Forgiving Paris is the latest installment of the Baxter Family series by Karen Kingsbury. It can be a standalone because I haven't read the original story of Ashley Baxter. There are enough flashbacks in this story to catch the reader up so that they aren't lost. I read this book in basically one sitting only taking time away to eat dinner and put my kids to bed. I was hooked from the beginning. This is a story of God's redeeming love and a reminder that He loves us all despite our failings. I highly recommend this for anyone who has doubted there is a God and if He cared for you.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion.

I received this book from Netgalley, for an honest review. I have read a few books by Karen Kingsbury and i have enjoyed them. When I started this I didn’t realize it was based off the Baxter series, kind of? Ashley Baxter Blake and her husband are heading to Paris for her art exhibit.. She has mixed feelings about this because Paris, holds some secrets. Some she is not ready to share.. Before the trip, Ashley gets a call from her niece living in Paris. She tells her about her new boyfriend, her time in Paris and how her boyfriends mom thinks she knows Ashley. Ashley will meet her niece in Paris and she will put this puzzle together… When Ashley meets Alice all the emotions are there. They reminisce on the last. The time they spent together in Paris. how both of them were so lost. They made poor decisions and had serious consequences to face. Could this meeting help these ladies? Can they make peace with themselves and with Paris? Can they move forward and leave this time behind? The story is faith based and I do like the religious undertones. It was a good story.. it took me awhile to finish and that surprised me.. Let me know your thoughts!!

Although I've read several books by Karen Kingsbury, I've never read any of the Baxter books and didn't even realize that this is part of a series. I did not find that fact at all confusing, thus story was easy to follow and it can easily be read as a standalone. This book Chronicles the lives of 2 young girls in Paris, one of them a Paris native and the native and 1 from Indiana. A series of tragic events unfold that will forever shape the girl's lives. A story of family, forgiveness, and redemption. A romance and a mystery. Of coming full circle. With Paris descriptions so beautiful you'll feel you are reading a travel guide and you'll want to make a trip to Paris. Karen Kingsbury primarily writes Christian fiction so you will find that there are definite overtones of Christianity and biblical references. That doesn't bother me and I didn't feel like it took anything away from the book and those tidbits are essential to this story, to the girl's stories. I loved the side-by-side symmetry of the girl's stories! In true Kingsbury fashion, this story will touch your heart.

I thought Karen Kingsbury's Forgiving Paris to be a pretty good. I recommend it and am giving it four and a half stars.

I am a big fan of Karen Kingsbury's books. I am grateful to #NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read
#ForgivingParis, prior to its publication. This novel is Ashley's story and how she had to deal with her past to move on in her future. Ashley returns to Paris to do her first art show.. She has to confront her demons from her past..Fans of the Baxter's family will finally learn about Ashley's earlier life and why she vowed never to return to Paris.

It's always so good to learn more about the past of the Baxter family. Taking Ashley back to Paris to deal with her anxiety around her time there years ago was a great move by Karen Kingsbury. For Ashley to find out that she had been such an encouragement and shining light to someone else during her darkest days is uplifting. She truly was brought to the point of forgiving Paris. I have never traveled to Paris but could visualize all of the sights through this book. I am already looking forward to the next installment of the Baxter family.

This was an absolutely heart-wrenching and beautiful story of forgiveness and redemption. I cried pretty much through out the whole book! I have read some of Karen's books that aren't a part of the Baxter series in the past but now that I've read this I am ready to start at the beginning of this family's story and work my way through them all!

Ashley's story was just so touching to me and I can't wait to recommend it to my friends and patrons at the library who enjoy Christian Fiction.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Published 26 October 2021.

I have loved all of the Baxter stories and this was no exception. In Forgiving Paris, Ashley and her husband, Ryan, return to Paris for her art show and the scenes of Ashley's young mistakes. I admired Ashley for being brave enough to go back to Paris and Ryan for understanding that this was difficult for Ashley and being so supportive and loving. Unexpected surprises wait in Paris! Ashley learns that God can even use our mistakes to bring about good and we have to forgive ourselves. We sometimes have to face our past to bring closure. I recommend Forgiving Paris to others especially if they have read the Redemption series. I received a complimentary e-book through NetGalley. This is my honest opinion.

Another awesome book by this author.
You can always count on Karen to write an inspirational story about forgiveness.

I have to say I was a bit confused with the timeline but it did get better for me.

If you love other books in this series you'll enjoy this one... even though it can be read as a standalone.

3.5 stars from me.

