This book missed the mark with me.
I just couldn't get into the characters. And the alternating timelines didn't mesh together very well. I thought it was going to be a Women's Lit but somehow it morphed into a romance that seemed forced and awkward.
I am positive that other people will enjoy this book. It just wasn't my cup of tea.
Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary copy for an honest review.

This was a very interesting historical novel. I read it very quickly over our Christmas vacation. The book was a bit of a gut check for me personally because the main character has a little girl named Vivian who they call Vivi, and so do I. And considering the novel takes place during WWII era, that tells you everything you need to know about the state of this little girl's life and it wrung my heart out. On the positive side, this novel had a completely different plot and surprises than the typical WWII/Holocaust novel. I don't want to ruin anything, or do spoilers, but I do have to wonder how the story's events would be received by the Jewish community. Which is sort of why she keeps it a secret in the novel too I guess. I didn't find the main character particularly likable, which is rare for me. Typically I can't help but like every character whose head I find myself inside! But maybe that was the issue... she kept her secrets from everyone... the reader included.
I'd recommend to people who enjoy WWII era novels, and would appreciate a departure from the usual plots of those novels.

Post WWII era novel that speaks to the way some women survived during that time. Not heavy on the brutality of the time, more about her survival and what she did to survive and get out of France and keeping secrets from her daughter and friends. Characters were generally likeable and one could relate to the main character as a mother. A light reading historical novel for that time period.
I received this book as a complimentary copy for an unbiased review.The opinions expressed are my own.Thanks to the author,publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Started this one with my Traveling Sister Lindsay, she finished and I am leaving Paris in these pages before it never leaves me.

This just wasn't the right book in the bookshop for me. The two timelines didn't weave together well for me and the story felt disconnected along with the characters. After Lindsay finished this one I decided not to. My rating is based on when I was reading it. So please take my review of what I read lightly and reads a few more.

A story about a girl and her daughter surviving the last part of the war. This is set with dual time lines. I found both stories interesting. Each chapter alternating back and forth. At times I did get a bit confused as to which time period I was in. The chapters were numbered ,perhaps list each as Paris and New York would have been better. Historical fiction fans will like this! Thanks to Netgalley for the early copy

2 stars:
I wish I could have liked this novel but it didn't do anything for me on many levels! I figure I have a good grasp of the English language, but I was having to look up so many words, that it got really annoying. I found the first 100 pages very disjointed - going from present to past - and ended up putting the book down to read something else!. It can take me 1-1/2 days to read a book this size - this book took me 2-1/2 weeks! I was about 2/3 into the book for it to pick up and grab my interest - waiting for that big finish, - only to fizzle to the end! One thing I did take away from this book: there was one historical fact that I had not come across before that I found interesting! The characters, in my opinion, were average except for one: Julian! I had such empathy for him and his life story!

I would like to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased report of this novel

Such a great story of Charlotte and her infant daughter,Vivienne, during WWII in Paris and Charlotte and her daughter,Vivienne, in NYC during the 1950's. Vivienne wants to know more about how they survived the war with her mother running a bookstore in Paris. Charlotte has survivor guilt and is not wanting to tell her daughter the details. A very humanistic take on survival and war and the aftermath of living with the reality of what was done to survive. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Genre: Historical Fiction/Women’s Fiction
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Pub. Date: June 2, 2020

When did Women’s Fiction morph into Romance Fiction? Or is it just me who feels the shift? Traditional women's fiction focuses on a woman's lifetime journey. There is frequently a love interest. A romance novel focuses entirely on a woman’s romantic relationships and usually has a happy ending. This novel has two timelines: during and post WWII. Our heroine has a romance going on in both—just not necessary. One love interest is understandable. The survival of her child and herself depended on it. The other feels like an add-on simply to keep romance readers happy.

