Kristin Harmel does a wonderful job writing emotional stories. This book was like her others - heartbreaking, inspiring, well written, engaging, and thought provoking. The story explores motherhood and the choices parents had to make during WWII in order for their children to have the best chance at survival. There is also an exploration of grief in the novel which was very well done!

I say this every time I review one of her books, but Kristin Harmel is my favorite WWII author. She NEVER fails to write an amazing story that makes me feel it all and while fictional, her books truly give you the closet thing to a first hand experience to those who fought the war.

Her research in this one shines across the pages and her characters are full of depth, the setting is historically significant and the intertwining stories connected in a beautiful way. What I found most interesting about The Paris Daughter is that the story did not take place only during the war years. In fact, that was only the first 50% of the story. The second half focused on the characters’ lives post war, showing their resilience, strength and how they overcome the tremendous amounts of grief and learn to live again. The ending was a complete masterpiece and nothing that I expected it to be.

At almost 400 pages, this book, like all of Harmels, never felt slow or dragged out. It’s full of rich details, tactically planned out events and a mix of suspense that makes it truly stand out.

Read if you like:
-WWII Historical Fiction
-France and NYC setting
-Stories about a mother’s love for her children
-Art galleries and sculpting

Thank you so much Gallery books for the ARC!!! Pub Date 6/6/23!!

Grief And Madness. One of the things I like about this particular book, and the way it parallels my own family's life, is in showing how events during WWII can have generational impacts via creating madness - the older term for insanity, yet which feels like it applies more appropriately here - in some of the survivors of that war. Here, we see it even in two people who were far from soldiers, far from the front lines. They were simply mothers who had daughters at nearly the same time in the same city who happened to become friends... and then had that friendship tested in pretty horrific ways. But the varying types of madness we see here do a great job in showing how the war impacted different people differently, even people as connected as these two mothers were. Without giving too much away, we even see the horrors of the Holocaust a bit - and there again, we see survivors trying to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives.

All told this was one of those books where the gut punches land heavy - but early. The "big reveal" is, in fact, rather obvious *much* earlier than the explicit reveal, and yet the way this is done works within the story being told of the varying madnesses and how these survivors are trying to cope in any way they can. So while I can't personally fault Harmel for this, I can see where other more stringent reviewers might. Even the near 400 page length works well here, never feeling bloated or too slow and instead simply packing in a *ton* of rich detail and events, many - even among the seemingly more insignificant in this tale - based on real world events and seemingly quite accurate. (The author's note in the end reveals how one particular incident within the last few pages of the book is actually the author inserting her characters into that particular moment, but otherwise being pretty close to an actual nonfiction report on the incident in question.)

Overall a truly well done, beautifully layered tale of two beautifully broken women and the impacts their choices have across decades. Very much recommended.

Book Title: The Paris Daughter
Author: Kristin Harmel
Publisher: Galley Books
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pub Date: June 6, 2023
My Rating: 4+ Stars!

New York -1935: Twenty-three year old Elise an American sculptor meets twenty-nine year famous French artist Oliver LeClair. He is attracted to her which she cannot believe.
Two months later he proposes.

Story starts 1939 in Paris: Elise is excited about expecting their first a baby. Oliver is also excited and wants a son.
Elsie meets Juliette another American one day when she is out shopping and starts to have cramps ~ Juliette notices her discomfort and goes to her aid. It was too early for the baby and yes she was having Braxton Hick Contractions ~ the doctor told her that it was her body’s way of preparing her for birth but they were not the real contractions! Elsie and Juliette became close friends.

There are rumors of war; Elise and Juliette have both married Frenchmen and wish to remain in France as neither believes that the war will have any effects on their lives.
And so it begins!
This is indeed another Kristin Harmel - Wow! Read.
I read a lot of psychological thrillers so I am always looking for something that isn’t clearly written ~ I definitely had my suspicions but it didn’t take away from this great read!

I love the ‘Author’s Note”. In this case, Ms. Harmel gives us a lot of detailed information; she reveals her inspiration, her research- (as she calls them) her historical threads.

I have to admit she has me changing my mind about WWII novels. I have always said that I am not a big fan of WWII stories as it was a horrible time and there is nothing I can do about it.

She tells us that she is often asked why she is so drawn in writing about the past.
Her comments are – That she has many reasons but if we don’t learn from history – we run the risk of repeating past horrors!

Want to thank NetGalley and Gallery Books for granted me the pleasure of reading this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for June 6, 2023

Harmel is unparalleled in her WWII fiction. The Book of Lost Names is n my
To 10 easily. She doesn’t let up with her success

I absolutely love this story. I have always been an avid reader of history with a special interest in WWII. I have thoroughly enjoyed everything I have read from this author and can’t wait to read more.

Kristin Harmel has an such incredible talent for creating historical fiction tales of WWII. Full of love, grief, regret, courage, and strength, the stories she creates allows her readers to feel the impact of every emotion the characters feel, and "The Paris Daughter" is no exception.

"The Paris Daughter" is a touching story of sacrifice by two American women, one filled with regret, the other with bitterness, who must learn to forgive themselves of the past in order to make a life and live in the present. Powerful, heartbreaking, and poignant, I would not hesitate to recommend this book!

