Enemies to loved + European locales = love.

After finding out her dad is getting remarried, Chelsea decides to revisit her post-grad trip to Europe. She realized that after her mom passed she never let herself grow. Her goal is to find her old self and find love. She travels to Ireland, Paris and Tuscany to meet the men who had stolen her heart. Of course nothing goes to plan.

On the work front, Chelsea is a top corporate fundraiser at a cancer coalition but she is forever knocking heads with her colleague, Jason. When Jason crashes her trip, Chelsea realizes she might be finding love in a place she didn’t plan.

Ok, it was a little torturous to read this book when you can’t travel. I wish I could pick up and visit these places. I swooned at Chelsea’s time in Paris especially.

It was fun to see Chelsea and Jason’s relationship move from work enemies (aka repressed sexual tension) to friends to more. It was also sweet to see how they connected on a deeper level, and how Jason was able to help Chelsea release some of her grief. I will say, I found the ending a bit rushed and don’t think 7 years of tightly held grief can be let go after one conversation.

The epilogue left me with a few tears streaming down my face (but it could also be because I finished this one late at night). It’s a fun book and a great summer read.

{content warning - death by cancer}

3.5 stars

Paris is Always a Good Idea was one of my most anticipated books of 2020. I love a good ‘woman goes off to find herself in Europe’ story, plus that cover is the stuff of dreams. While I enjoyed this book for the most part, there were a few things that kept me from loving it like I’d hoped to.

Seven years after her mother’s death, Chelsea suddenly realizes she’s lost more than just her mom: she’s lost her lust for life, her laughter, and her happiness. The last time she had those things was before her mother died, when she spent a year traveling through Europe, falling in love, and having adventures. Since then, she’s buried herself in work, determined to be the best at her job, and raise as much money as possible for cancer research. She decides it’s time to find the happy, joyful person she used to be by revisiting the places in Europe that meant the most to her - namely, the places she fell in love - and hoping to recapture her former self.

My favourite part of this book was the travel aspect. Ireland has always been a dream destination for me, I’ve visited Paris twice, and I love Italy. I also related to Chelsea’s grief and understood that feeling of losing yourself and wanting to find your way back to the person you were before life smacked you down. I also really enjoyed the rivalry and banter between Chelsea and Jason and watching their relationship grow from dislike to friendship to more.

What stopped me from loving this book was how over the top it was. From the very first chapter, there were things that had me rolling my eyes, and that continued through the entire story. I’m a romance lover, I know you have to occasionally suspend believability and immerse yourself in the story, even if certain things are ridiculous. But there’s ridiculous and then there’s over the top, and this book hit the latter in nearly every chapter. I found myself questioning a lot of things Chelsea did, and I was confused by the timeline of the book, which didn’t help. Also, I love a good epilogue, but I felt like I could have done without this one because it didn’t actually add anything, although it was consistent with my assessment of this book being over the top.

Overall, Paris is Always a Good Idea is an entertaining story about facing grief, finding yourself after loss, and letting love and joy into your life.

Wow! I LOVED this contemporary romance.

I have always been a fan of Jenn McKinlay's successful cozy mysteries series and didn't know if it would translate well to a straight forward romance novel but I honestly feel like this is one of her best works.

What worked: The depth of emotion and the incredible back stories of the characters, especially the two main leads, Chelsea and Jason. Not only is their chemistry evident from the very first interaction, but they were so charming. I wanted to get to know them and read more about them. I was hooked! As a reader, I have to fall in love with the characters myself for a book to work for me and these two were so endearing that you just couldn't help but cheer them on.

Their likability was supported by the tremendous loss they both went through. My heart ached for them both. As someone who just recently dealt with my own parents' death, I felt extremely connected to their grief. McKinlay deftly handled their situations and it was obvious she has felt the same. The respect and care she gave to their back stories was commendable.

It was pretty obvious that Chelsea and Jason were meant to be as they became more than colleagues but I still enjoyed the will they or won't they. The romantic cities added charm to the story and I thoroughly enjoyed traipsing through Europe with them. Highly recommend!

