I appreciate NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review The Paris Dressmaker by Kristy Cambron. I really enjoyed this story of two very different women trying to ensure the safety of their families and staying loyal to their beloved city, while living during a time of uncertainty while Paris was occupied by the German Army. Lila de Laurent is a dressmaker and designer who seems to be a rising star and even gets to design a dress for Chanel. She plays a dangerous game as she uses her talent as a seamstress to gather information for the French Resistance. Sandrine is an educated woman who is called upon by the German regime to help catalog the artistic treasures Germany is stealing from French citizens. Their stories merge through a beautiful dress designed by Lila. You won't be able to put this book down. There were several nights when I kept telling myself that I was going to read one more chapter and ended up reading much more.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

The Paris Dressmaker has some good ideas. However, it’s a multi-timeline book that feels overwhelmed by the ideas to the point where maybe it might have been better off being two separate, but connected books to flesh out the characters more earlier on and give the reader a reason to care for each individually.

You follow both the protagonists, Lila and Sandrine, in 1940 and 1943, darting back and forth completely randomly. It’s very jarring and I didn’t find the transitions between time periods and POVs was done well. It was infuriating trying to connect the dots as to why both the time periods for the two women were relevant, and I eventually just gave up trying, and from what I hear from other frustrated reviewers, the payoff wasn’t worth it.

That’s not to say there aren’t the bones of good stories in there. The premise has a lot of potential, but the execution tried to do too much and fell down in the process. There is a sense of the period, so Cambron does really know her stuff, but given that she’s written in the period before, it’s not surprising.

Given some of the daring stylistic choices the book makes, this is going to be a book readers either love or hate. If you like your stories fairly straightforward, you’ll probably also dislike this book. But if you like multi-timeline stories and have the patience to sit with it and work it all out, I think it could work much better for you. Unfortunately, despite my usual love for the style, it failed to grab me as I hoped it would.

2.5 STARS (rounded up to 3): The Paris Dressmaker is the latest book by Kristy Cambron, a new-to-me author. With its stunning book cover and premise about WWII French Resistance from the point of view of women working in popular fashion houses and the art world, this avid Historical Fiction reader was intrigued.

The story focuses on two women during WWII - one a fashion designer and the other an art cataloguer, but I was a little disappointed that the Chanel and Nina Ricci fashion houses played such a minor role. We follow main characters Lila and Sandrine and between their two POVs and the two timelines, there's a lot of jumping back and forth. I assumed that these alternating perspectives and eras were meant to create tension, but the story isn't linear and with Lila and Sandrine's voices sounding so similar, it made for a very disorienting and unnecessarily complicated read. Just when I was getting into one part, the focus would pivot to another time and character, taking me out of the story. Readers eventually understand the link between the two women, but it is weak and comes very late in the book.

The strength of this story comes in Cambron's descriptions of wartime in Paris - the everyday Parisian, the French Resistors and upper class who felt above all the turmoil. She illustrates the desperation, the lack of resources and the limited choices available to Parisian women at the time. Cambron touches on several aspects of the war - Vél d'Hiv, collaborateurs, stolen Jewish art, and the role of the Resistance - but these aspects are handled with a lighter hand. Cambron's lighter style will appeal to readers looking for Historical Fiction that touches on important issues but has a less gritty and violent portrayal of the consequences of war.

I am an avid Historical Fiction reader who prefers a dark and emotional read so this lighter read in the genre wasn't my typical 'jam'. That said, I appreciated the historical themes and premise, but I had hoped to like this book as much as many other readers who rated it much higher than I did. This would be a good pick for readers who enjoy lighter Historical Fiction from authors such as Kristin Harmel, Natasha Lester and Ariel Lawhon.

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Paris Dressmaker is a lovely well-written novel about two ladies in the middle of WW2 Paris who love deeply. They love their country, their men, and will do anything for them, including risking their lives. The intersection of La Resistance, Nazis, high society, the average person, and all the mystery and deception is woven through the novel so well. You have to pay attention to each heading as the timeline jumps around and it's not chronological and it switches characters a lot. I figured it out though. It's clever, exciting, and totally worth reading.

This split-time novel follows the life of two women, Lila and Sandrine, during the German occupation of Paris.

Lila is a dressmaker with the house of Chanel. When news of the impending war flood Paris, she finds herself out of a job. A series of events unfold and she finds herself making haute couture for the women of the Nazi elite. She makes the decision to become a member of La Resistance.

Sandrine's husband is off fighting the war and her father-in-law is dead. She is left to find a way to take care of her family without the men in their lives. When she's ordered to take a job in the art museum, she decides to join the Resistance efforts.

