Elsie LeClair and Juliette Foulon meet in the park and become fast friends. Juliette is married with two boys and owns a bookshop along with her husband. They are expecting their third child. Elsie is also married to a talented painter and are expecting their first child. Elsie is worried about her husband who has begun drinking and staying out late. They are both having their children around the same time.
When Germany invades, Elsie's husband's activities put her in danger causing her to flee Paris, leaving her daughter in Juliette's care.
After the war Elsie returns seeking her child to find the bookstore is destroyed, the entire area is destroyed. Where are Juliette and her child?
I am not telling anymore, you must read the book to find out how Elsie's search ends! No spoilers here !!
I loved this story, it is filled with the rich historical detail and captivating characters that we have come to expect from Kristin Harmel. As good if not better than previous works by her. You won't want to put it down once started, I read thru the night and had to force myself to stop! I give 5 stars and highly recommend.
Thank you to Gallery Books and to Net Galley for the free ARC, I am leaving my honest review voluntarily.

This story is about two mothers faced with protecting their children in a time of war. Both make unimaginable choices that will haunt them forever, Elise and Juliette are young mothers that form a friendship. They spend several afternoons in Juliette’s family bookstore watching their children play together. As Nazi occupation looms closer, Elise becomes targeted by the Nazis. She begs Juliette and her husband to take care of her precious daughter. Both are faced with regret and question their choices as the world they know changes into one of war, fear and survival.

This was a heart wrenching story that left me so wrecked! The life that these two women lived was so heart breaking. Kristin Harmel has the incredible ability to pull you in to theses stories and make you feel the emotion and desperation of the characters.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

#NetGalley #TheParisDaughter #KristinHarmel

This new title from Kristine Harman showcases her storytelling gifts and her love for sharing history. Set in Paris and NYC, WW II once again comes to life with a focus on two young mothers (Elise and Juliette) and two daughters (Lucy and Matilde). Woven through there stories are historical strands regarding the Paris art world, saving Jewish children, the bombing of the Renault factory, and more. After reading Harmel's notes at the end, I could hear Paul Harvey's voice saying, "And now you know the rest of the story." Quite possibly my new favorite of all Harmel"a titles
Thank you to Gallery Books and Netgalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

I didn’t totally expect to be ugly crying at different points of this book, but I was! This is a beautifully written tragedy following the lives of different women through WWII. You will laugh and cry with the main characters Elise and Juliette. The story shows their relationship and the transitions that they go through during the war. I feel like the historical fiction genre is saturated with stories from WWII, but this one seemed different and it was refreshing.

The Paris Daughter is another heart warming and gut wrenching WWII story by the one and only Kristin Harmel! Its a historical fiction at its finest with emotional and graphic description so vivid a reader can’t help but feel reliving the scene as if its happening right in front of our very own eyes.

Two young American women, living in Paris, two young mothers , bound by friendship and promise, caught right in the middle of war, forced to make decisions to save their children. This is a story that is gripping and explores art and history. True to Kristin Harmel’s fashion, it is very well researched and it involved side stories of heroes that worked in the sidelines to save children during the war, giving them identities and future and hope that they will be reunited with their families when the war was over. I love it very much! Mother’s grief and loss is incomparable like no other and there is no amount of words that can describe how the war has brought such loss to every human being on this planet, not just to mothers and children but to the entire humanity in general.

Special thank you to Gallery Books via Netgalley for the e-arc in exchange of my honest review. I love Kristin Harmel’s books always and she is an auto buy author! Highly recommend!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5 Stars
Thank you to @gallerybooks and @kristinharmel for allowing me to read an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) for an honest review! This book was published on June 26, 2023.

Lovers of historical fiction should run, not walk, to secure their copy! The Paris Daughter is one of the best Historical Fiction novels that I’ve read in a while! This book is perfect for lovers of The Nightingale, Things We Cannot Say, The Alice Network, The Keeper of All Things, Lilac Girls, and Sarah’s Key.

This book follows the stories of two families in France and how the German occupation in France impacts each survivor. The writing is wonderful and the narrative really pulls the reader in. Although the content is heavy it’s 💯% heartfelt, captivating, and uplifting.

