3.75 🌟
First, I'd like to thank NetGalley, Pam Jenoff, and Harlequin for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

What I love most about Pam Jenoff's writing is her vivid descriptions of settings that transport readers to another time and place. Her ability to infuse depth and emotion into her stories is truly captivating, and The Last Twilight in Paris did not disappoint.

One of the highlights of this book for me was how interconnected all the characters were, almost like a narrative built on six degrees of separation. This element added a richness to the story, as each character's actions and decisions rippled through the lives of others. I found myself deeply empathetic toward Hélaine as her story unfolded, and I couldn’t help but hope for her and Gabriel to reunite after the war.

Another aspect I appreciated was Louise's timeline being set just eight years post-war. It felt like such a fresh and unique perspective within the WWII historical fiction genre, which often leans heavily on events during the war or decades later. The epilogue, also set just eight years post-war, was a wonderful touch. It provided closure while maintaining the immediacy of the aftermath, rather than leaping far into the future.

The way Hélaine and Louise’s stories intertwined over the mystery of the missing necklace was a standout element. Their connection not only brought resolution to a lingering question but also gave Louise a newfound purpose and passion for the future.

Overall, The Last Twilight in Paris is another stunning addition to Pam Jenoff's repertoire, blending emotion, intrigue, and history into a memorable story. I highly recommend this book to fans of historical fiction, particularly those who enjoy stories with interconnected characters and unique post-war perspectives.

Jenoff has another great historical fiction novel. While the book leans heavily on real life happenings, it brings it to life by following two unrelated women. One who worked as a volunteer with the Red Cross in the war, Louise. Another, Helaine, who lived through the war with her husband. Helaine was detained and forced to work in a department store while sorting and selling goods stolen from Jews. Through a twist of fate, Louise discovers a necklace a few years after the war and is intrigued by it because she is sure she has seen it before. What follows is how the story weaves around both Helaine's and Louise's lives.

I was so engrossed in this story and didn't want it to end. You know, one of those books you race to finish but regret it because you don't want it to be over. If you love historical fiction, or any book with a great human story, this is the book for you.

I was given this by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

A quiet story set against the backdrop of Paris, weaving together two timelines and a touch of mystery.

In Twilight in Paris, Louise, living in the 1950s in Britain, stumbles upon a necklace she last saw during WWII—shortly before her friend’s tragic death. Determined to uncover the truth, her investigation leads her to Helaine, a French Jewish woman whose story begins in the 1930s and unfolds through the war years.

Helaine, a sickly child, was isolated by her parents out of fear for her health, adding an extra layer of heartbreak to her story. As Louise pieces together the mystery behind the necklace, the lives of these two women intertwine across time.

The dual timeline beautifully connects Louise and Helaine’s lives, blending mystery, resilience, and untold history. I especially appreciated learning about the Levitan store, a real WWII prison camp I’d never heard of before.

There’s also a memorable male side character who walks with a limp from a childhood injury, adding a layer of quiet resilience to the story.

While the ending felt a bit too neatly tied up for me, the journey there was heartfelt and thought-provoking. If you love historical fiction with emotional depth and a touch of mystery, this one’s worth picking up.

Thank you to Park Row and NetGalley for the advance review copy.

Note on the ebook: there are no chapter and the font is very small. I assume that is because it's an advance copy and these points will be corrected for the final version.

London, 1953 – Louise and her husband are still adjusting to post war life, when she finds a necklace in a second shop. She recognizes this necklace; it looks like one she saw while working for the Red Cross. Can this necklace help unlock the mysterious death of her friend Franny during the war? Louise tells her husband she is going to Paris where she seeks help from her former boss Ian to complete the story of the necklace.

Pam Jenoff stories are always amazing and the research she puts into them is A+! I had trouble putting this one down and was quite sad when it was over.

Thank you, NetGalley & Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC. #LastTwilightinParis #NetGalley

Starting 2025 with a 5 star read! I normally don't like historical fiction but I loved this one! Set leading up to, during, and after WWII, <i>Last Twilight in Paris</i> follows the lives of two separate women who are tied together by a necklace. It was a great balance of history and romance and mystery, and made me want to check out the author's backlist!

Title:  Last Twilight in Paris
Author: Pam Jenoff         
Genre: Historical fiction      
Rating:  4.5 out of 5

London, 1953. Louise is still adjusting to her postwar role as a housewife when she discovers a necklace in a box at a secondhand shop. The box is marked with the name of a department store in Paris, and she is certain she has seen the necklace before when she worked with the Red Cross in Nazi-occupied Europe —and that it holds the key to the mysterious death of her friend Franny during the war.

Following the trail of clues to Paris, Louise seeks help from her former boss Ian, with whom she shares a romantic history. The necklace leads them to discover the dark history of Lévitan—a once-glamorous department store that served as a Nazi prison, and Helaine, a woman who was imprisoned there, torn apart from her husband when the Germans invaded France.

