If you're looking for an uplifting, inspiring story set in World War II, featuring a strong female lead, this is the book for you.
The Plot

The Last Restaurant in Paris by Lily Graham starts with Gilbert Geroux, in 1987, who is forced by circumstances to remember a terrible night in World War II, a night he tried to forget and never could, the night his brother died.

Gilbert is in his old age, living peacefully when, out of the blue, lawyers contact him, pleading for him to talk to a young woman, the heiress of the infamous, abandoned restaurant across the street from his shop. He had known the original owner, Marianne Blanchet. He had worked for her during the Nazi occupation of Paris in 1941. He had even been in love with her and she had turned out to be a cold blooded killer, the one who poisoned her brother, as well as 20 other people, Germans and French. The event is now a legend and Gilbert is the only left alive who still remembers her.

Surprised to find out Marianne had had a daughter, he is intrigued to know her granddaughter and we get to know Sabine Dupris along with him. Sabine had only found out herself she has been left a restaurant, as well as a dark legacy. Finding out you are the granddaughter of the most hated woman of Paris is not an easy thing, but she is, most of all, curious about everything.

When visiting the restaurant, Sabine stumbles upon a passport with Marianne's real name - Eloise. From that and small other facts she and Gilbert follow the clues that lead them to the monastery where Marianne had given her daughter into adoption. A nun there helps them puzzle together her life - an amazing one, that we, as readers, get to experience along with Sabine and Gilbert. Her story will shed more light upon the terrible murder Marianne committed, hopefully bringing closure to them.

Opinions

Though the introduction is a bit lengthy with the meeting of Sabine and Gilbert, the real focus is on Marianne's life. That's when the book takes off and we can no longer put it down. We find out about her from the nun, who was also her good friend. Her story is emotional and beautiful and I thoroughly enjoyed it. At one point she stays with her grandmother in a small country village and her life is simply idyllic. She learns to cook and becomes as passionate about it as her grandma. She falls in love and has a child. Reading all of this was dreamy. It was very, very well written. The small details of life in Provence where exquisite. They simply made me want to live there as well. Marianne's personality is carefully constructed so that we get to see the change in her, the change that made murder possible. I loved witnessing that!

Moreover, when the war starts, we get glimpses of what French people gone through when their government fled and allowed the German occupation - the generalized fear, the German politeness that hides their real nature, the idea of collaboration with them so as not to starve. These are small things, historical facts, that enrich Marianne's story so much!

Ultimately, discovering what led her to kill everyone in the restaurant was very predictable. I would have very much liked the description of the book to be a lot less spoiler-y, it would have definitely enhanced the reading experience. Ultimately, though, the story made up for it. It was a very beautiful journey to get us to the know Marianne, her life and struggles.

Her story was one of grief and strength. She was cunning and manipulative and yet, we understood her completely. How you can excuse the fact that she murdered so many people? You must read the book and find out!

Firstly can I say I absolutely adore this author her books are totally outstandingly beautiful and extremly poignant and the last restaurant in Paris is no different. with a twin time line we're taken on a journey like no other I laughed and cried in equal measures, I never give anything away in my reviews, the characters come to life and we follow there progress set between uk and South of France and Paris.
I really can't praise this book enough and definitely worthy of more stars than I can give.

Sabine has just inherited a restaurant. The owner was her Grandmother. The grandmother she never knew existed. However, the restaurant comes with a history. During the war it was used to wine and dine German soldier’s. While the rest of the Parisians starved. Her grandmother became a traitor.
When Sabine visits the restaurant she discovers an old hidden passport. This then takes her on a journey of discovery to discover the real woman that gave up her child for adoption. And what really happened the night Marianne fled the restaurant.
I just loved this book. The characters were so well developed and it was so well written. You really felt you had been transported back in time.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to see an ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The opinions expressed are true and my own.
.
1944, Paris is occupied by the Nazis. Marianne opens a restaurant on the corner to serve the hungry people at low cost. But she also has to serve the Germans. Many call her a collaborator and a murderer.
Sabine receives a letter about a restaurant left to her by her grandmother. This leads her down a path of getting to know the woman who was named a collaborater and murderer.
.
This was my first book from Lily Graham and I look forward to reading more of hers!. The story itself is split into three parts (Introduction, Marianne's backstory, and the incident). There are also different timelines during each part. The 80’s and the 40’s.
.
From the start, I was intrigued and personally found the plot, setting and characters well-presented and they kept me glued to the pages. It is a story that explores the actions and reactions of everyday citizens during war and how loss can change people or send them down a path they would not normally have gone. As the story unveils all its mysteries, the question of whether Marianne is a heroine or traitor is answered. The truth is painful but those connected to this woman and events find a new understanding of what this woman was all about: her difficult childhood, her love, her losses and the choices she made to try and right some wrongs.
.
This book brought me to tears and I cannot wait for others to have the opportunity to experience it.