Both women had to fight to survive while also fighting for what they believed in. The novel switches between the two storylines and the reader is slowly brought forward in time. I found the story enthralling. It did a lot to open my eyes to the choices that people sometimes have to make when they are in difficult situations.

War can bring out the best but also the worst in people and we see that in The Paris Dressmaker. I admired Lila and Sandrine. It took a lot to endure what they did especially when they were walking the path between opposing sides. I liked seeing how the two women's stories were intertwined even though they never met each other.

This review was hard for me to write. Having just finished listening to The Diary of Anne Frank, the injustices suffered by the Jews and the cruelty that humanity is capable of weighs on my heart. When God returns, we'll have a lot to answer for.

There was a faint thread of romance between Lila and Rene, and Sandrine and her husband Christian, which were a reminder that even at the worst of times there are still good things. Also woven throughout the novel was the reminder that God sees all that's happening. Mankind has the freedom to do what they choose, which sometimes means doing evil things, but God will not abandon the faithful.

I received an advanced reader's copy from the publishers through NetGalley; a positive review was not required.

Such a moving, sweet, heart warming, hopeful story. Yes it is about war and you do not think of them to be the things above, but this story is about the beauty within war. That even during such a terrible time, there is still love, still hope. This was a wonderful read! I adored it!

Fascinating account of how fashion and dressmakers played a part in the war. Well written but a few of the timelines could have been smoother to transition to the next. There were several POVS but all were well done.
A familiar story sadly but one given new lease of life through these remarkable and forgotten characters in history.
The author did some fascinating research :

"Reviewing photographs, poring over newspaper articles, watching endless newsreels and listening to real-time BBC radio broadcasts of the events as they happened hit a nerve in a core-deep place. It made me rethink how to view history and how we, as the generations those people were fighting for, are shaping the futures of our own children and grandchildren. "

Maybe this novel deserves more than 3 stars, but I really did not like it and am giving it the benefit of the doubt. I would rather give it 2 stars. It seems I have been reading too many stories set during World War II lately, and I must be getting tired of that time period.
The novel takes place In Paris before D-Day . The main characters are participants in the resistance movement. One of them is a dressmaker, hence the title, and uses that occupation to spy on the Germans. The author researched this historical period and situation blending a fictional story with facts. Of course, a romance was a major part of the plot. While the setting was interesting, I was disappointed that fashion did not play a larger role in the story because that's what drew me to this book. I admit it. I really liked the cover.
I'm sure this mixture of history, romance and action would be interesting to many readers. To me, it just seemed like more of the same with a lot of French words thrown in. I actually found the overuse of French vocabulary annoying. Yes, I understand this book takes place in a French speaking country among French speaking people. However, I doubt a book written entirely in French would include the words "non", "merci", "oui" and "bien" more than this book. It's on every page, multiple times. It seemed like an almost desperate attempt to establish setting and mood. The more basic French vocabulary I read, the more annoying it became and the more anxious I felt to finish the book. A copious amount of self-talk was also inserted in italics. These two techniques gave the narrative a forced quality. It detracted from the plot.
Although I considered giving up, I read the book to the end but skimmed quite a bit. I happily deleted it from my tablet.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley For an advance reading copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

This was a very good story of the French resistance, especially the women that were
involved in it.. It was well written and the characters were believable.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review.

Trigger warnings: war, violence, antisemitism, murder

(2.5 stars, rounded up)

In 1939 Paris, World War II is beginning and the legendary house of Chanel is closed. Lila de Laurent finds herself without a job. She starts making dresses for Nazi's wives at the Hôtel Ritz and collects Nazi secrets for the Resistance while sewing.

In 1943 Paris, the Nazis are deporting Jews and taking their property. Sandrine Paquet is tasked with cataloging the works of art being sent to Germany to Hitler's museum. Her husband went to war, and she hasn't heard from him in a long time.

When Sandrine is offered a job working for the Nazis, she has no choice but to accept. Without a working man in the household, they have resorted to selling their valuables to survive. Her neighbors notice the attention she is given by a Nazi officer and label her a collaboratrice.

Lila and Sandrine's stories merge when Sandrine receives a Chanel dress with a hidden message sewn into the hem. Her usual acquisitions are works of art so the gown is a surprising delivery. The message is signed LDL, which are Lila's initials.

Thomas Nelson, a Christian fiction publisher, publishes the novel but the book isn't overtly religious.

Barrie Kreinik narrates the story in a British accent and adds French and German accents to dialogue. I would have preferred two narrators with one reading Lila and one reading Sandrine.