During the war, our protagonist works in a tiny bookstore in occupied Paris. In the next decade, she works in a NYC publishing house. Although unhappy with the feel of a romance novel, there were parts of the story that I did enjoy. As a reader, I was delighted to find myself reading a book about books. I read to learn and to be entertained simultaneously, which is why historical fiction is my favorite genre. I applaud the author’s research. I did learn something new regarding WWII German soldiers. I cannot say more for it would be a spoiler. I thought she did a good job of showing the impossible choices the mother needed to make, during the war, to keep her child alive. As well as capturing the woman’s’ overwhelming sense of survivor’s guilt once she was safely living in the States.

Still, I do not think that “Paris” will pose any threat to other WWII historical fiction books. In the classic, “Sophie’s Choice” the good versus evil smacks you in the face. In this novel, it feels colorless. The character Sophie also has a romance when she is out of Nazi Germany and is living in Brooklyn, NY. Hers is a violent relationship, which she accepts due to her posttraumatic stress from the war years. Unlike this novel, that romance enhanced Sophie’s tale. Maybe I was expecting too much. Ellen Feldman is a 2009 Guggenheim fellow, which lead me to believe I would be reading a literary novel. The book held my interest in the author’s moral analysis of her characters. However, I am simply not a fan of contemporary romance. If you are, and you enjoy historical fiction this one is for you.

At first I was a little skeptical about this book because it is not in the usual genre that I read about but wow I’m glad I did! I will say the main character was really a force to be reckoned with and the author did an excellent job and having her personality come through.

An poignant novel about a survivor of the Paris occupation a dozen years after resetting in New York with her now adolescent daughter Vivi, whose memories if her life during the war and the brief time they spent in a concentration camp are dim. Charlotte wants to keep them that way.She's never told anyone the secrets of her past, not even the publisher, a friend of her late father, who offers her a job as well as an apartment in the brownstonee he owns with his wife , a psychiatrist; Charlotte, a deeply repressed woman, is propelled in the course of the novel to come to terms with her history, her authentic identity, abandons the narrative she has constructed of her life. A rewarding read in every respect.

Such an interesting and well written book. I couldn't put it down. Of all the WWII books I've read lately, this has a different perspective. Charlotte survives under desperate circumstances but she is a survivor. Many years later she is consumed with guilt about the choices she made in the past. The book speaks to resilience and love.

I truly enjoyed this World War II historical fiction novel which centered on the story of a young mother in Paris during the Nazi Occupation. Alternating between mom Charlotte's transition to NYC and her work in the publishing world in 1950's, the reader is immersed in the life of a woman who was not a heroic figure - but rather a young mom who did what she needed to do to help protect her young daughter Vivi survive in the most difficult of circumstances. A story about how one's identity is shaped by their family, history and environment, Feldman's writing allows the reader to feel the struggle of Charlotte's difficult choices - and how they ultimately impact her daughter's sense of self as she grows up and tries to understand her family roots.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advance copy of this novel. Just when I felt I had been saturated with WW II historical fiction, I found this story offered a unique perspective on unsung lives of those "ordinary" people who experienced the Nazi Occupation in Paris and the choices that those of all religions made to survive the horrors of that time.

I read a lot of historical fiction and I love Paris, however, this mostly means books about Paris during WW2. This book is about Paris during WW2, from a different vantage point. It is absolutely brilliant, I didn't want it to end.

The book has a dual timeline, it goes between wartime in occupied France and New York in the 1950's, about 10 years later. It works really well and I had no trouble with following the story.

However, due to this, you know early on that the main character Charlotte and her daughter have survived the war, but you have to read on to find out how.

In German occupied France, Charlotte Foret, is a young french widow and she has an eighteen month old daughter called Vivienne. Charlotte and her friend Simone run a bookshop together, they take turns watching the shop and waiting in endless food lines.

Life in Paris during WW II was difficult, food is scarce, everyone is hungry, and people are scared, not just the Jews, but anyone seen as collaborating with the Germans can be reported and taken away as well. After the war, a lot of these people were tortured and killed.

