So good!! I feel like Kristy Cambron was always meant to write this story. I was so invested in the story of these characters that I couldn't put this down.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book for an honest review.

I so wanted to love this book... that cover is gorgeous! However, the jumping around of timelines, never really knowing who it was going to involve, was confusing. The whole book just seemed a little safe and sanitised to me.

This was my first book by Kristy, but it definitely won’t be my last – I’m excited to get to her backlist, starting with one of hers that’s on my shelf.

I tend to find WWII historical fiction with women as the protagonists so fascinating and this book was no exception. The story focuses on two women in two timelines, both of them working in the arts – Lila is a dressmaker in the world of high fashion and Sandrine works to catalog priceless artwork stolen from Jewish families that is being sent to the Fuhrer in Berlin. Each of the women end up using their skills to assist the Resistance and eventually their worlds converge. I enjoyed the unique perspective of events that were occurring during the war in occupied France as well as the brave women this book was about. I have such a habit of asking myself if I would do what these women did and if I would be as brave as they were - I always end up thinking these women are far braver than I could ever be! I’m definitely going to be recommending this one to historical fiction readers who enjoy books with strong female characters.

I love historical fiction that is based in WWII history. I didn't realize how much I would enjoy this book and story or should I say stories. There were multiple stories entwined into the bigger narrative. I was moved as these women left behind the luxuries that they knew to fight for their beloved Paris. The indignities that were suffered. The sacrifices that were made. For Paris, for love, for culture, for Freedom.

There were moments I felt that I was there with them. Fighting and fearing for life. Hiding the things most dear. Letting people believe that they were something that they were not, being seen as collaborators with the Nazis and traitors to France,

There were moments of peril when I thought they could not survive and moments when I wept with them. I felt like I better understood Paris and its art, couture and culture from this book. There were moments when I was happy, others when I was frightened, and others when I wept for the losses.

The women in this story paved the way for The Monuments Men who saved so much of the art stolen by the Nazis.

If I have a complaint about this book, there is only one, I struggled with the way the timelines bounced around. I was following two storylines with two timelines within each. It is important to keep track of the dates because its hard to know where things are if you don't.

I received an early copy through the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest review.

It’s always fascinating to read true stories.

I love to read about women who went through history, making a difference, fighting for freedom. It shows how far we’ve come and how much we have to learn from our past. And this book does just that. Everyone knows WW2 and the atrocities that occurred, and seeing things from this perspective is an interesting thing to acknowledge,

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the earc in return for an honest review.

With The Paris Dressmaker, Kristy Cambron pulls readers back in time to the days of WWII and Nazi-occupied France in a story that is both heartbreaking and inspiring.

Appalled by all that is happening around her, Lila de Laurent takes advantage of her position as dressmaker to the ladies of the Nazi elite to spy for the French Resistance. Sandrine Paquet wonders every day if her husband is still alive. Determined to make a difference, she fights back in the only way she knows how, by saving as many priceless pieces of art as possible. The discovery of a cryptic message sewn into a lavish Chanel gown stitches the two together women in a daring plan that will either strike a massive blow to the Nazi occupiers or shred their lives beyond repair.

Though the many jumps back and forth in time and character make for a cleverly unfolding tale, readers will want to pay special attention to the times, characters, and places noted at the beginning of each chapter.

*I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This novel was a little harder to get it to than Mrs Cambron’s other books. But with that being said, it was still a good read.

