I’m not Paris lover. I’m not a Francophile. But damn, this book could make me one. The way the food was described (Ruth Reichl effect) and the environment was set made me like France tad bit 😅. I couldn’t say if this was a love letter to food or friendship or coincidences or bohemian spirit of the times.

I tasted the food, I smelt the aroma, and I saw the display as I was turning the pages. It was more than a book but an experience. I rarely have this feeling about a book in the recent years. Those who are Francophiles, you will love this book because it will speak to you like nothing else. Those who are like me, you might find new appreciation.

"I think it's the most perfect house I've ever seen," she told Django after her first night there. They had finished shopping and were back at the restaurant, feverishly testing recipes, stirring stocks, and rolling pastry. "My one fear is that this will spoil me for ordinary life. I can't live at Le Sauvage forever, but how will I ever be happy anywhere else?" "Your problem" he pulled an onion tart from the oven "is that you always look for reasons to be unhappy." He handed her the warm, savory pastry and she inhaled its spicy scent. "When fortune smiles, you immediately start to worry about how it will end. Why not enjoy the moment?"

Ruth Reichl is a favorite author of mine so I was so excited to received a copy of her latest novel. Her descriptions of Paris wanted me to travel there immediately. I loved watching the transformation of Stella as she discovers who she really is through the people she meets and the food she eats. As always, Reichl’s culinary descriptions shine throughout the novel. This had a lot of heart and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

Just the summary alone makes me want to travel to Paris! I can at least live vicariously through this book.

I appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for giving me an ARC.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I have to be transparent and say that I did DNF this book.

I was thrilled to read this book because the premise hooked me! I've always wanted to visit Paris, studied French for five years, and love French food. This book seemed perfect until an early chapter revealed a graphic and unexpected description of child sexual abuse with no warning. This was disappointing as I was so excited about the story. I tried to continue, but couldn't. It's unfortunate because the plot sounded ideal for me.

I hope others find it more enjoyable and accessible! I dislike not finishing a book because I know how much effort authors put into their work. It might have just been a personal issue for me.

Ruth Reichl did not let me down with this story, which is filled with rich descriptions of Paris and sumptuous food. I enjoyed Stella's character and the quirky, lovable characters she met on her adventure in Paris. This book is a sweet treat and an ideal beach read.

Could not finish this one. I thought this was going to be a beautiful novel, but chapter two literally turned me away from this book so quickly (just as quick as I requested this book...)

Chapter two has a very upsetting and explicit child sexual abuse. This was a huge turn off for me, as this book had nothing ahead of time telling you this would be happening or even mentioned.

So, as a heads up - if you aren't cool with that, either don't read this one or skip chapter two. I wish I would have. I don't know why this much graphic description was needed for this novel, as usually other books do a light brush over a topic like that...

Because of that, this gets one star, and was also a DNF @ 7%

Thank you NetGalley and Appetite by Random House for my DRC.

I love books set in France! I loved how The Paris Novel made you feel like you were eating the food, seeing the asset and wearing the clothes!

If you love food and Paris you will love this novel!

3/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Stella’s childhood was rough. Her mother didn’t take care of her as she should have so when she passed Stella doesn’t grieve. Her mother has left her only one task and that is to go to Paris. Once Stella arrives it takes her a bit to be immersed in the city. What starts with a dress leads her through an adventure with food, art, and making many friends along the way.

Ruth Reichl is such an amazing writer when it comes to descriptions. The way this book is written really does transport you to Paris. You feel like you are tasting the food as Stella eats and you can totally picture the city as Stella explores.

While I loved all the descriptions I did feel like there was a lot going on in this book. Ruth did a good job to connect everything but I could have done with maybe a few less characters or one less story line. While I loved all the people Stella met along the way I couldn’t help but be a little nervous with all the traveling with strangers. Which is probably a me thing LOL

I would still recommend this novel simply because I love Ruth and I love the descriptions!

After the passing of Stella’s mom, she is left with a strange inheritance. A plane ticket to Paris, and money for an adventure there. She is very unsure about this trip, but when she stumbles upon a dress shop and tries on a Dior dress that everyone agrees was made for her. There is only one thing to do….buy the dress and go on the adventure of a lifetime.

I loved this adventure through Paris! I mean what booklover among us wouldn’t want to live in a bookstore? Seriously, sign me up! The descriptions of the food, the ambiance, city, and people was so well done I felt like I was living this adventure along with Stella! I truly enjoyed following along in Stellas trip and it made me want to go to Paris!

Such a delicious story! I loved this one from start to finish! Ruth Reichl has a way of making you taste the words as they jump off the page! Paris is always a good idea! I feel like I’ve just Retturned from a trip to Paris where I ate the most deliciously rich food!

Thank you, Netgalley for this early read.
I wanted to love this book but just didn't. I love all things Paris and was intrigued by the title and description, but this one fell short for me. The descriptions of the Parisian culinary scene were so intense, that it took away from my enjoyment of the storyline. I quickly lost interest and became bored.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl. This was my first fiction read by Reichl and I loved it. The Paris Novel follows Stella, who after her mother passes, heads to Paris per her mother’s last wishes. As fun as this may sound to most, Stella wasn’t super excited to go. Her and her mother had a strange relationship and one that wasn’t close, so being told that she needed to go to Paris, I think in part irritated her because her mom was the one to tell her to go. Before going, Stella led a very organized and stable life, one that she loved and considered different from her childhood. This trip to Paris seemed to embody everything she wanted to avoid in her life, as if it really felt chaotic in comparison to her life in New York. That being said, she goes and it’s a pure adventure from there, not to mention great descriptions of mouth-watering food. Such a fun read, I highly recommend.

