The Paris Daughter by Kristin Harmel is an excellent WWII-era historical fiction that I really, truly enjoyed.

Set in war-torn France during WWII, this is a story of love, loss, sacrifice, selflessness, fear, hope, and the truly special bond and love between a mother and daughter.

This story has emotion, action, mystery, suspense, history, and a few surprises along the way.

I liked the development of the characters Elise and Juliette. The pacing picked up as tne book continued onwards, and finished to my satisfaction for sure.

I have loved several of Ms. Harmel’s books, and this is no exception.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Gallery Books for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 6/6/23.

Another delightful book by Ms. Harmel. This one started a little slow and took me awhile to get into and then I was confused when the war ended so early in the book, but I should have never doubted the brilliance. I loved the little Easter egg nod to Book of Lost Names. If you've like Ms. Harmel's previous books, I wouldn't miss this one. I had a weird feeling about the end, though I couldn't explain why I felt that, but my hunch ended up being right and I loved how it all tied in together. For like half the book I wanted to shake the life out of Juliette, but I think it did a good job of showing a mother's grief and the long-term trauma it can cause.

Another heart-wrenching story by Kristin Harmel. Mercy, what anguish and sadness and then healing! I felt as if I was there when Paris was being bombed, when children were being sent away, when families were reunited. This was truly a spectacular book! Well done. Highly recommended.

4.5 out of 5 stars…simply because I wasn’t ready for it to end and was hoping for an epilogue

Paris is in the late 1930’s has no idea of what’s to come in the near future. Life goes on as normal. For Elise and Juliette, two Americans married to Frenchmen, it is the bond of motherhood that brings them together. It’s the strength of that friendship that forced Elise to do something no mother would ever want to do. Elise’s artist husband has been arrested for his political views. Rather than give up the names of his compatriots under Nazi torture, he throws his wife under the bus and now Elise is on the run. Before she escapes Paris, she asks Juliette to take in her daughter, to keep her safe, to ensure she survives. Juliette and her family take in the small girl and raise her side by side with their own daughter. But then the unthinkable happens and a missed Allied bombing devastates the perfect life Juliette was living. Her entire family is killed in the bombing except for her and one of the little girls….but which one is it?

I loved this story. While fictional, it raises a lot of questions that we know we’re going through the minds of so many mothers during the war. Am I doing the right thing by sending my children away to keep them safe, to ensure their survival of the nightmare to come? Does that mean I don’t love them or I am a bad parent? So many families were torn apart by WWII and to move forward wasn’t easy. This story is heartbreaking and one that fans of Kristin Harmel won’t be able to put down until they’ve reached the last page!

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Gallery Book and the great Kristin Harmel for an advanced copy of this extraordinary page turner! Historical fiction fans are going to love it!!