A German officer starts visiting the bookstore, Charlotte is a nervous when he's in the shop. Throughout the war, it seems the bookstore is open and has books to sell.
But Julian Bauer is a German doctor, after a few visits, he notices that Vivi is ill and malnourished and he starts giving Charlotte food and despite her obvious concerns, of course she accepts it. What mother wouldn’t?

Switch to New York 1950's, Charlotte is now living in the America, she has been sponsored by Horace and Hannah Field. Horace owns a publishing company, he's a WW2 veteran of the Asian theater and was wounded in battle. Charlotte works for his publishing company.

Vivi is doing well at school, she has friends and is very much a typical American teenager. She faces some anti-semitism as school, which was still prevalent in the US after the war.

Charlotte’s past is still haunting her. Her daughter has started asking questions about the past, their religion, her father and their lives in Paris.
Even all of these years later, Charlotte still keeps her secrets about what she did during the war, how they survived, and came to New York.

All four major characters in the story have secrets, Charlotte, Julian, Horace and Hannah.
Paris Never Leaves You is a story about WW II, but more than that - it’s about choices, love, sacrifice, and doing whatever it takes to survive.

I don’t want to spoil the story, but I loved the book, it's never boring and keeps you guessing right until the very end.

If you like to read WW II historical fiction, I suggest reading Paris Never Leaves You and I'm sure you will enjoy it as much as I did.

A successful woman working in a publishing house has deep dark secrets that she keeps from everyone, including her daughter. The story shifts between New York and their prior life in a Parisian bookstore during WWII when their very lives were dependent on the kindness of a German physician. As with all secrets, this one comes back to haunt her. It sounds like the basis for a great novel but I am afraid it’s just good. Too bad, because the book has a great title. The characters had the possibilities of being so much more. I wanted to like them but they seemed a little flat.

This was a different type of WWII survivor book. Instead of focusing on the horrors of the camps, it focuses on survivor's guilt. The story moves back and forth from Paris during the war and 10 years post-war New York. I enjoyed the Paris story, however the story was nothing special for me, as it was the same story written as has been done in the past. Charlotte falls for German officer, however his secret was a new twist, one which I would have preferred been fleshed out a little more. I would much rather have read a story alternating between their two stories -set in Paris and at the same time - rather than focus on Charlotte's past and present.

As for the post-war story of her working in a publishing house... there was nothing about that I enjoyed at all, especially her relationship with her boss/sponsor/friend of her father. This completely derailed the story for me, and ended the book on a sour note.

Paris Never Leaves You by Ellen Feldman is an unbelievably stunning Historical Fiction that is so unique, consuming, and harrowing novel that will stay with me for years to come.

Without giving away the plot and surprises placed within, I have to say that this book created so many emotions for me. It is definitely not a light read and is deep, and at times dark, but everything was fitting and appropriate.

This is a story, not just about the horrific occurrences that individuals went through during WWII in occupied Paris, but also what happens afterwards. What happens to the survivors and what people had to go through, compromise, to become that survivor. As it seemed to bring home, the second and equally difficult test is just not making it through trauma alive, but also coping, creating a life, and moving on to some sort of normalcy and life afterwards.

I truly enjoyed my time reading about Charlotte, her daughter Vivi, and Helen and Horus Fields. Everyone had their own battles and struggles and each had their own way dealing with these obstacles. What Charlotte and Horus went through during their respective traumatic experiences was tough to read. I really felt for Charlotte and her inner turmoil, demons, and guilt. She was so hard on herself and unjustly so.

I enjoyed the time changes alternating between Charlotte’s time living in Paris before and during the war and also her life with Vivi in NYC in 1954. Without spoiling anything, the last few chapters were both heart wrenching and also heartwarming. It was truly fitting and definitely fit perfectly for this book.

This book definitely put me through the ringer emotionally, and a teared up several times during my journey with Charlotte. It makes you question everything and jarred me to my core. Impressive.
A measure of a great book is it’s ability to do just that. This is everything that a historical fiction should truly be. I dare anyone read this and not feel the same.