The Paris Dressmaker by Kristy Cambron is not an easy read. It’s heavy and weighs on the reader like a thick cloak. Don’t get me wrong, this is NOT a bad story or a boring read. Not even in the slightest. It’s just heavy and tense; it places the reader into the heart of Paris during Nazi occupation and doesn’t let up. This is a fully immersive read where the reader becomes a character experiencing the intensity of tyrannical authoritarianism. The Paris Dressmaker is a story that won’t let the reader go even after the final page has been read. It makes the reader think, it makes the reader compare the current day to the scary days of Nazi rule, and it makes the reader contemplate the future as an individual in a modern era that seems to be mimicking at supersonic speeds the mistakes of the past. The Paris Dressmaker is a story that has deeply affected me and has left me a little wrecked. The end of this novel is SO hope-filled and SO good, but it has left me wondering if there are any brave men and women in my day, like Sandrine and Lila, who will stand up and fight the darkness that is here, that is coming at breakneck speed, even though doing so goes against the loud majority. The Paris Dressmaker is not an easy read, but I believe it is an absolute must-read story.

The Paris Dressmaker is a complex, yet highly enjoyable, narrative. It is set-up to follow two main heroines as they experience Nazi-occupied France between 1938-1944. Time jumps a lot in this story between 1938-1944, so the reader must focus and pay close attention or details could be missed. The characters are brilliantly crafted. Sandrine and Lila become very real almost immediately. What I love most about both women is how relatable they are even though they come from very different worlds, and deal with very different challenges. Some issues transcend place and time, and this definitely goes for the very scary things both women have to deal with. My favorite thematic point is the one Sandrine deals with throughout the entire story — being brave enough to do what is right even when what is right looks wrong or goes against Society. Doing what is right is often a more difficult thing to do, but it’s really the only way to go. The Paris Dressmaker is an excellent historical novel in that the research is superbly done. I learned so much from this story. I had no idea about the “kept” Parisian women who felt it was safest to enter into relationships with German soldiers, I had no idea about the men and women who worked tirelessly in the FFI, and I had no idea people took it upon themselves to catalog all the stolen art and artifacts the Germans were pilfering from Parisian Jews in the hopes that one day they could return the stolen works. My eyes were truly opened to the plight of all Parisians at this time — rich, poor, old, young — and I could feel the tension and fear and hatred they felt towards the terrifying Nazis. Cambron definitely creates an amazing sense of place in this story. I don’t feel like I read history, I feel like I lived it.

There is so much more that could be said about The Paris Dressmaker. Honestly, this review can’t begin to do this book justice. It’s just that amazing a novel. If you are a fan of excellently written Historical Romances with an amazing sense of time and place, then I HIGHLY recommend The Paris Dressmaker by Kristy Cambron. This book is AMAZING!

I received a copy of this novel in eBook form from Thomas Nelson Publishers via NetGalley in order to review. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

There’s romance, there’s history, there’s drama, so much to stir your imagination. Loved the strong determined women. Lots to like about this book. Just that I wish the structure is more straightforward, instead of a timeline that weaves here and there. The writing style is also not quite what I’m used to.

Having said all that, I would love to see what this author will write about next!

I might have been initially persuaded by the beautiful cover, but Kristy Cambron's writing in "The Paris Dressmaker" was exceptional! The research she did to prepare for this novel was enlightening for me, as I often don't know the details that other Europeans suffered during WW2. Yes, as you were thinking, "do we need another WW2 book?", I encourage a different thought with this one. 

In this novel we follow the story of talented dressmaker, "Lila", and "Sandrine", the wife of a French soldier and from the Paquet family who were in publishing before the war. Both of these ladies were forced to adapt and ultimately were able to work with the resistance under tremendous stressful circumstances. 

Lila looses her job working as a haute couture dressmaker with a prominent fashion company when a childhood friend, Amelie, had a photo in a newspaper from a Nazi social event wearing a dress Lila designed. As a last resort, she is able to use her skills to dress Amelie and all of the "collaborators horizontele" at the Hotel Ritz, the Nazis' Paris headquarters while secretly collecting information for the resistance. Separately, Sandrine catches the eye of a Nazi officer when she was working at a bookstore. When she thought her close encounter with the Nazis were over, the officer shows up at her family apartment "offering" her a job cataloguing art for the Nazis. She, too, helped secretly collect data on the destination of the art that was being shipped to Germany. 