Louise races to find the connection between the necklace, the department store and Franny’s death. But nothing is as it seems, and there are forces determined to keep the truth buried forever. Inspired by the true story of Lévitan, Last Twilight in Paris is both a gripping mystery and an unforgettable story about sacrifice, resistance and the power of love to transcend in even the darkest hours.

I love World War II historical fiction, and I’ve read several of Jenoff’s books and enjoyed them. Add this one to that list. I’d never heard of Lévitan and prisoners being kept there, but the idea was terrible—especially how the neighbors just willingly turned a blind eye like so many did during Hitler’s atrocities. I loved reading Helaine’s story:  her sheltered life and the magical way she met and fell for her husband. Louise’s story was just as fascinating, both the past timeline and the current one, and all three stories turned into one fascinating read.

Pam Jenoff is a bestselling author. Last Twilight in Paris is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin/Park Row in exchange for an honest review.)

(Blog link live 2/4.)

Pam Jenoff’s Last Twilight in Paris is a story I’d never heard about World War 2—which is like catnip for me as a reader. Historical novels based on actual, little-known stories are irresistible.

The story begins in London in 1953, and we meet Louise, who, now that the war is over, is once again a housewife. When she finds a necklace in a secondhand shop, she gets caught up in a mystery she can’t resist trying to solve.

As the book unfolds, we learn of Louise’s role in the war, her former romance, and another mystery she could never solve—the unexplainable death of her good friend. Traveling between periods, the whole picture emerges while lies and secrets are uncovered. The new-to-me aspect of the novel was the department store, Lévitan. I had never known that certain Parisiennes were kept there as prisoners by Nazis. (Since you’re a history buff and avid reader, I’ll bet you had heard of it, but I was surprised!)

Themes of courage, sacrifice, love, deception, and resilience give this story depth and suspense. I especially loved the scenes in Paris during the war and learning more about the Red Cross's role. This is a well-researched, authentic story about a time none of us should ever forget.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for an advance reader copy.

I absolutely can not get enough of Pam Jenoff's books. I love that she finds the "gasp" moment in WWII history and creates such wonderful stories. In this, some Jews were rounded up and taken to a department store in Paris called Lévitan. At this store, the prisoners were forced to sort items seized from the homes of Jews and not only that, sell them. This was a dual timeline story as Louise finds a necklace in post-war England which is related to Helaine's story during the war. Get this book as soon as you can! Thank you to NetGalley and Park Row for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

As someone who reads a lot of WW2 historical fiction, this book was truly amazing. This book follows two women's stories and a French department store. This book was extremely well researched and I enjoyed learning some things as I continued reading. The connection between the two women was engaging and this was overall a great mystery.

Another wonderful WWII historical fiction novel from Pam Jenoff. Here we have the story of two women, told in timelines a decade apart, whose characters and experiences are powerful, tragic and uniquely heroic.. Helaine is a sheltered young Jewish woman, a victim of the Holocaust living in Paris during the German occupation when collaborators secretly turned in their Jewish neighbors oftentimes to save themselves. Louise, ten years after the war, can't shake her experiences as a volunteer with the Red Cross who witnessed a different set of horrors as she traveled from France to Germany to distribute aid to POWs. The effects of what she observed have taken a deep toll on her marriage and family. The stories of Helaine and Louise are told in alternating chapters, interwoven and juxtaposed in a way that makes the reader care deeply for both of them,

For me, the best historical fiction shares a new perspective or untold story, and here, the setting is the unknown Paris department store Levitan, that was secretly converted during the war to a camp which imprisoned Jews who were forced to manage and sell the housewares and treasures plundered from Jewish homes to high ranking German "customers." What was most remarkable was the store-turned-prisoner camp was hiding in plain sight, while other non-Jewish residents of Paris either did not realize or ignored the reality of the store's forced-labor residents living on its upper floors in horrendous conditions.

The stories of Helaine and Louise are connected through the mystery of a lost necklace that re-emerges a decade later in a second hand shop in the English countryside, Their journeys are woven together with tight storytelling that will keep the reader turning pages until the truth is revealed at the very end. Fabulous read. Highly recommend! Thanks to NetGalley and Park Row for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

As always, Pam Jenoff has a way of capturing my attention from page 1. I think I would read this women’s grocery list and leave feeling my life was changed somehow.

This book tells the true story of Lévitan, a department store in Paris that was used as a concentration camp during WW2. Here they made the Jewish citizens separate and sell the furniture, jewelry etc of their own citizens.

This story is in part a mystery surrounding a found necklace and the decade old story behind it. As usual, Pam Jenoff’s extensive experience and research into the Holocaust brings a different light to a horrific time. Her characters leap off the page and wrap themselves around your heart. It was impossible to put this book done and took me down the rabbit hole of learning all I could about Lévitan.
You could feel yourself there in every word and every description. I smiled, I felt the tugs at my own heart and I shed a tear or a thousand. Another profound novel of a time I pray we never let ourselves forget.

