It's a very sweet book, and very light and very fluffy. It reminded me of like a light, adventurous Eat, Pray Love, which is one of my faves!

This was a quick, easy read that was hard to put down! Chelsea Martin has lost her way in life since the passing of her mother. When she finds out that her father is remarrying (after only knowing his girlfriend for two weeks!) Chelsea decides she needs to revisit her past to find the carefree woman she was before her mother’s passing. She takes a leave of absence from her job, including a break from her incredibly obnoxious professional rival, and hops on a plane to Europe to reconnect with her three loves from her time traveling in the year before her mother died. She reconnects with her former flames, finds herself, and even finds that her professional rival, Jason Knightley, has a different side to him. This is an irresistible story that you won’t want to put down!

This reminded me of a Sophie Kinsella book. I loved the characters and thought the journey Chelsea went on was a good one. I thought the whole Jason relationship was a little sudden and could have been explained a bit better, but it didn't take away from the story. I would like to see more about Chelsea in additional books, but felt this was a complete story too.

Sometimes what you are looking for is right in front of you. This was a really enjoyable trip into past relationships and finding what she really needed.

Paris Is Always a Good Idea is a delightful romance, written in first person which allows for more internal knowledge of Chelsea Martin as she sets out to re-discover her ability to love others and herself. She decides to retrace her year abroad, the last time she remembers being happy, and along the way, her relationship with her coworker Jason Knightley moves from rivalry to... something else. It’s refreshing to see a romance heroine process her traumas and realizations on her own, after some loving but firm prodding by her family. Chelsea thinks she’ll find herself by revisiting a series of old flings but she soon realizes what she needs is more self-reflection. Jenn McKinlay’s pacing allows the reader to spend time with Chelsea, getting to know her, as well as getting to know Jason and the reasons why they’re drawn to each other. The romance is sweet, caring, and just steamy enough. Readers will enjoy Chelsea’s journey and Jason’s warm-heartedness. Perfect summer romance read.

Beautiful illustrated cover, promising and hopeful plot taking us to the self-discovery and fantastic journey to my favorite three European cities: Italy, Ireland and Paris. (When you wrote the names, my heart started aching. I’m sending my prayers and wellness wishes to everyone live in those cities. I hope the good days will come sooner and we may still visit those remarkably spectacular countries and enjoy our lives!)

This book is about Chelsea’s taking gap year after suffering hurtful grief of losing her mother to the battle of big C and having problematic relationship with her over competitive coworker a.k.a. superficial asshole Jason Knightley and getting tired to witness her sister’s marriages. She is suffocating, she isn’t happy with her life. She needs a break. She needs to learn how to have a fulfilled life. She needs joy, happiness and fun! But mostly she needs love. (All You Need is Love plays at my head as soon as I wrote those words.)

So Chelsea takes her European vacation (not kind of National Lampoon’s European kind: I know it would be fun if this story is about Griswold family’s absurd vacation adventures.) , meets three different guy at three different cities, turning herself into a sailor having different girlfriends at different ports.
Marcelino in Italy is my favorite but we also have charming Jean Clause in France and Colin in Ireland (which reminded me of sexy images of Colin Farrell) and at some parts I really thought she was gonna choose three of them and have a fantastic polygamous life. A woman can dream, right?

Of course it didn’t happen and you need to read the rest of the story to learn how Chelsea found her HEA!
This was entertaining, soft, sweet book. I didn’t have any problem with story-telling and pacing. But only thing I got irritated was the heroine who acted like immature and annoying from the beginning. Especially at romance parts I stopped my reading and screamed with frustration. So she was the only reason that I cut my points and gave three stars to my reading.

It was still a great choice, feel-good story with motivational and heartfelt parts. I’d also like to read more works of the author because I mostly enjoyed her story-telling skills and great plot.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this enjoyable ARC with me in exchange my honest review.

I love a romance set in some romantic European cities. Paris is, indeed, always a good idea, but this book, unfortunately, is just ok.

McKinlay sets up a flimsy Eat, Pray, Love scenario for the plot-- Chelsea, confronted by her widowed father's plans to marry a woman he met two weeks ago, tries to replicate her her gap year by fleeing to Ireland, France, and Italy. She is trying to see if she can "open her heart to love." . . .yes, she says that more than once.

While there are lovely romance conventions (a rival turned love interest, a journey with beautiful settings, a woman too focused on her career and neglecting herself), the book just doesn't deliver on the excitement.Chelsea is not interesting or incredibly likable. Conversations drag on, and I just have to roll my eyes when our hero (admittedly delicious with a ridiculous Austen last name) breaks a makeout sesh to say "dance with me." It's too contrived.

Paris is Always a Good Idea, but the book is a good idea that turned out just ok. It is the frozen pizza of romance novels. I cannot recommend when there are so many other great ones out there.

Chelsea brings in the big donations in her job with the American Cancer Coalition. So when she tries to quit —after learning her widower dad is remarrying and her sister telling her that she needs to find the old Chelsea, the happy, fun-loving, adventurous, pre-Mom-dying-of-cancer Chelsea— her boo convinces her to take a leave of absence so that she can stay on and consult on the biggest donation they’ve ever tried to get. Even if her boss gives her work enemy, Jason, the reins on her project. And so Chelsea jets off to, first, Ireland, then Paris, then Tuscany to reconnect with old boyfriends from her year abroad. But her search for the old Chelsea doesn’t go as planned. And when Jason shows up unexpectedly in Europe, he helps her realize that she can’t ever be old Chelsea again, and that’s okay.

This romance is one I couldn’t put down— I read it in two sittings! The slow burn, the feelings, and the armchair traveling make it a perfect read in these stressful weeks (oh god it had better be weeks and not months) of the coronavirus. Sometimes it feels like Chelsea’s diction is a bit trying-too-hard to be that if a 30-year-old, which is a bit annoying and often jarred me out of the happy place that is reading the book. But he growth as a character, and the gentle romancing from Jason is just what I want. (Even if it is a bit predictable.)

On ten chaste to steamy scale, it’s a 5. There are really great kissing scenes and one sex scene that is more R than NC-17.

A quick read, and Iiked it but I feel it could have had a more original plot. It serves to explore the tough and important aspect of facing grief, but the start for me was slow. Most of the plot is predictable but I did enjoy the chemistry of the two main leads. Their dialogue is fun and flirty and that relationship is the saving grace of the novel.