As the timeline bounces back and forth from the beginning to the end of the occupation of the Nazis, I found myself counting down the time until I could get caught up in the action and find how the women’s stories meet.

Thanks to Netgalley & Thomas-Nelson Publishing for my review copy! All thoughts are my own.

This was a slow read that I considered abandoning several times, but stuck with it to the end. I know my opinions will be in the minority but it just did not work for me.

I am usually a fan of historical novels but this one was written in a way that confused me. I feel this book would have been better had the time jumps been more consistent - continuing with events chronologically as the story unfolds.. This is also why the dual voices/narratives didn't work either.

Thank you for the opportunity.

Just a few pages in and I knew already that this was going to be a good read (and how beautiful is that cover?!!) 😍

I could feel my sadness deepening as I read about the occupation beginning their takeover of Paris, and the heartbreak and fear the Parisians went through from that point on bought tears to my eyes just a few chapters in 💔 This is a well researched, detailed and beautifully written book!

Lila and Sandrine are incredibly brave women who each go about their own secret pursuits to aide the resistance against the Nazi’s (and they do this right under the Germans noses)! My heart went out to each of them as I read their seperate journeys and admired their strength and loyalty as Parisians. This book is a slow burn but it doesn’t take away from the mesmerising story telling as a whole, and the story is so sad, intriguing and beautiful.

The last quarter of this book was so intense that I couldn’t stop flipping those pages. I read with anxiousness and worry for the beautiful group of characters, and it was a bittersweet feeling as tears pricked my eyes due to the sad and tragic things happening, but I was smiling too and cheering them on for their bravery. I loved this book!! It’s a beautiful and emotional read that I highly recommend to anyone who loves historical fiction as I do! 💕

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in return for an honest review. I truly enjoyed this!

The Paris Dressmaker is a breathtaking work. This is that wonderful combination of research and heart, masterfully woven together by a powerfully gifted storyteller. The story follows two unconnected Parisienne women. Sandrine and Lila both take on startling roles within the French resistance after the Nazi’s invade France.

Sandrine is raising her son alone because her husband left to fight. She fends for her mother-in-law too, after her father-in-law is executed by the Gestapo. The man she loves appears to have abandoned Lila. Heartbroken, she, vows to protect his family assets.

A freak shooting places Lila directly in the path of René’s patisserie truck, and consequently she’s thrust into his world of espionage. Meanwhile Sandrine is forced to work for the Reich, cataloging priceless art. But instead of kowtowing to her German boss, she works with her colleagues to keep a second dossier.

Two women in an unimaginable time. Each using their talents to defy the occupation in innocuous but powerful ways. However, both are accused of betrayal while risking their lives.

Cambron’s command of the atmosphere and geography of war-torn Paris is powerful and will transport readers to the banks of the Seine in a heartbeat.

At first I struggled with the way the story hopped from 1944, which was present day in this novel, and to the early days of the occupation. By the end, it all made sense. And speaking of the ending, I got goosebumps and tears.

This is well worth reading . Very highly recommended.

For a sneak peek or to buy a copy of The Paris Dressmaker, click here…

Here’s Kristy’s website…

https://avanikshah.wordpress.com/2021/04/08/the-paris-dressmaker-kristy-cambron/

The Paris Dressmaker by Kristy Cambron is a Historical Fiction novel set in the World War II times, in Paris when the Nazi's control was overpowering the entire France. The story is based on true events of how Parisiennes resisted the Nazi occupation in World War II—from fashion houses to the city streets—comes a story of two courageous women who risked everything to fight an evil they couldn’t abide.

Well, to be honest I went into this book blindly mainly because of two things - A. Set in Paris, B. About fashion and Dressmakers. Set by the span of Nazi's rule over French, 1939 to 1943, the book definitely has been told and written brilliantly. I enjoyed reading about how these women tried to live and hide from SS Nazi's soldiers.

