While I typically love books from this time frame and was excited for this one, it just wasn't for me. The dual timelines didn't work for me. I never really got hooked into the story, unfortunately.

Many thanks to #NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sending me an advance readers copy of this e-book What follows are my unbiased opinions.

I was reading this book around the time the pandemic began and unfortunately high anxiety levels made it very difficult for me to focus and concentrate on reading for quite some time so this review has not come out as early as I had hoped it would.

I enjoy reading books that are set in the era of the Second World War and this book certainly fit the bill being set towards the end of the war in France and then about ten years later in the USA. The main character is a young Parisian widow named Charlotte Foret. She runs a bookstore together with a friend and has an infant daughter Vivienne. Her love of books makes it so that she takes risks – keeping books that are on banned lists in her store and when a Wermacht officer suddenly starts coming into the shop regularly the tension builds as he chooses to read some of the banned books and she fears he will report her. Food is very hard to come by and young Vivienne is on the verge of starvation. When the officer starts bringing in food and leaving it, Charlotte reluctantly accepts it despite her hatred for what this officer represents. Over time she discovers that he is a doctor and his skills are extremely handy at times. She comes to rely on his help- even knowing that it puts her at risk of being called a collaborator.

About ten years later, Charlotte and her daughter are living in New York and she is working in the publishing industry. She and her daughter have an apartment in the home of her boos and his wife. Relations in the house seem rather tense and are getting worse over time. What part of her past has led her to this pint and what will she do when she starts receiving mysterious letters at her place of employment?

Without giving away all the secrets of the book I can say that the author chose to highlight certain parts of the war- particularly at wars end, that I have not read too much about. I found the wartime part of the story much more intriguing than the time in New York. There are elements of romance in the book but really it is much more about survival and the modern day romance seems awfully thin. I found myself not really liking Charlotte much at all in 1950’s New York. Her wartime experiences appeared to have damaged her in ways that she couldn’t overcome. Sadly, my dislike of her character meant that the book dragged rather for me and I didn’t enjoy it as much as I had hoped I would.

3.5 stars
Paris Never Leaves You is an historical novel about the German occupation of Paris during World War II. What stood out for me was that it showed the impact on civilians during a time of war. We see their daily struggle to get food and essentials. We understand their fears as their houses are no longer their homes, but instead commodities of war. Families are divided and move nightly to evade the German soldiers.

The effect of the war is palpable. Charlotte has lost a considerable amount of weight. Her father has fled the country. Her closest friend Simone has been arrested and her daughter Vivi is starving. And through all this a German soldier comes to her bookstore proffering food. At first she tells herself that she accepts his kindness out of necessity. Then she realizes that she has feelings for him that run deeper. She cannot admit or express how she truly feels. It seems like a betrayal. To her dead husband and to the people of Paris.

At the end of the war Charlotte and Vivi have both made it through. Their new lives in America are strained by the secrets of the past. Not only does survivor's guilt weigh down heavily on Charlotte, but she also is ashamed of how she came to secure the life that she and Vivi now live.

I found the book slow going at first and had a hard time getting into it. When I read the blurb I thought it was going to be more about books because of the bookstore and publishing angles. However, I did appreciate learning another aspect of World War II that is rarely depicted in books. I never thought of a Jew serving in the German army or others using Jewish classification to escape war. I found this whole concept of "hiding in plain sight" intriguing and was touched by both Julian's and Charlotte's stories.

Special thanks goes out to Clare Maurer and Maria Vitale at St. Martin's Press for thinking of me when organizing this blog tour.

Charlotte survived Nazi-occupied Paris. And she did what she had to do to feed and protect herself and her young daughter, Vivi. But sometimes survival is its own price to pay. Ten years later, now Charlotte and Vivi live in New York City. Charlotte works at a publishing house with good people who literally helped her escape Europe after she and Vivi were released from a concentration camp. She’s moved on—or at least she’s trying to. But when she receives a letter from someone from her past, from an officer she knew in Paris, Charlotte is thrown into a tailspin. Memories come flooding back, and she’s powerless to stop them. It doesn’t help that, at the same time, her daughter is asking all kinds of questions about their past, about their experiences in Paris, about who her father was, and why they are “self-hating Jews.” Charlotte is overwhelmed, but it’s clear she’s going to have to confront her past whether she wants to or not.

