Member Reviews
An interesting idea, but a little too unbelievable in my opinion. I also didn’t like any characters by the end, and I think I was supposed to?
What a fun book. I really enjoyed it. I felt like I was whisked away to Paris on my own vacation. This book is a plot-based book, and I felt that it was really propelled forward by the interesting tidbits in the plot. I spent the first 60% of the book or so trying to figure out how the pieces were all going to come together, then the first twist hit, and I was hooked and in for the long haul. I could not believe that there was a twist on the final page, it was so fantastic. The plot was really suspenseful, and I was so invested. I couldn’t wait to see how things worked out and the twists were fantastic. I do think that if you are the guess twists type you will see some of them coming, but not all of them! There are just some pretty good clues along the way, which did not take away from my reading experience. I really enjoyed getting to know the characters from their points of view. I loved that we got Cassie, Taylor, and Olivier. It was fantastic to hear the story from all their perspectives and made it feel like such a well-rounded thriller.
Don’t read the author’s note at the end, or any of the discussion questions until you’ve finished the book because there are spoilers!
Moral of the story: Don't post live location updates on social media (duh).
Surprised to see a French author portraying Paris in such a cliché way, but maybe this is because most of the story is written from the POV of two very unlikeable Americans. However, even in the French character's POV some things were overexplained:
-"The tax office—the French equivalent of the IRS"
-"Football (European football I mean, aka soccer)"
This thriller was short and had enough surprises to keep the reader's interest. The ending was also open to interpretation, which I enjoyed.
Thank you to the author, Netgalley & Sourcebooks Landmark for the eARC!
I'm a simple person: I see a mystery/thriller set in Paris, I pick it up. Unfortunately this book evoked Paris so shallowly that it almost felt like the author got the entirety of her knowledge of the city from 2015-era Instagram posts. This cannot be the case as the author is actually French. I'm sure a part of this is that one of the main narrators, Cassie, who is so unlikable as to tip right over into basically intolerable, treats the trip as an opportunity to go shopping at designer stores we also have in the US and get shots of like, the plates at Cafe de Flore, and that's about it.
People, I'm trying to daydream at least a little bit over here. Can we at least get a pleasant evening walk along the Seine?
Unfortunately the "twists" in this book were all of the sort where in order to pull them off we get (more than once) a POV character having to be like 'hehe, gotcha' as something is revealed that surely would have come up in that character's thought processes if not for the sake of the narrative needing it to be a surprise. Also the event upon which this story hinges (the honeymoon-prompting marriage itself) is so unbelievable from the jump that it feels like the narrative is constantly bending over backwards to explain why these flighty insane people would commit to anything like this ever.
Readable but ultimately annoying. 2.5 rounded up, whatever.
My thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the ARC.
A very different story than I’m used to. I enjoyed the different POV’s and was pleased with the twist (I didn’t see it coming, but I don’t try too hard to figure it out before hand, cause where’s the fun if I do that?) and the characters (especially Cassi) were easy to dislike. The end you’ll either love or hate, but I dare say it’ll stick with you either way.
While it wasn’t the most polished story I’ve ever read and the end felt a bit rushed I highly recommended giving it a try! My opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC.
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an ARC of The French Honeymoon.
This book was...fine. It wasn't terrible, but as a regular thriller reader the twist was super predictable and every character was unlikeable. I see myself forgetting every detail about this story after a couple more reads.
3 mediocre stars
I loved this twisty thriller! With the majority of the book set in Paris and Paris being my favorite city- there was a lot to like about this story! I was really surprised at all the twists and turns and I really had no idea of the biggest reveal! This is a must read and I will highly recommend it! Thanks to. Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This was such a great psychological thriller! I really enjoyed the plot, characters, and the suspense!
*3.5 stars*
The French Honeymoon is a twisty psychological thriller with a unique premise. It follows newlyweds in Paris who are unknowingly being stalked by someone who wonders- is their marriage, which they display as picture-perfect on social media, actually so perfect?
The plotline of this book felt very real and pertinent to our social-media obsessed age. I really enjoyed the writing style, as well as the story. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy fast-paced thrillers involving multiple timelines & POVs.
Thank you to NetGalley & Sourcebooks for the arc!
The book is a mystery that kept me guessing until the very end. I wasn't sure what would happen next, and I loved trying to figure it out.
