Louise finds a necklace she remembers from the war - given to her friend at a camp just before her death. Louise wants to find out what the necklace is and if it’s connected to her friend’s death.

This one captured (in fiction) a bit of history I didn’t know about. I wasn’t aware that Jewish prisoners had been held in a former store - in real life it was a furniture store. The story was interesting. One component of the ending felt a little silly, but overall I enjoyed this one.

Louise is still acclimating to her life in London after the war; her husband was soldier abd has PTSD and she was part of the Red Cross and traveled to Paris.  One day she happens upon a necklace that is identical to one she saw a POW hand to her friend during the war.  Since her friend was killed right after receiving the necklace (and the necklace went missing) Louise feels compelled to learn about its owner and backstory.  She travels back to Paris and revisits her old boss and love interest Ian from the Red Cross to help her learn more.  While investigating, the reader learns about yet another chapter in the dark story of the Nazi's goal to annihilate the Jews, Levitan prison.  

While this one started a bit slow, I had the audiobook which helped get over the hump and I'm so glad that I did because the remainder of the book was so worthwhile (I then half listened and half read and through the narrator was excellent).  It is rare that I learn something about the Holocaust, but Jenoff was able to uncover a new story.  One of my favorite elements of fiction is when the author starts with seemingly unconnected characters and then through the narrative weaves their story into one cohesive one, this novel did that and it worked really well.  I'm pretty picky about WWII novels at this point since there are so many out there so I'm always impressed when a new story.

Thank you to Park Row and NetGalley for the ARC to review

This book kept my attention but I did skim it at times. The premise for both timelines was very interesting, but the characters seemed too naive. Recommend this book if you are really interested in WWII Paris history. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC. #sponsored

(4.25 stars)
You can always count on Pam Jenoff to write historical fiction that is not only a page-turner, but also highlights a piece of history not known widely. In Last Twilight in Paris, Jenoff tells the story of how the N*zis used a former furniture store in the middle of Paris as a prison camp. They brought goods stolen from the Jewish people of Paris - china, silver, furniture, you name it - to Levitan and made their prisoners sort, clean, and display the goods in order to sell them to high-ranking German officers, to be shipped home to their families. Diabolical.

Of course, Jenoff gives us this information while also giving us a rollicking good story. The timeline and location shift back and forth between wartime in France and 1953 in England and France. We have two main female characters. Louise is English; she volunteered for the International Red Cross, delivering care packages to prisoner of war camps behind enemy lines. The other is Helaine, a young Parisian woman from a prominent Jewish family.

Another thing Jenoff showcases is the ineffectiveness (that’s a nice word) of the International Red Cross in “inspecting” prisoner of war camps and concentration camps. (Just the same today - they never visited any of the hostages held in Gaza, but they were there to receive them as they were released.) In Last Twilight in Paris, Louise does her very best to deliver care packages to prisoners of war. She is frustrated at not being able to do more than the Germans begrudgingly allow.

In 1953, Louise comes across a “broken heart” or Mizpah necklace in a second-hand shop she works at, near Oxford. (It’s the kind of thing where one person has one half of the heart and someone else has the other half.) She is sure that she has seen this very necklace before - when she was at the POW camp in Germany. This sets off a search to find out more about the necklace and where it came from, as the crate she found it in bore the name of the French store, Levitan. Books like these depend on very improbable (but not impossible) coincidences, but that didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the book.

I bounced between the digital version of the story and the audiobook, which was beautifully narrated by the fabulous Thérèse Plummer and Saskia Maarleveld.

Thank you to Park Row and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book and to Harlequin Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

I always enjoy a historical fiction that deals with something I know very little about and has me wanting to research a particular subject after finishing the book. This happened with this book because I wanted to read more about both Levitan and how the Red Cross went behind enemy lines. I also enjoyed how post war relationships were portrayed with Louise and Joe as they try to get along with all the changes the post-war era has brought both to their relationship and themselves as individuals.

Most of the reviews I've seen of this book are glowing so I'm not entirely sure this author is for me as for quite a good bit of the story I was seriously considering DNFing this book. I never really cared for either of the main characters. I found the pace for the first bit of the book very slow and Louise's reaction to the necklace feels a bit overblown until close to the end of the book.

Once I was pulled into the story I did fly through the book. While Helaine was impossibly naive for most of the story I was sympathetic to her and understood why she was the way she was even though I wanted to shake her. I'm not sure I ever warmed to Louise and for quite awhile I couldn't comprehend why tracing the origin of this necklace she saw once during the war was so important. I was happy with the ending and felt that most of the points were nicely resolved and I liked the path that the characters were beginning.