MY THOUGHTS

Paris Never Leaves You gets off to a slow start, but once I hit the 20% mark, wow, I was hooked. I don’t want to say too much, because secrets are revealed slowly throughout. But I absolutely love the relationships in this book—not the characters exactly, but more the way they bond themselves to each other. Charlotte by herself is cold and closed off (and understandably so), but when we see her interacting with different lovers, she becomes a full, whole, relatable, lovable person. The same is true for the men in this story, honestly. It’s like the characters on their own are incomplete, but when they come together…it’s life-giving.

Ultimately, this is a book about the power of connection, the inescapable pull of connection—how we’re wired for it, how we crave it, how it fulfills us and makes the unbearable survivable. Always, always, always, life goes on. And so long as we are breathing, connection—and the healing it brings—is possible. Such a beautiful sentiment, especially in times like these.

Two time periods alternating in this story, but the years aren't that far apart. Charlotte has lived through the unspeakable and in the current storyline is living in New York, working in publishing, and trying to raise her child without revealing secrets from her past. In the past storyline, we are in the middle of the war and Charlotte is trying to do anything to stay alive in a bookstore where the enemy comes way to close for her comfort.

This was one of those books that I liked, but didn't love. The thing that I loved most about the book was that the two storylines took place so close together, so you almost got a what happened after while also reading the story that took place during the war. There are many times while reading stories, especially that take place during a war that end and I want to know more than what the book presents. This book had the chance to answer the questions of what happens to a person after war interrupts their life.

After finishing the book, I read the reviews and saw many comments about the love storylines and that they didn't feel authentic and I could agree. They felt forced and in my opinion they didn't add so much to the full story. There were aspects of them that were needed, but overall they were just ok.

I liked this book and would read the next by this author. If you like to read ALL the World War II books, then I would add this one to your TBR.

The combination of beautiful writing and an intriguing storyline of love, loss, hardships, and survival. I'd definitely recommend it for those who enjoy getting lost in WWII narratives.

Paris Never Leaves You is an extremely moving and compelling story of a woman living in New York, but still haunted by her years living in Occupied France during the war. Charlotte was a young mother during Nazi Occupation, and readers are given an intimate, heart-pounding look into what it took to survive the daily roundups, the constant hunger, and the ever-present fear. 10 years after liberation, her daughter Vivi starts to question her about her father, who died when she was a baby, and her Jewish heritage. The two timelines were equally engrossing, as the author slowly reveals the truth about Charlotte's life in Paris, and her life in New York evolves as she breaks free of the secrets she has been hiding. All of the characters in the book were multi-layered and intriguing, Charlotte most of all, but also her employer, Horace, and the German soldier who comes to her aid during the war. This book is rich in history, at the same time it is also a wealth of emotions.

"Living through World War II working in a Paris bookstore with her young daughter, Vivi, and fighting for her life, Charlotte is no victim, she is a survivor. But can she survive the next chapter of her life?

Alternating between wartime Paris and 1950s New York publishing, Ellen Feldman's Paris Never Leaves You is an extraordinary story of resilience, love, and impossible choices, exploring how survival never comes without a cost.

The war is over, but the past is never past."

Books about the book world? YAS!

Paris Never Leaves You left me a little unsatisfied. I just wanted more. More about Charlotte’s life in Paris during the war. More about Dr Julian hiding in the German Reich and I definitely wanted to hear the story about Charlotte returning to Paris. I did not need the romance with Horace. There were little hints about Simone and her activities- I wish she and Charlotte interacted more. This story did make me realize there were Jewish people hiding in the Third Reich”s military. A catholic hiding in a concentration camp seems suspect but who knows for sure. Vivi was a breath of fresh air- hopefully more people grow up to be so open minded.

