I really enjoyed "We'll Always Have Paris" by Sue Watson, a tender, thoughtful novel. A woman grieving the death of her husbands, rekindles old love, while establishing new boundaries and expectations with her grown daughters. Felt realistic and relatable, honest and lovely. Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for the review copy. All opinions are my own.

The title is misleading. I kept waiting for the main characters to actually hop over to France and walk about in the City of Light, Paris, whether in the telling of the past, or in the present, or in their future. But they reminisce about young love and loss and Paris at that time was actually an obstacle.

Peter had wanted to travel to and live in Paris when the two characters first met as young art students. But that was not for Rosie. So they parted. Meeting some fifty years later by chance, they have the opportunity for a do-over, even though both have been married and have grown kids.

The romance plot is predictable once Peter and Rosie meet again in their 60s. T heir romance would have been better in Paris, I think, even though they landed up in Italy at the end of the book.

I was very intrigued by an older protagonist for a rom com but... it wasn't for me. It wasn't what I was expecting at all

This is a lovely, heartfelt, easy read. I flew through it and enjoyed it very much. A chance encounter with her first love 47 years after their first meeting sets Rosie, recently widowed thinking again. She and Peter fell for each other then, can cupid strike twice between the same two people? This book came to me highly recommended and I in turn recommend it now. It's a great poolside read, you might shed a little tear but it will definitely make you smile.

Rosie, a widow, has a small, comfortable life with a flower shop and grown daughters. Peter is a divorced, world-renowned photographer. These long separated first loves meet again by chance after several decades.

Told through present-day and flashbacks we learn what originally brought them together, how they fell in love, and what tore them apart.

Although the writing style is very nice, and I usually dig a second-chances story, this one fell a bit flat for me. I didn’t connect with the characters; Rosie was kind of boring, Peter was probably more interesting but there wasn’t as much focus on him. On top of all that the ending was kind of “What?”

I think there is definitely an audience for this book, but it wasn’t me. At work, I do recommend this to fans of Susan Mallery, RaeAnne Thayne, and Debbie Macomber.

Having a second chance at your first love is something most of us want—to let go of any what-if quandary in our heads. We’ll Always Have Paris explores that notion very gallantly.

Filled with warmth, hope, love, Sue Watson paints a very dramatic and a sweet picture of familial obligations, second chances, the option to choosing oneself(—your health, your wellbeing), and being dreamy in her writing.

Enjoyed this book. And fell for our protagonist. I approved of her choices.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Edelweiss+ and the Publishers for this review copy.

I really enjoyed my first book by Sue Watson and will definitely look out for more.
I liked the main characters very much, their lives and how it all worked out.
An emotional book, but I also found myself laughing and nodding my head in agreement.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publishers and Sue Watson for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Fascinating premise, wonderful moments....but one of the strangest books I have ever read. The reader spends the entire story inside the head of a person who harps, mulls, muses, but doesn't seem to get anything done. She is not living in the real world -- and I nearly threw the book against the wall when I read about "back problems" and jokes about failing bodies. She is not in her 80s or 90s. She is 64. And supposedly does Pilates. A light as air, promising feel-good, supposed-to-be-affirmational but wound up .... a strange read.

So there is hope for us elders yet! I like these types of stories. Like The Notebook by Sparks, or 100 Steps journey, Best Exotic Marigold Hotel... Lovely story of young love, separation and reuniting decades later. Well written summer read for us older folks!

This was a lovely story about a woman who reunites with the true love from her youth, after her husband of 46 years has passed away. There isn't much in the way of sadness or mourning in the story but there is lots of reminiscing about the past and the main character's relationships with her mother, her late husband and her old/new love. This is a great beach read which while touching on some very sad and difficult moments, won't make you cry over them. Definitely recommend.

We’ll Always Have Paris moves at a much slower pace in comparison but is still a delightful read. Rosie’s older age and life experiences give her more pause when making decisions after the death of her husband. There’s a lot of introspection, on Rosie’s part, as she is pulled in different directions, trying to please her family and find happiness again after losing her husband. Her inner thoughts and worries will tug at readers’ heartstrings as she connects with an old flame who challenges her to spread her wings and follow her heart after years of trying to please the other people in her life.

The love story is strong in We’ll Always Have Paris and is a slow burn. Rosie and Peter’s romance may not end as readers expect. However, the ending is refreshing as Rosie discovers her independence while embracing the past and moving forward to a bright new future.

This review appeared in The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) on May 27, 2018.

This novel was a refreshing and beautiful look at love and relationships. I enjoyed the struggles of the characters and the relationships between them. Rosie was sixteen when she met the charming Peter during the first week of college. Her life changes, but later she marries someone else. Forty-seven years later she sees Peter again the year after her husband has passed away. This begins a string of events that will change her life again. This is a beautiful story about the power of young love. This novel explores loss, fate, and life in general. It explores the challenges and dynamics within the relationships in a family. Author Sue Watson writes about family in a realistic way including humor along the way.

This is the first book I have read by this author, and I really enjoyed it.
It is the story of a romance, which first takes place when Rosie is almost 17 in 1968 and who fell in love with a fellow art student Peter. Complications and traumas arise, and the two do not see each other until Forty-seven years later,both having lived their lives with other people, both now single but Rosie with more obligations of family. They are both different people in a lot of ways now, but still feel the attraction that was once there long ago, and get together to reminisce.
This is a wonderful story of family, love, loss and a yearning to live a life never taken but once dreamed of. This shows us the meaning of motherhood and the binds and worries that come with it. The look at two very different types of romantic love, each there when needed the most.
This was a story that I loved to the end.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Skyhorse Publishing for the ARC of this book.

