During WWII, spouses Gabriel and Helaine are separated. In looking for Gabriel, a cellist who was sent to play for the Germans, Helaine, a Jewish woman, is arrested and sent to a camp in an old department store in Paris. 10 years later, Louise, who worked for the Red Cross during the war, finds a necklace and is desperate to connect it back to its original owner.

This was a very captivating, well written story. I loved the dual POV between Helaine and Louise, as well as the multiple timelines that connected the women’s times during the war, and then after. I had never known about the prisoners at the Paris department store, as well as how the Red Cross went into camps. I wanted to feel more emotion while reading, but otherwise I really loved the story. I’m always amazed by the bravery and grit people showed during the worst times of their lives and I will continue to read these stories with a heavy but hopeful heart

I have read and enjoyed many of Pam Jenoff's books in the past. While I enjoyed her latest, Last Twilight in Paris, I don't think it quite measured up to the ones that precede it. Jenoff brings to light the use of a well-known Paris department store as a Nazi labor camp through the story of Helaine, a sheltered Jewish woman, who married a gifted non-Jewish cellist. The story, told in two time periods, also focuses on Louise, who served as a WWII Red Cross volunteer who is sent to France to help deliver food packages to POWs. As is the case with Jenoff's previoius novels, Last Twilight in Paris is based on the little known fact of the use of the department store by the Nazis to sort the many goods they plundered from Jewish families and subsequently distributed to German officers. There are too many coincidences and not enough depth of character analysis to satisfy me entirely, but the story is one that reads well and that will appeal to lovers of fiction set in WWII.

iked the back and forth between time periods. Most WWII books I've read have the perspectives from very modern times and during the war. I found it interesting to see it from the viewpoint of characters still healing from the war, less than ten years out. Liked how it ended and how the characters developed.

No One writes WWII historical fiction like Pam Jenoff and this book is another fine example of this. I always learn something from her books. The dual timeline works very well in Last Twilight in Paris. All of the characters are well-developed and there was just the right amount of mystery and history.

Last Twilight in Paris by Pam Jenoff is a historical fiction novel set in Paris during WWII as well as London shortly after the war in 1953. I enjoyed the dual timeline as well as how the two stories wove together as the book progressed. I thought the setting of a former department store where Jews were held prisoner in the midst of Paris was mind boggling and couldn’t believe when reading the author’s note that it did in fact happen during the war! I love that the author took a little known fact and used that as part of the premise of the book. I thoroughly enjoyed this and will continue to read Pam Jenoff upcoming books as well as any of her backlist that I have missed!

Thank you to everyone for this gifted copy of Last Twilight in Paris.

I felt that this was a good historical fiction, and a book that would be a good place for someone to start if they wanted to get into the genre. The plot was easy to follow and the characters were well developed. The ending wrapped up nicely, I think I was just hoping for something that would make me feel a little more emotion.

Moving historical fiction wrapped in an espionage thriller set in France and England during World War II, focused on a small group of Jews imprisoned as workers in a grand Paris department store, the Levitan, to sort goods taken from Jews homes and put up for sale for Germans.

Two parallel stories converge: the first set in post-war London where Louise Burns works in a second-hand thrift shop and finds one half of a two-part heart necklace in a dropped off box. She recognizes the nicked necklace as one she came across while volunteering for the International Red Cross across enemy lines in Germany during the war. Her friend Fanny, a singer performing for POW’s after they dropped off supply boxes to them, had asked Louise to smuggle the necklace back to Paris for her. Louise, fearful, declines just before Fanny dies based on a suspicious car hit and run. Louise, mired in a suburban life with young kids and husband Joe stlll shell-shocked from the war, takes up the hunt to figure out the origins of the necklace for some sense of purpose and escape from the tedium her life has become.