Chelsea’s mom died 7 years ago and since then she has stopped living her life. She works constantly and has lost the girl she used to know - the carefree, loving version of herself. When her dad decides to get remarried after only knowing his fiancé for two weeks Chelsea is furious and lost.

In order to remember what it felt like to be in love, she decides to revisit the places and men she once knew when she studied abroad. The issue is that Chelsea’s work nemesis, Jason, is taking over an important client for her while she’s gone.

I thought Chelsea was extremely immature at the beginning of the book. I’m blessed to never have lost a parent and be in the situation she was put in, but she lacked empathy and grace. However, I think her character grew tremendously throughout the journey. The banter between her and Jason was so enjoyable.

Chelsea not only rediscovered herself through her travels and taught herself it’s ok to love others. She also learned that we can honor those who have left us by keeping them in our hearts and moving forward with our live in a healthy way.

Lovers of The Hating Game will LOVE this book!

Paris Is Always A Good Idea is out July 21, 2020.

Thank you to Netgalley, Berkley Publishing Group, and the author for a free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

When her father announces that he's getting re-married, Chelsea can't summon up any excitement or joy for him, and her sister challenges her to find the old" Chelsea who knew how to have fun, to let go and enjoy the moment. To that end, Chelsea decides to retrace the steps of her gap year. Traveling to Ireland, France and Italy to revisit the men she fell in love with during that European adventure she leaves her job in the hands of Jason Knightley, a man she's not sure can live up to the job requirements. From the very first stop on her journey, things start to go wrong, and they get worse as the trip continues, especially when Jason shows up and complicates things even more.

Jenn McKinlay is one of my fa"vorite authors, but to date, I have only read her mysteries. I was interested in reading one of her romances to see if I would enjoy those as much as I do her other books, even though romance isn't really my genre of choice. The story was well written, as usual, and I liked getting to know the characters as the story progressed and bits of their stories were introduced. Having never been to Europe, I had to rely on the descriptions in the book to paint a scene in my head, and, fortunately, that was easy to do. As usual for a romance book, the storyline was predictable, but it was fun watching everyone get from Point A to Point B, despite the obstacles thrown in along the way. I look forward to exploring some of this author's other romance books in my future reading.

(3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 because of he author)

Chelsea Martin’s gap year abroad in Europe is cut short by her mother’s devastating cancer diagnosis. Her world is turned upside down when her beloved mother passes away so suddenly after this. Now seven years after the fact, she is a highly successful member of the American Cancer Coalition team focused on finding a cure and raising the most funds possible, but otherwise Chelsea is utterly miserable. When her dad falls in love and wants to get remarried, Chelsea realizes how bitter she has become and embarks on a quest to recreate the Chelsea she was before her world imploded. While I loved getting to partake in this quest with Chelsea and experience some travel via escapism (much needed right now), I was not a huge fan of hers, especially in the beginning. It seemed a bit unrealistic and narrow-minded that she expected everyone else to be the same seven years later just awaiting her return. I loved Chelsea and Jason’s witty banter and how their friendship and relationship progressed throughout. I was pleased with the somewhat rushed ending.

I agree: Paris IS always a good idea! So is rural Ireland, and so is a vineyard in Tuscany. When Chelsea Martin last visited these places, she was on an adventure, and she was adventurous. Seven years later, after the death of her beloved mother, she is so closed up, emotionally and psychologically, that the news of her father's imminent remarriage sends her into an uncharacteristically selfish, negative spin.

Her family's shock and disappointment makes her realize that she wants to become the young woman she was - to move on with her life. Will revisiting the places she loved - and the men she loved in those places - help her to re-open her heart?

This book is structured as a romance, complete with a handsome young rogue (whose last name is Knightley! - is that a tell or what?) whose annoying attentions may belie his true feelings. Each stop on her journey is replete with wonderful details about the landscape, the food, and the young men who have gone on with their lives. Chelsea herself is the kind of heroine you want to slap and slap again, which is half the fun of reading this entertaining book. The other half is imagining yourself traveling with Chelsea.