I loved this book so much. Ruth Reichl crafts an enjoyable novel where you want to jump into the story, if not to experience the experiences of living in Paris, then to taste all the delicious food she describes. This story follows shy Stella as she moves to Paris after her mother's death. She learns about love and courage and the joys of living abroad. The characters are developed, the dialogue is engaging, and I truly love Reichl's ability to describe food in text in a way that you can taste what she is describing. I highly recommend this book.

This review is entirely my fault. After I started reading it, I knew the author sounded familiar so I looked up her prior work and discovered I didn't like Garlic and Sapphires or her writing style. This book had a lot of the "food critic" vibes she is known for. I saw a lot of complaints about the graphic scene from Chapter 2 but it did not seem over-the-top graphic to me. I liked the way the book wrapped up and while I will not read more from this author, I thought this was ok.

Ruth Reichl has had an amazing career in the food industry. The former editor of the late great Gourmet Magazine, and author of many non-fiction books, has now written a gloriously delightful story in The Paris Novel. It is uplifting, charming and magical and ripe for the picking!

When Stella's mother Celia dies, she sadly is not very upset. Estranged from her and never having been pleased with her life choices, along with some terrible childhood memories, she barely has any feeling for the woman who raised her. Stella never knew who her father was and quite frankly was embarrassed by her mother's lifestyle.

So, when Stella receives her inheritance from her mother, a one-way ticket to Paris, she immediately decides this is just Celia trying to control her from the grave. But when Stella's boss convinces her to try and accept the ticket and maybe live outside of her very strict and routine oriented life, Stella agrees to go.

So as Stella arrives in France and is roaming the streets, she sees finds a vintage shop and sees a black Dior dress. She is somehow mesmerized by it. As she walks in the owner looks at her and say this dress has been waiting for you! And Stella does something she never would have ever done. She tries the dress on and buys it for an extraordinary amount of money. But...there's something about this dress that makes her feel different.

And with that in mind, she goes to dinner with the dress on and has the most incredible experiences of her life eating oysters and enjoying a meal she never imagined existed. There, she meets an elderly gentleman named Jules who is a wealthy art collector who has lost his wife. He begins to tell her imaginative stories of his and his late wife's lives. Stella is spellbound. They become friends and Jules begins taking her to place she never imagined going, eating at restaurants she had only heard about and looking at art she witnessed only in books.

Jules introduces her to the owner of a famous bookstore where writer's and such work there, assist at the shop and sleep and eat for free. He calls then his "tumbleweeds". There, she meets famous writers including some who knew her mother. She then begins to go down the rabbit whole of her mother's life and even though she didn't know she was really searching, discovers answers to questions she never even though about.

The Paris Novel is a one of kind extraordinary read. The reader is taken on a delicious journey of food, art, life and love. The backstory as to why Reichl wrote the book is just as incredible and heartwarming as the story itself.

Thank you #NetGalley #RandomHouse #RuthReichl #TheParisNovel for the advanced copy.

I enjoyed the story, but it did not really go where I thought it was going to go. It was a nice story about finding yourself in a way you didn't think you might. I did enjoy the found family aspect of this book and the Paris setting. I wish the ending was a little bit longer because I did like that part of the story (I don't want to spoil for people who have not read it), and thought the ending was a little bit rushed for me. There was a graphic child sexual abuse scene, so please check trigger warnings. I did find that the middle dragged on a little bit for me, but overall I enjoyed the story.

Thank you to net galley for access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was excited to read Ruth's newest novel and while The Paris Novel is more than a bit predictable, it still was a fun read. There is also a good bit of name dropping, but it works in this story for the most part.

A word of warning though! In the beginning there is some graphic (and completely unnecessary) sexual abuse of Stella by her mother's boyfriend. It is quite disturbing and should have been edited out, imo. A reader could understand Stella's difficult childhood without this scene.

I really enjoyed Ruth's "Afterward" tremendously (hint... skip to the back and read this part first, it will make the novel more enjoyable!)

I would like to thank Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing an advance digital copy of this book. The book was published on April 30, 2024.

I will be honest, books like this are what make reading such a joy! This was such a delightful and delicious story about a woman becoming the person she was always meant to be, one exquisite Parisian meal at a time! I enjoyed this novel so much it made me wish I could buy a one-way ticket to Paris just so I live out this novel in real time. Highly recommended!

A charming book about Stella, who recently lost her estranged mother, on a journey through Paris. What she is supposed to find out, she doesn't know and events slowly bring important people into her life. A great story of self discovery and finding your place, along with some historical figures of the time. I love how Reichl interweaves this fictional story with historical places and people, I can' t wait to go back to Paris!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

Upon her death, Stella's mother leaves her very little except instructions to go to Paris. Stella who has had a very small life in comparison to the life her mother had lived, reluctantly goes. The beginning of her trip follows much of her life at home, not really experiencing the city or what it has to offer. All of the changes when she tries on a dress in a small shop and follows the instructions of the shop owner to allow the dress to direct her day. Everything changes after she meets an older gentleman in a cafe and tasting the first of the amazing food of Paris. This is full of the food and scenery of Paris and I felt transported. It's wonderful storytelling.