Despite a first half that didn't really work for me I did end up enjoying this book overall. I will probably try another book by this author and I definitely want to research a number of the history that was explored in the book - especially Levitan.

This historical fiction book is set during World War II and follows the story of two women, Helaine and Louise. The narrative is told through two points of view and alternates between the present and the past.

The story is filled with heartbreak, a love story, resilience, and hope. "Twilight in Paris" offers a compelling blend of mystery and historical fiction. It portrays how these two young women faced unimaginable challenges and discovered a strength they never knew they possessed.

Really enjoyed this one and highly recommend to reading! Th am you @htp_hive for the gifted ARC💙.

What can I say that hasn’t already been said in the other amazing reviews? There is so much about WWII history that I never knew about. Putting together a narrative with two stories and their double timelines is a feat the author pulled off brilliantly! The main characters Helaine and Louise were both relatable and believable. I was shocked to learn that close to eight hundred prisoners were kept in Levitan (department store in Paris) for varying amounts of time while it was being operated by the Germans.

Although there are so many historical fiction novels written about this time period, I find that this one was sensitively written and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction.

London, 1953. Louise Burns is a married woman whose husband, Joe, a veteran, is haunted by nightmares of the war. Louise's post-war life has not met her expectations as she struggles to adapt as a wife and mother of two. She works part-time in a second-hand shop, where she discovers a necklace bearing the name of a luxury Parisian store. The necklace sparks a memory from her time as a British Red Cross volunteer in occupied France and Germany, where her friend Franny died under mysterious circumstances. Undeterred by her former Red Cross boss's dismissiveness, Louise travels to Paris to uncover the necklace's origins and its connection to her past. The narrative unfolds through a dual timeline, told from the perspectives of Louise and Helaine Weil, a young Jewish woman who was imprisoned in the Lévitan department store, which the Nazis used for sinister purposes. The mysterious link between the necklace and the characters' experiences is a powerful theme that inspires reflection on the human spirit's capacity for resilience and hope. As the two stories intersect, the characters' struggles and triumphs will leave you in awe of the strength of the human heart. Pam Jenoff's exceptional writing has crafted an eye-opening narrative that will linger long after the final page, inspiring courage in the face of adversity and faith in the transformative power of hope. This book is a testament to the human spirit's capacity for resilience and the power of hope, highly recommended for its thought-provoking and awe-inspiring storytelling.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC! I've really enjoyed Jenoff's past novels and Last Twilight in Paris is no exception. I appreciated that the time jump between the two perspectives was much shorter than most WW2 novels and that we were seeing the war from two very different perspectives rather than the typical war POV and was not around during the war POV. I definitely learned about something new (Levitan as a camp) in this and would recommend to anyone looking for a good historical fiction novel!

Stunning and dazzling work of fiction by none other than Pam Jenoff. This author's writing just gets better and better. Loved it immensely.

Really well written. I enjoyed reading this book. It gripped me from the beginning & had a hard time putting it down.

I enjoyed the characters & storyline. It was unexpected how it turned out & I enjoyed it a lot.

I look forward to reading more books by this author. The genre isn't one I normally choose, but I also enjoy reading outside my norm & wasn't disappointed!

I received this book as an ARC. All opinions are my own.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. She is a talented writer but due to a few parts of the book and a bit of language, I would not purchase it for my church library. This book revealed a little known aspect of prisoners of war during WWII, namely the use of a Paris department store to house Jewish prisoners who supposedly were well connected. Very surprising but true!

I received this book from the publisher via net galley in exchange for an honest review. Four stars.

As a fan of Pam Jenoff’s books, I was excited to pick this book up. I love it when I can learn new and interesting things from a book. This story begins in 1943 in Paris. Helaine, who is Jewish, has been imprisoned in Lévitan. Under the Nazi occupation of France, the Jewish-owned Parisian furniture store Lévitan was converted into a work camp where Jewish prisoners were held. It had to have been incredibly hard to sort and sell neighbors and friends' belongings.

The story switches between two timelines. In 1953, Louise, a mother of twins who worked for the Red Cross during the war, now works in a secondhand store where she comes across a necklace that looks familiar. She is drawn to it and hopes to find answers that have plagued her since the war.

The book started off slowly for me. It took until I was about halfway through to become invested, but I did enjoy the last half and wanted to know what happened. It is a story of love, betrayal and the bonds of friendship.

[Thanks to the publisher, Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the advance electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.]