This genre lately has been my go to. So I am always on the lookout for new books to read. I must admit with this one, it was the title and cover that first drew my attention. Them reading the description I knew it was going to be a bit different than the ones I previously had read. Charlotte and Vivi are such amazing characters and what they go through, I cannot even imagine. This book was well written and well put together! Anyone who reads the historical fiction genre should pick this book up!

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

This book was almost perfect. Almost...
The story is told in dual timeline: Paris, during the Nazi occupation and ten years later, in New York.
Our main character, Charlotte (Charlie) is a young widow and in labor as the Nazis are marching into Paris. She is trying her best to survive during the occupation and to provide food for her small daughter. One day a German officer walked into her bookshop and Charlotte's life changed...
Ten years later, Charlotte is living in New York City, working in a publishing house and is raising her teenage daughter. One day Charlie receives a letter she never expected to see and her daughter starts asking questions Charlotte is not yet ready to answer...
I loved this book,up until the end...Actually, it felt like there was no end. I wish there was an epilogue because I needed some closure.

This book is a Wonderful WWII historical from a different perspective to others that I have read. These times are a hard subject as everyone knows but Ellen Feldman shows it in a tasteful, heartfelt way. The book follows Charlotte and her daughter Vivi from Paris 1944 thru the end of war to NYC 1954. I t is a complex well written story covering all the fears, feelings and different views. I really enjoyed this story. ( as much as one "enjoys" this subject) Thank you to Net Galley, the publisher and Ellen Feldman or the ARC ebook of this story. This review is soley my opinions.

I found the premise of this newest book by Ellen Feldman intriguing. Set in a Paris bookstore during WW ll, Charlotte finds herself drawn into a forbidden romance during the German occupation in France.

Charlotte, who lost her husband earlier during the war, captures the attention of a German officer who visits the bookstore. Charlotte is the mother to a young daughter, Vivi who is suffering from malnutrition due to the scarcity of food. The German officer notices this and begins to bring food for the child. Charlotte struggles with accepting his offerings, but eventually gives in due to her concern for the child.

As you can guess, the relationship escalate as the Allied forces move into France and Charlotte and the officer both find themselves on the wrong side of things. The couple resorts to drastic measures to save themselves as the war comes to an end.

Through a stroke of luck, Charlotte ends up in the United States, with a wonderful job and a safe place to live. The problem is that Charlotte cannot find happiness due to her struggle with guilt and the lie she has been living with since she came to the United States.

I liked the story and the portrait it portrayed of France during the war. As for Charlotte’s romantic relationships, I felt as if she never allowed herself to fully acknowledge her feelings due to the guilt she carried. The story got off to a slow start and ended a bit abruptly, but it seemed Charlotte had set herself on the right path going forward, so in that sense it was a satisfying ending.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an advance copy and give my honest review.

Paris Never Leaves You may sound like some sort of romance novel, but it’s actually more a story about identity and survival. Charlotte and her daughter, Vivi, survive most of WWII in Paris. Their time in a camp was limited to right before liberation. Yes, there is a romance involved but it is crucial to her survival.
The book alternates between their time during the war and the years afterward in NYC. Charlotte never considered herself a Jew. “Hitler made me a Jew” she tells her daughter more than once. She comes to the US thinking she can once again blend in. But now her daughter is experiencing prejudice for the first time and wants to learn more about her religion. The antisemitism of the US is obviously of a different caliber than Germany’s, but it’s still a given.
This is a well done historical fiction. Feldman does a good job of making you feel a part of both time periods. While there have been numerous books that take place in occupied Paris, I still felt I learned things about the time. Maybe because this wasn’t about the resistance. Charlotte’s guilt and fear made her a sympathetic character. While Julian didn’t come across as fleshed out as I would liked, Horace certainly did.
My thanks to netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advnace copy of this book

NetGalley ARC: WW2 fiction and bookshops always draw me in. While this one of my most anticipated books of 2020, Paris Never Leaves You left me a little disappointed. While the story picks up midway through, the alternating storylines just didn't flow. Feldman touches upon heavier subjects and feelings, but I just wish this one was better written.

