Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. This novel drew me in right away. You are meant to be staying with your brother in his paris apartment but when you get there he is no where to be found. Then as you start trying to uncover the mystery as to where he is, as you are sitting in the apartment someone else is entering, using a key – and you know that it no one else has a key… An atmospheric twisty whodunit kind of read I was just as determined to find her brother as Jess was. The other residents of the apartment building were well portrayed and left me wondering if they were involved in the disppearance of Jess's brother in some way. Secretive, creepy neighbours I was here for it all. The ivy-festooned apartment building itself was very much a character in this novel. The cobble-stoned courtyard. The ‘cave’, the dark and smelly stone cellar where thousands of euros worth of wine was stored. The hidden staircase with the spy-holes to the various apartments. The creepy attic room, the ‘chambre de bonne‘ all making it a very atmospheric read. A great thriller read filled with dark family secrets, family dysfunction, plot twists its everything you want in a thriller. #lucyfoley #theparisapartment #netgalley #goodreads #thestorygraph #tea_sipping_bookworm #getlitsy #thriller #bookqueen #bookstagram #kindle

I enjoyed the way Lucy Foley took a different direction in terms of plot with this book, though still with the small enclosed space feel. This book definitely got me thinking, while I, along with Jess, tried to discover all the mysteries surrounding this apartment complex and her brothers disappearance. An enjoyable read!

Fans of the Guest List should enjoy Lucy Foley's latest in what seems to be her signature style. Paris Apartment has many points of view, an atmospheric setting, unreliable narrators and as a reader it's never clear who to trust. Again the classic locked-room mystery formula is used here and although the pace doesn't really pick up until towards the end of the book the story feels twisty and compelling enough to engage most readers.
Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

Lucy Foley has a formula for writing books and it works. Jess is unemployed and poor so decides to stay with her step brother Ben until she gets on her feet. Yet when she arrives, Ben is nowhere to be found. The more Jess finds out, the weirder things get. The story grows from the perspectives of different characters and while some found it slow, I enjoyed it.

I love Lucy Foley and went into the book knowing she likes to use a whole suite of characters but unfortunately I just couldn't get into this book and it was a DNF for me.

The pace starts off very slow and then intensifies. Lots of characters in this book so keep your mind on the ball. Loved how unpredictable it was and the ending really sold the book for me.

The Paris Apartment follows Jess, who's broke, alone and jobless. She begs her half-brother Ben to let her crash at his Paris apartment, but when she arrives at his luxurious pad, he's not there. As the days stretch on, Jess begins to worry and starts digging into her brother's situation. She starts with his eclectic bunch of neighbours, who are basically all suspects and lying to Jess about something. Will she find out the truth before it's too late?

Like The Guest List, The Paris Apartment features multiple points of view, so you have zero clue who to trust. The short chapters and compulsive nature made it a fast-paced and quick read. The longer Jess dug, the bigger the shocks. Honestly, there were a couple of twists and turns I did not see coming, which made it all the more enjoyable (and tense).

If you enjoyed The Guest List, I think you'll like this one as well.

I read this book a couple of months ago as part of the #casualbuddyread. I was so excited to read this and it was great to be able to discuss it with a lovely group of bookstagrammers!

Entering the book, all you know is that a murder occurs at No. 12 rue des Amants. There are several characters involved, and the key to the murder is behind apartment 3.

I’m not going to say too much more as I think it’s best not to know too much! The first half was a slow burn but very easy to read as the chapters are short, and the second half was full of twists and was exactly what I want from a thriller! I kept changing my theory about what happened, and loved the ending.

Thanks to @netgalley and @harpercollinsaustralia for the review copy.

What’s better than the classic locked-room mystery? For some, their attraction may be the intrinsic sense of urgency and magician-like performances of the perpetrators, but for me it’s the creativity and complexity of the puzzle that reels me in every time. Lucy Foley has recently made a name for herself using this formula (The Hunting Party, The Guest List), and updating it for the 21st century.

In her latest release The Paris Apartment she employs many of the genre tropes – an evocatively depicted historical building in an exclusive wealthy enclave seemingly a world away from the otherwise gritty streets of modern Paris, a sense of claustrophobic constraint within it and the language and cultural isolation beyond it, and power imbalances (wealth and familial), swirling suspicion and shifting alliances amongst an eclectic cast of characters with baggage aplenty – without it technically being a locked-room scenario.

Notably though, she’s mined the voyeuristic potential of the traditional French apartment building courtyard formation and used a multi-character revolving first-person narrative format, to heighten watchful tension and this story’s sinister feel akin to Hitchcock. Continue reading fully referenced review: https://www.bookloverbookreviews.com/2022/05/the-paris-apartment-lucy-foley-review.html

Wow! I’m so impressed by The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley. So compelling that I could barely put it down. Creepy and gripping…..the tension was incredible! Loved the characters especially Jess who comes to visit her half brother, Ben, in Paris and from there the story takes off with other characters adding to the depth and the many twists and turns. So many secrets and undercurrents emerge and add complexity to the plot. The unexpected ending took me by surprise.
Loved the setting in Paris and the location descriptions.

Highly recommended read.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins Publishers Australia for a copy to read and review.

#TheParisApartment #Netgalley

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

A review in 2 words...loved it. Can't help but enjoy a book that keeps you guessing until the very end.

there is one reveal about halfway through and the actual events do start falling into place right towards the end, but even the fast conclusion couldnt make up for the fact that nothing else really happened for the majority of the book.

the characters arent compelling, the setting is pretty basic (so much missed potential!), and the plot itself is just uninspired.

