Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest and personal review. This book is a psychological crime drama that is set in Paris. It is a mystery full of twists and turns, with a shadowy apartment building that also feels like a main character. Ben and Jess are half siblings who were separated when they lost their mom. Jess goes to stay with Ben after having some life issues and when she arrives, he is missing. What does Jess really know about Ben, not much as it turns out. She has to delve into his life and the people in it, to try and find out what happened to him. Thrilling ride from beginning to end, a must read.

You will not be able to put this book down!!! The characters all have their own personal problems - put all these problems together, stir them up and you have a complete recipe for murder, deceit and a GREAT story!!! Lucy Foley does not loosen her grip until the very last page!

Loved this deceptive mystery set in a mysterious apartment building in Paris. Lots of unexpected reveals as the the plot twists and turns. Definitely one of the best by Foley. Would recommend.

very atmospheric, but overall a one and done thriller. i probably wont reread. however, it was fun at the time!

Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-galley for review. The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley follows Jess as she makes an impromptu visit to her brother Ben in Paris. When she gets there, he's gone. At first she thinks nothing of it, but then he still doesn't appear. As she meets more and more of the inhabitants of the building he is staying in, she realizes that something just doesn't add up. Lucy Foley keeps the reader off balance in the best way, until the last possible minute. Very enjoyable read!

Jess has made a mess of her life and is in need of a place to crash until she figures out her next move. Thankfully, her half-brother, Ben, has said that she can crash with him at his Paris apartment. Jess shows up on his doorstep and he is gone. He knew she was coming; he invited her. So his absence confused Jess. Jess introduces herself to the other residents of the apartment, hoping they might know where Jess might be. Instead, Jess discovers that they are all keeping secrets. But is the biggest secret of all what happened to Ben?


I have gotten to be very fond of Lucy Foley books, but I struggled with The Paris Apartment. I struggled to find Jess's concern genuine. Was she just wanting to find Ben so that he could basically take care of her? And as someone who grew up in a blended family, their whole backstory really kind of turned me off. The rest of the residents of the apartment were odd, shady characters. The apartment building itself was another character. An old Paris apartment with interesting architecture really added to the story. The book wasn't as "twisty" as previous books I have read by this author, but it was still a big reveal - CLICK HERE FOR SPOILERS.



Bottom Line - The Paris Apartment is an atmospheric mystery thriller about the residents of one historic apartment in Paris. Exactly what readers have come to expect from Lucy Foley.



Details:

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley
On Twitter
Pages: 368
Publisher: William Morrow
Publication Date: 2/22/2022
Buy it Here!
Thank you to NetGalley for the book in exchange for a review.

Jess goes to Paris to visit her half brother Ben and to get a fresh start. When she gets there, her brother isn't there. This sends Jess on the quest to finds him. The other inhabitants of his apartment aren't friendly or helpful. Told from different viewpoints, you gets lots of clues and red herrings to try and figure out just what has happened to Ben. It will keep you turnig the pages until all is revealed.

From my blog: Always With a Book

This is the third book I’ve read by Lucy Foley and I just love her writing. While this latest book is a bit different than her previous two books, I really liked it and the more I’ve sat with it, the more I really appreciate that.

Lucy Foley has proven that she can do locked-room mysteries and do them well. It’s a trope I will never get tired of and I love all her different takes on it. In this latest one, we have a cast of troubled characters and lots of secrets and I loved the way we are slowly given information, bit by bit. The characters many not all be likeable, but boy do they all keep you guessing as to what is really going on, so much so that you have to wonder if they are even reliable.

There is something incredibly atmospheric about this story – the apartment building itself just oozes suspense – it’s so claustrophobic and cloying. I loved that I could totally picture the watchful concierge just keeping an eye out, hidden from view most times. It’s downright spooky when you think about it.

Between the short chapters and the twists, I was completely on edge reading this one. While I did figure out a few things, the author still managed to catch me unaware with her clever red herrings and misdirection and it just proves why this author is a must-read for me!

I want to love Lucy Foley's books so badly, but I think she definitely needs a different editor. I'm not one for slow-burn anything, and I want my thrillers to move much more quickly than Foley's do. The ending was good and I enjoyed the overall plotline, but I needed it cut down for length and explanation. The reader on the audio was great.

The Paris Apartment is told from several different characters each getting their own chapter. Unfortunately none of them were likable and though the book was set in Paris, I didn't get that Parisian feel. Overall, it was average.

This is the second Lucy Foley book I read, having read her very popular The Guest List. I thought it was just OK for me. There was a little suspense and I didn't see the ending/big reveal coming. I didn't really care for the main character and thought there was a lot of fluff. The book could have been shortened and would have been just fine.