✨The following review contains spoilers.✨

🎨 Elise LeClair and her husband Olivier met in New York but moved to France to live their life together as artists. Oliver a painter. Elise a sculptor and painter. They had a daughter, Mathilda, who was Elise’s pride, joy, and best friend. Oliver joined a group of artists during the German occupation in France that displayed anti Nazi artwork and ultimately was killed. Elise was forced to leave Paris for her safety and was challenged with the tough decision to travel with Mathilda or leave her behind in the safety of family friends. 🖼️

📚 Juliette Foulon and her husband Paul own a quaint and enchanting family bookstore. They work hard to make the store inviting to customers and to obtain rare copies of French books. They have three children. When a bomb hits their neighborhood instead of the intended Renault plant, Juliette’s life was turned upside down. She lost Paul and both sons. Her only family member remaining was her daughter, Lucie. 📖

Elise’s decisions deeply impact Juliette’s world 🌎 view. Elise experiences a level of loneliness that she never knew possible. They both end up in New York 🗽after the war. Will they be able to forgive each other and become friends again or will their individual sadness and remorse force the two to hold a grudge?

Best book of 2023 so far for me! So many tears- so many characters to get behind and have a connection to. The ending was a bit predictable. I don't know if I'm unsatisfied with it because it was predictable and bit abrupt, or if I just did not want the story to end. Still, such a great read!

The Paris Daughter is heartbreakingly beautiful. I love historical fiction and this story did not disappoint, This book brought to light so many different things - friendships, promises, being a mother, and ultimately some mental health issues after trauma. I really couldn’t put this book down. Wonderful work Kristin Harmel, you must be so proud.

The Paris Daughter by Kristin Harmel adds another notch in her ever-stretching belt of intriguing historical fiction gems. Like all her books, this story was equally heartbreaking and heartwarming.

Two women become friends, each with daughters close to the same age. When Elise is forced to leave her daughter behind due to her husband’s role in the resistance, she places her child in Juliette’s care. Harmel created wrenching scenes as Jewish mothers all over Europe were sending their children to the countryside or even further to protect them from going to the Nazi work/death camps.

I adored the descriptions of the art that was threaded throughout the novel, and I could easily imagine the wood carvings that Elise worked on. Harmel also brought Paris to life, especially the bookstore where much of the book was set. This is definitely an escapist novel.

I dare say more because I fear if I keep typing it will lead me to spilling a spoiler. Book clubs will adore this one!

If you’re looking for a light summer read, you might want to skip The Paris Daughter. Light, it is not. But it is beautifully written and does make you think—two fabulous traits of a great book. I kind of have a thing for World War II books, so I couldn’t resist it. Plus it’s about artists and book lovers. What?! That’s just the best.

It opens in Paris—another subject I find hard to resist—in 1939. Three mothers, Elise, Juliette, and Ruth become friends at Juliette and her husband’s bookstore in Bois de Boulogne. With war on the horizon, Ruth is the first forced to make a gut-wrenching decision. Elise is next. The book is told from the dual viewpoints of Elise and Juliette, but Ruth remains an important part.

One reason I like World War II books is because they typically force me to question myself. Would I make the same choices? How would I cope with unrelenting stress for years? Would I persevere in the face of heartbreak? I hope I never have to answer those questions. Too many have and still do.

But the themes of motherhood, love, friendship, endurance, and who we are at our core weave together to tell a heart-breaking, beautiful story. Keep the tissue box handy. 4.5 stars (just because it made me so sad) rounded up to 5.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for my advanced review copy.

Such a beautiful story of the power of mothers. The focus was on Jewish children, but also on how other families were affected by WWII through their political affiliations. This was a new aspect of WWII fiction for me, so I was interested to keep reading this. I highly recommend!

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

It is very hard for me, even a Baby Boomer, to know what it was like in many places in Europe during World War II. We are very lucky as Americans to have never been occupied by a foreign power. The bombing that it took along with the cruel treatment of citizens is something we can only imagine. Kristin Harmel in her latest book brings it all to life in "The Paris Daughter". Many parents gave up their children to keep them safe. In some cases, it worked, in others it did not. The separation, worry, and often heartache of these disjoined families are something we can only imagine. Harmel brings to life the joys, the struggles, the reunions, and the sacrifices of families in this latest of her historical novels set in occupied Europe. Harmel painstakingly researches these stories. I enjoyed reading "The Paris Daughter". Harmel's story is about a couple, both artists and their daughter. It is also about her friend and the friend's family, bookstore owners during the horrible years of the German occupation of France. I won't spoil the story. Read this fascinating story of eternal family love. Thanks to #netgalley#TheParisDaughter for the opportunity to read and review this book.