After tremendously enjoying The Guest List a few years ago, I was so excited to pick up this book from the same Author! In a similar pattern, this book featured a possible murder with a bunch of mysterious characters as suspects living in a close proximity.

Jess was escaping London. She thought her brother’s apartment in Paris would be the perfect destination to lie low for a while. When she arrived, however, Ben was nowhere to be found. Plus, the apartment building was much more sinister than she expected. It was full of mysterious and questionable characters. Jess couldn’t help but wondering if her brother’s disappearance had anything to do with anyone in the building.

Plot wise, this was quite a fun, fast-paced mystery thriller. I had no problem flying through the book, as the chapters were short and the different PoVs kept things interesting.

Having said that, I’m not sure that I liked the cliched portrayal of French women with their croissants, quiches and little dogs in this book. The inclusion of basic French words scattered throughout also didn’t really work for me - it took me in and out of the story.

Aside from that, the characters and their relationships were quite captivating. Ben himself turned out to be quite an interesting character, albeit having a limited screen time. I did manage to guess some of the twists early on and the ending had some questionable details, but I didn’t hate it. Overall, this book was still enjoyable to me.

I enjoyed the books I have read by Lucy Foley however I feel The Paris Apartment is my favourite. The vibe of this book is just so creepy and intriguing. It reminded me of Lock Every Door by Riley Sager, due to the setting and the secretive people living in the building. I cannot say too much about this book without spoiling it because it is better to read it without knowing too much about the plot. It centres around Jess who goes to stay with her brother Ben in Paris. However when Jess arrives Ben is not around and she starts trying to investigate the situation. I loved the twists in this book and thought it was a well written mystery that will keep you up reading into the night. Highly recommend this book.

Lucy Foley receives some very mixed reviews. There is no denying that her thrillers are very formulaic; there’s a cast of characters who all have secrets that are slowly revealed throughout the novel until the reader discovers whodunnit.

Predictable? Maybe. But I always have a fun time.

The Paris Apartment follows Jess after she turns up in Paris (obviously!) to visit her brother at his apartment- but he has disappeared. We get POV’s from the other, sometimes sinister, inhabitants of the building until a scandalous truth is revealed.

It’s an easy read with enough twists and turns to keep me guessing. Perfect beach read material (where I happened to be when I read it).

I have loved all of Lucy's books in the past and this book did not disappoint. I loved the Paris setting and the multiple perspectives from different people within the apartments. A solid five out of five stars read.

I don’t read many thrillers each year, usually only 2 or 3 and it’s exciting when I really enjoy one!!

The Paris Apartment is a slow-paced but intriguing thriller centred around the disappearance of Benjamin Daniels and his sister Jess’ hunt for the truth.

It shifts between 4 points of view and has some unpredictable twists and turns. I really liked the setting of the book, with a huge old 4-storey apartment with hidden staircases and a basement wine cellar - spooky, mysterious and claustrophobic. This is where 85% of the novel took place.

This was my first Lucy Foley read and I was really impressed! It was the perfect book for me to read while sick and recovering. The chapters are short, sentences are straightforward and to the point. Doesn’t make your brain hurt!

Thank you @netgalley and @harpercollinsaustralia for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

I loved The Hunting Party by Foley and have heard good things about The Guest List so I was thrilled when I received this book via Netgalley from Harper Collins Australia. But…

TBH, I would have probably given up on this and thrown it onto my DNF pile if it wasn’t for Foley’s name on the cover. I kept giving it a chance, thinking it might get better. But…

Jess arrives in Paris to visit her brother, Ben. When she gets to his apartment block, however, he's not there and she assumes he's met with foul play. The other tenants in the apartment don’t seem overly concerned or helpful and she soon starts to suspect they have something to do with Ben’s disappearance and perhaps they might be targeting her next.

None of the characters are likeable, not even Jess or Ben. Quite a few of Jess's decisions make zero sense. Actually most of the book makes zero sense and many plot points are completely implausible. Yet everything was so obvious. I guessed the outcome about a quarter into the book and I was 95% accurate. There was one ‘big reveal’ which occurred at about the halfway point (again, it was obvious) and I thought perhaps Foley might give us something else at the end but…

Don’t expect anything from the Paris setting either. The book could have been set anywhere and Paris is not a big part of the storyline. (I would instead recommend Pip Drysdale’s The Paris Affair if you’re looking for a contemporary thriller set in Paris.)

Maybe (big maybe) if you aren’t a regular mystery/thriller reader and you’re in the new adult age group (meaning you haven’t read or watched a lot of this genre as yet), you might find this book enjoyable but… I’m struggling to give it more than 2 ½

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley.

A highly enjoyable whodunit where everyone is a suspect and I can honestly say I didn't see where this book was headed for the most part.

I loved the dark setting of the historic apartment block, the nooks and crannies.
It was a slow paced read that definitely kicked into gear after the halfway mark.

Highly recommend for those who enjoy a suspenseful, locked room type read.

Lucy Foley knows to set the scene and to keep the reader occupied. I was delighted when this arrived in my Netgalley shelf because I loved her previous books.

The Paris Apartment focuses on Jess who comes to stay with her step-brother who is missing. The apartment he lived in is a peculiar place with the most deviated set of occupants. It’s obvious to Jess that everyone is hiding their own secrets.

This claustrophobic and spooky mystery is slow paced with nothing big happening in the first half of the book. With different POVs, the characters are introduced to the reader. As usual the scene is set in an excellent manner that would make anyone feel scared to live in their own apartment. When the twists and mysteries start to unravel, it’s hard to put down.

I didn’t like any of the characters and even the protagonist Jess seems like a weird character. All of these characters are truly memorable and they all played a part in making the book what it actually is. It will be a perfect read for a single sitting and is a great mystery thriller!