*Recv'd a copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Forgiving Paris
A Novel
by Karen Kingsbury
Pub Date 01 Dec 2021 | Archive Date 09 Nov 2021
Atria Books
Romance



I am reviewing a copy of Forgiving Paris through Atria Books and Netgalley:




Ashley Baxter Blake and her husband who live in Indiana are about to take a trip to Paris for their anniversary. But Ashley is resistant More than two decades ago, she made her most grievous mistake in that same city. she has never forgiven herself for what happened in Paris, and she still has secrets she’s hiding that she is afraid will come to light.





Just before the trip, Ashley gets a call from her niece. Jessie explains that her French boyfriend’s mother remembers working at a bakery with an American named Ashley. And her niece Jessie wonders of that could be here.





When Alice and Ashley meet, a flood of memories comes for both women, taking Ashley back to a reckless affair and an unexpected pregnancy and Alice to the night she nearly ended it all. Can this reunion bring healing and closure? Maybe it is finally time for Ashley to forgive herself.and Paris.



If you are looking for a beautiful Christian novel, full of forgiveness, romance, and so much more.



I give Forgiving Paris five out of five stars!



Happy Reading!

Wow, all I can say is, FORGIVING PARIS blew me away! Be prepared to go on an emotional roller coaster ride like you have never experienced before. It is part of The Baxter Family series but it can easily be read as a stand alone, which is what I did.

Karen Kingsbury sure knows how to make the reader feel as if they are right there at the kitchen table with the family dealing with all their troubles and FORGIVING PARIS is exactly that! She made me sad, then the next moment I was smiling and giggling out loud! You can never go wrong with a Karen Kingsbury book if you are a fan of the Christian fiction genre. All of her characters feel genuine and relatable and put your emotions on one heck of a roller coaster ride. As you are reading, you will find yourself cheering for all of them, praying they can work out their problems and be happy once again. You will also wonder how much heartache a family can stand before it completely breaks down and splits.

FORGIVING PARIS is a heart tugging story filled with grief, loneliness, heartbreak, and love that will hold you hostage until the very last page. Once I started this heartwarming story, it was very hard to put down! I really prayed that Landon would be able to convince Ashley that she wasn’t damaged and deserved to be loved and cherished. Karen Kingsbury isn’t afraid to write about subjects out of the norm as far as the Christian Fiction genre goes. Oh, as a warning to the reader, keep the tissues handy and do not read the ending in a public place unless you don’t mind crying in front of strangers! I’m so excited to continue catching up on all of Karen Kingsbury’s previous books.

Along with the heartbreak there is also hope, faith and healing. I felt so close to the whole family as I finished up FORGIVING PARIS and really didn’t want the book to end. Karen is an excellent story teller and she gets you so caught up in their lives right from the very first page and never lets you go. This is a book that will stay with me for a very long time!

FORGIVING PARIS is all about family and the past and the secrets that come out are heart tugging. It had me flipping through the pages like a woman on a mission. I had to know what was going to happen to Ashley and Alice and all the secondary characters. The characters are all well written and totally believable. FORGIVING PARIS is without a doubt one of the best books I’ve read in 2021 so far. I was instantly emotionally invested in all of the characters. My heart broke for Ashley as well as Alice and for all they were dealing with.

Karen Kingsbury really knows how to write about family drama, heartbreak, and forgiveness. I can not wait to read more by this wonderful and heart tugging author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Atria Books through Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

3.5 ⭐️ From me for this one.

This was my first read from this author and I will embarrassingly admit that I was not aware this book was part of a very popular series with a huge following, but in my defense, there was nothing in the blurb indicating this was part of a series either. That said, nothing was lost for not having ready the other books in this series; this volume read nicely as a stand alone. I will be fair and admit that I generally wouldn’t consider myself to be part of this author’s targeted readership, but I was overall pleasantly surprised and enjoyed this story. The Christian emphasis was a bit too heavy for my liking (and I’m a Catholic girl), and the whole suspense element with Albert was far fetched, but still I found myself turning the pages in anticipation of what was going to happen. Kingsbury was successful with the build up and I was absolutely certain something bad was coming but she dropped the bomb with the way she played things out and I was disappointed with the whole turn of events. It was wrapped up a little too neatly for me, but then again, this is Christian fiction. Despite the heavy Christian references and disappointing suspense aspect, the story held my attention and had me reflecting on one’s purpose in life and how the people we meet and events in our life are interconnected, no matter how inconsequential we may think at the time, one affects the other and the other affects the next, and the choices we make direct not only our journey but impact the lives of others. I do believe you don’t meet people by accident, they come into our lives for a reason whether it’s a lesson or a blessing and enjoyed reflecting on this. Fans of Karen Kingsbury and Christian fiction will enjoy this one.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for an advance readers copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

A continuation of Karen Kinsbury's beloved Baxter Family saga--but a book that also stands alone--Forgiving Paris was Christian Fiction with dark themes that led to a heartfelt, joyous outcome for its cast of characters.