Thank you NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group and the author for a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Paris Is Always a Good Idea follows Chelsea Martin, a young woman who decides to relive her gap year traveling through Europe in an effort to remember what it is like to be in love. She takes a leave of absence from her job at the American Cancer Coalition and her current project is turned over to Jason Knightley, her workplace foe. Their banter throughout the story is why I rated this story so high: it truly made the book and it’s why enemies to lover will always be one of my favourite tropes. Jason is a fantastic character, definitely book boyfriend material!

My biggest complaint of this book was how Chelsea acted at the beginning of the story. For a 29 year old woman, she was immature and selfish at the news of her father getting remarried, though that did give room for her to experience a lot of personal growth throughout the book.

I highly recommend this story for those who enjoy the enemies-to-lovers trope and those (all of us?) who are desperate for a vacation!

Paris Is Always a Good Idea is out July 21, 2020.

This was such a good read! I finished it in two days I just couldn't put it down! I really enjoyed the characters and the settings along the way are beautifully described. It's a fun and light read and I would definitely recommend it!

Since we can't go anywhere, this came along at the perfect time. After finding out her father is engaged after a whirlwind courtship, Chelsea is suddenly inspired to reconnect to her youthful ways by revisiting her European gap year in which she fell for three men along the way. By reconnecting with these men now, will she reconnect with herself? And while away on her vacation of rediscovery, she must entrust her work to her frenemy coworker, Jason Knightley. Will things change between them from a distance?

With a name like Knightley, you know what's coming there, and an entertaining romance along with a story with ever changing scenery makes this the perfect summer read.

3.75 stars

A light-hearted and fun romantic romp, as we have come to expect from Jenn McKinlay. This one has a bit of a serious side, too, in talking about grief and coming to terms with loss, but doesn't lose its upbeat mood.

Chloe Martin lost her mom to cancer 7 years ago. At that point, the light-hearted and joyful young woman that she was disappeared, and she gradually morphed into a workaholic fundraiser for a cancer charity. Things come to a head when her father reveals his plans to re-marry. Chloe reacts badly (somewhat realistically as he has only known his fiance for 2 weeks) and her father and sister point out that she has changed into an unhappy person with no life.

Chloe decides to try and find her old self, so she goes looking in Europe, specifically in Ireland, in Paris and in Tuscany. She had three romantic adventures there before her mother became ill and she plans to re-connect with her old "friends" to see if she can spark some joy.

She takes a leave of absence from her job, and grinds her teeth when her work rival is asked to step in. There is a major donation in the works so she has to stay connected to that work life and relationship. Her European adventures range from fun, to embarrassing, to maddening, but they do revive some of the old Chloe.

This was an enjoyable read with some somber insights into grieving and moving forward.
Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. I was happy with how the book ended except for one disingenuous last scene with Chloe and her sister that just didn't feel right.

Paris is Always a Good Idea by Jenn McKinlay is a fun standalone novel. We meet our heroine, Chelsea Martin, who is a workaholic, with a successful job, as her company’s top fundraiser for the American Cancer Coalition. Even with her success, she has a co-worker, who annoys her to no end. Jason Knightley, our hero, works with Chelsea and is always one step ahead of her with his annoying sarcastic comments that drive her crazy.

Chelsea gets a surprise, when she learns that her widowed father is planning to remarry, and has only known his future bride for two weeks. Chelsea’s sister is happy for her father, and tells Chelsea that she has stopped enjoying her life after their mother died 7 years ago. When Chelsea learns that Jason is going to work with her on a big project, she decides it’s time for her to quit her job and take a trip to Europe to revisit her wonderful journey before her mother died. She plans to retrace her fun times, with visits to Ireland, France and Italy, trying to meet the three young men in each country that made her feel loved and joyous. Before she leaves, she learns that her boss is sick, and insists that she remain with the company to help Jason with the project, but allowing her to go on the journey.