What a fabulous story! Ms. Jenoff has hit this book out of the park. Her characters are well defined. Some you love and some you hate. The story within this book draws you in and makes you want to read to the very end to see how things turn out. While it is a sad time in history, this story shows that people had the will to persevere and survive in order to have better days ahead. I learned things reading this book that I never knew. It is a book that I would highly recommend as it is informative, captivating and engaging.

The Last Twilight in Paris is another beautifully written story by Pam Jenoff. This is my second book by Ms. Jenoff and I can assure you it won’t be my last. Ms. Jenoff is a very talented author who has the talent to grab your attention immediately. It is also educational in that it weaves people, places and events from history, in this case World War II. This is a unique story that blends love, heartbreak, mystery, sadness, horror as well as honor as she artfully describes the suffering and atrocities of so many people.

One of the things I love about this author is her character development. These characters will stay with you long after the story is finished. The two main characters are women who narrate the story. Both have lived through World War II. One story takes place while Helaine is living during the arrival of the Germans as they take over Paris. The second woman Louise’s story takes place not too long after the conclusion of the war. Both story lines were done wonderfully and flow back and forth seamlessly. The secondary characters are the husbands of these women and they are also interesting and memorable. Even the tertiary characters are memorable.

The story of Helaine was fascinating because it told of a place I had never heard of. During the invasion of Paris the Germans took over a furniture store called Levitan. They held Jews prisoners there to sort through and display items for sale. These items were taken (plundered) from Jewish homes and ultimately sold to German officers. On the forth floor of this building is where the prisoners slept. The research that the author has done on this unknown ‘camp’ is tireless and shocking. An atrocity of World War II you will not soon forget.

This is a fast paced novel. It was one of those rare books that I couldn’t put down and if I did I would pick it up as soon as I had a few minutes. The story is filled with danger, espionage, twists and turns, love and hate, sorrow and joy and most definitely unexpected revelations.

If you are a fan of Historical Fiction, like to learn little know facts about World War II than this is a must read for you. I cannot say enough about Pam Jenoff. She is an artful and skillful writer. She takes you into her story and wraps you in it until the end. Even at the end the story is still with you and not one you will soon forget. I cannot wait to see what she has in store for us next.

I would like to thank Pam Jenoff, Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

𝑳𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝑻𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝑰𝒏 𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒔 📚
I was so excited to see this book pop up on @netgalley as an automatic read for me through @htp_hive and @htpbooks influencer program! I love a good historical fiction read every now and then, and Pam Jenoff is one of my favorites! This title is set to publish on 2/4/25. Definitely add it to your TBR if you’re a historical fiction reader!

𝒔𝒚𝒏𝒐𝒑𝒔𝒊𝒔 📖
This WW2 historical fiction read is based around a Parisian dept store that turns into a Nazi prison and one woman’s mission to find the owner of a missing necklace, and solve a 10 year old mystery. We follow 2 characters timelines; both Helaine and Louise, bouncing back and forth over 10 years time, to uncover what happened!


𝒎𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔💭
I really enjoyed this read! I love mixing up my regular thriller/romsnce TBR with something different from time to time and this one didn’t dissapoint! I really enjoyed both women’s storylines and it kept me engaged throughout. I also found it fascinating learning that this Parisian dept store was turned into a war camp, which is something different that I hadn’t read about in any other WW2 book I’ve read. Pam Jenoff did an awesome job of weaving together a mystery storyline and information about WW2 at the same time. This one is a must for anyone who enjoys historical fiction!

What an incredible book. This was a hard to put down mystery of a heart necklace that interweaves the lives of two women and their different, harrowing experiences during the war. Intriguing, heartbreaking, and beautiful.

A beautifully written WW2 historical fiction book. I loved the two female main characters and there was some good mystery in this book. I will definitely be reading more from Pam Jenoff

LAST TWILIGHT IN PARIS is standard Jenoff fare—a well written story exposing a lesser known aspect of the atrocities of the Holocaust. In this case, the use of a once elegant Parisian department store as a camp for Jews of “elevated” status.

The story takes place both during the war, and in the years immediately following, and centers around two women linked via a mysterious necklace. Helaine, a Jewish woman, is the original owner of a necklace with half a heart, given to her by her husband Gabriel before they are separated. In 1953, Louise, a British thrift store worker, discovers half of the necklace at the bottom of a crate. She is convinced it is the same one she saw during the war, and embarks on a quest to discover how and why the necklace ended up in a donation bin.

I enjoyed this story, and of course, all these stories need to be told, but I would also love to see Jenoff tackle some other time period or subject matter

This is typical holocaust novel. The writing is solid and the story has a unique twist. Stories like this one are valuable due to the fact that we are living in times where indivicual rights are challenged. Take heed to this narrative.