I wanted to love this one...I'm a sucker for all things Parisian after all, but it fell a little flat for me. I still recommend it, but it started out similar to another book I read in recent months (not a copycat, just happened to be similar). Had I not read that book, I am certain I would have felt differently. I found in spots this book felt long to me even though it wasn't, clocking in around 300 pages. Overall it reminded me of "Emily in Paris', which made me laugh as it was mentioned a few times.

Premise: Tessa and her boyfriend have recently broken up. She decides to take a trip they had planned to Paris. She arrives at her Airbnb to find her ex's (hot) best friend in a towel. Ooh là là! Cute, funny etc. They fall hard and fast to the reader, but one of them is slower to come around to the idea of what's happening. It felt a little contrived in places and I had to keep reminding myself of the short timeline in which the majority of this romcom takes place. Also, Tessa and her boyfriend had only been broken up for two months so that was still very fresh (and held her back from realizing what was happening with Ethan).

The ex appears...and is an absolute controlling, manipulative, narcissitic a-hole. It got my wheels spinning as to who would play Joe if this book was made into a movie. He was horrible, but well-written most definitely. I would have liked a little more depth to Tessa and Ethan's characters, but I was rooting for them.

I recommend this if you are looking for a cute Parisian romcom with some spice to which you don't need to devote much time. It was quick to get into, preferred setting, a little predictable, but kept my interest.

Thank you to Victoria Walters, Boldwood Books, and Netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Tessa & Ethan get together unexpectedly in Paris and the rest is history.

I liked the flirting between them, the fact that the MMC is of average height (first time I see this) and the Paris setting that adds magic to everything.
It’s an ok book but didn’t manage to get me hooked.

Tessa’s actions confused me slightly. Too many repetitions and Tessa’s constant whining tired me. I guess I can’t accept that a 6 month relationship at the age of 30 had marked her like that. I liked Ethan a lot more but I wasn’t convinced about their attraction; too fast for my liking.

I liked how the resolution of the situation came effortlessly and that none of them was stubborn. But I didn’t like that they both were insecure and lacked confidence.

-Single 1st person POV (FMC)
-Spice: 🌶️🌶️

Overall: 3/5 ⭐️ for me.

Thank you NetGalley & Boldwood Books for providing this arc in exchange for my honest review.

After a break-up romance author Tessa goes on a trip to Paris only to end up sharing an apartment with her ex's best friend - and only one bed...
Overall I enjoyed reading this book. I really liked Tessa from the start but the way she acted when her ex resurfaced made me reconsider a little. Ethan is likable enough but he seems more like a supporting character than the MMC. All in all an entertaining book but not a must-read.

In The Paris Chapter by Victoria Walters ,Tessa Elliot , an author is a shattered woman after breaking up with her boyfriend Joe whom she thought was the love of her life. Not only does she not believe in love now but the heart break is threatening her carrier as a romance author, because it has left her with a writer's block. This has posed a big problem since she has a contract with a publishing company and the deadline for the book is just around the corner. There's another problem, before they broke up, they had planned a holiday in Paris but now she has forgotten all about it, and her dilemma is what next. Her friend urges her to take the holiday and try to heal as well as save her carrier, an advise she acted upon. Unfortunately, her ex boyfriend's best friend Ethan is occuping the one bedroom apartment she had booked, and they don't have a choice but to share. As they share it they discover a connection between them but they don't know whether to pursue it or not, because of the many barriers in between them. To find out more read this book The Paris Chapter by Victoria Walters

I like detailed description of almost everything in the book. This will make the readers get absorbed in the story. I also like the consistency in the story, no gaps in between chapters, It makes the story flow perfectly. Some scenes, especially at the beginning are also quite hilarious. The story is very intriguing.

The steamy scenes seems a bit exaggerated but maybe some readers will like that.

I rate this book ,The Paris Chapter by Victoria Walters ,5 out of 5 stars.