What follows is a wonderful fun story, as Chelsea looks to find happiness and love again. With Ireland the first stop, she finds the man whom she fell for, and though he was happy to see her, things were not the same. But most of all, Jason ends up surprising Chelsea by coming to Ireland to work with her, as they will be meeting the person who wants to build the new project, as well as donate a large sum to the fund. In a short time, a friendship will build between Chelsea and Jason, with them getting past their work differences and spending time together getting to know each other better personally. Their bantering and humor were fun, and we knew pretty quickly, despite Chelsea’s determination to find a romance with one of the three men, a slow built romance will eventually bring them together.

Though her Ireland ex-boyfriend, Colin, turned into a jerk, and her meeting her France ex, Jean Claude was not meant to be; but she was thrilled to see Marcelino in Italy. He ran a very successful vineyard, not to mention lived in a Castle and was a great guy; even Jason thought he was great. Will Chelsea convince herself that she wanted to stay with Marcelino or does she fall in love with Jason?

Paris is Always Good was a sweet, fun, enjoyable story, and I loved the travel in Ireland, France and Italy. Lots of beauty, food and fun. This was a different kind of book from Jenn McKinlay and I totally loved every moment. I wholly suggest you read this wonderful romantic story.

Paris is always a good idea for a beach read setting and Jennifer McKinlay fulfills the promise of the clever premise. Who doesn't want to resists the locations and the love of Junior Year Abroad adventures when stuck in the day-to-day of being in your 30's. Fun armchair travel meets wish fulfillment. Yup, Paris is Always a Good Idea.

𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙨 𝙄𝙨 𝘼𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝘼 𝙂𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙄𝙙𝙚𝙖 𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬⁣
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A travel romance featuring an Enemies to lovers trope. A story about Resilience and finding one’s true self. ⁣
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Mr. Beans Holiday Adventure meets The Hating Game. In a very adventurous way Chelsea embarks on a travel quest around Ireland, Paris and Italy to try and reconnect with each one of the three men she dated while studying abroad. The purpose behind her escapade is looking for true love and regaining the happiness she has somehow lost in her life. ⁣
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While I enjoyed the overall storyline, some parts of the book were a bit too cheesy for me. Also, the ending felt rushed and slightly uneventful. Personally, I would have wanted to see more of Chelsea’s relationship with her stepmother develop as this was a subject mainly covered in the begging of the story. ⁣The banter between Chelsea and Jason reminded me of a lighter version of The Hating Game in a similar office/ work related setting. What I loved the most was Chelsea’s personal growth in the end and the overall message behind the story- Finding yourself by moving forward in life and not dwelling in the past. The overall message conveyed was powerful and meaningful. ⁣
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𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘧𝘶𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘶𝘱. 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝟽/𝟸𝟷/𝟸𝟶 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 @berkleypub 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺. ⁣
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𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 5

This was a really great read that balanced romance and personal reflection. Plus beautiful locations. It was the perfect escapist read that also held a lot of depth.

3.5 stars. A solid, compelling story about a woman who has buried her grief so far that she’s afraid to love - or to let her family love - again.

So, I picked up Paris is Always a Good Idea because I love me a European trip, and I love an office romance. This one didn’t disappoint on either - it gave me the nostalgia for my own backpacking tour through Europe, but what I didn’t expect was how much of an emotional wallop it packed.

Chelsea Martin is a workaholic, a planner who is an executive at a cancer charity. She lost her mother in her 20s to cancer, and has been buried in her work ever since. So when her father tells her that he’s getting married to a woman he only just met, it hurts because Chelsea has not only never dealt with her grief, but she’s also extremely practical. The long and short of it? Her family wants her to try to lighten up and find the happier person she was before the loss of her mom. For Chelsea, that was her gap year backpacking trip around Europe, where she met and fell in love with three guys. So she decides to retrace that journey. Only problem? Her biggest rival at the charity, Jason Knightley, has been given her work, and her boss wants them to work together to get a major donor to deliver on a gift.