The second story centers on Helaine Well, the only daughter of a wealthy, connected Jewish family in Paris who’s been homebound by overly protective parents in reaction to a childhood illness. Helaine yearns for freedom, ultimately falling in love with a celloist she meets when out walking the neighborhood. From her we get a emotive, powerful first person perspective on Paris as the Nazi’s eventually occupy the city and ship Jews to prison camps. Helaine ends up imprisoned in the Levitan department store, desperately searching for word of her celloist.

The mystery of the inter-connectedness of the stories rachets up tension, with an surprising and thought-provoking reveal that brings closure.
A great read!

Thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy.

I love Pam Jenoff’s books. She writes historical fiction based on real life events. Last Twilight in Paris story revolves around two women during and right after WW11. Helaine is a Jew from a predominant family.. And, Louise who volunteered in the Red Cross during the War. There is a necklace that brings them together. Helaine is arrested by the Germans and put into a camp located in the former department store Levitan. Both women are trying to find answers to what happened to the people they loved. I found it interesting looking at the war through Louise eyes going behind the lines in Germany. I thoroughly devour this book.

Thank you #NetGalley, #HarlequinTradePublishing, #PamJenoff and #LastTwillightinParis for the advance copy for my honest review.

I literally read this book in a day, I was sneaking pages in at every chance I could get!

Louise is a wife in London the mother of twins, her husband had served in World War Two and he suffers from ptsd. The year is 1953 and while working in a second hand shop she find a necklace in a crate . There is a name located on the necklace, and she feels she has seen this necklace before!
Louise worked for the Red Cross in Europe, and this was when it was being occupied by the Nazis. She had friend named Fanny who was a traveling singer , while visiting a camp with the Red Cross she unexpectedly died by getting hit by a car, before her death Fanny was given the necklace by a prisoner in the camp to bring to his wife, and Louise is positive there is a connection to Fannys death and the necklace. Louise contacts her former boss of the Res Cross Ian , she hopes can help her solve this mystery. They soon discover the necklace is connected to Levitan, which is a department store in Paris. This store was a Nazi prison and the Jewish prisoners worked at this store selling stuff stolen from the Jewish people by the Nazis. Louise is determined to unravel the mystery of what happened to Franny. This leads her on a dangerous journey. She must decide how far she is willing to go to seek the truth.
The other part of the story takes place during the war and we meet the young couple Helaine and her husband, Gabriel who is a top Cello Player, who are trying to start a life together, but when the war harshly stumbles over their lives. Gabriel must leave the Country to play in an Orchestra and Helaine is Jewish, so eventually she ends up at Levitan how is all this connected? I loved this book it was so interesting and the characters seemed so real! I highly recommend it!

A lost necklace connects two women and helps uncover buried secrets in this new WWII historical fiction from bestselling author Pam Jenoff.

✨ Book Review: LAST TWILIGHT IN PARIS by Pam Jenoff ✨

🏥 Louise worked with the Red Cross delivering aid to POW camps during WWII, but now she’s struggling to find purpose as a stay-at-home mom in the English countryside. When she finds a necklace that she believes to be tied to a friend’s death during the war, she begins investigating.

🔐 Helaine was a young woman in love before she was imprisoned at Lévitan, a once-glamorous department store that served as a Nazi prison in the heart of Paris.

Through these two women’s stories, we see two sides of the war and unravel a decades-hidden mystery.

🤓 My Take: A compelling WWII historical fiction read that uncovers the history of Lévitan and interestingly explores women’s roles before, during, and after the war. Well researched and crafted, I appreciated the two women’s perspectives and the mystery kept me intrigued. On the flip side, I unfortunately anticipated the twists and turns early and the ending of this was a bit too tidy to feel realistic.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5/5)

World War II. Two women with dramatically different stories are brought together because of a necklace.

A lost Mizpah necklace leads Louise on a journey to find out its history. She is just sure she saw it years ago when she volunteered with the Red Cross in WWII. Louise begins to have flashbacks and relives the day she lost her beautiful friend, Franny in a suspicious accident.
Helaine is a newlywed in Nazi occupied Paris. While her husband is away Helaine is arrested and imprisoned in a former Paris department store. She is forced to sort items the Nazi’s have taken from Jewish homes. She is desperate to escape.