First I have to say I LOVED this book. It's one of my favorites of the year and one that I know I'll reach for repeatedly throughout the years. The vivid details of Paris, and the insights into the lives of the women in the book, really brings them to life right before your eyes.

The horrors of war and the devastating losses that came along with it are present throughout the book, and 'seeing' how it's affected the lives of the women who survived is at times hard to read, but seeing how everything ends is definitely worth reading through the women's hardships and how they changed because of them.

WWII is the backdrop for this novel of heartache as two women, whose daughters are friends, lose everyone they love during the war. How do each of them deal with the loss ? You can guess, how it is going to end but you have to read it (in a day) to find out how it plays out.

Kristin Harmel did not disappoint! What a beautifully tragic story about trauma and grief!

Juliette and Elise become friends, two Americans in Paris as WWII is beginning. As the Germans occupy Paris, Elise's artist husband gets caught up in the resistance and is arrested. He puts Elise and their daughter in danger and Elise has to run. She leaves her daughter, Mathilde, in Juliette's care in the bookstore where she lives with her husband and her three children.

Elise aches every day for her daughter and when she can return, she is devastated to find that the bookstore has been bombed and Juliette has disappeared with no word. All she can find are graves for Juliette's husband and boys and for Mathilde. Both friends have been forever changed by the grief and live shackled to the past but have handled it very differently. When Elise goes to New York to find her old friend more than one secret is revealed.

I gave it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. Kristin Harmel really showed the different ways we handle grief and trauma. It is as unique as the individual. It was such a beautifully written story and to me it was ultimately about hope and looking forward. It was also a story about motherhood and what we do for our children. It was historical fiction at its best!

Thank you to @netgalley and @gallerybooks for an early copy in exchange for an honest review! Also, thank you to @kristinharmel for a signed copy in Huntsville on pub day at the @friendsandfiction event!

This is a heartbreaking story that is beautifully written. Itis full of emotions and you can feel every one of them. This is a book that once you start reading it, you don't want to put it down. If you are a fan of Historical Fiction, you will love this book. I received a complimentary copy from Gallery Books via NetGalley and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

A heartbreaking and beautifully written historical fiction novel about motherhood, war and impossible choices. I have read most of Harmel’s books and this one may be my favorite!
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and Kristin Harmel for a digital copy of The Paris Daughter. Out now. Don’t miss this one!

War is coming to France in 1939. When 2 young mothers meet with their children in a Paris park, they become fast and best friends. Juliette is an American and is married to Paul Foulon whilst Elise, another American, is married to Olivier LeClare. While Elise is an artist in her own right, she is overshadowed by her communist and insurrectionist husband, and is totally devoted to her daughter, Mathilde. Once Paris is occupied by the Nazis, Olivier becomes a prime target and is eventually captured and killed. Advised by her husband’s agent that she and her daughter are in grave danger, Elise decides to leave Mathilde with her best friend until it is safe to return - a difficult and heart wrenching decision. Juliette and Paul have 3 children, a 4th, a daughter, having died just after birth and operate a bookstore. One horrible day, an allied bombing of the Paris Renault factory goes horribly wrong (a real occurrence) and the bookstore suffers a direct hit. Only Juliette and her daughter survive. The remainder of the story deals with the years following the war - the guilt, the feeling of loss, and the difficulties in facing the past in the present.

As always, Harmel has created a well-written, moving story about the horrors and sacrifices of WWII and its lasting effects on families and non-combatants. It is a novel of love, loss, sacrifice, survival, resilience, and to some extent, forgiveness. The various subplots only add to the story. And I think it is worth noting a comment Harmel makes in her author’s notes: “When we know more about the past, we are better prepared to face the future.” Some wise woods for today’s world. My thanks to Gallery Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. Don’t miss it.

Fabulous historical fiction at its finest! Kristin Harmel has outdone herself, painting a beautiful moving story with words. Because she meticulously researches the historical events, not only is it a pleasure to read but also provides a learning experience. And even though I had suspected the twist, it didn't take away from the storytelling at all. This is a must read for anyone who enjoys reading, especially historical fiction. My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book for review. All opinions are my own.

A chance meeting of two American mothers-to-be develops into a close friendship. Elise & Juliette support each other through the beginning days of WWII in Paris. As the Germans edge closer each mother must make a tough decision that will affect their children’s futures.

Kristin Harmel once again draws us into her WWII Parisian world. This book is full of emotional ups and downs that bring us closer to the main characters. We follow the war years and how each mother pieces their life back together afterwards. I could not put this book down. Lovers of historical fiction will be hooked!