This is not a book I can recommend to my students. Most of my students have articulation errors or language issues, since I am a speech and language pathologist. This book has French in it; which I can not speak, and would also make confusing for the language learners that are trying to comprehend the story.
The illustrations in the story were beautiful, but so many people smoking.
As stated above I don't understand French and some of the sentences were part French part English--this made it difficult for me to understand. The illustrations helped with understanding the story.
I did not realize until I got to the end of the book that there was a guide that interpreted what the French was. That would be too difficult to go back and forth.
I do like happy endings and this was a happing ending.

This was cute but I wish it was more fleshed out. Would've loved another 50 pages to show more about the growing interest on both sides for something more than friendship. Great artwork, really reminded me of Paris.

This was a cute and fast read. Paris follows Juliet, an American artist studying in Paris. Her professor connects her with a painting commission which introduces her with rich Deborah. Although the two come from vastly different backgrounds, they form a connection. Some drama ensues but mostly it felt like a low stakes opposite attract comic/graphic novel. I honestly assumed it was set in the 1980s or 1990s until after finished it and read the synopsis, so I think the political setting definitely could have been better described. I really enjoyed the art style and felt like it was unique to other illustrated works I’ve read lately. I especially loved the paper dolls and art references included in the end of the book.

A sweet, atmospheric story that makes me want to go back to Paris right now.

A few reviews have commented on the simplicity of the storyline, but the book is called <I>Paris</I>, not <I>Juliet</I> or even <I>Two Women in Paris</I>. The city is a character, maybe the main character.

When I showed pages to my wife, it wasn't the pages with the story, it was the pages that only showed the city.

If the untranslated French trips you up, there are notes in the back translating it. I didn't have a problem with it even though I know almost nothing of the language.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishing house for sending me this e-arc to read and review. This was a beautiful graphic novel. The illustrations were amazing and I really recommend this author.

Charming, atmospheric, and romantic, Paris is an engaging story that really draws you in to the setting, both in time and place. I enjoyed the inclusion of French in the dialogue; it really made all of the characters' voices clear, especially when contrasted to the prim British characters. Paris was both earnest and playful, and I wished it was a little longer so the story could play out at a more relaxed pace, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

A big thank-you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for giving me a copy of this book for an unbiased review.

2/5 - It was okay.

Having read through feedback from other readers, I agree with many of the other reviews. The illustrations are vibrant and beautiful, with so much movement within each frame that it feels as if I can actually hear the buzzing of the streets, feel the dappled sunlight, taste the food depicted. Although sometimes the monochrome depictions can be confusing (it's difficult to spot the characters one is meant to follow), this lends to the dizzying feeling of being swept up by a busy city or an overwhelming party. If I were rating the book on illustrations alone, my rating would be much higher.

The story, however, falls flat. It's riddled with stereotypes - starving American artists whose parents run hardware stores back home; sex-crazed French women who hang their perpetually dripping culottes out in the bedroom and pepper their dialogue with French catchphrases despite speaking perfectly adequate English; repressed English characters who of course belong to the nobility and cannot survive without their teas. This parade of caricatures made it difficult for me to care about the characters or to invest in their journeys. Due to the dialogue, I also had a hard time understanding what time this story was set in - the English characters seemed stuck in some bygone Victorian era, the French characters were firmly set in the 1950s or 60s, and the American character seemed thoroughly modern. This was confusing.

The overall effect was of a story that was just... okay. It's worth reading for the art but anyone expecting a sweeping and profound LGBT love story will be left disappointed.

Very interesting art style, especially when the whole page is filled and draws the eye all over. There was decent sapphic rep but the characters came off as stereotypical. I liked the focus on self-expression but didn't love the fiancé storyline.

I desperately wanted to read this eARC, but my computer and Kobo may not have been able to handle the graphics of this comic because it took forever for each page to load 😅 I also ran out of patience because the first 22 pages of the file were only of the setting and nothing was happening in the story. I kept waiting for something to happen or have a character be introduced, but after 22 pages of lagging page-turns, I just had to move on. I still want to read this though, so I’ll keep an eye out for a physical copy and will update my review when I've read it.

i really loved the stylistic choices of this graphic novel, from the art to the sepia colour palette and the designs of Juliet and Deborah - it definitely added to the sense of a retro, edgy cartoon (and really reminded me of Daria, Downtown, and Nana)

as for the story, i liked the idea and plot - but i think it really needed to be longer, as a single book or extended series with several volumes. i feel like the relationship between Juliet and Deborah wasn’t given enough development and depth, and i didn’t really know much about either character or see them change, which also meant i was thrown with later plot points which v much came out of nowhere and i had no investment in.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really liked it, stuck with me & would recommend

Set in Bohemian Paris of the early 1950s, Juliet, a penniless American art student. To make ends meet, Juliet paints portraits of wealthy debutantes. One of her subjects is Deborah, a young woman trapped in the old social order of her wealthy family. Juliet herself has felt confined in the rigid academic structure of her art education and finds an unlikely kindred spirit in Deborah. And though Juliet wasn't expecting romance, their love for art brings them together, even as their friends and family try to drive them apart.

