Elise has become a target of the Germans. To keep her daughter safe, she leaves her with Juliette. Juliette and Elise have become very good friends over the years. So, Elise knows her daughter is safe. But, nothing prepares either of these ladies for a bomb which kills Juliette’s husband, 2 sons and Elise’s daughter.

With the war finally over, Elise heads straight to Juliette’s bookshop only to discover her worst fears. Her loss almost unhinges her. She eventually reclaims her apartment and tries to move on with life after the war. When she hears about Juliette living in NYC, Elise heads to find her. Elise wants to know about her daughter’s last days.

Talk about a lot of moving parts. This book is so well written and powerful in so many ways. I love how this author weaves all these tales together at the end to create an incredible story about love, loss and resilience.

I have been a fan of this author for years and this is by far, hands down, her best book yet! I love getting completely consumed by a book and this one did it! Talk about a WOW read!

Need an all around fantastic story…THIS IS IT!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

The Paris Daughter had me from the beginning. I'm a fan of WWII historical fiction and this was awesome.

Olivier and Elise have a daughter named Mathilde. The are both artists and Olivier is targeted due to his political beliefs. They had planned for Elise to flee if need be leaving Mathilde with friends so that she could be safe.

Elise returns at the end of the war only to discover that tragedy has hit the friends she left Mathilde with and she finds out that only her friend & her biological daughter has survived meaning that Mathilde has died. Elise tries to come to terms with what has happened while also wanting to find her friend, Juliette, so that she can hear from her exactly what happened the day her daughter died to give herself some peace of mind.

Unbeknownst to Elise at the time, Juliette has moved to the states with her daughter where she has recreated the exact bookshop they had in France that was eventually destroyed. She seems stuck in the past and angry and her daughter is not happy either feeling like her mom may blame her for the rest of their family being dead.

A mutual friend of theirs stumbles across the bookshop and lets Elise know she should come and speak to Juliette now that they have found her. Once she arrives in the states, there is more drama surrounding her and her husband's art work that was thought to have been stolen by the Nazi's.

Even though I figured out the main twist in the book maybe 1/2 way through, it did not change my interest in the book nor did it ruin anything for me. This was a great read for me all the way around.

Elise LeClair had no idea how different her life would be from the one she anticipated as she left New York to take up residence with her new husband in Paris. Juliette Foulon had no idea how entangled their lives would become when she came to Elise's aid as Elise experienced false labor in the park near Juliette's bookshop. Of course, war makes lives totally unpredictable. It also forces people to make impossible decisions that will forever change the course of their lives.

Kristin Harmel has once again blessed her readers with a work of great depth. While she explores the horrors of war, Harmel highlights the resilience of the human spirit, the ability to continue living one day at a time during the toughest of times, and the huge capacity people have to love and to forgive. She also recognizes brokenness resulting in the absence of any forward momentum. Readers explore these things right alongside her as they too become entangled in both Elise and Juliette's lives, extricating themselves only after the last page has been turned leaving them grateful for this latest offering from Kristin Harmel. I am also grateful to have received a complimentary copy of The Paris Daughter from Simon & Schuster via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own.

I was so fortunate to receive an arc of this book and I enjoyed this storyline so much … The Paris Daughter by Kristin Harmel is a poignant story that any reader can be lost in. This was a true gift to be able to enjoy this journey.

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Paris 1939 - Elise and Juliette are young mothers who become fast friends when they meet in a park. From there, their friendship grows as they meet weekly at the bookshop Juliette owns with her husband. Their daughters, Lucie and Mathilde are the best of friends. Until Elise’s husband is arrested and interrogated by the Germans. Elise received word that she’s wanted by the Germans to answer questions they have. Leaving her daughter with Juliette and her husband, Elise goes on the run, hoping to outrun the Germans.

Several years later, Elise returns to Paris to find the bookshop destroyed, not knowing what happened to Juliette or her daughter. Elise has questions on what happened and where Juliette or Mathilde are.

This book was a good read and I enjoyed reading both Juliette and Elise’s stories. There was a mystery undertone of the story and I figured out what was going on about midway through. The pain that was felt by both Juliette and Elise got me and there were tears shed. If you’ve like Kristin’s previous books, this is a must read.

Absolutely stunning book!

