I loved how I understood the title of this book halfway through the story...most of the time I would have to wait till the end to figure out why the author came up with the name! Definitely an intriguing story about dealing with grief, and how it can change you as a person. People are meant to grow, and clinging on to the past can prevent a person from growing to their full potential. Dwelling on constant grief can prevent future happiness, even when it is right in front of you. At some points, the book reminded me of the YA series To All The Boys I've Loved Before, because of the way Chelsea went after all her previous crushes (in person, instead of letters like the YA series) to find her happiness, only to know the person who loved her for the way she was was actually right there. SUCH A GREAT EMOTIONAL READ!

If you're looking for the perfect beach read (with some much needed vicarious travel), then this is it! Chelsea Martin's father is getting remarried, and she is having a hard time accepting it after losing her mom seven years ago. That summer she spent a year abroad in Ireland, Italy, and France. She was a much brighter, carefree version of herself. With her father's impending marriage, she realizes she wants to find the old version of herself. She sets out on a trip to revisit her old loves in Europe, but she ends up being followed by her coworker, Knightley. It follows the classic hate to love trope, but what I found so charming about this story was what happened when she met up with her old loves. She learns that her memories may not be exactly as rosy as she remembered which is an important lesson to remember. Overall, it was a cute story with some unexpected twists that I really appreciated on Chelsea's search to find her old self and maybe find love too.

If you are looking to do a little armchair travel, this just might be the book for you. This story takes the readers to three different countries. The author does a wonderful job in describing the locations along with the people. It was a great escape to dive in to these locations after being stuck at home for so long.

This author tackles an unique topic of grief. More specifically, she addresses the loss of the parent and who the child, no matter the age, is before versus after the loss. The character in the book felt like she was not the happy go-lucky person she was before the untimely death of her mother. If you have had the devastating experience of losing a parent prematurely, you might find this book challenging but relatable.

I received an ARC of this book. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

Jenn McKinlay’s new book, PARIS IS ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA, is a fun romp of a book. There’s not much behind it that draws a reader in except for the setting and the comical characters, but I think it’s a great book if you’re in the mood for something light.

If you’re a person who enjoys reading about a lot of traveling, then I think you’re going to enjoy Chelsea’s story. There are a lot of funny and sweet moments in this book, but the romance didn’t really take off for me. Chelsea has the tendency to be immature and so I wasn’t always on board with a lot of her decisions made in this book. For a twenty-nine year old, she seemed kind of inexperienced and immature. I think this is the case because of the tone that the author was going for. Light and funny, it made the more important decisions feel a bit flat. I think that might be the reason why Chelsea’s character might fall flat with some readers.

So while there are some good and bad things about this book, I think readers who just want something light might find this book enjoyable, especially if you’re interest is the travel rather than character development or plot.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC of Paris is Always a Good Idea by Jennifer Mckinlay. Recently published book on July 21,2020.

Chelsea Martin is a workaholic who’s completely lost her former self before he mom passed away to cancer. She is one of the most successful fundraisers for the American Cancer Coalition, that is besides her only competition and most hated coworker, Jason Knightley.

In this enemies to lovers trope about a young workaholic finding her laugh again, I was immediately sent into a European fantasy when Chelsea quits her jobs and jets off to Europe. The book gave me Mama Mia vibes, but instead of 3 dads, there were 3 past lovers she was trying to reconnect with.

The one aspect of this book was disappointing was that everything was so predictable, and I felt like there was only a few small shocks throughout the book. I also felt like the ending was super rushed, and there wasn’t enough tension between the two lovers.

Overall this was a really good read, and I tend to be a sucker for this trope, so if you like the enemies to lovers trope, this book is definitely for you.

Paris Is Always A Good Idea seemed like exactly the type of book I love. A journey of self-discovery, romance, and European travel - all usually winning elements for an fun, easy read. Unfortunately, Chelsea Martin was just too much for me, making everything in life about her, from her father's remarriage to expecting that old "boyfriends" would still be pining for her 7 years later. It was all just too much and I could not connect or sympathize with her journey.