This quick story was well written and even better illustrated. Paris is definitely another character in the story and very well depicted. The emotions leap of the page both with the words and the drawings. I knew clearly who was speaking and the lettering was easy to read.

I enjoyed this book throughout and feel like LGBTQIA+ stories like this one need to be normalized, especially period pieces.

Thank you to Image Comics, NetGalley, and authors Andi Watson & Simon Gane for providing me with a digital ARC copy of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review. Paris is out July 12, 2022.

The art style was awesome! Definitely busy, yet still easy to follow. The fact that it was left to just beige and black was disappointing. I wish there was color of some sort to keep this interesting. I wasn't a fan of this creative decision, but it grew on me nonetheless.

This was a sweet sapphic romance set in 1950s Paris with an artist and a debutante. The storyline absolutely had promise, but it ended too quickly and left questions unanswered. I think at least one or two more chapters would have been better for tying everything together.

Juliet, an art student, meets Deborah, a young debutante. Although they are meant to be painter and muse, there's a spark of something special between them, no matter how hard Deb's chaperone tries to keep them apart. But life goes on.

This book is very French. I don't suppose you have to be French or speak the language to appreciate it, but it would likely help. It's also not a children's book (fair warning for all those folks who still think cartoons are only for the childish). I didn't love this book, but I can't help but be charmed by it anyway. The story is convoluted and the humor subtle, but the art style fits it perfectly, creating a whole mood.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Paris is set in the 1950s and centres on the lives of two young women—a broke American student trying to make it big as a painter, and a naive British socialite who has come to Paris to stay with her snobby aunt. Although the two women have two very different backgrounds, they are interested in each other straight away. Both of them love art, and what place would be better to celebrate art than Paris?

I was sure I was going to enjoy this graphic novel because I loved Sunburn (also by Watson and Gane), but Paris felt lacklustre. The story starts off slow and, sadly, the pacing doesn’t change much throughout the book. We get the usual French stereotypes, but nothing riveting or groundbreaking. The biggest letdown was, however, the ending. It was rushed and felt incredibly unsatisfying because the story had barely developed at this point. I get why Watson ended it where he did, but it wasn’t enjoyable.

A short but sweet sapphic love story filled with art and family drama. Set
in 1950’s Paris, Juliet, an American artist, meets Deborah, an English aristocrat. They both seek to escape the expectations of their families, and find each other in the process.

I loved the art style so much. From first glance, you know who Juliet and Deborah are. Every panel shows the beauty and clamor of Paris, and it was beautifully done. Would love more about their life together, but I’m content to imagine 🫶🏼

Thank you to Image Comics and Netgalley for the free eARC in exchange for my honest review.

In this graphic novel, a young American woman in art school in Paris makes money by painting portraits of the rich. She falls in love with one of her portrait sitters, but circumstances pull them apart until the sitter tracks down the painter. THere's a happily-ever-after where the two return to Paris to live out their dream lives together. Neither the story nor the artwork did much for me, but others might enjoy the happy ending.

The artwork is busy in a way that isn't overwhelming, and the characters are likable. The plot resonated and made me wonder if it was based on a true story. I love the themes behind the story, that there are multiple ways to succeed and that happiness doesn't always look the way people think it should.

This was cute but a little bit hard to follow at times. I think it was intentional, but it was a slow read for me because of that.

Paris had interesting illustrations that are outside anything I would normally reach for. I wish this graphic novel had more substance, and didn't realize have the text would be in French, making it a bit difficult to follow as French is not my strong point.
Paris followed two young woman, one a socialite and the other an artist, who made money painting portraits of young debutantes. The romance between these two young ladies was quick to formulate, and was given minimal time to develop.
This graphic novel wasn't for me, but did have some promising qualities.
I rated this 3 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and EdelWeiss for access to this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This graphic novel was interesting. It’s about a lesbian relationship and I think the All-Star is very interesting. I thought it was quite unique and stylised. I thought that was really cool. I also like the story progression and the character arcs. I think generally this was really good, I think some of the text that was put in wasn’t necessary and it was a little overly wordy for a graphic novel for my liking, but I think it is quite interesting. I would read more from this author in the future.