I always enjoy learning something new about WWII. So baffling that this store, Levitan, was real! Characters were well developed and I was invested in the story.

BOOK: The Last Twilight in Paris
AUTHOR: Pam Jenoff
PUB DATE: February 4, 2025, by Harlequin Trade Pub.
PAGES: 336
RATING: 4.5 stars
GENRE: Historical WWII Fiction/Jewish Literature Fiction

THANK YOU to @netgalley and @htpbooks for gifting me an advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest review!

QUICK & SPOILER-FREE REVIEW: Told in dual timelines both during and after WWII, two stories unfold that are connected, and I found myself quickly turning the pages to see what would happen next. This is a story of two strong FMCs who fight their own battles for freedom and truth. I was captivated to see how it would all unfold, and I love that this was my first historical fiction read of 2025. I highly recommend and it comes out in 3 weeks! DON’T miss the Author’s Notes at the end!

#TheLastTwilightInParis #NetGalley #htpbooks #HarlequinTradePub #HistoricalFiction

4.5 Stars. Loved this book! It was so well written and definitely sucked me into the story. It was eye opening to read and the stories of the two ladies was woven together perfectly! Would highly recommend if you love historical fiction!

"Last Twilight in Paris" is a portal to a past both heartbreaking and hopeful, offering readers a glimpse into the lesser-known facets of wartime Paris.

Jenoff unearths the startling story of Levitan, a Parisian department store transformed into a macabre marketplace for stolen Jewish possessions. This revelation serves as a poignant backdrop to the intertwining tales of two remarkable women, each grappling with her own battles amidst the chaos of war.

Louise, a mother feeling her life mundane, embarks on a journey to close a chapter of her past that has haunted her and also to bridge the growing distance between her and her husband. Parallel to Louise's tale, we follow Helaine, a sheltered soul who discovers both freedom and love in the most unlikely of times. Jenoff's portrayal of Helaine's awakening amidst the turmoil of war captures the bittersweet nature of finding oneself in a world coming undone.

The author's exploration of the Red Cross's courageous efforts in delivering care packages to POWs adds another layer of depth to this already rich narrative. It's these historical nuggets, seamlessly woven into the fabric of the story, that elevate "Last Twilight in Paris" from a mere war novel to a profound exploration of humanity's capacity for both cruelty and compassion.

Jenoff's prose is at once elegant and urgent, propelling the reader through a narrative that is as unputdownable as it is enlightening. The intricate connection between Louise and Helaine's journeys unfolds with the precision of a master storyteller, keeping readers on the edge of their seats until the very last page.

Thank you, Park Row and NetGalley, for my free copy for review.

I can always count on Pam Jenoff giving me a lesson in history, while reading a captivating, fictionalized story. In this one, I learned of a high end department store in Paris that was used during WW2 as a work camp that sorted and sold goods that were confiscated from all the Jewish peoples homes after they were forced to leave.

As in typical Jenoff fashion, we are immersed into a beautiful mysterious tale that takes place between two unrelated women. Each have scars from the war in their own ways… One was a Red Cross volunteer, and the other was a newlywed Jewish woman. Louise, trying to move forward in 1953, finds a locket that instantly brings back a memory, there is something special about this necklace and she must find out… what follows is a story of hope and determination...

The writing is smooth, easy to follow. I enjoyed the way it was structured, the flow between past and present was exceptional.
While this didn’t pack the emotional punch that I tend to look for in historical fiction novels, it was a cozy read highlighting a very difficult/abhorrent time in history, and the ending was just perfect!

This would be great for fans of historical fiction especially those that are new to the genre of WW2!