The story is set in wartime, just before and during the German occupation of France. However, unlike some books in this genre, it goes beyond the war, and delves into the aftermath of the lives forever changed, some 20 years later.

Juliette and Elise begin as friends, both mothers with young children, trying to survive. There was no one Elise would trust with her young daughter, Mathilde, other than Juliette, so when Elise had to flee Paris, she begged Juliette to take care of Mathilde, and she did, until a day came that no one had control over.

For the next 20 years, Juliette lives with the pain of that day. If it were today, she'd be tagged with PTSD. But in those days, before the phrase was popular, she suffered alone. Instead of cherishing her daughter Lucie, she scorned her at every opportunity, mad that she survived while others did not. One day it all comes to the surface when Elise comes back, demanding answers. The answers she gets are more than she expected.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

Thanks to Gallery Books for the copy of this book!

As Germany is beginning to invade France, Elise and Juliette become friends. When Elise needs to flee the country, she leaves her daughter with Juliette. But when she returns after the War, the bookshop is no longer there, and Elise goes on a search to find out what happened to her daughter.

I love how Kristin included the years before and after the WWII in this story, and the NYC setting while searching for her daughter. It wasn't extremely history-heavy, but more focused on a mother's love and longing for her daughter. Kristin also knows how to pack an emotional punch into a story, and this definitely pulls at the heartstrings! It's very predictable, but interesting to see how the story plays out.

Brilliance.

Kristin Harmel once again brings her very best in this tale of two women. Two friends. And, their two daughters. This beautiful piece of historical fiction is rich in description and in research. The reader is brought into Paris during the war and are lead to wonder what lengths you would go to in order to help survive the war. What of your family? What if your friends? It’s the story of perseverance and resilience. And at its core, it’s the story of love and hope. This is one that you must put to the top of your TBR list. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this beautiful read.

It's 1939, and Elise and Juliette are both young American women who have married Frenchmen and now live in Paris. They meet by chance one day in the park and become close friends. As WWII progresses and Paris is under German occupation, Elise's husband puts their family in danger by working with the resistance. Eventually, Elise must flee Paris to save herself, but since traveling with her daughter will put them both at risk, she asks Juliette and her husband to take the young girl in. But when the war is finally over and Elise returns to Paris for her daughter, she discovers Juliette's home has been destroyed and that most of the family perished when it was hit by a bomb. The story spans almost two decades, following the two women through the war and the paths they take after, as Elise tries to find Juliette but Juliette tries to bury her grief by leaving France for New York. A story of mothers' love, friendship, resilience and grief. Harmel is a master at drawing you to the characters and into their story from page one and weaving a tale that is both beautiful and heartbreaking.

Two American expat women meet in Paris during WWII and their lives become forever intertwined. It's 1939. Elise LeClair, a sculptor married to French artist Olivier, is pregnant with their first child and is concerned about her husband's activities with the French communist party. She meets Juliette Foulon, who runs the local bookstore, and she is also expecting another child with husband Paul. Elise gives birth to daughter Mathilde and Juliette has daughter Lucie. Once the Germans invade Paris, Olivier's activities put his wife and child in grave danger. Elise is forced to flee to the countryside, leaving Mathilde behind for safety with Juliette, Paul and their children. Their friend Ruth Levy also makes the heartbreaking decision to send her son and daughter away to safety with new identities as she fears she will be sent to a concentration camp. After the war ends, Elise returns to Paris where there is vast destruction, and nothing is the same. Juliette moves to New York City and Elise eventually is able to track her down.

There is so much more about The Paris Daughter that makes this another winning book for author Kristin Harmel, but sometimes the less said the better. Harmel has created rich and complex characters who represent all the many people who had to face unimaginable decisions and then, if they survived, had to deal with a wide range of conflicted feelings. I found the post-war part of the book especially interesting as it shows how the trauma of war continued. Excellent research as always by an author who tells important stories in a way that is both entertaining and moving. Historical fiction fans, add this to your must-read list.