I could not put this book down. Wonderful story, detailed characters and locations. Fantastic plot.

In the year 1987, Sabine Duchelle discovered that her mother was adopted. This was only the tip of the iceberg for Sabine. Armed with an old key and determination, she heads to Paris for answers.

Enemy occupied Paris, 1940s. Marianne Blanchet is determined to open a small restaurant, knowing full well that most, if not all of her customers will be enemy officers. Her customers will likely be the hated Germans who have infiltrated the country. However, Marianne is not about to be deterred and does what she can to obtain any permissions that she can and does indeed open her restaurant.

However, the restaurant was only open for so long. In fact, Marianne's story ended on a very dark note. After the restaurant was closed, words were scratched on the windows - traitor and murderer. Why did the restaurant close so suddenly, and what was the meaning behind those words?

These are questions that Sabine has decades later. She goes to Paris with her key and has many questions about her grandmother Marianne. There was a legacy left by Marianne and this is something the locals have not forgotten - or forgiven - all those years later. Sabine meets an old man named Gilbert. Gilbert was around during the time the restaurant was opened, and his story is chilling and sad.

What an incredibly tragic story! Marianne had a plan, that much is made clear. However, it took a turn that was not expected. Sabine wants answers. Whether or not she can handle the truth behind those answers remains to be seen. Something happened in 1943 and Sabine's determination for the truth will not be swayed. In this compelling read by Lily Graham, readers will slowly learn the motive behind Marianne's actions and why it was that Sabine's mother was adopted.

Both timelines were intriguing, especially considering the irreversible actions that Marianne took in 1943. She took great risks and those risks came with tragic results. A morally sensitive story to be sure, one that any lover of historical fiction should read. This was a book that was impossible to put down, especially when the mystery and motive behind Marianne's actions are explored and how Sabine and Gilbert slowly uncovered the secrets of the past in order to understand what happened back in 1943.

The story paints Marianne one way or another - evil or kind. Sabine wants to understand how to view her. Was Marianne a heroine or was she truly a traitor, a murderer, something believed for decades? This dark story answers those questions while smartly delivering a message of strength, hope and courage.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The opinions expressed are my own. 1944, Paris is occupied by the Nazis. Marianne opens a restaurant on the corner to serve the hungry people at low cost. But she also has to serve the Germans. Many call her a collaborater or worse. What no one else knows is she has joined the Resistance and has something cooked up.

Sabine receives a letter about a restaurant left to her by her grandmother. This leads her down a path of getting to know the woman who was named a collaborater and murderer. The story of Marianne is touching, heartbreaking and courageous. I instantly loved the main characters and the storyline. It flowed easy and was so full of detail, I felt like I was there. The two storylines read well and seamlessly tied together. 5 stars!

This book spans a few generations and goes back and forth from the present to the past telling the story of a little girls life during the war and how it inmpacted on her life.
A young woman called Sabine is trying to find out all about her grandmother who she knows nothing about when she left her a restuarant in her will. What she wasn't expecting was to find out that her grandmother had been convicted of poisoning some people in her restaurant and was found guilty and put to death.
She goes about trying to find people who knew her and what drove her to do such a thing. This is a very moving story and would highly recommend it.

A satisfying long novel that flits between the 1980s, 40s and 20s to unravel the story of Marianne Blanchet, notorious for a defiant act of resistance. Richly woven threads and likeable characters make this a book that unravels its layers slowly, allowing the reader to gain insight into background and motivation. Evocative of location, especially for lovers of Provence.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Bookouture and Lily Graham for my very first ARC. So so grateful for the opportunity.

The Last Restaurant in Paris is a historical fiction about WW2. It's about Marianne and a restaurant she opened during the occupation in France, Paris. One night something terrible happens and she has to flee, Years later her granddaughter Sabine finds out about the restaurant and the tragic incident that happened there. After her discovery, Sabine really wants to find out what exactly happened back then.
This was my first book from Lily Graham and will definitely not be my last. The story itself is split into three parts (Introduction, Marianne's backstory, the incident). There are also different timelines during the whole book. It switches between the present (1980s) and the past (1940s). It was a bit slow going in the beginning for me but once I passed the 20 % mark I couldn't put it down. For me it was a very good mix of mystery and history. It was a heartbreaking story that brought me to tears. I highly recommend this book if you like historical fiction especially WW2 stories.