Only recommended for devotees of World War II fiction. There is a sea of WWII titles out there; readers would have a better experience with titles like The Nightingale, The Alice Network, or The Book of Lost Names.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Oh man. The Paris Dressmaker just made me miss Paris so freaking much. The food, atmosphere, and places. So diving into this little historical gem just made me smile. Mostly because it's Paris and not because of the Nazi's.

In it, you will meet Lila and Sandrine. Both are in Paris.. but their POV's are from different times - 1939 vs 1943. I really liked getting to meet these two and seeing their lives while in this precious city. I also really enjoyed seeing them fighting for something that they completely believed in. No matter what the cost was, they fought.

The only thing I probably would've liked more was a smoother transition between the time lines. Luckily for me, I had the audio and ebook version of the ARC. So whenever I got confused I just dove into the ebook for more clarification. So I feel like for someone who doesn't have both available might get confused about who is talking unless you hear about art or clothes.

In the end, this was a really interesting story to dive in to. The characters themselves went through a lot and it was really cool to learn about all the stolen art and stuff. I just feel like the switching of the timelines could've been better (for me).

JUST DIDN'T DO IT FOR ME

I see how many others adore this book. I wish I was one of them. But it just annoys me 🤷‍♀️

👎 What I Disliked 👎

Dual everything: This is a case of too many good ideas all at once. We have multiple POVs as well as multiple timelines, that don't add up or follow any logical rythm. For me it was too much working constantly having to switch between not only the different POVs but also the different times in the story. Too often I had to go back to be able to make sense of the things that were happening. For me, this should have been either the one or the other. Not both. It doesn't work.

Timelines: To cap it off, the multiple timelines made no difference what so ever. It was a completely unnecessary and confusing gimmick that didn't add anything of value to the story.

Connection: The connection between the two storylines/POVs (Sandrine and Lila) was simply too weak and came to late in the story. The great thing about dual storylines is that feeling of recognition you get, when something from the one story suddenly shows up in the other. This didn't happen in this book until the very end and by then I just didn't care. Furthermore, the thing that connected these two stories was so inconsequential in the end that I just didn't buy into it.

Characters: There were none of the characters that I cared about in any way. They didn't feel real to me.

Historical fiction fans, #TheParisDressmaker is designed to be February's fashionable read. Based on true accounts, the women of Paris provided their own resistance during World War II.

Lila de Laurent, a noteworthy designer at Coco Chanel and her contemporaries are left without jobs as Chanel's doors close during the war. Lila's career, friendships and love are put to the test when the Paris is occupied by the Germans.

On the other side of town, Sandrine Paquet is cataloging precious art stolen from Jewish families. While she appears to be collaborating, behind-the-scenes, she's funneling information to the Resistance. Through the years, Lila and Sandrine's stories intertwine as Kristy Cambron chronicles the pride of the Parisian women and loyalty to their country.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the early read in exchange for an honest review. As a fan of Cambron's backlist, I eagerly awaited her latest novel. While I had difficulty keeping track of the dual timelines, I encourage readers to persevere as the second half is a high-speed adventure that will keep them on the edge of their seats.

To close, I've enclosed the author's notes regarding what inspired the novel.

"Reviewing photographs, poring over newspaper articles, watching endless newsreels and listening to real-time BBC radio broadcasts of the events as they happened hit a nerve in a core-deep place. It made me rethink how to view history and how we, as the generations those people were fighting for, are shaping the futures of our own children and grandchildren.

We have a call to remember history as it was, to uncover the truth, to spotlight the savage consequences of sin and to educate future generations so that those brutal mistakes might never be repeated. For the lives lost, the lives lived and the lives yet to come...may we never forget."

This book doesn't just have a gorgeous cover. It contains a beautiful story to match. The recipe was delightful; Location-Paris, Timing-1939 to 1944 (WWII, during Nazi occupation), Themes-history, intrigue, romance. Yes, please. Despite the short time period, Kristy Cambron made this a time-slip novel. I thought that was a delightful idea and so well executed. The stories interwove so well, didn't compete with each other, and swept me away from beginning to end. This was a first time slip novel for me that flipped between such close time periods and I have to say I much prefer this format. The characters were well developed, as was the romance. I really was captivated by this story and highly, highly recommend it to historical fiction fans.

I received a complementary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital arc of this book, all opinions expressed here are my own.

The Paris Dressmaker by Kristy Cambron was the first book I have read by this author and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

We follow the lives of Lila a haute couture dressmaker who works for the French Resistance among the Nazi elite. And Sandrine who works for the French Resistance while cataloguing priceless artwork stolen from Jewish families.