5/5 stars enthusiastically

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for this amazing ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon and B&N accounts upon publication.

This book. Wow. I thought i had this story all figured out and wrapped up with a little bow and then. Bang-whiz#POP! I was so wrong.
This book was excellent. I have already recommended it to several people.

I did receive an ARC of this title from Netgalley for my honest review.

PS. It was amazing.

Paris Never Leaves You by Ellen Feldman (St. Martin's Press) is historical fiction set in Paris during World War II. Although the setting is fairly typical of World War II historical fiction novels, this story takes the reader on a different journey. Charlotte and her little daughter Vivi are liberated from Drancy but how they got there and why are the crux of this story. The story moves between Paris, 1944 and years following in America. Ellen Feldman is adept at making readers envision living with survivor's guilt, at pondering how ghosts shape present lives, and how unfinished business keeps us from moving forward. A recommended read, especially for readers looking for a different slant on living in Nazi occupied Europe.

Thank you St. Martin's and Net Galley for the chance to read this book and provide an unbiased review. A little less than 4 for me, but not enough to round down. In all honesty, I did not feel truly engaged until a little before I was a third of the way done, but it was smooth sailing from there on. I read a LOT of WWII stories and I keep getting a sense that maybe I have burned out on them, and then I let my shield down and one gets in and I am not at all disappointed. I think maybe I have been more selective about adding them to my TBR. Not surprisingly, what impresses me now is the ability for an author to present a slightly (or largely!) different experience of the war, and I found that here. It might have been interesting if more of Simone's character had been developed, but this perhaps presents a sequel opportunity. Knowing more about Laurent might have been enjoyable also, but for Charlotte and Vivi and Julian and Horace your heart will hurt at the burdens that were carried. Ultimately, one is so resilient, another unable to recover, and two willing to take a chance at opening the door again to happiness.

Special thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel, received in exchange for an honest review.
“Paris Never Leaves You” be Ellen Feldman is a historical romance novel about guilt, desperation, and the choices we make.
During World War II, when the French were being invaded by Germany, Charlotte was working in a book store, desperately trying to find ways to keep her and her infant daughter, Vivienne, alive. When she befriends a German soldier, she finally finds a way out of the Hell she has been living in. Years later, in America, Vivi is now old enough to ask questions about her mother’s past, their time in France, and their brave escape. But Charlotte is haunted by those days and is desperately trying to put them behind her. When she receives a letter, bringing her past to the forefront, she realizes she must face all of her demons in order to move forward.
This novel is told in two timelines, during the German Occupation in France (World War II), and in 1950s New York, years after the war. Although both timelines are told from Charlotte’s perspective, I found this particular novel very choppy in its transition. It was difficult to tell what year I was in, as there was nothing definitive in the text that would separate one time period from another. Once I was able to determine what year I was in, I was already too far behind and had to re-read. I would’ve really enjoyed a clear cut way to divide the timelines in the story, as opposed to one sentence from one timeline jumping immediately into a sentence from another. It made the novel slightly difficult to follow.
Obviously, I enjoyed the plot point of Charlotte and Vivi living and working in the bookstore, desperate to stay alive. Meeting the German soldier who soon takes on such an important role in Charlotte’s life was also charming and entertaining. I must admit, however, that there were parts of the novel outside of this plot point that were boring and bland.
I wasn’t sure whether to identify this novel as historical fiction (which it is) or historical romance (which it also is), as it definitely depicts the desperate measures people went through to survive the brutality of the Nazi regime. This was obviously powerful, and it was easy to sympathize with Charlotte and her daughter, as both characters were brave and independent.
A newcomer to Ellen Feldman, I will not mark her off my list completely just yet. It is a matter of simply identifying the genre she fits into, so I know where to set my expectations. Also, perhaps a paper copy of this novel will have more succinct separation between plot timelines.