The Paris Daughter by Kristin Harmel

Three young mothers’ lives cross in the midst of occupied WWII Paris. Ruth, Juliette, and Elise’s lives intertwine in the the latter's bookstore. As situations gradually become worse, both Ruth, a jewess, and Juliette, whose husband is a dedicated communist, must make heart wrenching decisions that will determine the survival of their children. Ruth sends her children into exile, and Juliette, whose husband is tortured and killed, leaves her daughter in Elise‘s care as she flees the Nazis. Later bombs destroy the bookstore leaving as survivors only Elise and a daughter. After the wars end Juliette returns to Paris to discover the total destruction of the bookstore and Elise nowhere to be found. In true Harmel Style, the book explores how a mother’s love can often cause excruciating choices to be made.

Spanning 1940s Paris to 1960s New York, The Paris Daughter is an emotional WWII novel about promises made in friendship, motherhood, and the sacrifices made to keep our children safe. This book will keep you turning pages. Thanks to author KristinHarmal, Galley Books, and NetGalley. I received a complimentary copy of this ebook. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

The Paris Daughter is a beautifully written WWII story set in France. It is a very powerful story of the bond between mother and daughter. It showcases the importance of moving beyond the past and healing in the future; a story of forgiveness for the guilt we carry.
Another fantastic book by Kristen Harmel that I highly recommend.
Thank you Gallery Books and Netgallery for my ARC.

Kristin Harmel is one of my absolute favorite authors, and The Paris Daughter is one of the reasons why. It is a beautiful story about friendship, the hardships of war, and the lengths a mother will go to to protect her child.

Thank you to Gallery Books, Kristin Harmel and NetGalley for opportunity to read this ARC.

Kristin Harmel beautifully weaves a story of two women from different backgrounds who are tied together in the most unthinkable way. Elise is and artist and the wife of a communist sympathizer in war-torn Paris while Juliette is the wife of a bookshop keeper. They meet while pregnant and become fast friends--until Elsie has to make the sacrifice no mother should make. But she chooses the best option to save her daughter. Bombs fall, invaders pursue, life is lived. Then as the smoke clears life begins a new. Elise searches for her daughter to no avail. Juliette moves to America and rebuilds her Paris life. Years later, they find their way to each other to unveil unbelievable secrets. A story you will not forget about mothers and women who do what they must to survive.

Not just another WWII book! Kristin Harmel's amazing story of the love of a mother for her child(ren) is a message that transcends time and place. This story was so compelling and so well-written. Highly recommend!

Every time Kristin Harmel writes a book, I must spend hours engulfed in the pages. This is a story of loss, motherhood, friendship, finding strength, moving on & remembering who you are.

This book was fantastic. Kristin even managed to bring in some characters from “The Book of Lost Names” (a prior title of hers) for a few chapters. It made me tear up a bit, remembering that beautiful book.

I loved the theme of motherhood throughout this book. Harmel really gives you a glimpse into a mother’s heart & the truth that a mom will do whatever it takes to make sure her children are taken care of and safe; even if it means never seeing them again.

I ached alongside both the main mothers represented as they walked through deep grief and sadness. The way that Harmel writes their stories truly makes you feel so much emotion and pain for them. And understanding too.

This will be a top book of 2023- I just know it. 5+ stars!


I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. THANK you Kristin Harmel, Gallery Books and NetGalley for this book.

I’m so torn on this one. It was sad but also exquisite and I’ll be thinking about it for a loooong time. This is one that’ll stick with you because it’s such a heart wrenching tale of motherly love, grief, and the atrocities of war. The characters felt so real and dimensional, and their heartaches felt like my own.

The first quarter was honestly really boring and dragged on way too long. Elise didn’t even have her baby until almost a third of the way through, so it felt like it took forever for the actual story to start.
The middle half was just unbelievably sad and felt so hopeless. The grief that Elise and Juliette went through felt so real that I was in tears while reading and kept thanking God for my sweet husband and our life together. The middle of this book broke my heart and had me begging for a happy ending.
The last quarter was absolutely beautiful and wonderful, and really made up for how boring and sad the rest of the book was. But then of course there was another tragedy right at the end that just about ripped my heart in half yet again. Gah. Sigh. This was a tear jerker and was very far from the contemporary romance trash that I typically read.

So basically this was kind of boring and super sad, but I also really enjoyed it and it made me thankful for the beauty of my life and my family’s health and safety??? I don’t know. Like I said, I’m torn. It’s just so different from what I normally read that I feel like I can’t review this without some kind of bias. Soooo I guess you’ll have to read it for yourself! Be prepared to cry. Also please note that I’m writing this review immediately after finishing the book at 2:30 am, so my emotions are on a bit of a rollercoaster right now.

At this point I’m entirely sold on Kristin Harmel’s books and will faithfully read and auto-buy everything she puts out in the future! Her characters and stories feel SO real, and it’s clear that she pours her heart and soul into everything she writes.

Kristen Harmel's The Paris Daughter is a story of love, loss, strength, survival, triumph, and forgiveness. Two mothers, Juliette and Elise, see each other in the best and worst of times. The author takes you on a journey through the WWII era and engages her readers with agonizing choices no mother should have to make. There is no human emotion greater than that of a mother reeling from loss. And although it is heartbreaking, Kristen Harmel has captured it such a stunning way. This book is written seamlessly, through all of the twists, turns, and layers. I wish I could give it more than 5 stars!