The Paris Daughter might be my favorite Kristin Harmel book yet. I was drawn into the worlds of Juliette, Elise, and Ruth immediately. I loved the way in which Harmel intertwined their lives, woven from friendships formed before the war. While a historical fiction novel set in WWII, I liked that the focus wasn't solely on the war. We got to know them before, during, and after. The beauty of friendships is really highlighted in The Paris Daughter. There was a refrain in the book about how we are always who we are. Of course their lives were forever altered by the war and the things that happened to them but they were essentially themselves. I did guess as to where the book was going early on but I read it fully immersed, often checking my pulse, because my heart was racing and I just needed everything to work out. Read with tissues handy because The Paris Daughter will rip your heart out over and over again. My only complaint is that I needed another glimpse into the future once everything was resolved. "Under these stars, fate will bring you home."

To set the scene, it is Paris, 1939. Elise and Juliette have been best friends ever since they met while they were both pregnant with their daughters, and their due dates were the same month. The girls, Mathilde & Lucie, became best friends, and even looked so much alike they could be sisters. Then the German occupation begins, and because of Elise's husband's ties to a radical group, for which he was tortured and executed, they now have Elise on their radar. She does the only thing she can think to do, in order to keep Mathilde safe - she leaves her with Juliette and her family until it is safe to come home again. More than a year later, once the war is over, she returns, only to find her friend's bookstore reduced to rubble, and Juliette nowhere to be found. When she questions some of the neighbors, they tell her the only survivors were Juliette and her daughter Lucie. Elise searches for Juliette and finally finds her in New York City. She goes to see her in order to find out what happened, and hopefully make peace with the decision she had to make and what she lost in the process

This book was so good. It was absolutely heart wrenching, and although at times it was difficult to read, at the same time, I was so engrossed I didn't want to put it down. I have read most of the books this author has written, and she has a distinct talent for making you feel like you are truly there, watching it all unfold. If you are a fan of historical fiction, then this needs to be at the top of your TBR pile!

Kristin Harmel’s Forest of Vanishing Stars was one of my favorite books so I was looking forward to reading The Paris Daughter. Once again she has written a story that captures the horror of war and the sacrifices that must be made. Elise is an American living with her artist husband in Paris. She is also an artist, but her talents are overshadowed by her husband’s works. Pregnant with their first child, she meets Juliette in a nearby park. Juliette is also an American married to a French bookseller. She is pregnant with her third child and the two become close friends. Their two daughters are close in age and also become friends as they grow. When the Germans arrive in Paris, Elise’s husband is arrested and killed for his activities with the resistance. Constant Blouet, an art dealer representing her husband, warns Elise that the Germans are also looking for her and arranges papers for her escape. In order to give her daughter Mathilda a chance to live, she asks Juliette to take her in. It is an emotional separation, but necessary since the Germans would be looking for a woman traveling with a child.

Elise returns to Paris after the war to find her daughter. She finds Juliette’s bookstore is a bombed pile of rubble. Juliette survived the bombing with her daughter Lucie, but she has now left Paris. Bouet had watched over her apartment in her absence, but he has also left France. His associate helps Elise return to her home, where she finds all of her possessions and artwork have been taken. Living with the grief of losing her family, she returns to her art of wood carving to support herself. Years later she learns that Juliette returned to America. On a visit to New York she visits her, but their reunion is not what she anticipated. Elise is not the only one struggling with her loss. Juliette is living in the past and it is taking a toll on her relationship with her daughter.

Harmel explores how far a mother will go to save her child and the fear that accompanies that decision. Her scenes in Paris allow you to feel the terror as bombs rain down on the city and destroy the bookstore and Juliette’s family as they try to protect the children. During the dark days of war, Harmel shows the resilience of the human spirit and the ability to survive. Her story is one that will bring you to tears. Her final scenes bring Elise and Juliette’s stories to a beautiful end that make The Paris Daughter highly recommended.

3.5
I know I am going to be in the minority here but this one was fine for me - I liked it, but I can't say it was great. I can't really put my finger on it, I just couldn't connect to the characters in a meaningful way and the way the timelines jumped didn't do a lot of r me either. I did really feel for the whole question of - what would you do to ensure your child's safety, which is what kept me going. But ultimately it wasn't my favorite from Harmel.

The Paris Daughter by Kristin Harmel is a wonderful read looking at World War Two through the lens of three mothers in Paris. The novel is one of those great novels that force you to examine the reality of having to leave your children in another’s care in hopes that your leaving allows them to be safe. For parents all over the world what a choice to have to make.

Elise and Juliette met one day in the park. Elise didn’t know what was wrong with her, but Juliette recognized it immediately and got her help. This was the start of a great friendship between the two women. A friendship that would be tested during the war.

