I enjoyed this novel set both just before WW2 in Paris and during the war, and in New York City after WW2 through 1960.

I enjoyed the friendship of the two American women who married French men. Elise who married a fellow artist, and Juliette who with her husband run a bookstore. The women are both pregnant at the same time and have daughters that are very similar in appearance.

I enjoyed the twists and turns, it wasn’t predictable and if you enjoy historical fiction you will enjoy this one too!

(4.5 stars, rounded up)

Content warnings: war, bombing, murder, plane crash, loss of a spouse, loss of children, extreme gaslighting, mental illness, betrayal, theft, concentration camps, kidnapping

Elise LeClair is an American woodcarver living with her French painter husband in Paris. One chance morning, a pregnant Elise meets Juliette Foulon. Juliette is also an American and is also pregnant at the time. Juliette takes Elise to her family's bookstore nearby, and a friendship develops between the two women.

World War II breaks out and the two women and their German Jewish friend Ruth must make impossible decisions to keep themselves and their children safe from the Nazis.

Kristin Harmel followed the extraordinary The Book of Lost Names with a more lackluster The Forest of Vanishing Stars, but she has triumphantly returned with this novel.

Recommended for readers of historical women's fiction and WWII fiction.

Representation: expats, women with careers in the early 1900s, German Jews during WWII

Loved this book. I read many historical fiction WW2 books. I enjoyed the plot development, the characters and reading about NYC after the war. How these characters forged a new life, in a new country after the devastating aftermath of WW2 -couldn’t put the book down.

I wasn't sure I"d enjoy yet another World War II story in Paris but once again Harmel delivered a compelling story. The art world and bookshop settings were very interesting both in Paris and New York. Two strong main characters but a slightly predictable ending.

Kristin Hammel knocked it out of the park yet again! My only complaint is that she doesn't have 50 books a year! I would definitely read them.

I felt like this book was way too predictable. I couldn’t tell if it was intentional or not. It started out great then fizzled about 1/2 way through.

Wow is the one word that could summarize the twists and turns, ups and downs, and the heart break that I went through when reading this book. This was my first Kristin Harmel book, but definitely not my last. i love historical fiction, especially set during WWII. Since so many books are set during this time, it is becoming more and more difficult to find a book with a different plot to one I’ve read before. Harmel did not disappoint. There is beautiful character building, along with centering themes around family rather than the political aspect of the war. Both women that the story focuses on have to make the ultimate sacrifice and lose so much during the war. Without spoiling anything, know your heart will be broken and the twists will have attempting to mend your already shattered heart.

An interesting story about motherhood, trauma, guilt, grief, and the lengths a mother would go to to protect her children. I really like the concept on this one, it had great potential, but I’m not sure about the execution. While I am usually a Harmel fan and really respect her and her writing and wanted to love this book, this time it just didn’t work for me. There is a “secret” not revealed until the last 10% of the story. Trouble is, it’s easy to figure out, I knew it from very early on in the story. I think I would have liked the flow better if it were openly revealed from the beginning and then the reader could witness more of the inner conflicts of Juliette’s mental anguish, grief process and impacts on decision making along the way. I think it would have been interesting to explore that side, and maybe build sympathy for Juliette. Instead, keeping things “hidden” just made the story feel longer than it was and made the character unlikeable. I also really didn’t care for the ending. It was too dramatic/over the top and felt thrown in there. Almost like “oh here’s another interesting historical happening, let’s add it in”. I wish I felt better about it, I know I’m in the minority on this…it just didn’t connect for me.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Will definitely be a contender for historical fiction this year and making the book club circuit. It might have been a bit predictable but I don’t need a book to surprise me to be great.

Heart-rending story of two mothers that meet and become friends in France in WWII. When one leaves her daughter in the care of the other, the consequences prove to be devasting for both families.

4.5 stars

My first Kristin Harmel, but not my last! I'm an active member of her Friends and Fiction Facebook group but had not read any of her books. This WWII novel is heartbreaking and so beautifully written. I'm also a US History teacher, so I especially enjoyed the nuances of the story of the occupation of Paris. Thank you so much Gallery Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a digital ARC.