I will caution readers on two things about Forgiving Paris. First, it can certainly be read as a standalone but there will be numerous characters to keep track of. Not only are there several points of view that are all intricately woven together, but the Baxter family is also pretty large and has their own rich backstory. So if you're new to Kingsbury's work, it might feel a tad overwhelming. Second, this is definitely Christian Fiction. There is mention in every chapter, every passage--sometimes every single page--about faith, divine intervention, scriptures listed, prayers being said. If you're a reader who's not comfortable with a novel quite that entrenched in religion then this might not work for you.

Kingsbury did weave together a tale that was heavy yet hopeful, if that makes sense. It started off in the late '90s, moved forward to present day, and then had flashback passages explaining how Alice, Ashley, Jessie, and Gabriel's lives all got tangled up together. There were some very tough decisions Ashley and Alice had to make over the years. So I do have to give Kingsbury credit for not glossing over the difficulties life can bring us all and for really exploring how each choice has ripple effects--how it can affect others without us even realizing it.

A continuation of the Baxter series, Forgiving Paris focuses yet again on Karen's favorite Baxter: Ashley. Flipping between current-day and two decades prior (through Ashley's dreams), the reader learns more of what happened to Ashley when she left home as a teenager and traveled across the ocean, running from grief and hoping to start over.

As always, the ending is clear from the very beginning. However, unlike other Baxter novels, this one introduces several new characters, giving them more attention than usual. Weaving together several individual stories helped keep the novel moving. While it certainly won't be as enjoyable for those who are brand new to the Baxters, for readers who have been there all along, Forgiving Paris is one to pick up as it sheds much more light on a piece of the story that was mostly unknown.

As always, Karen has writing a book that truly touches my heart! This story was deep and so good! I loved the Characters and felt very connected to them.

Lovely story with quite an extensive web of characters. At first I was a little frustrated that new characters were being introduced so rapidly. I couldn’t keep up. But once I got to the meat of the book, it started to make sense. I do not know much about the Baxter family but that didn’t really matter. I love the travel component and the regret/forgiveness storyline. It’s so applicable to everyone. I read this book quickly. Basically in a day. So easy to read. I wish there was more detail about Albert. Oh well. Interesting story and great read. Overall I recommend it.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. I was in no way required to write a positive review. All thoughts are my own.

I always love Karen's book' s!
I can always get to them and never want to put them down.. ❣️
I always looks forward to the next.
I love the characters and the cover.
her books get better and better by the moment.

Karen Kingsbury writes another heartwarming book. Kingsbury captures the setting of Paris perfectly in Forgiving Paris. It is a pleasant story to provide an escape from the current world.

#Forgiving Paris# by Karen Kingsbury is a time split story. This story is an inspirational fiction story. Karen is a best selling author. Many of her novels have turned into a Hallmark movie. Her Baxter series are scheduled to turn into a TV series. Karen is an adjust writing professor at Liberty University. In 2001 Karen and her husband adopted three boys from Haiti. The story starts two decades earlier with Ashley Baxter having an art exhibit in Paris. Later in the book she is married two decades later and returns to Paris. She has to face the mistakes she made earlier in her life. She has to come to terms with her past. The story makes us think about our need to forgive our past and not to carry it further in our future. I think it is wonderful that Ashley came to terms with her past and forgave herself. The story is beautifully written. The characters are described well. The settings of Indiana and Paris are also well described. Thank you to netgalley, the author and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book. I would highly recommend this book.

Email cnlarimer2@gmail.com

Time spent with my favorite family, the Baxter’s, is time well spent indeed! Years ago we were introduced and each story is full of faith, hope, love and redemption. Ashley’s story started when she returned home from Paris, battered and broken and in need of forgiveness for the mistakes she had made. In this book, Kingsbury takes us back to Paris and gives us insight into the cause of the shame, guilt and brokenness that Ashley has carried with her all these years. Even though her heart has mended and her relationship with God was restored so many years ago, she has never forgiven herself. As a trip to Paris to exhibit her art in the very gallery she once worked at looms, so many memories of her days in Paris come back to haunt her. Memories she would rather not relive. Has she made a mistake planning this trip or is there finally a chance for true redemption? A chance to finally, once and for all, forgive herself? Being a fan of Karen’s books forever, I have to say that her latest books have taken on a new depth. One that is more layered and brings her stories to a whole new level. Forgiving Paris had me captivated from the start and I didn’t put it down until the very last page. Looking forward to much more from Karen Kingsbury and hopefully the Baxter’s in the very near future!