I recommend to readers who love steamy romcoms. I also recommend it to those who may be experiencing some kind of heart break in their life's journey. The book has a lesson or two about life's pains, healing and moving on. For life itself is a journey made up of seasons, and no season lasts forever.

I've just been to Paris (sans heartbreak) so this book brought back great memories of the city.
In this funny and adorable read, romance author Tessa flees to Paris after finding out her boyfriend is cheating on her. Alas, someone is already living in her rental: her ex's best friend. But maybe he is just what she needs to overcome her writer's block...
Lighthearted and easy story set in the City of Love.

Love anything set in Paris. The descriptions the city were magnificent. The story, though less captivating, still was engaging enough to make this a recommended read

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to love everything about this book, and I loved the premise, but I felt that the ‘sex scenes’ were written quite badly and made me cringe. If these cliché scenes had been removed it would have been a solid 4 stars.

After Tessa catches her boyfriend cheating, her morale is at an all time low and as she is supposed to be writing a romance novel, writers block is affecting her starting a book that is supposed to be nearly finished. As Tessa and her cheating ex Joe were supposed to be going to Paris together, and Tessa had already booked it and paid for them both, her best friend suggests she goes to try and find her writing mojo in the city of love. When Tessa arrives in Paris at her Airbnb, she finds a near naked man in the shower. He turns out to be Ethan, Joe’s best friend. Ethan has a cookery course in Paris, and Joe was so sure that Tessa wouldn’t go, he suggests that Ethan goes to the apartment. As it is Paris Fashion week, Ethan can’t move out, so they end up sharing the apartment…..

A good idea, mostly well written, but drop the sex scenes. They are not well written.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7154714272
https://maddybooksblog.blogspot.com/2025/01/the-paris-chapter-by-victoria-walters-i.html

I loved this! Set in Paris with very likeable characters and an engaging storyline this is such a lovely read. Romance writer Tessa finds herself in the city of love trying to find inspiration for her, very close to deadline, latest book that she hasn’t even started writing yet. She should have been staying there with her ex but it turns out that he has told his friend Ethan that he can stay in the one bedroom apartment that had been booked for himself and Tessa. However he didn’t tell her……. I absorbed this in one day loving how it flowed and how it drew me in from page one. Absolutely adorable and cute and heartwarming and just has everything you want in a romance, including a bit of oh la la!

Such a lovely, well written and well thought out book. I really enjoyed reading it and didn’t want to put it down - exactly as a book should be!
I loved getting to know these characters, and despised Joe, what a horrible creature. Ethan is everything I’d like for my happy ever after! Highly recommend reading this one.

Book Review for The Paris Chapter

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐✨ (3.5/5, rounding up!)

This book was such a cute and easy read, the kind that feels like slipping into a cozy blanket with a warm cup of coffee. The romantic setting of Paris and a fun nod to Emily in Paris—with the characters literally watching the show while in Paris—gave it a playful, meta charm. And let’s not forget the male main character (MMC), a chef dreaming of opening his own restaurant. That little detail made my foodie heart happy!

Now, let’s talk about Tessa, the female main character (FMC). I wanted to love her, I really did, but she kept bringing up her ex… a lot. By the halfway mark, even I was over hearing about him. However, I get that her heartbreak and trauma set the stage for all the drama that followed, so it made sense in the context of the story. What I did appreciate about Tessa was her grounded vibe—despite her love for Emily in Paris, her wardrobe was way more toned down and relatable, which made her feel like someone you’d actually meet in real life.

This was a light, breezy read with some fun and funny moments, perfect for fans of rom-coms with a bit of Parisian flair. A huge thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! If you’re looking for a book that’s low on stress and high on charm, this might be the one for you.

Fast romantic read set in the city of love 💗
I really enjoyed seeing Tessa’s character development and thought her character was really well done. I read the entire book in one sitting and would definitely pickup another book by Victoria Walter’s in the future.


I didn’t love the love triangle/complicated relationship dynamic in the later parts of the book. I thought Tessa’s behavior was Juvenal and was not a big fan of the miscommunication trope.
Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood books for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a fun premise overall. I think there was a disconnect between characters that made the relationship not as authentic but s nice light read nonetheless.