*CW: cancer, death of a parent, death of a sibling, mentions self harm

Nothing sounds better than running off to Paris—or to the Irish countryside or sipping wine at a Tuscany vineyard—right now. But since that’s something that won’t be happening in the near future, Paris is Always a Good Idea by Jenn McKinlay (out July 21st) was the perfect read for a European escape.

Synopsis: It’s been seven years since Chelsea Martin embarked on her yearlong post-college European adventure. Since then, she’s lost her mother to cancer and watched her sister marry twice, while Chelsea’s thrown herself into work, becoming one of the most talented fundraisers for the American Cancer Coalition, and with the exception of one annoyingly competent coworker, Jason Knightley, her status as most talented fundraiser is unquestioned.

When her introverted mathematician father announces he’s getting remarried, Chelsea is forced to acknowledge that her life stopped after her mother died, and that the last time she can remember being happy, in love, or enjoying her life was on her gap year. Inspired to retrace her steps–to find Colin in Ireland, Jean Claude in France, and Marcelino in Italy–Chelsea hopes that one of these three men who stole her heart so many years ago, can help her find it again.

From the start of her journey nothing goes as planned, but as Chelsea reconnects with her old self, she also finds love in the very last place she expected.

What I loved:

–The premise. I really enjoyed the idea of Chelsea retracing her steps to potentially rekindle a romance with one of the three men she met while traveling Europe years ago. (Plus, it kind of *vaguely* reminded me of—and made me want to rewatch—the movie Letters to Juliet). I also loved the idea of retracing the moment when you last felt truly happy.

When we meet each of the men they aren’t the same people as they once were. The way Chelsea romanticized them and the places where she once found herself was very relatable. I think it’s easy to remember your past as being much better than it really was when you’re presently unhappy.

–The travel bits. Books are the perfect escape & since traveling is definitely off the table this summer, it was nice touring the Irish countryside, Paris and a Tuscany vineyard through the pages of this story for a few days.

–The romance. I thought the romance was really fun. Again, I loved that the men weren’t the same as she remembered and I even *surprising* ended up really liking her decision at the end.

What I didn’t connect with:

-Although I really admired that Chelsea was trying to break out of being closed off and took a chance to travel through Europe, the transition did feel just a tad rushed. And there were a few other moments throughout when I felt this again.

Rating 3.8-4/5

*I received an arc courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This delightful book has a bit of everything. It's has funny parts, romantic parts, a bit of family turmoil, personal growth, and love in unexpected ways. It's an easy and light read even with some moments of heavy depth. I want to thank @netgalley and




Glen decides to marry after two weeks of knowing his soon to be bride and Chels, his daughter is not happy about it. Glen knows it's because her heart is a bit hardened after the passing of her mother. Chels’s sister has a heart to heart talk with her and she decides to take life by the horns and try living to find what she once lost instead of hiding behind routine. Before leaving her boss begs her to remain available to Jason Knightley, a man she has detested, who is now leading the project she's been working on while on her leave of absence. Trailing her past from seven years ago, she sets out across the water to seek out what it feels like to be in love again and little does she know, it’s the last place she expects.

Talk about Eat Pray Love meets "What's Your Number?" (that fabulous romcom with pre-Captain America Chris Evans). When her widowed father announces that he's getting remarried, Chelsea realizes that she's been living her life on "pause" these last seven years, since her mom's death. She decides to rediscover her joie de vivre by visiting the men she once loved... conveniently located in Europe's most romantic countries. Add in a dreamy work rival (because, what's not to love about an enemies-to-lovers workplace romance) and you've got one hell of a romcom - do you hear that Netflix?

The romance itself is a little slow for my personal taste, and Chelsea can come across as immature and childish, but overall, there's a lot to love about this sweet story. I may or may not have a hypothetical European vacation planned in my head after reading...