Well-known for her historical fiction, Jenoff says she looks for Gasp events when she’s planning her books and in this case, the Gasp event was learning a Paris department store was used as a Nazi prison.
The story alternates from that terrible time in Paris and a couple – a Jewish woman and her cello playing husband - who find themselves torn apart. Her to the prison and him to playing for German soldiers and POWs. The other story line follows a woman in 1953 London who, when sorting items at the secondhand shop where she works, finds a necklace whose image sends her back to working with the Red Cross in Nazi-occupied Europe and the death of her friend she has always felt was not an accident.
A moving, page-turning read.

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised the we are still learning new information about the atrocities put forth by the Nazi Regime. I enjoyed this story and the way it all came together at the end. Another great read by Pam Jenoff.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early read of this well written novel.

3.75 🌟
First, I'd like to thank NetGalley, Pam Jenoff, and Harlequin for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

What I love most about Pam Jenoff's writing is her vivid descriptions of settings that transport readers to another time and place. Her ability to infuse depth and emotion into her stories is truly captivating, and The Last Twilight in Paris did not disappoint.

One of the highlights of this book for me was how interconnected all the characters were, almost like a narrative built on six degrees of separation. This element added a richness to the story, as each character's actions and decisions rippled through the lives of others. I found myself deeply empathetic toward Hélaine as her story unfolded, and I couldn’t help but hope for her and Gabriel to reunite after the war.

Another aspect I appreciated was Louise's timeline being set just eight years post-war. It felt like such a fresh and unique perspective within the WWII historical fiction genre, which often leans heavily on events during the war or decades later. The epilogue, also set just eight years post-war, was a wonderful touch. It provided closure while maintaining the immediacy of the aftermath, rather than leaping far into the future.

The way Hélaine and Louise’s stories intertwined over the mystery of the missing necklace was a standout element. Their connection not only brought resolution to a lingering question but also gave Louise a newfound purpose and passion for the future.

Overall, The Last Twilight in Paris is another stunning addition to Pam Jenoff's repertoire, blending emotion, intrigue, and history into a memorable story. I highly recommend this book to fans of historical fiction, particularly those who enjoy stories with interconnected characters and unique post-war perspectives.

Jenoff has another great historical fiction novel. While the book leans heavily on real life happenings, it brings it to life by following two unrelated women. One who worked as a volunteer with the Red Cross in the war, Louise. Another, Helaine, who lived through the war with her husband. Helaine was detained and forced to work in a department store while sorting and selling goods stolen from Jews. Through a twist of fate, Louise discovers a necklace a few years after the war and is intrigued by it because she is sure she has seen it before. What follows is how the story weaves around both Helaine's and Louise's lives.

I was so engrossed in this story and didn't want it to end. You know, one of those books you race to finish but regret it because you don't want it to be over. If you love historical fiction, or any book with a great human story, this is the book for you.

I was given this by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

A quiet story set against the backdrop of Paris, weaving together two timelines and a touch of mystery.

In Twilight in Paris, Louise, living in the 1950s in Britain, stumbles upon a necklace she last saw during WWII—shortly before her friend’s tragic death. Determined to uncover the truth, her investigation leads her to Helaine, a French Jewish woman whose story begins in the 1930s and unfolds through the war years.

Helaine, a sickly child, was isolated by her parents out of fear for her health, adding an extra layer of heartbreak to her story. As Louise pieces together the mystery behind the necklace, the lives of these two women intertwine across time.

The dual timeline beautifully connects Louise and Helaine’s lives, blending mystery, resilience, and untold history. I especially appreciated learning about the Levitan store, a real WWII prison camp I’d never heard of before.

There’s also a memorable male side character who walks with a limp from a childhood injury, adding a layer of quiet resilience to the story.

While the ending felt a bit too neatly tied up for me, the journey there was heartfelt and thought-provoking. If you love historical fiction with emotional depth and a touch of mystery, this one’s worth picking up.

Thank you to Park Row and NetGalley for the advance review copy.

Note on the ebook: there are no chapter and the font is very small. I assume that is because it's an advance copy and these points will be corrected for the final version.