But definitely book has a slow start and some thrill was missing, which will make this read flat for some readers as well as in the middle it was kind of confusing. For Lila and Sandrine it makes life harder. Sandrine's husband, Christine is missing and she has a son Henri, both of which find it really hard to live in these times.
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Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my review of this book.

I was so excited about this book. I don't normally like historical fiction or romance but something about the description jumped out at me. While I get where the author was going and the intents of the writing, the multiple POVs following the women make it really hard to get into the story. It took at least half of the story to really figure out what is happening and actually start to care. I see the points other reviewers make and why the book is so loved, but I just couldn't get into it and that made it hard to like.

Thanks to the publishers and #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review of #TheParisDressmaker

In this historic novel, we follow Lila and Sandrine, as they live and fight during the occupation of Paris. Compelling and emotional, the story is shown by alternating perspectives and periods, allow us to peak beyond the story, into the mind of the heroines. The despair, the struggle and even more important finding moment when life has some semblance of joy and just pure human resistance.

You are In for a lot of emotion and a very clear image of what war and human despair look like in times of great tragedy. And then there is silent courage of these women. I really enjoyed it!

Still working my way through this one, but had to hop on and just say that it is incredible! I am so impressed with the writing, dialogue, etc. Yes, the flipping back and forth between two people and two different timelines can be confusing, but it's just a book that requires a bit more from the reader -nothing wrong with that. Lots of great books require the reader to try, and that's okay!

A well researched and thoroughly engrossing story of two strong women, who each work with the resistance in France during World War II. Told through a dual timeline, this story will take a hold of you and not let you go until you finish it, and even then it will stay with you. The characters are wonderfully drawn and you feel like you are there along side them, fighting against the Nazi occupation in any way that you can. Lila, a dressmaker, who once worked for Coco Chanel before the war is working to design dresses for the paramours of the Nazi soldiers at the Hotel Ritz. Sandrine, a wife and mother with her husband off to war, works to help catalog the art that has been stolen from Jewish families and shipped off to other countries. These strong characters help the reader to feel the struggles that people felt at that time and I was immersed in the story from the beginning. This is a must read for fans of historical fiction, and other readers as well.

I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Paris Dressmaker is an amazing story of the hidden strength of Parisiennes during the Nazi occupation of Paris, told through the stories of two women who are both secretly working with The Resistance, Lila and Sandrine, and their families and coworkers. The tale jumps back and forth between the stories of the two women and different time periods but by about ¾ of the way through, they have interconnected and things come together. As a non-French speaker, I found myself having to have a page open to Google Translate to see what was being said in French, although it was explained later in the same paragraph. All in all, a great story that i would highly recommend. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Paris Dressmaker by Kristy Cambron is a fantastic historical fiction novel that details the courageous exploits of two women during WWII. In the center of this book linking the two seemingly unrelated timelines is a couture Chanel gown. We are transported to the hardships of just before the war in the stories of Lila de Laurent in 1939 in Paris and during the war with Sandrine Paquet in 1943 in Paris.

Cambron captured the true essence of the City of Light and the destruction wrought upon it by the Nazi’s. Lila and Sandrine both have many reasons to avoid being drawn into the French Resistance but ultimately their sense of justice overwhelm their desire for safety. As mentioned, the book is told in dual timelines and dual time periods. This provides a true understanding of the devastation of Nazi Occupation. Women just like our heroines used their limited resources to fight back in the only way they knew how.

The Paris Dressmaker is a moving story of the political and social landscape of a country ravaged by war. You are drawn in so fully that you can not help but feel the suffering of all individuals. As a lover of fashion the backstory for haute couture was riveting. While this is a much addressed genre for historical fiction, by focusing on wartime drama in the well known fashion industry the story was unique and Cambron was truly masterful in her examination of a difficult topic.

I was provided a free advance reader copy from Thomas Nelson Fiction in exchange for my honest review from Net Galley. The opinions shared in this review are my own.