I found myself disappointed by this. I usually like his books but I found this nonsensical and hard to get into. There were glimpses of the witty writing I have previously enjoyed but it didn’t quite hit the mark. Not for me, but I will still read his next book!

Twisty and dark, this novel is almost Hitchkock-ian in its premise and its execution. A psychologist's new client claims to have witnessed a murder from her apartment window, which has stolen her artistic creativity and talent. She wishes to get back her drive so her career will flourish again, and the therapist leads her through visits where she relays the activities of the building she can see from her window - floor by floor - as she writes him the stories of her neighbors. With a dark twist, after a slow burn, the payoff is worth it!

Bringing his trademark style and charming whimsy, Antoine Laurain’s new novel of intrigue, murder and neighbourly curiosity is sure to delight fans old and new. Nathalia, a young photographer, has been seeing a therapist. Having accidentally photographed a murder, she finds that she can no longer do her job.
Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC of #FrenchWindows. While this book was a quick read, I had a little trouble keeping interested at points. His writing style is certainly different than anyone else and I think that I will try another book of his next!

Are you happy to be in Paris? Well Nathalia certainly is!

Nathalia’s career as a photographer takes a sharp turn after she accidentally snaps a murder in progress. Struggling to get her mojo back, she turns to therapy, where her shrink, the well-meaning but increasingly bewildered Doctor Faber, suggests a creative exercise: make up stories about the people living in the building across the street.

From a washed-up actor reinvented as a YouTube life coach to a cartoonist with a mysterious past and an ex-trader trying to stay zen, Nathalia dives floor by floor into the oddball lives (real or imagined?) of her Parisian neighbours, but as her stories grow stranger and more personal, Doctor Faber starts to wonder who’s really in control of the narrative,

Witty, warm, and with a little intrigue, this novel by Antoine Laurain is a playful look at storytelling, therapy, and the thin line between observation and obsession.

Antoine Laurain is such a creative and exciting writer and I devoured this mystery about a woman coming to see a therapist because she witnessed a murder and can no longer take photographs (she is a photographer). The therapist suggests that before each session she put together a story (either real or fictional) about one person living on each floor of the building across from her. The twists and turns this short novel took were engaging and wholly unexpected- I thoroughly enjoyed this dark, mysterious, and funny novel. Highly recommend!!!

Oh this book made me so happy. I sat down and read it aloud to my blind colleague, and we both agreed that the story here was simply wonderful and very movie-like. This reminded me a lot about Wes Anderson, all of his movies bundled into this gem of a book. My only regret was that I felt it could actually been longer, since I felt some of the plot elements didn’t go full circle. Thank you so much to the publishers and NetGalley for this book! It’s going to be bought as a gift to my mother.

Antoine Laurain is such a wonderful author, and this is a fantastic read. Nathalia visits a therapist, Dr Faber, as she is unable to work as a photographer. He suggests she tells a story about each floor of the apartments opposite hers. As the weeks go by he becomes more and more concerned about what she is recording and how to help her - but is it her who needs the help? Any more would give too much away.

The overall story was interesting, but the formatting made it hard to tell when the perspectives switched. Laurain’s writing is fantastic as always and I will still pick up whatever he writes next.

Rear Window meets therapy in this tale of interconnectedness, using the floors of a building to build a charming piece of storytelling.

Traumatized after accidentally catching a murder on film, a photographer finds herself in therapy. Meanwhile, her therapist proposes a slightly unorthodox approach to helping her come to terms with what has happened...

With his delightfully humorous trademark charm, this is another book by Antoine Laurain which definitely deserves to be read! It gets an easy 3.5 stars.

The characters feel authentic and flawed. There’s also a gentle mystery that propels the story forward without overwhelming its intimate tone.

If you’re looking for a quick but meaningful read that immerses you in the ambiance of Paris while nudging you to reflect on human connection, then you will enjoy this book.

I would've given it another star but unfortunately I received an advanced copy that had no structure whatsoever, and was without any paragraphs or sentence structure, so it made this a very difficult read.

This was my first book by this author and based on the description, I was looking forward to charming and whimsical characters. Unfortunately, I found the characters to have no personality at all.
The patient is beautiful and gives one-word answers. That’s all we learn. In fact, women fit in two categories: desirable objects out of reach, in which case they are stunning and mysterious, or wives/family, in which case they are cold and unaffectionate.

The book is described as a mystery, in which the patient’s observations become “increasingly detailed.” That’s just not true. The first observation is as detailed and dull as the last. While stories of people’s mundane lives can be fascinating, I found the writing style and at times awkward translation failed to generate any kind of interest.

The reveal at the end was ok. Probably the best part of this otherwise boring book.

When Nathalia, a photographer, finds it difficult to take another picture, she goes to Dr. Faber for analysis. Nathalia is not willing to speak much so Faber gives her a writing assignment. Her apartment overlooks a five-story apartment building, and she is asked to write a story about something on each floor, starting on the ground floor.

During her first session, she says she has a photo of an act of murder. Faber finds it difficult to get her to tell him more, thus the assignment. He thinks she will reveal more of herself in her stories.

Each week, Nathalia writes her story but instead of mailing them to him, she drops them off unsealed.

She writes these inventive stories with characters who seem real. With a little research he discovers that they are real people. The problem is that he cannot distinguish whether it is fiction or truth. She will not give him a straight answer.

With each story we learn nothing new about Nathalia. We do learn more about Dr. Faber and his wife. He becomes concerned when he discovers that his wife has been reading the stories.

Each story is interesting on their own, so they are stories within a story.

This did feel like a French version of Rear Window.

