime.

What stood out to me was how the characters could be so different, yet share such striking similarities. I also appreciated the mystery element—not just surrounding the necklace, but Franny herself. One of my favorite parts was the author’s note at the end. It added so much context and made me appreciate the story even more, especially knowing the amount of research that went into crafting such a powerful and moving narrative.

This historical fiction novel was inspired by true events. It is a story of two women, WWII, and the necklace that brought them together.

The story is told in dual points of view and timelines. Helaine was a Jewish woman living in Paris during WWII. Louise was an English woman who volunteered for the International Red Cross during the war. Eight years after the war ended, Louise found a gold necklace that looked like one she saw years ago during the war. She then sets on a mission to find the owner of the necklace and its missing other half.

This book was very well written. I enjoyed reading about both women and how the necklace brought them together. It was a compelling story.

I learned in this story about the Levitan Furniture Store in Paris. After the Germans invaded France, they took control of the store and turned it into a prison camp. It was also used as a store to sell to German soldiers items they had taken from Jewish homes.

“I’ve learned not to hold on to things. What’s important is the truth, …”

Pam Jenoff is known for finding little-known stories from history and turning them into novels. This one is about a Department Store in Paris that was turned into Jewish housing, while forcing the residents, mostly women, to sell things taken by the Nazis from Jewish homes. Gripping, sad and full of Parisian WWII facts I didn't know.

Despite a slow start, filled with painstaking detail and told from multiple POVs as well as timelines, this novel was beautiful and tragic on so many levels. When Louise (1953) finds a locket in a box at the donation store she works at in England, she is transported back to France during WWII where she is sure she had seen the necklace before.

What follows is a story going back and forth in time and perspective - between the original owner of the necklace and Louise, determined to solve the mystery of where it came from and why it was important. Romantic and hopeful while being steeped in hard history, this was a great read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a digital ARC of this title!

Just when I think I’ve read everything about WW2, I learn more. This one was absolutely fantastic! I loved the dual timelines and how they intertwined! Such a fantastic story.

I really enjoyed this one, the mix of historical fiction and mystery was great. There was also some romance which I appreciated. Really intriguing story and always interesting to learn!

Last Twilight in Paris is one of those books that you can look ahead and know what is going to happen, but it is ok as you don't know how that one major incident is going to affect the main characters and all the other people around them. So even though you could see the writing on the wall, you, the reader, are still sitting on the edge of your seat turning the pages as fast as you can. There are three different time periods, but the book flows seamlessly between them as the characters weave in and out of each other's lives. This book based on a true event during the occupation of Paris. is not a "typical holocaust story", but nevertheless shows the inhumanity once again of the Nazis.

Although I usually like Pam Jenoffs books, this was not my favorite. The plot was unrealistic ae
So were the characters.

First, thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I have read quite a number of historical fiction books centered around the events of WWII and I am continually amazed at the number of different experiences shared in these stories. Pam Jenoff introduced me to another such story. Last Twilight in Paris is inspired by the true story of Levitan, a department/furniture store in Paris that was converted into a warehouse used to house goods stolen from the Jews. This former store also served as a Nazi prison for privileged Jewish prisoners who were put to work unloading, cleaning and refurbishing these items, which were then displayed for sale to German officers during the war. Many of the prisoners were later transferred to Drancy where they died.
It is a dual timeline that takes place in the 1940’s and 1953. One storyline follows Helaine, a Jewish girl who falls in love with a cellist and has a difficult relationship with her parents. Helaine’s non-Jewish cellist husband is traveling when she is captured and put to work at Levitan. In the later storyline we meet Louise, a British woman, who worked for the British Red Cross, and now is a wife and mother in post-war England. Louise stumbles upon a mysterious (but somehow familiar) necklace and embarks on a journey to determine it’s history.
Pam Jenoff touches on many themes in this book: friendship, family, romantic relationships, resiliency, love, and hope. I enjoyed both storylines and the unfolding mystery. This is a well-written, engaging story and another reminder of the unthinkable events from WWI that we must never forget.

Set in London in 1953, this is the story of a woman trying to find out about the dead of a friend. Louise discovers a necklace in a pawn shop and knows that she has seen it before and it might help her solve the mystery. This is full of twists and turns in post war Europe. Definitely a must read.

LAST TWILIGHT IN PARIS begins after the war has ended and Louise is trying to adjust to life as a mom and wife even as she finds herself struggling to deal with her wartime activities and the loss of her friend, Franny. With each twist, Louise delves head long into the past as she tries to find answers of the necklace, what Franny’s death has to do with it and the little-known history behind the department store, Levitan’s use as being a Nazi prison for Jewish prisoners. This was one book that sounded interesting and at times was really good, but it dragged in several spots within the story. I really enjoyed seeing how Louise’s past work at the Red Cross during the war and what happened to her at that time. What I really enjoyed was seeing this little-known aspect of World War II that I didn’t know about. The writing is fast, and the storytelling is very well done. The area I struggled with was Louse’s interactions with her old boss, Ian, in the present time and I really didn’t connect all the way with her as a character at times. It took me several days to get through this book as I kept getting tossed out of the story with the aspects of Louise and Ian’s substory within LAST TWIGHLIGHT IN PARIS.

Pam Jenoff delivers a story about the aftermath of World War II and the Nazi’s despicable pattern of stealing possessions from the Jewish people they were imprisoning and killing among others. I highly enjoyed Helaine’s story as the dual storylines played out within the pages of LAST TWILIGHT IN PARIS. There was a hint of mystery, interesting actions from Louise & Helaine’s lives that captivated me. If you haven’t read one of Pam Jenoff’s books before, you might want to try this one. I look forward to seeing what this author delves into next for her readers.

I’ve read many books of historic fiction set during World War II where the story is told from a woman’s perspective. This one doubles the technique by following two women — one a young well-to-do Jewish woman in Paris and the other a British woman serving as a Red Cross volunteer in Germany during the war. The two stories are woven together as the narrative jumps to 1953 and the English woman tries to solve a mystery surrounding a lost and found necklace.
The most interesting part of this story was learning about the Parisian department store that served as a prison for Jewish women of a certain influence.
The least interesting part was the pedestrian writing which really dragged the story down. Each sentence and clause was packed with way too many adjectives… The dialogue was stilted and the coincidences that moved the story forward were terribly contrived.
Frankly there are so many gripping narratives of this era, I would not spend my time on this one.

I always enjoy how much research Pam Jenoff puts into her novels. I always learn something new from her and Last Twilight in Paris is no exception. I enjoyed this book and loved the audio too!

Pam Jenoff writes great historical fiction. Unfortunately, this title fell a little short for me. Perhaps it caught me at the wrong time.