Elise’s husband was a fascist putting her into a dangerous situation with the German invaders. In order to save her life and that of her daughter, Elise leaves her daughter with Juliette and her family. Juliette takes in the child, but with some hesitation. Elise flees for her safety.

After the war, she returns to find her daughter, but the bookstore where Juliette, her husband and her children lived was destroyed and children had perished. Devastated, she tries to start all over again. She continually looks for her daughter and takes in two other children and helps them find their mother. It is on a journey to the US to meet Juliette and find out about her daughter’s life and death when more is opened up to her. Elise now has other decisions to make.

This novel is so well written that you feel like you are on Elise’s journey. The conflicts of losing a child and finding a way forward is heartbreaking for her. I admired how the story unfolded and led to so many problems and solutions. The novel is a wonderful read full of emotions, descriptions and heartfelt truths about how hard life can be, while how meaningful it can be made to be.

The Paris Daughter by Kristin Harmel is a good read.

I loved The Book of Lost Names, so I couldn’t wait to start reading The Paris Daughter. Sadly, I found myself plugging through the first third of the book. I even wondered if I would be able to finish it, especially when I had so many other books waiting to be read.

After checking reviews, this reaction has definitely put me in the minority. But I can’t rate a book on only the last half. And the first third to half of the book presented nothing to encourage me to keep turning pages.

This unimaginable tale of motherly love and the atrocities of war was hard to comprehend. At times the last half of the book was painful to read. But Harmel's extraordinary talent shines through as she depicts accompanying emotions that had to be experienced.

Because so many others have enjoyed this book, I recommend you give it a try. However, for me, it got off to a poor start and didn’t end up being one of my favorite books. In retrospect, I think I would have been happier listening to the audiobook

Kristin Harmel,wrote a top notch book.
Many themes are prevalent: loss, survival, denial, love, and anguish.
WWII caused many parents to leave their children or send them away for their own safety. I didn’t foresee the harbinger in the book that changed everything.
I did have a suspicion about a major plot twist and I surmised correctly.
Neither Elise nor Juliette can forget and each are only existing, not really living.
The end is poignant, but each woman finally gets what she wants.
Harmel give an instructive author’s note at the end.

The Paris Daughter is an excellent historical fiction book that takes place during WWII. It is the story of two mothers, Elise and Juliette, that are friends who live in war torn France. Both mothers are faced with complex decisions that lead to difficult times.

The story takes us through the years allowing us to feel the consequences of their decisions. There are some twists and turns along the way as you read this book. This has been one of my favorite books this year. Kristin Harmel has written another winner!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my review.

What a beautiful and heartbreaking story. I knew going in that this story would break my heart at some point, Kristin Harmel is a master at that. By the end of the book she has pieced it back together in some way, regardless of the ending. This book was no different.

I loved getting to know the LeClairs and the Foulons before the war was underway. The friendship between Elise LeClair and Juliette Foulon was beautiful and sacrificial and something special.

As the war was underway and is often the case during that time, impossible choices had to me made. Elise’s choice for the chance for her and her daughter both to survive was heartbreaking. When Elise returns at the end of the war to find no sign of Juliette, I found myself wondering how she would go on, what she would do next.

I had a pretty good idea of what the twist to the story would be. So many things supported it before it was revealed.

However, how it played out still took me a little by surprise. Grief and loss can do things to people, things they even they aren’t aware of until much later. The emotions of Juliette and Elise were so real to me, so raw. I felt like I was in the story with them.

If you are a fan of historical fiction, this book is definitely worth the read.

Kristin Harmel is an auto-read author for me and I am so thankful Gallery approved me for the copy of this book. All views are my honest opinion.

Harmel’s newest book follows two mothers of young daughters in Paris, Elise and Juliette. When the war begins and Elise becomes a target of the Germans, she must make the impossible decision to leave her daughter with Juliette while she goes into hiding. What happens next is years of war and mystery that years these two friends and their worlds apart.

To be honest, this was not my favorite Harmel book. It was good but not as emotionally all in compassing as usual. I also predicted the end of it pretty early. The story is divided into multiple parts and jumps forwards years between each. I thought how the story came together at the end was interesting and odd but it did work out. If you’ve liked Harmel’s other books, I’m sure you’ll enjoy this one.