I absolutely loved The Last Restaurant in Paris! This emotionally jarring dual timeline historical mystery novel is filled with family secrets, surprising discoveries and interesting twists of fate. This would have been a hard novel to write with such a challenging message at its core but Lily has done an incredible job. Even with its complex plot, various viewpoints and time shifts, I was able to follow it easily for Lily has a way of pulling you into the heart of the story immediately so that you become part of the scenes and characters’ lives.

The Last Restaurant in Paris is a unique World War II novel set in Paris about a woman name Marianne Blanchet who is accused of poisoning a number of Nazi soldiers and a couple of Parisians at her restaurant one evening (that was closed to the public to entertain special guests). The question on everyone’s mind is: was it an accident or deliberate? And, if the latter, what was her motive? How could she take such a risk— especially considering the consequences? The story explores the reasons and their effects on everyone connected to her. It is a battlefield of emotions. A moral dilemma. An emotionally charged journey through a minefield of both questionable and innocent characters. Is she a ‘traitor and murderer’ as the words state, scratched on the windows of her restaurant? The community despised her because they believed she was a collaborator of the enemy. She had accepted the help of the Nazis in opening the restaurant. They wanted home cooked style meals. But what did she hope to gain by such a venture? Why did she join forces with them at all if her plan was to kill them? Was she courageous, foolish or dangerous?

In the modern timeline, granddaughter Sabine Duchelle discovers through a lawyer that she has inherited a restaurant in Paris that has a sordid history. It was owned by her grandmother who also had a shocking past. Looking at legal documents, her mother’s parentage comes into question. Sabine must go on a quest to answer the questions that arise from this new inheritance. She heads to the restaurant that has been closed for 40 years, and meets Gilbert, an old man. He was one of the workers from the restaurant’s dubious era and, of course, knew Marianne. Through discussions, Sabine gets to know the grandmother she never met through his words of the experiences he had. She learns many things that give her a whole new picture of her family’s history. Yet, Gilbert only knows so much, so he joins Sabine on a journey to find more answers. For even he is keen to uncover why or if this woman he adored purposely killed these people. What they all learn is quite different from what they expected. Many secrets and unknowns are shaken from the dust of the past and new images are conjured of what life was like for Marianne and what led to the event that dreadful night. Besides the Nazis who died, there were two other Parisians: one of great importance to Gilbert.

From the start, I was intrigued and personally found the plot, setting and characters well-presented and they kept me glued to the pages. It is a story that explores the actions and reactions of everyday citizens during war and how loss can change people or send them down a path they would not normally have gone. There is obsession, vengeance and cruelty on one side and then there is purpose, courage and kindness on the other side of human nature. Are we one kind or the other? Or can we have in our personalities a mixture of both? What experiences will draw out the darker side of our hearts? And once given over to an evil plan, is there anything that will bring the person back into the light to a place of balance?

As the story unveils all its mysteries, the question of whether Marianne is a heroine or traitor is answered. The truth is painful but those connected to this woman and events find a new understanding of what this woman was all about: her difficult childhood, her love, her losses and the choices she made to try and right some wrongs. This gives Sabine a new perspective on life and provides Gilbert with peace. Out of the ashes springs hope and new beginnings. And Sabine now knows what to do with her new inheritance.

This story of tragedy, identity, endurance and sacrifice is haunting and timeless. Again, things are not always as they appear but truth eventually rises to the surface out of the mirky depths and into the light for all to see. I highly recommend this powerful, complex, moving novel by Lily Graham that will both break and heal your heart. 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Many thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for a review copy.

Loved Loved Loved this book!! The last restaurant in Paris was such an addictive read and I found myself flying through the pages uncovering and learning about that horrible, heartbreaking night in 1943 Nazi occupied France. Told in dual pov with both past and present views the author really dose a great job depicting all the emotions and internal battles each character is going through throughout the story. With a bit of history, mystery, murder, romance, self discovery and heartache there is truly something for everyone.

4.5/ 5 stars

I appreciate NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review The Last Restaurant in Paris. The story begins with Sabine who learns that she has inherited an abandoned building in Paris from a grandmother she didn't know she had. Through this dual-timeline story we see Sabine as she learns the truth about her grandmother and her work with the French Resistance throughout the German Occupation of Paris. I couldn't put the book down as the author, Lily Graham, slowly peeled back Marianne's story.