A huge thank you to net galley and gallery books for providing an arc of this book for an honest review. First off please know that Kristin Harmel is one of the most phenomenal historical fiction authors of our time. She never disappoints and always lands on a story that illustrates a little explored theme. This time she centers her story on the effects of the war on Paris and its citizens.
Her approach and research is incredibly detailed in her presentation of the most poignant dilemmas imaginable. That being said this title addresses the dilemmas facing mothers and friendships in particular during the WWII. The story introduces 2 such mothers who become incredibly close at a rather volatile time. The reader falls in love with these mothers and their children. Their relationship and motherhood is tested by the times when gut wrenching decisions must be made. This captivating story of love and resilience is a must read.
These characters haunt me still. I could not put this book down. It was spectacular! I would highly recommend this title!

With so many aspects of the war, covered by so many authors, and so many articulate ways, we need this book as well. Parents who chose to keep their children, safe and sacrificing being with their loved ones, deserves recognition, and appreciation. This story of two families Who made that heart wrenching decision explains the love and pain this war caused. Ruth and Elise treasured their children to the point of separating from them for their own safety. I refuse to share any spoilers, as a reader needs to absorb this saga without any hints, details, or additional information. This page turner needs to be told to this generation and generations to come to understand the heart wrenching situations war causes.

Another great story by this author. Her historical fiction writing always keeps me turning the pages. The way she teaches about history and she weaves a story is so interesting.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

I have deeply enjoyed all of Kristin Harmel’s previous novels and The Paris Daughter is no exception.

Ms. Harmel has a knack for finding the lesser known details about WWII and creating a world that keeps readers up far too late into night, desperate to find out what happens to the characters that we grow love and secretly go to Google while reading to find out whether the people and places actually existed (I’ve only done that once….maybe twice).

The only negative I can say about this book is that it ended.

Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for opportunity to read this ARC. I look forward to buying The Paris Daughter when it’s released in June 2023.

Harmel does it again . She has a way with historical fiction of bringing the period alive . This is another winner .
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book

I have read several of this author's books and I think this is her best one yet (I say that with all of her books). I can't even imagine what it would be like to have to send your small children off somewhere or leave them somewhere and not know if you would ever see them again or even if you would survive. This book is written in such a way that you can feel exactly what the mother is feeling so now you can imagine what it would be like. And it is horrible. I definitely recommend reading this book but be prepared to feel everything these mothers are feeling.

Thank you to Net Galley for the preview. Kristin Harmel does it again! Absolutely loved this book (maybe more than Book of Lost Names). I could feel the anguish that Elise and Juliette (and Ruth) felt and the love they had for their children. What a beautiful story about the heartbreak and tragedies of World War II.

“Under these stars, fate will guide you home.”

Personal review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

First things first, Kristin Harmel is a WWII Historical Fiction genius! Her work is so well executed, thoroughly planned and researched and a pleasure to read. She creates characters that make it easy to fall right in step with them as they navigate life in the middle of a world war. This novel was no different. Elise and Juliette were so well developed throughout the whole novel, complex and emotionally compelling on their journey through mother hood and the near impossible quick decisions they had to make during the German Occupation. I adored the setting of Paris in this book, in a book shop and an art gallery, but also enjoyed the juxtaposition of moving to New York City for some of the characters. Lucile’s character was an added point-of-view that made the whole book, I just loved her and her journey to find the truth and her real authentic self throughout her young life. This is a spoiler free review - so I won’t say much more about the novel, except- if you are a fan of The Book of Names, The Room on Rue Amelie, and The Winemakers Wife- you will want to pick this one up!

Pub date is June 5, 2023. Thank you @gallerybooks @simonandschuster @netgalley and @kristinharmel for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review and opinion, this was an easy one to give heavy accolades to!

Synopsis : Paris, 1939: Young mothers Elise and Juliette become fast friends the day they meet in the beautiful Bois de Boulogne. Though there is a shadow of war creeping across Europe, neither woman suspects that their lives are about to irrevocably change. When Elise becomes a target of the German occupation, she entrusts Juliette with the most precious thing in her life—her young daughter, playmate to Juliette’s own little girl. But nowhere is safe in war, not even a quiet little bookshop like Juliette’s Librairie des Rêves, and, when a bomb falls on their neighborhood, Juliette’s world is destroyed along with it.

This was an awesome novel. Very emotional as Kristen Harmel’s World War II novels usually are. Her knowledge of the eras this story takes place is amazing. She puts the reader in Paris during World War II. Her story is sad, tragic and fateful yet beautifully written. It is truly a book readers won’t be able to put down.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for providing this title for review. All opinions are my own.

Having heard excellent reviews of The Book of Names, I was excited to find this book available on NetGalley by the same author. It's a beautiful, tormented story of life and loss during the tumultuous days during and after the second world war. Two women are brought together in friendship by their shared experiences as mothers, and then separated from their families and each other by tragedy. Amidst this, an artist struggles to find her place and reclaim ownership of of her work, stolen by Nazis. While predictable at times, beautifully written and enjoyable.

The Paris Daughter is another thoughtful and historical fiction book by Kristin Harmel that takes place across two continents at the beginning of World War II and continues into the 1970s. At the core of this book is the friendship between two young women who meet at a park in Paris and are deeply and tragically affected by the war in Europe. Eventually the story ends up in New York where one of the women is bitter and sad, and the other is hopeful given the circumstances of their experiences. Harmel writes with amazing historical accuracy and her research reveals the details she writes in all her novels. This book evokes a wide range of emotions, and the reader will be transported in this story thanks to the impressive detail in Harmel's story of resilience and love of family.