I loved this book! I was so swept away I could not put it down. It was emotional and really hit up on how far a mother would go for her child.

Cannot wait to purchase and read again!

Outstanding! I kept my expectations neutral going into this book because I love WWII novels and am never sure if they’ll be overdone or bringing something new to the genre. This was incredible. So beautifully written, heartbreaking, and yet full of a sense of completeness (if that makes sense).

Absolutely add this to your TBR and subsequently your shelf. I’m so glad I own a hardback copy because this one is special.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Gallery Books for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Beautifully written and a strong, important story. As always, fictional based on true events. A heart wrenching story with quite the ending.

I fell in love with Kristin Harmel's writing when I read The Forest of Vanishing Stars and The Book of Lost Names. The Paris Daughter was just as great even though there was a lot of loss and it felt heavy to me at times. That might be because we've had a loss in our family this year though. Beautiful, heart-wrenching story. Once you get started you'll want to keep going to find out what happens to Elise and Juliette and their families!

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Publication date: 6 June 2023

What a superb read! I have never read a book by this author that I have not loved and this book is no exception.
It's a story that all has the distinctive elements of a gripping story---love, hate, suspense, kindness, darkness and so much more. Set against the backdrop of World War II, the characters are perfectly rendered.
It's a story that remains with you long after you've finished it.
Great read!

The Paris Daughter, by Kristin Harmel, is an absolutely riveting, evocative, World War 2 story about two mothers who are faced with impossibly difficult, choices they are forced to make for the sake of their children. This story speaks to the horrors women bravely face and endure, the power of friendship, the unimaginable strength of love, and the resilience of the women who will sacrifice all for their children.

Elise and Juliet are two young women living in pre-war Paris. They have an accidental, but fated meeting, and soon become fast friends. They are both pregnant and form a bond with one another, promising to look after one another and their children, whatever comes their way. With war on the horizon and the threat of Hitler’s invasion looming, this promise may be more inevitable than either woman imagined. When the worst occurs, the women hold to their promises, but it changes them in ways neither woman could ever foresee.

This powerful, poignant story, is beautifully written, cleverly plotted, and an impactful, thought-provoking narrative. Ms. Harmel has a gift for penning unique, historical fiction stories that feel fresh, insightful and applicable to the modern day reader, despite the passage of time. I highly recommend this story and look forward to more from this author.

A stunning story that covers friendship, tragedy, and the long road to recovery and possibly restoration. The story starts in the days before World War Two and is set largely in Paris. An ensemble cast surrounds two women and their friendship that is fractured by tragedy. While I anticipated the two twists as they were planted, I frankly don’t care. I was so vested in the characters. And be sure to read the author note at the end. This author cares deeply about the history which I so appreciate.

Kristen Harmel is an auto buy author for me. If she writes it, I will read it. I know it will tear my heart out, but I will always come back for more. Harmel's ability to create the story and giving all the background while making the reader feel like they are in the story is unmatched. The Paris Daughter was no exception. It is heartfelt, heartbreaking, and all around a story I was so immersed in that I didn't want it to end. 5 stars

Elise is living a storybook life in France. She is a sculptor who has put her career on hold to support her husband, Olivier, an artist. Expecting her first child, she meets Juliette who is expecting her third. Juliette and her husband, Paul, own a bookshop with many expat customers. The bookshop becomes almost a second home for Elise and Mathilde. In 1939, everything changes with the advent of WWII. Elise is forced to flee to save her life. She leaves Mathilde behind in the car of Juliette and her family. Ruth, another friend, is Jewish and makes the hard decision to flee to save herself, hoping her children will be spared.The bookshop is bombed and only part of the family survive.

As soon as it is safe, Elise returns to Paris searching for her daughter. Fast forward 20 years. Juliette and Elise have never forgiven each other. Elise has never given up searching for Mathilde. In her mind she knows it's hopeless. Then the unexpected happens. One of Elise's tiny bird sculptures turns up in a gallery in New York. And then some of the artwork comes up for sale.

This story raises more questions than it has answers. When there are no good choices, how does one decide on the best of the worst? What part does forgiveness play? How can prolonged bitterness warp the soul?

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this amazing novel. This is a book that you will remember long after the final chapter. The characters are likeable and strong and the plot is unpredictable. As a reader, I felt all of the emotions that Harmel wove into her characters. This is a book that I want everyone to read!

wonderful book. great for groups to discuss. the setting, and characters are very complex and you feel like your right there with them. the setting and the time of the setting is very accurate. wonderful personal depth for the characters. thoroughly enjoyed and will recommend to all.

Overall I enjoyed this book. A fine quick read, but not a lot of character depth & a little slow for me.

Another riveting story of WWII Paris from Kristin Harmel. As always she tackles a lesser know aspect of the civilian aspect of the war, told through the eyes of two women who are dealt traumatic events which impact their lives for decades after the war. A realistic example of the true horrors of grief and loss

I never could get quite into this. Kristin Harmel writes beautifully, as always, and I appreciated the different type of storyline. I got confused at times with the different women and children, and the story felt a bit fragmented between events, Overall, I'd give it a 3.5.

4.5 stars
A story of difficult choices and the long-term consequences of those choices. For Elise and Juliette (and Ruth Levy), a mother's love was put to the impossible test and living with those decisions haunted these women.

The Paris Daughter was a lovely picture of the resilience of the human spirit but also the devastation that life can bring and the importance of picking up the pieces and continuing to move forward.

From the authors note at the end -“I also hope that when you read my books, you’re reminded of our incredible human capacity for love, resilience, and survival, even in the midst of terrible times. We all go through dark periods in our lives. We all know anguish, just as we all know joy. But I hope that in reading books like mine, you’re reminded that managing to pick ourselves up and put one foot in front of the other is always a victory—and that there is always light in the darkness, even if that spark is sometimes hard to see.”