Heart: 7/10
Humor: 6/10
Heat: 5/10

Find more reviews like this at www.boobiesandnoobies.com/blog

*Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC

This fun romantic comedy kicks off when Chelsea Martin's dad tells her he proposed marriage to a woman he has known for 2 weeks. Chelsea never expected him to move on after the death of her mother from cancer 7 years prior. When her sister points out that Chelsea has not been happy or in love since her gap year in Europe, Chelsea takes a leave of absence from her fundraising job for the American Cancer Coalition to retrace her steps and meet up with the 3 men she loved. Will she find her old self and love with Colin in Ireland, Jean Claude in Paris or Marcellino in Italy? Then her European tour is high-jacked by her work nemesis and competitor Jason Knightly. Full of laughter, wonderful characters and a world traveler setting, this novel is the perfect summer read.

This book definitely has Hallmark movie written all over it.

While I really enjoyed the idea of this story, it actually fell short of my hopes for it.

The pacing of the story felt too quick and a bit wordy in places. I would have enjoyed spending more time with the heroine enjoying Ireland, France and Italy as the destinations they are rather then just the places where one of her three past loves lived. I wanted to get immersed in the feeling of reliving her gap year with her, instead I got paragraphs about her jewelry or clothing and it just felt unnecessary.

I didn’t really fall in love with any of her romantic options which made it hard to be invested. I actually kind of wish she’d spent more time just getting to know herself again.

Somehow this story managed to have too much going on while also feeling like nothing really happened.

I didn’t dislike this story but nothing stood out enough to make me fall in love with it either.

I’ve always adored Ms. McKinlay’s cozy mystery series and I jumped at the chance to read her new romance, Paris is Always a Good Idea. This story was delightfully funny and Chelsea was a character that you will fall in love with. Becoming an adult is a hard thing and Chelsea felt as though she had lost the carefree person that she once was. By retracing her journey that she had taken years ago through Europe, Chelsea felt like she might be able to find the person that she once was. She found more than she bargained for and found that the journey provides more insight than finally making it to your destination. Wonderful story.

This book didn't really grab me right away, mostly because I found the heroine a little childish and annoying, but then as the story went on I found myself more and more invested in her journey and her relationships. It was a fun rom-com, with lots of amusing antics, and following Chelsea's trip across Europe in an attempt to reconnect with the beaus from her past — as well as navigate her relationship with her annoying coworker who may not be so annoying after all — proved to be a delightful summer read. I'm a fan of the enemies-to-lovers trope (or maybe the bickerers-to-lovers trope) and this one definitely delivered on that front.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Chelsea has felt lost at sea ever since her mother's death. She has a fulling job, and a loving father and sister, but she hasn't felt like herself in awhile. When her father announces his engagement after only 2 weeks of dating, Chelsea is thrown for a loop. She realizes she needs to get away and go back to a time when she was happy. Chelsea decides to retrace her gap year from seven years ago and try and rediscover herself and what makes her happy.

This was such a fun book! The best part was reading about Chelsea's travels and all the delicious food! Sometimes Chelsea annoyed me as a character (especially near the beginning as she seemed a little immature), but overall it was an enjoyable book. I'd recommend it for anyone looking to escape and travel the world in their mind!

This book was beautiful, at first I wasn't liking it but then the plot took a different direction and the idea, the development of the romance were fresh and fun. Although there isn't much drama and it wasn't a hard read, it has made me laugh on different occasions and in the end it left me with a huge smile. If you liked The Hating Game or The Kiss Quotient, you'll also like this one.

This was such a great book to read, especially right now when we can't leave our houses and travel the world.

Paris is Always a Good Idea focuses on Chelsea, who after the loss of her mother has been living her life with no change. She is still dealing with her grief and needs to find the joy that she has lost. Chelsea is determined to go back to the time in her life when she was happy, before the death of her mother, to when she backpacked across Europe and fell in love with three different guys during her time aboard. But love for Chelsea will come in the form of an unexpected person.

When I first started the book, I didn't like Chelsea, I felt she was selfish because I didn't understand where she was coming from. She came off as rude to her father when he announced that he was getting married again. She didn't seem to care about her father's happiness, but this was because she didn't know how to be happy after the death of her mother.