You can see my full review along with other August 2020 book releases on The Uncorked Librarian here: https://www.theuncorkedlibrarian.com/august-2020-book-releases/

Thank you so much to the author and publisher for providing me with a free copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Paris Never Leaves You, by Ellen Feldman, is another novel examining the lives and hardships of people during and after World War II. I read the ARC at the invitation of the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, in exchange for an honest review. A story of survival during the most difficult of circumstances, the book is heartbreaking and maddening as it alternates between 1950s New York and occupied Paris during the war. Simultaneously, it is heartening and I found myself cheering for these lifelike characters.

Charlotte worked in a bookstore in Paris during the war, and kept her daughter, Vivi, with her at work. To say things are now as they appear is an understatement not realized until near the end of the book. Charlotte is not only a survivor, she is a resilient, intelligent, and conniving (in a good way) woman ahead of her time.

The book was beautifully written, and flowed smoothly even with flashbacks. One instance of crude language in the voice of the narrator stood out simply because it appeared nowhere else in the entire book.

If you enjoy historical fiction, you will love Paris Never Leaves You, on sale August 4, 2020. You can pre-order it from Amazon at the bottom of this page.

What made The Grumpy Book Reviewer grumpy?

Most of the things I found in this uncorrected ARC will likely be corrected before publication – some will not. Here’s what I found:

• some foreign language words and phrases not italicized;
• Jeep (trade name) not capitalized;
• several missing commas;
• a question that ends with a period;
• several mis-used verbs: got vs. gotten, has vs. had;
• mixing singular and plural: was vs. were;
• using “in” instead of “into”.

Charlotte Forte and her daughter Vivienne survived the Occupation of Paris with the help of a German officer, a frequent visitor to the bookstore where Charlotte was working. Drawing on her father’s pre-war contacts, Charlotte was able to secure passage to New York, where Horace and Hannah sponsored her and Vivi, and gave Charlotte a job and a place to live. Vivi’s newfound curiosity about her father and about being Jewish, plus a mysterious letter Charlotte receives forces her to face her past and learn to forgive herself for the decisions she made during the war.

I love historical fiction, and this was a fascinating read. Told in alternating time periods, this book chronicles Charlotte’s determination to survive German-occupied Paris during the last part of World War II and her reinvention of herself once arriving in New York. Charlotte’s survivor guilt is at odds with the knowledge that she would have done anything necessary to protect her daughter, and the help (or meddling) Hannah gives to Vivi adds to the general air of mystery regarding Charlotte’s past.

3.5.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Paris Never Leaves You has a dual timeframe, which I love. Alternating between the early 1940s and the 1950s. Only a ten year difference, but you can feel the energy of the times in this novel. Beautifully written historical romance fiction. For me, it felt it was missing something. There was no aha moment; however the story will stay with you. If you are a fan historical fiction with a little romance, this ones for you.

Charlotte and her young daughter, Vivi, struggle to survive in occupied Paris during World War II. Charlotte did what she had to to take care of herself and her daughter.

The story telling alternates between 1940s Paris and 1950s New York as Charlotte finally comes to terms with what war turns some people into and the subsequent survivors guilt so many feel.

This is an engrossing, fast read although I felt that part of the New York story (the romance) just didn’t “work” and spoiled it a bit for me.

Charlotte is a young widow who runs a bookshop in Paris during WWII. The Germans have taken over and everything is scarce, food, medication and she is doing everything she can for her and her daughter Vivi to survive. One day a German officer comes into the stop, and sees that Vivi is in need of medication and food. He begins to make more trips to the shop with deliveries. He is their saving grace and although Charlotte is very wary and wants nothing to do with him. Eventually he shares a secret that will change Charlotte and Vivi’s lives forever.

A beautifully written story of love, hardships and the great heights people will go to to survive.
Definite must read!

Thank you to St Martins Press and Netgalley for the advanced copy!