The story is about a group of friends who go to Paris for a vacation. But things take a dark turn when one of them is found dead. The author does a great job of keeping the reader guessing about who the killer is. There are a few twists and turns along the way that I didn't see coming.
I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who likes a good mystery.
Wow - what a great read - edge of the seat all the way. stayed up reading this half the night. excellent plot and so many twists - highly recommended.
A marriage that is not at all what it seems. This story is filled with unsympathetic characters but yet the reader is intrigued to travel through space and time to get to the bottom of all this. The French Honeymoon might not appeal to some, but I found it hard not to finish.
This was interesting as I am not sure I have read anything about Paris before. I may have and just not remembered. Our characters end up spending their time in Paris and of course, Paris is the city of love right? Well, maybe not exactly for this couple as we see just how fake everything is.
The story is told from three different points of view, and it was easy to follow, and I enjoyed that. I loved the surprise that came once all the characters came into play, as I did not see that coming. However, there were just a few things that bothered me with this book. One was the money, which was a huge thing over and over again and an overspender. As well as the ending! WTH was that? I reread it again, but I still didn't understand it.
Overall, it was a fun read.
The French Honeymoon has an intriguing premise and it is a quick read, but it fell short for me. I spent much of the book confused by how the two storylines tied together. Taylor comes across as a much more sympathetic character, while Cassie is self-centered and materialistic. When Cassie meets—and very quickly marries—Olivier, her life takes an unforeseen turn. And, while I could sense that their marriage was not going to end well, I spent half of the book wondering just how Taylor fit into the story. Eventually this will become clear, but many other aspects really do not. The ending is a bit abrupt and confusing, and while I think that the author intentionally wanted to create some ambiguity, I didn’t love it. I think that some readers will enjoy how this honeymoon unfolds, but it was not the right book for me. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC and the opportunity to provide an honest review.
This one has a really good premise, one that I didn't feel had been done to death already by other authors. Yes, it was kind of slow moving - for some, that can add to suspense, for other readers it can cause boredom. I hated Cassie as many readers did, but you really aren't supposed to like her. I enjoyed the descriptions of Paris - the author has a nice way of painting a beautiful visual.
Would definitely check out some of her other books. 3.5, rounded up to 4
I was a bit confused, I think the premise was good but the way the characters were introduced was confusing. Timelines also were blurry. I enjoyed the complexities of their relationships and though that piece was well written.
Paris is not always a good idea.
Newlyweds Cassie and Oliver are on their honeymoon in Paris, and social media-obsessed Cassie is documenting every. single. moment. of their seemingly perfect life. Meanwhile, Taylor arrives in Paris with stolen cash and no luggage and follows Cassie’s every move in real time. Is Cassie’s picture-perfect life all that it appears?
Pros: mutiple POVs and timelines; suspenseful plot; page-turner; great writing!
Cons (for some readers): somewhat ambiguous ending, purposely unlikeable characters
Thank you to #NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an advanced reader copy of #TheFrenchHoneymoon. To be published April 15, 2025.
When is Paris ever a bad idea? You'll have to read this to find out. . . . I really didn't know where this was going to go when I first began reading. Did Taylor know Cassie? If so, how? Who was Reese? Who would make it out of Paris alive? And who wouldn't, if anyone? I was sucked and didn't get spit out til the very end, and I had great fun in the in-between. I felt that the ending was a but ambiguous, but I read that the author felt it was pretty definitive; that clues had been throughout the book. With that in mind, I reread a few parts, and it gave me a slightly different perspective on the ending, which was a nice, unexpected surprise. There were a couple twists ans revelations in the book that just WERE- no big reveal or fanfare, but just came about like it was always the truth, followed by an explanation. I thought that was a unique element in the author's writing. Overall, I really enjoyed this novel, and I'd like to read more by Jouhanneau in the future, as she seems to be quite talented. I will be recommending this book, of course!
i tried my best but i could not get into this book! i wasn't attached to the characters, the pacing felt a bit off? i'm not sure if something else was missing or maybe it was just me. this might be for you but it was not for me unfortunately. thank you for the arc netgalley!!
The French Honeymoon was an original plot. I enjoyed the book and it kept me guessing. This one had a few surprising twists! Ambiguous ending!