Once I understood the background of Chelsea's life, I was able to better understand her and connect with her. Once Chelsea headed off on her trip, I was hooked with her journey of finding her joy again. I enjoyed reading about her trip to Ireland, and in Paris, I was super jealous and wanting to be in her shoes. But when Chelsea got to Italy is when I completely fell in love. I've always wanted to go to Italy and got to experience a little of it through this book.

Paris Is Always a Good Idea is an amazing book that showcases what happens after you have lost a loved one and the need to find yourself again. You will laugh and cry and travel the world in a way you can't imagine. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is looking for an amazing read!

Thank you both to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC of this book!

Such a solid read! I had such a great time reading this book.

If you're looking for a book that will make you travel, look no further! Jenn McKinlay was truly able to transport her readers to Ireland, Paris, and Italy, where most of the story takes place. The exhaustive (and sometimes exhausting, I will admit) descriptions were vivid and made me feel like I was traveling with our main character.

I absolutely loved the romance. I did feel like we were introduced to the love interest in a very mechanical way that felt sort of unnatural, but I fell in love with Jason as soon as he appeared. I loved the banter between him and Chelsea, and I found myself rooting for them from the start. Their relationship was tumultuous and had all the angst and yearning that I'm a sucker for.

I have to say, I feel a little weird about the ending. While I did really enjoy it, I feel like the conflict that happened at the end was kind of rushed and totally uncalled for. Nonetheless, I liked the resolution.

Side note: I appreciated the discussions about grief. I haven't lost someone close to me like Chelsea, but I thought the topic was well introduced and didn't feel overbearing. It was an important part of the story, but it didn't feel like a burden. The story still managed to be light and fun all while tacking more important topics like loss of a family member and cancer.

Chelsea has become a different person affter losing her mother to cancer seven years ago. She focuses on her job raising money for cancer treatment and awareness. His father's big news makes her realize that she has not been happy for a long time. So she decides to take some time off from work to find her old self. The last time she was happy, having fun, and very much inlove was during her gap year trip to Europe. She plans on visiting three different countries and meeting three different past boyfriends hoping to find her old self and to rekindle the love she had from one of these men.

I honestly wasn't 100% convinced with Chelsea's way of rediscovering herself but I liked that it's also her own way of self-care. Taking a break and fully focus on herself. She's not a very likable character. I thought her initial reaction to her father remarrying was quite selfish and infuriating. She can be immature but her character was still relatable. I liked Jason's character the moment he was introduced in the book. I loved the chemistry between the two of them. He was not perfect but he was still a great character and a perfect partner, in my opinion. Their banters were very amusing!

I enjoyed the journey through Ireland, Paris, and Italy! I was transported by the author to these places especially back in the Eiffel Tower! This book made me hungry. It made me miss travelling too. This was a perfect read especially if you're longing to visit other places during this time. The plot is predictable at times but it didn't stop me from enjoying the story. Chelsea's character development was heartwarming and heartbreaking to read at the same time. I thought the author did a great job exploring the impact of losing someone (not only to cancer) in a very realistic way. This book is a reminder that moving forward doesn't mean forgetting the people we've lost in our lives. That we can continue living our lives while honoring them and keeping them in our hearts.

Paris is Always a Good Idea was a light, entertaining, and hilarious read. It's definitely one of my favorite rom-com reads this year.

An enjoyable enough romantic adventure.

I can’t say this was great by any means, but it was fine for the most part. Often there wasn’t a whole lot of character depth and the story, at times, felt a bit superficial. If anything, I think I would have liked this more as a straight fiction novel instead of a romance.

Regardless, I’m glad I read it. It was a bit fun going on trips through fiction.

The premise behind the book was one that really appealed to me. I love visiting other cities/countries, and have definitely run away from my problems to Paris in the past. I could certainly sympathise with Chelsea wanting to find her joy again. A mostly sweet book, that was perhaps a little predictable.

I did find Chelsea's reaction to her fathers new really irritating and childish. Sure it can be hard when a parent moves on, but by your late 20's you really should have come to the realisation that your parent is a human and deserves a life of their own. It took me a while to warm up to her after that, but I did really enjoy her journey to the three countries. It made me just desperate to travel again.