For me, a few things really worked with Paris is Always a Good Idea. The first was the banter between Chelsea and Jason, which was witty and funny, but also thoughtful and a bit esoteric. Right away, you could see that they really did have oil-and-water personalities; Chelsea is a planner, a workhorse, and by the book, while Jason is a dreamer, an ideas guy, who doesn’t always bother with the details. You *know* that this is both a workplace disaster, and an explosive combo that will lead to chemistry. And author Jenn McKinlay recognizes that, too, which is why she quickly takes Chelsea and Jason out of their element, out of their workplace, so that they can see more than just what’s in the office. And it works.

It also helps that Chelsea is way more hilarious, uncertain, and prone to crazy situations in Europe. This is a rom-com, so there were some zany things that happened that occasionally took me out of the story.

But for me, the thing that made this book resonate was the emotional thread of the story, which is really about a woman who has spent years in grieving and doesn’t know how to get back to the carefree person she was at 22. There are moments in the book where it almost feels like self-help, but the words also really hit with me. I haven’t experienced a tragedy quite like Chelsea’s loss of her mom, but even in my lesser challenges and traumas, what McKinlay writes about holding on and letting go, applies. I was surprised by how much I felt for Chelsea.

Overall, this book could have used a few more steamy scenes - it’s very light on the sex, and I would characterize it as sweet, as opposed to fan-yourself-hot - but I enjoyed it a lot. If you’ve read Happiness for Beginners, and you liked the tone of that book, you might like this one as well.

I loved this! It gave me Eat, Pray, Love vibes and honestly, was pure escapism. Without being able to travel, I lived through her journey and wished it lasted a little longer. I was a little surprised by the workplace romance and those are never my fave. I found his comments at first completely uncalled for an inappropriate almost, for their work relationship - it just didn't seem like they were in a place where comments about how she looks would be okay to make? Later on, maybe. But I tend to be sensitive about workplace romances. It ended sweetly though and I really believed in her self discovery journey, going back to the last places where she felt truly happy and trying to find herself. Wish I could go on a journey like that.

Paris Is Always a Good Idea was a wonderful story about a woman who has spent almost a decade mourning and losing herself in grief, finding her way back to herself again. Chelsea threw herself into her work after losing her mom seven years ago and after her world has been shaken up a bit, she decides to go find the girl she left behind.

Chelsea was almost unbearable when this book started. So much so I didn't actually want to continue reading it if she didn't start to change her tune. But almost as soon as you're annoyed by her, she starts on her journey of self-discovery and healing. Also, can I just say how difficult it is to read about people travelling right now when we're all trapped wherever we are because of this virus? Jenn McKinlay writes an adventure that I'd love to just book a trip for immediately. I only wish it described what she was seeing more. Italy stole my heart though and of course, it's where we see everything come together.

Honestly, I wish I could give this five stars but I do think it was missing a little something here and there to fill out the story to the best it could've been. I did really love it though and I definitely would revisit this author's work.

3.5/5 stars rounded up to 4 stars!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sending me this E-Arc for an honest review! I really enjoyed reading this book. Where I found the plot a little bit predictable, the characters and the romance made the book fun and enjoyable. I loved traveling around with the main character Chelsea and going along on the trip with her while she discovered how to open up, be happy, and love again.  I thought that the author did a great job of expressing the hard emotions that Chelsea's character was dealing with, and making the reader connect with her in a deep way.

Also, I LOVED Jason Knightley's character! I think I fell in love with his character from the second chapter, and I loved watching him and Chelsea become friends and then fall in love.

I think that this romance was really fun, and it would have been rated a bit higher if the plot had been a bit more unique and less predictable.  I did really enjoy Jenn McKinlay's writing in this book, and again, the characters that she created were all really well thought out and developed. I think this is a really fun and easy summer romance!

Thanks for reading!
Caden

I truly enjoy reading anything written by Jenn Mckinlay. She is a master at writing stories that bring you right into the story. This one did not disappoint. Not only did I get to travel to Ireland, Paris, and Italy, but I got a chance to fall in love along with them. It was a great escape for me and while this book is a stand-alone, I hope that Ms. Mckinlay writes more of these.