Told across multiple timelines during the Nazi occupation of France, the story focuses on the strength shown by these woman and how they will do whatever they can to help their country.

I have read many novels based around WWII but this one felt different to me. The author has clearly researched well. I loved the characters, they were well developed and we couldn’t help feeling for them. I enjoyed the back and forth time lines showing how the women arrived in their situations, then the mingling of the two at the end.

A fascinating read, I look forward to reading more books by this author. 4.5 stars. The Paris Dressmaker by Kristy Cambron is out on the 16th of February.

I'm realizing I'm a sucker for historical romance that centers around strong women. This book had exactly that! Two strong women fighting to survive during the Second World War in their own, horrible way.

Lila, a dressmaker, struggles to keep her employ in a world now dominated by German women looking to find couture. She's joined the rebellion in order to find her boyfriend and his family, but gets deeper and deeper involved in trying to uproot whatever the Germans have planned for her beloved Paris. When she finds a job making dresses for prominent German wives, she manages to smuggle secrets and photos to the rebellion and help them fight back.

Sandrine has infinitely more to loose than Lila. With her husband at the front, a mother-in-law and a little boy at home, she struggles to avoid the advances of a German captain whose taken a fancy at her. Sandrine also works for the rebellion, but in the only way she's seen possible: in plain sight. While she's being cursed at in the streets, she fights for survival.

While the summary of this book makes it look like a calm novel, I don't think it really does the book justice. There is so much more to this story than advertised on the back.
It's much more than just a blush Chanel dress (even though it sounds absolutely gorgeous). It's two women fighting for survival in a city overrun by German soldiers.

Overall, I quite enjoyed the writing. It flowed really nicely and captured my attention well enough to keep me hooked to the story for hours on end. I laughed, I cried and I felt all the emotions while reading the story.

The characters were well-written and I connected to them, but not as well as I would've liked. Sandrine and Lila are two very different women and they both have their own characters and character-traits, but I have to admit that I liked reading about Lila more than I did reading about Sandrine. Maybe it's the amount of hate I felt for the General that groped her and accosted her.

Overall, if you enjoy reading historical fiction in the Second World War, this is definitely something to consider reading.

3.5 stars
Incredibly detailed look at two courage-filled women during World War II in France. Sandrine and Lila are both working to help the Resistance, but they are also praying and waiting for the men that they love and do not know what has happened to them.

The descriptions of Lila's work as a dressmaker is entwined with Sandrine's work to help catalogue stolen art work are stunningly portrayed. The author's expertise and research shines from each page. The romance is subtle, but present, and is effectively woven into action and intrigue at every turn.

The one thing I had difficulty with in my reading was that each woman has multiple timelines that fold back and forth on themselves. It often took intense concentration to follow what was happening to who and at what time. The events did have discernable themes, when one part was revealed in the past then a parallel storyline was related in the present, but it was still quite confusing.

I listened to this book as an audio book which greatly increased my enjoyment of the novel. The narrator, Barrie Kreinik, is equally skilled with British, French, and American accents and pronunciations. The transitions between them are seamless and absolutely made this book come to life in ways it wouldn't have had I read it on a page.

If you enjoy World War II novels with action, romance, and intrigue, then you will definitely not be disappointed with The Paris Dressmaker.

Left me speechless. Poignant, emotional, romantic, realistic and inspirational. Wow. Kristy Cambron can write, but this story is a league of its own as it comes to life! Lila and Sandrine are ordinary woman called to extraordinary measures in the clutches of war. Both women demonstrate how far one will go to honor and protect those that they love, no matter the cost. The leading men show they are worthy of these women as they too serve their country in a tumultuous time. I felt like I walked the streets of Paris, visited the dress shops/dressing rooms and experienced all the fashionable glory and tasted of the goodness to be found in the bakeries. The depictions of war and occupation were well done and evidence of all the meticulous research that went into this tale. I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own, freely given.

I feel in love with Lila and Sandrine! Two different women whose stories you follow from the beginning to the ending of the Nazi occupation in Paris. Both had completely different experiences and it was so interesting to see how their paths in a way crossed. Both worked for the resistance and had to work with/for the enemy. This book kept me on my toes at times and melted my heart at other times. Wonderful book!

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the historical timeline, and the experiences the characters went through. Meeting the mistresses of the Nazi soldiers was especially interesting to me (I don't really know why!), and I found the role the women played, at times an invisible role, was so interesting. I also thought the story was well-paced and included such engaging information. Overall, I really enjoyed this story a lot! I really liked the characters, and at the end of the day, the characters kept me engaged from the first chapter to the last. If you like historical fiction, this book is for you!