At first, I was happy for Rosie as Peter basically falls into adoration of her and as an older woman myself, the idea that the love of your life still thinks you’re hot at age sixty four is enticing. Rosie puts Peter through the ringer a time or two and must school him about her family commitments a time or three. They do finally talk about the past and begin to work through that as well as how both have changed in the intervening years. Rosie must also cautiously ease Peter into her family and get them to accept him.

This is where the book began to slog for me a bit. These themes are important and I was glad to see them explored and dealt with but they circled around a lot and were repeated too many times. Peter seems to turn into a wish fulfillment character ready to lavish time, money and attention on Rosie. Meanwhile Rosie has matured and emerges as a much more confident woman who is pulling the strings now. Her last decision actually delighted me as it shows her strength and determination to learn about herself before entering any commitments . Yay for older characters having a full (yes, this means sex) relationship and exorcising old ghosts but meh for a bit too much repetition along the way.

Having read a few Sue Watson's novels, I'm glad to be given a chance to read this one, too. As it is something different from what I'm used to. Though I miss her usual laugh out loud humor, this one has it's own chuckle worthy moments. It's not as dramatic as one would expect in a premise like this which made me like it more. As the title suggest, I expect a lot of things to happen in Paris. But then, that's not the case. Still, I pretty much enjoy the story and I warmed into the characters like always, in a Sue Watson book. Great read, overall.

This was a delightful book that would be a perfect beach read, especially for women of 'a certain age'. Most of us have someone in our past that we wonder through the years how life would have been with them. For Rosie, fate steps in and gives her a second chance with her first love.

The story isn't always totally realistic but this is a grown-up fairy tale so who needs total realism?! I was happy to immerse myself into the story of Rosie and Peter and go along for the ride in their new/old relationship. The characters are all interesting and well-described and the story flows nicely.

Very enjoyable read.

A sweet and heartwarming novel about second chances. I was a tiny bit disappointed that no action took place in Paris, however, I did enjoy the story.

Rosie and Peter met during their time in college. Two seventeen-year-olds felt in love, however, young love didn't last long. Pressured by his family, Peter made a choice to keep away from his family business and explore the world of art, and unfortunately, Rosie didn't fit into his new plan.

But good things happen to good people, and shortly after her big heartbreak, Rosie walked down an aisle into a new life with Mike. Forty-seven years, two daughters and a successful flower business later, Mike is diagnosed with cancer. Ten weeks later Rosie becomes a widow.

Life is a funny thing, and Rosie and Peter's paths cross again. This time around Peter is determined to make things right with Rosie. Will glamorous, single, world-class photographer be able to fit into Rosie's close family circle?

I knew there will be a very happy ending, but it didn't prevent me from enjoying the story. This is a feel-good novel about second chances, family, and forgiveness. Thank you, Sue Watson and NetGalley for this wonderful read.

Great book featuring various relationships: Rosie and daughter(s), Rosie and her late mother, an old boyfriend coming back into Rosie's life, and even though her husband has died, Rosie and her late husband. A a very realistic look at all these relationships and how they make for a new reality for Rosie. It's nice to read a romance about an older woman!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher/author for a copy of WE'LL ALWAYS HAVE PARIS in exchange for an honest review.

Imagine you are newly widowed and you have a chance encounter with your first love. That is what happens to Rosie and when old memories and feelings are brought back up to the surface she has to figure out if she wants to rekindle and old flame or move on with her new life as a widowed mom and grandma in her sixties.

This was such a sweetly written story about pain, loss, love, forgiveness and self discovery. Having been with my husband from a young age I felt closely connected to Rosie as she struggled to figure out how to live alone for the first time in over forty years. She had been with her husband so long, and focused on raising her daughters for so many years that she discovered she didn't really know how to live life for herself. Holding on to should haves, she feels saddened that her husband passed before they were able to travel and spend time together.

Coping with her new life and learning to live again, Rosie takes us on an emotional journey. What a beautifully written second chance story full of romance, friendship, laughter, pain and ultimate happiness.

We’ll Always Have Paris is the latest offering by author Sue Watson. It is a bittersweet story of lost love and second chances. Sixty-something widow Rosie Carter is just emerging from a very rough year that began with her dear husband being diagnosed with terminal cancer, his passing, and her grieving period. She is again joining her daughters back in her flower shop, Rosie’s Roses, and helping with a high maintenance client Pamela planning her granddaughter’s wedding.

When Rosie and her daughters have worked their floral magic, a very pleased Pamela invites the ladies to join her in a glass of bubbly. As they relax a fifth person joins them, Pamela’s brother, Peter. When Rosie and Peter see each other, they are transported to a time before Rosie was married, back to the time they were together in art school and madly in love.

Although their earlier time together ended unhappily, Peter is quick to invite Rosie to lunch to catch up. Reluctant to accept, Rosie does so with the goal of getting her big “why” answered. Cautious lest history repeat itself, Rosie swears each time they meet that it’s the last. As they share memories and life stories they wonder if they aren’t being given a second chance.

In this sweet story of navigating new relationships with old lovers, integrating into a family still dealing with their loss, and struggling with survivor guilt, As Rosie and Peter negotiate the pitfalls of their new, albeit resumed, relationship the story weaves an intricate tale with a lovely message.

I certainly did enjoy this heart warming book and do recommend it.