A huge thanks to Netgalley and Gallery Books for the opportunity to read this superb story before its release date of June 6, 2023.

On the eve of WWII, two American expats, Elise and Juliette, meet in the Bois de Boulogne in Paris and form an immediate friendship that they pass on to their daughters, both born within a week of each other in the early days of 1940s. When Elise is forced to flee Paris to escape the Nazis, she entrusts her young daughter to Juliette and her family. Returning after the war, Elise discovers that the bookshop that Juliette's family ran was destroyed by an errant Allied bomb, killing Juliette's husband and two young son. Juliette and one little girl survives, but which little girl? The story follows the lives of Elise and Juliette, and their friend, Ruth, from 1940s Paris to 1960s New York, and how the war and life afterwards forever change the trajectory of all of their lives.

This is a wonderful story of love - the love of friends and the love of a mother. Its a beautifully written story that captures the emotion of all three women and the sacrifices that they make to protect their children and how the war forever changed all of their lives.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kristin Harmel, and Gallery Books for providing me an advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest review.

Kristin Harmel has done it again! The Paris Daughter is one of her can't-put-it-down I-have-to-know-these-people plots that brings World War II civilians to life.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an e ARC of this book.
Another book from this author that does not disappoint. Paris during the war. Parents separated from their children trying to give them a chance to survive. Loved the book.

Two American women living in Paris with their French husbands meet by chance and find their friendship tested during the war and beyond. I look at families pulled apart and lives changed forever. A book set in the 40s with a lesson for today.

Set during 1939 in Paris, the upcoming war begins to unite three different families. Juliette and her family own a bookstore and become quick friends with Ruth and her kids. A chance meeting united Elise and Juliette, as they realize they are both expecting babies soon. However, the group’s fun days of gathering in the shop are about to change as the war begins. Soon each family has a terrible choice to make, and when they are finally reunited after the war their lives will never be the same.

I picked up this book after previously reading the “Book of Lost Names” by the same author. I absolutely loved the characters and fell in love with each family. The story also follows the war, but the majority is fixed on the aftermath—which I really enjoyed. This was an amazing book and a must read.

During World War II when France was under German occupation 2 young mothers, Juliette and Elise meet. Both Americans and both pregnant. They become friends and each give birth to girls.
When Elise must leave Paris and cannot take her daughter, Juliette agrees to take care of her until she can come back. There is a bombing and everything changes for Juliette and Elise

Although I was able to guess what had occurred, Kristin Harmel is such a talented writer, the characters so well developed that it didn't matter. I read the book in two days and really enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I absolutely LOVED this book. It's been awhile since I felt a book pulling me to read it. Although, I knew the "twist" the entire time it was still an excellent book and kept me turning the pages to see how the fates would collide. Loved it!

This is by far Kristin Harmel’s best work. Her books all have interesting plots and themes, with original storylines, but the writing in this book is impressive. Her characters are very real and Harmel’s writing allows the reader to get to know these characters in depth, including their pain and their eventual joys. This is not a book that is easy to put down and even though I guessed the ending far too soon, that did not take away from the storyline. I very much look forward to Harmel’s next book as it seems each book gets better and better. Thank you NetGalley for a ARC.

Kristin Harmel never disappoints. I know when I pick up one of her new books that I am in for a treat. This book is no exception. It is easy to give this book 5 stars. I was on the edge of my seat the last half of the book. I couldn’t wait to turn the page and see what was going to happen in the lives of the two main characters…Elise and Juliette. The book is based on real live events in Paris during the allied bombings by both the US and RAF. The resilience of ordinary civilians and what can happen to the mind when tragedy is encountered is amazing. The will to not only protect one’s children during the war, and to protect the lives of children not your own was heartwarming, this book is a real page turner and not to be missed.

Harmel is a wonderful storyteller who brings history alive so we don’t forget.

In the epilogue to the book, the author reminds readers that “sixty thousand civilians lost their lives to Allied bombs falling from the clouds.” reminiscent of present day life in Ukraine,

The Paris Daughter is a powerful story of friendship and motherhood, the impact of loss, and the inhumanity of war. Highly recommend!

See link to full review.

I really liked the idea of this storyline to start and even had a solid ugly cry at the end of chapter 11. After that I did enjoy the story but I saw the twist coming really early and it felt a little draggy to me when it finally got to it. Some parts seemed implausible like all being at the plane crash and such a small child remembering a phrase from being a toddler. Overall, I liked the story but I haven't found another one of Harmel's books that I loved as much as The Book of Lost Names.

An emotional novel about love, friendship and family during wartime.

If you enjoy a character driven novel from a historical standpoint then this is the novel for you.

Elise was my favorite character, and I loved the bond between her and Juliette too. Elise had lost so much during the war, but in the end she had overcome all the trials and was able to put it all behind her and move forward.

It took me awhile to finish this book, because it was heartfelt and I had to take time to let the information simmer and then I’d open it again.

Thank you NetGalley for the eBook copy and the opportunity to review this title before it’s release.

Love Kristin Harmel’s stories. She is such a great storyteller that you get invested in the characters and the story that you get lost. Her detailed writing makes you feel like your are part of the book.