I must say this is one of the better books I have read thjs far in 2022. This is a dual timeline WWII story, but it is somewhat different than the usual war novels out now.
Marianne Blanchet opens a restaurant with the help of the Nazis in occupied Paris thus giving her the label of collaborator, making it hard for fellow Parisians to see beyond the Nazis to Marianne's real purpose for the place.,
After a fateful night where both Nazis and two French citizens, one a young boy die when poisoned at the restaurant, Marianne disappears, lending truth to her guilt in the incident leaving behind her only questions that seem will never be answered.
This book switches from war time to 1987 where Marianne's granddaughter is notified of an inheritance of her grandmother's restaurant and of its dark history. When she is put in touch with one of the last survivors that have first hand knowledge of the events of that terrible day, they come together to seek answers to why Marianne did such a thing, what was the true motivation and why kill an innocent child whom she seemed to truly love?
This story was very intriguing but it really takes off in the second half when Marianne's story is told, we then begin to get a real sense of who Marianne really was and a reason for why she did all that she did. This is a heartbreaking story as most of these wartime stories are. I must admit I did shed a few tears for Marianne and those she cared so deeply for.
I recommend this to all historical fiction fans who love to read the really heart-wrenching stories from WWII.
Thank you to Bookouture and to Net Galley for the free ARC, I am leaving my honest review in return.

The Last Restaurant in Paris is a dual timeline between Paris in 1987 and 1942 during the WWll Occupation. Sabine has discovered that she inherited a restaurant in Paris from a grandmother she never knew and that it is said that German soldiers that been poisoned at the restaurant by her grandmother, Marianne. While searching for the truth she discovers family secrets. Historical fiction fans will be delighted with this book. I was hooked from the first page. Thanks to author Lily Graham, Bookouture publishers, and NetGalley for providing a copy of the ebook for an honest review.

This wa ssuch a good read, it was heart-wrenching at times, completely heartbreaking and was totally captivating. I couldn't stop reading.

This was a wonderful historical novel set in France during World War 2, an era that has been written about by so many and yet, the stories are so extraordinary, varied and endless. This book tells the tale of a cafe owner in occupied France and the lengths she employed to resist enemy occupation.

I found the beginning of this book to drag a little bit but as soon as I was introduced to all of the characters and time lines the pace of the plot drew me in and the book became engrossing. There were two timelines that integrated very well to tell the story as it happened and explore how the events have effected the lives of survivors going forward. I thought this was a very effective use of two timelines to write a historical novel.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and I thank NetGalley, the author, and publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my review.

I really enjoyed this book. Sabine is approached by a lawyer to advise that she has inherited, from her grandmother, a piece of property that was a restaurant in Paris over 40 years ago and that has a dark history attached to it. Sabine didn’t know this grandmother existed and wants to find out about her heritage and also wants to know more about the restaurant and it’s history. The lawyer puts her in touch with Monsieur Geroux who still lives in the same area of the restaurant and actually worked there as a young man. There is intrigue, mystery, family secrets, revenge and above all a love story.
I love a good dual time line fiction and this book covers so much of a family’s history that it is at times hard to stop reading. The book is set in the early 1940s flows with drama through to the Second World war and the Nazi invasion of Paris and then to the time that Sabine is contacted in the late 1980s.
A captivating yet heartbreaking read with a well drawn out plot to keep you engaged.

“Victory comes at a price, and sometimes that price is on one’s soul.”

When people hear they’ve inherited something, they’re excited because they assume it’s something of value. Author Lily Graham takes that premise and twists it to explore what happens when someone inherits something that isn’t so wonderful. She allows us to follow her protagonist of the 1987 timeline, Sabine Dupris, as she is confronted with the knowledge that she is related to one of the most evil women in Paris.

Sabine has inherited Luberon, an old and dilapidated restaurant with a dark reputation. It has been abandoned for the past 40 years because “during the war, when the city was under occupation, the restaurant’s owner poisoned and killed all her customers in one night.”

The cover grabbed my attention, the premise had me eagerly reaching for it, and the plot kept me spellbound. I had to find out why and how!

Graham takes us on a circular journey so that we can appreciate the legacy of Luberon and its Provencale family of cooks as well as fully comprehend the price someone is willing to pay for justice. I read about a long-lost grandmother, a restaurant full of secrets, and a woman, traumatized by the events of WW2, who was determined to set things right. I loved that Graham brought us full circle and hammered home the important segments of Marianne Blanchet’s life. I teach like this too, and I feel it’s conducive to making connections.

Marianne Blanchet is a fabulous character! To many, she was despised, but once you get to know her, you’ll understand that everything people think they know about her is wrong. Dead wrong.

Historical fiction lovers, this story, set in Nazi-occupied Paris and highlighting love, strength and sacrifice, needs to be on your reading list.

I was gifted this advance copy by Lily Graham, Bookouture and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Absolutely a great read! I loved this book so much! Thank you for giving me this book in exchange for an honest review. I absolutely loved every bit of it!