There are moments I was pulled into the story, but the story structure made it difficult for me to stay focused. Luckily it is a short book with only 208 pages. The story structure felt like reading stream of conscious writing and I am not a fan of that style. There are no chapters.

If it had been longer, I doubt I would have finished this book. I don’t know if this is this author’s trademark style or if he did it only for this book. This author is new to me. The style made it feel like a struggle to read. I wasn’t always sure if he was telling us more about his relationship with Nathalia or telling us one of her stories. I sometimes had to re-read to figure out what was going on. I guess maybe I am a lazy reader, but I do read for enjoyment and don’t like to work that hard for it. If the style doesn’t bother you and you like a twisty murder mystery, this might be the book for you. I did like the ending.

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallic books for the advance reader copy. I do appreciate the introduction to a new to me author. My response may be more me than the book. It just wasn’t what I had hoped it would be.

Quirky, witty but dark tale about a therapist and his sessions with a client, who he encourages to write short stories about the people in the apartment building she can see through her window.
A story of transparency and judgement, truth and lies.

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

⭐️ 2.5/5

Nathalia is a photographer who lost her passion after she witnessed and photographed a murder. She sees a therapist who assigns her an exercise of writing stories of each neighbor she watches from her window. She obviously shows vouyerism tendencies and has an artistic eye.

This short book has the charm I’ve come to recognize from reading a couple other books by Antoine Laurain; it’s light, a little quirky, and has a romantic Parisian atmosphere. The idea behind the story is actually clever: a set of French windows becomes a sort of portal into the lives and secrets of the people living behind them.

This is an ensemble story. The focus shifts between several residents of the building, giving you glimpses into their lives through their windows. But I was a little put off and confused at where the story was going. I wasn’t sure what the main goal of the book was. While the premise was really promising, the execution doesn’t totally land. The plot feels a bit scattered, like the author had a few great character ideas but didn’t quite know how to tie them all together in a satisfying way. Some chapters are super engaging and fun, but others feel like they’re just spinning their wheels. A few characters are lovely and memorable, but others are more like sketches…. they show up, make an impression, and then disappear without much development.

There were definitely moments where the whimsy felt a little forced, almost like he was trying to recapture the magic of The Red Notebook or The President’s Hat without fully getting there. It’s less a plot and more a collection of whimsical moments loosely stitched together

Overall, French Windows is an easy, pleasant read. If you’re a big Laurain fan or you’re just looking for something light and a little dreamy, you’ll probably still have a good time with it. But if you’re hoping for something really special or tightly plotted, it might leave you wanting a bit more.

3.25/5 stars. Thank you NetGalley and Pushkin Press for the opportunity to read an eARC of this title. I was in a reading slump prior to reading this short novel and am eternally grateful to have found such a fun palate-cleanser to get back on track. This book is told from the POV of a Parisian shrink who is treating a woman photographer that lost her ability to do her job after accidentally photographing a murder out of the window of her apartment. She shows voyeuristic tendencies so he assigns her the task of writing stories about the inhabitants of the apartments in the building across from her window. A deeper plot is explored as she delivers these short stories to him one by one. The character studies of each story she writes and ultimately of the woman and the shrink are fascinating and well-written. The twist/resolution at the end was slightly predictable but I really enjoyed how everything came together, and it was so Parisian that I had to have a bit of a chuckle at the reveal.

I enjoyed this short and engaging book. Photographer Natalie has been asked by her therapist to write about her neighbours in the apartments opposite. We are treated to a birdseye view of a mix of characters and a slice of Paris life. I loved the writing style and look forward to reading more by this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: French Windows
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I went into French Windows completely blind, and I’m glad I did. From the very first page, the writing pulled me in because it felt like it fit the story perfectly.

One of the aspects I appreciated the most was the therapy setting. It added an intimate, introspective atmosphere that framed the narrative in a really immersive way. For much of the book, I wasn’t exactly sure where it was going — but that was part of its charm. The sense of mystery kept me hooked, and the ending tied everything together beautifully. It was well-rounded and impactful.

The glimpses into the lives of the people in the building were sometimes uncomfortable to read, but I understood it was intentional. Those moments were crafted to provoke thought and emphasize the themes, and I respect that. They added a raw and realistic layer to the book that made it more memorable.

This was a short but meaningful read — relatively low risk. I absolutely recommend it if you're looking for something a little different, quietly powerful, and well-written.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this!

Nathalia had been seeing a therapist. She was a young photographer and was passionate about her job, until she unfortunately witnessed a murder. Used to seeing things and people through her lens, she was no longer able to dissociate her work with what she witnessed until she lost the zeal to work completely. Seeking the help of a therapist, she was encouraged to talk about the murder but because she was reluctant to do so, her therapist recommended her to tell stories about her neighbors.

Each time she submitted about her neighbors and what she saw, we learned more about the characters in the windows of the apartment. I loved learning about the background of each tenant, and what happened in their lives that the murder mystery took a backseat. These became like short stories about different people leading very different lives, even though they live within close proximity to one another. I enjoyed these stories a lot, it reminded of the game “guess what they do and their background story” people sometimes play while peoplewatching the streets.

I loved the playful language of the author but there were some parts that I thought a little foreign. As I’m not familiar with French, I’m not sure if it’s characteristic of the language, the writing style of the author, or the translation. It wasn’t anything bad, but I’m just not used to the style and choice of words.

However it was unfortunate that I enjoyed the reveal a lot less when Nathalia finally gathered the courage to talk about the murder she witnessed. Felt like the background stories of the neighbors were far more interesting than the overarching murder mystery.