I love Kristin Harmel’s writing and her specific take on history. The Paris Daughter is another story in Harmel’s amazing ability to tell a specific WWII story. Set in Paris and NYC focused on two young mothers and their daughters. We explore heartache, grief, drive, survival and sacrifice in another extraordinary story from Harmel.

You know going into a @kristinharmel book that you are going to get a detailed, well written story that pulls at your heart strings. But this was so much more.

Two mothers in Paris must make very difficult decisions during the early 40s. They become friends after they meet while pregnant in the park. And they stay very close after the birth of their daughters, bonding over their shared American nationality. Lucie and Mathilde are as close as sisters, which is what happens after Elise is forced to go into hiding during WWII. Her husband begins working with the resistance and they know she’s American. She has to do the unthinkable and leave her daughter behind with Juliette’s family and they pretend that Mathilde’s their cousin’s daughter.

After tragedy strikes, Juliette has no money and no where to go. She’s forced to move family to New York where she has some family. Elise is unaware of this and returns to Paris to find her daughter, but they are nowhere to be found. She will never stop looking for Mathilde; no matter what it takes.

This book was absolutely heartbreaking! These poor mothers have been through so much. It’s true love for their families that get them through the hardest of times. I loved the setting and Juliette’s bookstore. Elise’s talent and her passion for creating beautiful works of art is what helps her with her search for her daughter.

Thank you so much @gallerybooks, @bookclubfavorites and @netgalley for my gifted copy. The Paris Daughter is out now.

5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I love historical fiction, and this was a fun, mostly entertaining (yet heartbreaking) read. HOWEVER... right at the beginning there's a very obvious foreshadow that ruined the rest of the plot "twists" and the novel for me. I kept thinking, "Please let me be wrong. Please don't let this author be so obvious about so many potentially interesting plot points." But, alas, I was correct. So, although an enjoyable read, the plethora of very obvious, very distracting, too predictable, too improbable coincidences.

I liked the characters, I felt for their situations, but in the end, I just couldn't get past all of the in-your-face story manipulations.

I wouldn't say to skip the book, the story is still good, but just be prepared to really suspend your sense of logic

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster, and Gallery Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Thank you for opportunity to read abd review this book!

Another 5 star read from Kristen Harmel! This story pulls on our heart strings and helps us understand why mothers willingly left their children during ww2.
Beautifully written as always! Harmel is my go to for historical fiction and this one did not disappoint

The initial setup for this story is interesting, but was just a bit too predictable. These two American women living in Paris and married to Frenchmen are fairly stereotypical of the times. That they should connect in such a dramatic way in the beginning and at the end was not really believable. The catastrophic ending is beyond believable even though there is some link to actual events. The obvious mother daughter link halfway through rather spoils things.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a free e-reader copy of The Paris Daughter by Kristin Harmel in exchange for an honest review.

Many of Kristin Harmel’s novels have their roots in WWII and The Paris Daughter does, too. Where it differs is that in addition to exploring war and its impact on ordinary people, the novel also delves into themes such as the expansive meaning of family, identity, the centrality of art in our lives and its relationship to politics, varying responses to trauma and what makes a “good parent.” Although I figured out the big reveal about halfway through the book, that did not impact my enjoyment of this propulsive novel and its race to the end. I finished about 3/4 of it in one day, much of it in one sitting, and only waited to conclude because it was 1 AM and I needed sleep! Five stars, and I’ll be heading to Harmel’s back catalog for more.

This is the heartbreaking story of two American women, Elise and Juliette, living in Paris who become close friends during WWII. Their daughters grow up almost as sisters. When one of them has to make the ultimate sacrifice to save herself and her daughter, the other women steps in to fill the void. Each woman makes sacrifices for their family and suffers incredible losses. We follow these women until them meet again 18 years later. That's when we learn a secret that no one expected! I really enjoyed this story. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

The story had great characters and an overall good storyline but I really struggled to get past how highly unrealistic it was at times. I found myself literally rolling my eyes a few times. This one just didn’t hit the mark for me.

Kristin Harmel did not disappoint with this book! I cried, I laughed, and I fell in love with the characters almost immediately. One of my favorite historical fiction books!