Cute story, gave it 3.5⭐️’s. Wasn’t completely in love with the characters and their chemistry to believe this was a rom com.

Breakups are never easy, but finding out you'd been cheated on the entire 6 months of a relationship? That's a doozy! On top of that, trying to write your next romance novel, deadline looming, makes for a rough go.
Tessa's trip to Paris is the perfect escape to get back her writing mojo. Ethan, her cheating-ex's best friend, being in her Airbnb may also be the greatest escape, she just doesn't know it yet.
This book was cute with a fun premise, but the main character seemed whiney and redundant about her ex boyfriend, Joe. Then, when her relationship with Ethan progresses, it's back to being about Joe. The intimacy between Tessa and Ethan also don't match the tone set by the rest of the book.

A very easy read. The beginning of the book (writer's block), was very similar to another book by a different author. Gradually the story changed.
Trust, friendships, lust and heartbreak runs through the pages.
Great descriptions of Paris, the City of Love.

Tessa is a romance author who finds out her boyfriend has been cheating. she decides to go to Paris for fashion week, but the finds her boyfriends best friend in the apartment she has rented. they decide to share it. cute story

Tessa is a romance author who escapes to Paris after she find out her boyfriend of six months has been cheating on her the entire time and this caused her to stop writing. She feels like love doesn't exist or at least, it doesn't exist for her. In the apartment she rented, while still with her ex, she find his best friend, Ethan, who's there for a cooking course.

It was a nice and enjoyable read but I feel like the attraction between Tessa and Ethan was quite fast and the plot lost a bit of focus. They both had grown up so much in the short amount of time they spent together, trying to overcome both of their fears. Inevitably it all went bad when Joe, the ex-boyfriend shows up in Paris, and all the drama that happened after that, was a bit excessive and unnecessary in my opinion, since it basically destroyed Tessa's growth. But I still enjoyed reading the book.

Thank you @NetGalley and publisher for the arc of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

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Pick up this gorgeous hug of a book and get transported to a beautiful place wraps itself round you like a cosy blanket. It has warmth, charm, laugh-out-loud moments and a wistful nostalgia. I absolutely loved it.

Rather than thinking this is a love story, I think this is more of "a story about love".

Tessa is a romance writer, but her romantic life just hit rock bottom. With a little nudge from her friends, she went into Paris to find inspiration --well, also to stay in an AirBnb she'd booked to spend valentine's day with her then-ex-boyfriend because it's unrefundable.

I love the story. First of all, I like that the male lead is just about the same height as the female lead ^^
I mean, we sometimes need a man that is not super tall, muslcy and broody, right?
The longing of London (as the main characters' main residency) makes perfect sense to me. I started off full of rage for Tessa's ex. I continued with full rage as I read how her ex treated her and it was downright abuse in romantic relationship. I hate him so so so so much @^R^#@&%I@&)

Then I was drawn deep into the story. I like Tessa and Ethan's romance progress and their interaction. I like the writing style, but actually felt the plot a bit bland-- but then.. something happens and I can say I'm glad with how everything turned out.

What I don't like is the characters seem one-dimentional. I like Tessa's character growth and how she finally find herself. I also don't like Paris that much (haha) and this book seem to romanticize it a lot-- I cannot relate.

I give this book 4 stars because I did not expect it to be this good and it turned out enjoyable. I guess this book made me interested in reading other books by Victoria Walters.

This is my second Victoria Walters book! I enjoy her sweet romances combined with life challenges. In The Paris Chapter, Tessa goes to Paris on her own after the man she thought was the one broke her heart. She’s an author looking for inspiration for her next book and she finds it in the City of Love (Paris). Slow burn but spicy for several chapters once it ignites. Great friends as side characters (with the exception of the cheating ex boyfriend). I didn’t love the conflict in the third act, but the ending was sweet. Overall a nice visit to Paris- perfect for those who have been there or dream of visiting one day.