Thank you to Netgally for a chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Gorgeous book! But I honestly expected it to be an amazing read. Love this author with all my being and everything she puts out!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the opportunity to review this ARC
The detailed research that went into this book is evident as the story is revealed on two timelines between Louis and Helaine. A necklace that Louise finds in a thrift store in England brings her to a former department store in Paris, that was once a prison during World War Two. The heartbreaking story unfolds as Louise looks for answers that are tied to the necklace. The story is fictionalized history that is based on the true story of Leviton, a department store that became a prison during World War Two.
This is a story that will stay with you long after the last page is read.

This was another well researched book on WW2 with dual stroy line and great characters. Had a bit of everything even romance. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher!

Last Twilight in Paris is a WWII work of historical fiction that delves into a mystery of a locket, the role of the Red Cross during the War, and the use of a department store as a Nazi camp. The dual timelines following the plight of two different women during the War worked well and the historical components were enlightening, but the story all seemed a little too tidy for me. I had a hard time connecting with either of the main characters and the written dialogue was a bit of a miss for me. Overall, a unique piece of WWII fiction that I am sure many will enjoy, but it was a bit too polished for my liking. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.

I've enjoyed several of Pam Jenoff's books and when I saw Last Twilight in Paris was available on NetGalley I knew I wanted to read it. Like her other novels, this one didn't disappoint. The book is written from two different points of view. One is Louise, a housewife living outside London after World War II. She struggles with her life and living with her husband, who returned from the war with what we would now call PTSD. She works part-time in a junk shop when she finds a necklace in the bottom of a carton of donations. This particular necklace is a Jewish Mizpah pendant - the kind where two pendants put together form a saying - she recognizes the necklace and that plunges her into a past she never thought she'd revisit. Louise had worked with the Red Cross during WWII and had delivered care packages to German camps. The necklace had been given to her friend, Franny, by a prisoner in one of the camps just before her friend was killed. Did the necklace have something to do with Franny's death? The other part of the story is told by a Jewish Parisian named Helaine. Helaine is held prisoner in a department store called Lévitan. The Nazi's used the store to sell the luxury items they were stealing from the Jewish homes as they were arresting the residents. Helaine was the necklace's owner. How does the necklace get from a camp in Paris to post-war London?

Thank you so much for the electronic copy. I enjoy Pam’s writing and the WWII era. I fell in love with the characters and the story, although it felt a little unbelievable how it all fell together..

I have been a long time fan of Pam Jenoff, so getting approved for this ARC was really wonderful to me. It was medium paced for me and alternating viewpoints helped keep me engaged. Both stories of Helaine and Louise intertwined in the most remarkable of ways. Alternating viewpoints of Louise in London (1953) and her past experience of working for the Red Cross in Europe, under occupied Nazis. To later discovering the mystery of Louise uncovering a necklace in a crate from a second hand shop and determined to find the owner and history. Unpacking her own elusive past, her emotions, and the loss of some of those that are closest to her connects the necklace and Louise. There was depth to Louise's character as she was discovering the mystery and unpacking her emotional past helped me empathize and created emotional depth to her character. The other alternative point of view, Helaine (Jewish) and her husband Gabriel (a cello player, non Jewish man) in the journey of their life, of young love, discovering each other, all while Nazis are taking control of the area around them and enforcing rules for Jewish people. This in turn had an effect on Helaine and ties Pam Jenoff's "gasp" that she pulls into her historical fiction stories. Both Louise and Helaine are remarkable humans that have endured heartbreak, suffering, and have learned to cope with the aftermath of war.

Perhaps one of the most interesting and heartbreaking things about this book was the real life Levitan, where the Jewish were imprisoned and forced to sort, display, and "sell" objects plundered from Jewish homes to German officers. This piece of history helped Pam Jenoff construct her story around Helaine. The Levitan was shared as a department store in this novel, but in real life was a furniture store; nonetheless, imprisoning Jewish laves that were taken from their homes and forced into labor- an alternative to a concentration camp. yet completely real and awful.

I highly recommend this book to those that enjoy WWII historical fiction, a good mystery, and a story that will leave a resounding perspective to those that suffered and how we can honor and respect those who went through suffering in history, to not repeat it,

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley and Pam Jenoff for this ARC, I am so grateful!

Two women with very different experiences of World War II, the hidden history of a Paris landmark, and the locket that connects them all, Last Twilight in Paris manages to be both suspenseful and warm. There is enough mystery to keep you turning pages, and an uplifting, satisfying ending to make you glad that you did. I received an advanced reader copy of this book from Publisher's Weekly's Grab a Galley promotion and it came at the perfect time for me to enjoy a story that has both substance and hope.

This novel is based on the real drama of the Lévitan department store during the German occupation of Paris. I wasn't aware of this piece of history prior to reading the book, so I was a bit captivated!

I found it fascinating how the author kept focus on the two halves of a Mizpah necklace while also writing from two different character's pov (Louise and Helaine) in slightly different timelines, rather than completely different periods, then blended them together into the present at the conclusion. This is my first book from Jenoff, and now i must go through her backlog!

Last Twilight in Paris is about tragedy and perseverance during one of history’s most devastating wars. The publication date is February 4th! Thank you for this galley @netgalley // @harlequinbooks