I wonder if Lucy Foley has a specific writing style. It seemed to me, this followed a similar pattern to The Guest List (although it also seemed like most people I know who read both liked The Guest List more). Both books had lots of multiple narrators and had surprising endings that there was no way to see them coming.

At the beginning, we meet Ben, living in a Paris apartment who is greeted unexpectedly by a visitor, is scared and then gone. His sister Jess is on her way to visit him, arrives and then spends 3 days looking for him. So then, we meet all the people who live in this fancy old apartment (which is itself quite a character on the book). I wonder, if hearing this on audio with multiple narrators would be helpful (like I heard for The Guest List). You get a helpful twist about 40% into the book - and a lot of helpful news in the last 10%.

Idk, I think Foley loves all these strange and flawed characters. I can see how these impressive old Paris apartments inspired her to wonder who lives in them and what secrets they hold.

“You know, I read somewhere that sixty percent of us can’t go more than ten minutes without lying. Little slippages: to make ourselves sound better, more attractive, to others.”

“‘It’s not about where you came from. What kind of shit might have happened to you in the past. It’s about who you are. What you do with the opportunities life presents to you.’”

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book! I was really curious to read something else of Foley’s.

I dnf this book. It just took too long to get going and I lost interest. It's been popular and I can see myself maybe picking it up again. The premise was interesting.

Jess can tell her half-brother Ben isn't thrilled about her coming to stay with him while she gets back on her feet. But when she shows up at his door and he's not there she starts off annoyed and gradually gets worried the longer she doesn't hear from him.
Immediately this book gave me total Goosebump vibes. Switching perspectives and ending each chapter on a cliffhanger gives the reader such an interactive experience. Another thing I really appreciated is the way this book is creepy and kept me on the edge of my seat without being gross? I find it's more and more common for thrillers to go for absolute shock-value instead of just filling the story with plot twists and red herrings but this one ticked all the boxes for me.

Set in a grand apartment building with creepy mysterious residents this is a psychological, atmospheric thriller that has a great set up, plenty of twists and turns, but somehow falls a little flat. Ben becomes one of the residents. He is a British Journalist and is working on a big story...turns out it is about the family that owns the apartment building. When Jess, his half sister, arrives for a visit she is shocked to discover that he is not there when she arrives. Trying to solve the mystery of what happened to Ben she meets all of the apartment residents and finds herself in the middle of a much larger mystery/conspiracy. The characters are interesting and colorful. Jess is smart and resourceful. This is a great vacation read, it will keep you turning pages.

Jess travels to Paris to crash with her brother Ben after leaving her job in London abruptly. When she arrives at his apartment, there's no answer. Their last phone call was mysteriously cut short and she's left on her own in his place trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Ben doesn't seem to be coming back, so Jess is forced to follow the clues that seem to lead to the strange neighbors. This thrilling story is a complex look at family dynamics. It's a quick read and one that I personally liked more than The Hunting Party and The Guest List.

I’m a fan of all of Lucy Foley’s books and while this wasn’t my favorite of her books I did really like it. I loved the different points of view, and how the apartment building became its own character. I started it and didn’t want to put it down until I got to the end.

This one was a slow start that had me pick up and finish a few books in between but once you get about 40% through, you’re in for a ride!

Thanks to NetGalley & William Morrow for an arc.

Set in a fancy apartment in Paris, this novel follows Jess as she tries to figure out what happened to her missing brother. I absolutely loved the setting of this book - it almost feels claustrophobic with Jess staying in an apartment building surrounded by odd strangers. Something feels odd about the apartment from the beginning and I loved how that tension built throughout the book. It gave me similar vibes to the unsettling apartment building in Riley Sager's Lock Every Door.

The characters were also all interesting and, as with most good mysteries, they all had their secrets. I loved that this book had short chapters that jumped from character to character. The build-up of the story worked well as each character's chapters and versions of events reveal a little more about what's really going on. We're figuring out things along with Jess and there were still a couple twists at the end I didn't see coming.

If you liked Foley's previous books or just enjoy a solid mystery with some good twists, I'd recommend this one.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Full disclosure: I have wanted to love the author’s previous books but felt they didn’t live up to the hype and was disappointed. I figured I’d give her one last chance to wind me over and then I’d give up for good. Well she did it. I liked this book so much more than the others. I loved the big twist at the end. I enjoyed the different characters. I liked the different view points. There were a couple of things that didn’t quite add up as the story progressed but weren’t glaring enough to make me dislike the book.

Well done. 3.5