There are two main characters in the book who both experience devastating loss. One is able to overcome, while the second is not exactly able to. In 2023 it’s hard to imagine the true devastation that WW2 brought. Even to American expats in Europe-but I’m continually amazed by the different angles of the story told and the ability for men and women to continue on.

I love Kristin’s Harmels ability to bring a story alive while honouring and staying true to the real facts. It is clear how much research goes into her writing and I am once again blown away by the power of historical fiction. Thank you to the publisher and net galley for my ARC!

This is the second Kristen Harmer book I have read, the first being The Forest of Vanishing Stars, which I loved. This book takes place in France around the story of two women, one an artist the other a bookstore keepers wife who both have daughters the same age who befriend each other. When war comes, a mother has to decide to give up her child so that child can survive. What becomes of the children during WWII is a sad event as well as what becomes of these two mothers. A heart wrenching tale of war and the love of mothers. Thank you netgalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC!

I received this text from Net Galley.

This book shows the ultimate love of a mother.

Two young mothers meet one day in Paris, as the German occupation begins to spread in the area. One is an artist, one works at a bookstore. Elise, the artist, is married to another artist - one who is part of the resistance and therefore she has also become a suspect. She must face a hard choice about whether she should take her daughter with her as she goes into hiding, or leave her behind. This after witnessing many Jewish families begin to be torn apart, willingly and not so as the occupation spreads. They too must make this decision, only parents are sending their children away - to relatives, to strangers, anywhere where they MIGHT be safe.

In the meantime, as we know, Jewish people were rounded up and sent to concentration camps where they faced horrible living or working conditions, if they were lucky. The unlucky ones - were never heard from again.

Elise decides her daughter will be safer with her new friend Juliette and her family, instead of with her fleeing. So, she leaves her at the bookstore and disappears into hiding for several years. During the time that Elise is gone, such terrible events take place - war, bombs, and loss. Lots of loss.

Several bombs are dropped over the area where the library stands, and the area is left in rubble. Nothing is left where the library once stood, including Juliettes' family. Except for herself and Lucy (her own daughter), everybody else from her family was taken in the series of bombs. Leaving Juliette devastated and having to restart her entire life.

When Elise is able to return to Paris, she is completely shocked to discover the conditions of the area where the bookshop once stood. She had no idea of the bombing that took place there. Through neighbors, she finds out that Juliette has moved to the states and that one of the many children under her care at the time lived. Unfortunately for Elise, that does not appear to be her daughter. Caught in between whether she should find Juliette or not and what that would cause - many years go by.

Miraculously, Elise is able to reunite their Jewish friend Ruth - who had sent her children away - with her two children. Eventually, they too move to the states, leave Elise to loose herself in her art once more.

When Ruth stumbles upon a bookshop and Juliette in New York, she knows it is time to reunite her with Elise. At first Elise resists Ruth's requests, but eventually they decide this will be the best thing. After the estranged friends meet, it is easy to see why Juliette has been avoiding this reunion for so long. Yes, she is hurt. Yes, she thinks her friend should not have abandoned her daughter. Yes, she might blame her husband's death on Elise's daughter. But there is more to it than that...

Harmel does not disappoint with The Paris Daughter. It is a truly believable story that probably did happen many times during the war. Documenting everyday people (some with connections to larger names) make for an extremely interesting read. The only thing missing was an epilogue to find out what happens next. Bravo!

“The universe always leads you to exactly where you’re meant to be, for though it may be endless, there is a place in it for each and every one of us.”


Billed as a WWII historical fiction The Paris Daughter by Kristin Harmel is that and so much more. When the Nazi occupation of Paris, France and its accompanying dangers force an artist, Elise, and her friend, Juliette a bookstore owner, to make life altering choices they cling to a hope in each other’s friendship and the goodness of strangers fighting in small ways for those most at risk. But unforseen circumstances compel them to confront the emotional guilt of those decisions even as they rationalize their necessity. While both are impacted by the trauma and loss caused by war, each will choose to deal with it differently creating lasting implications for all involved.

“This isn’t the life any of us were meant to have. But we are still the people we used to be.”


The Paris Daughter is an accurate portrayal of the heart wretching horrors civilians experienced during the Nazi occupation of Paris. Told through the eyes of both Elise and Juliette, life before and after the Nazi’s took over is a vivid backdrop to an interwoven relationship story which captivatingly explores the personal agony of making life altering choices when the safety and well-being of those closest are at stake. I love Kristin’s ability to connect the reader emotionally with her characters, who are authentic and relatable. Elise and Juliette have different perspectives that will draw you to their personal position and cause you to contemplate “what if I was put in that situation” thoughts.

The setting of France during WWI is also the locale for another of Kristin’s writings, The Book of Lost Names (which I reviewed in 2020). I loved how Kristin was able to intersect Elise’s story with a crucial part of The Book of Lost Names. If you haven’t already I would highly recomment you add that one to your TBR. The conclusion of The Paris Daughter is not at all what I expected (not in a bad way) and I was content with the resolution, considering there is never a complete happy ending when tragedy and loss are involved. From beginning to end The Paris Daughter was an engrossing read and an emotional experience, one that I can’t recommend highly enough even if you are not normally a fan of historical fiction. Kristin sums up her writing beautifully when she added in the author notes, ” When I write my novels, I’m not explicity trying to teach you a lesson. Rather, I’m hoping that you’re reminded of our place in the grand scheme of things – both in the events that have come before us, and in the events that are yet to come. I think that when we know more about the past we are better prepared to face the future, whatever comes our way. I also hope that when you read my books, you’re reminded of our incredible human capacity for love, resilience, and survival, even in the midst of terrible times.”