Wow, this was a beautifully written story. I loved the multiple perspectives in this novel and how they all came together at the end. I loved that the author brought to light an unknown history of WWII - the story of the furniture store Levitan where Jews imprisoned and sort through possessions belonging to Jews for German officers. This novel was beautifully written. Highly recommend.

The book club I host @bookfriendsbookclub has selected this phenomenal book for our February selection. I love the way Pam finds something so random like a famous department store in Paris being a prison camp and crafts this story. My heart ached for those imprisoned and seeing the beautiful household items rounded up from Jewish homes come through the store to be sold. As the saying goes, “the truth is stranger than fiction”. I had no idea this happened. The audiobook is dual narrated by the stellar voices of Therese Plummer and Saskia Maareveled. I will update my review further once my bookclub meets and speaks with the author.

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 Harlequin Audio and NetGalley for the ALC

4.5/5
Thank you @parkrowbooks @harlequin_audio #partner for the gifted copy of this book!

Pam Jenoff NEVER disappoints. Everything I’ve read by Pam solidifies her place on my list of auto-buy authors. I love that this historical fiction book was centered around a necklace that Louise sees in a secondhand store and which causes her to memories to come rushing back to a time when she worked at the Red Cross during the war having seen the same necklace then. This detail niggles in the back of her mind causing her to go follow a string of clues back to a Paris to try and solve the mystery behind her friend Franny’s death. Louise is determined to find answers no matter the cost.

Once I opened the pages of this book I easily was swept away to wartime as we got to know Louise and Franny. I fell in love with their friendship and perseverance to live in such a difficult time. Pam’s writing and research makes her books impossible to put down. I love that this is based on real events of Lévitan which is the reason I love historical fiction. I always learn something! This book has two timelines that blend together in an emotional, sensationally written tale that you won’t want to put down. I know I sure didn’t! The audiobook set the mood which made me devour this one in one sitting! If you’re a fan of historical fiction, this one is not to be missed!

This story just couldn’t capture my attention. I found myself drifting off and not paying attention to the audio. I’m not sure if it was the narrator or the book or both. I’ve tried reading books by Jenoff in the past and couldn’t finish. I’m think she’s just not an author for me.

Two love stories tied across war and time by a necklace, but what could it have to do with a fatal accident? 🚑

Things I loved:
📖 role of books and stories
💎 mystery of the necklace
🦢 relationship evolution

The characterization of Helaine brought so much nuance to the story - her naïveté in the face of WWII Paris is the stuff of dramatically ironic dreams (or nightmares, in this case). The post-war story of the necklace kept things moving but it was Helaine’s tale that had me my heart. 🤍

I recommend this one to fans of Kristin Hannah, Lauren Grodstein, and Chanel Cleeton! 👥

(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.

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.

Louise is working in a secondhand shop in post-war London when she comes across a familiar-looking necklace that she is sure she remembers seeing before while working with the Red Cross during WWII. She is convinced that this necklace is the key to finding out what happened to her friend, Fanny, an entertainer who died under mysterious circumstances during the war. The box is marked with the name of a department store in Paris, so she sets off for the City of Light in hopes of unravelling the mystery of the necklace and its connection to her friend. While in Paris, Louise uncovers the dark history of Levitan, a department store that was used to hold Jewish prisoners during the war, and Helaine, a Jewish woman who was separated from her husband and taken captive when the Germans invaded France. Last Twilight in Paris tells the stories of these two women and the significance a single necklace held to each of them during the war.

Last Twilight in Paris was equally heartbreaking and heartwarming. I always find it difficult to read about the cruelty that was inflicted upon human beings during WWII, and this story definitely had its fair share of sadness. Fortunately, there was also a lot of hope and healing. Jenoff did a wonderful job of weaving a captivating mystery with a touch of history in this compelling tale. Without giving away anything, I will say that there were small parts of the ending that I felt somewhat detracted from the harsh reality of that time in history, but it makes the story much more palatable and hopeful. I listened to the audiobook version and really enjoyed both narrators. I thought that they did a beautiful job of bringing these women and this story to life.

The Last Twilight in Paris is a beautifully written story that sheds light on a lesser known part of WWII history that is both fascinating and heartbreaking. It seems unbelievable yet unsurprising that a department store was turned into a labor camp for Jews. Through the eyes of two women facing the war from different perspectives, we discover the resilience of Jews and the people fighting to survive in occupied France and those striving to make an impact on the war. I found myself invested in Louise and Helaine's stories and the fates of those around them. Love, in its many forms, is evident throughout the book as our heroines find strength in friendships, familial and true love. This book was incredibly insightful, educational and touching.

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!

A beautifully written WW2 historical fiction book. I loved the two female main characters and there was some good mystery in this book. I liked both narrators and felt they added more to the story.

If I was allowed to quote this book (it’s not a finished copy so they could potentially change) my review would be filled with them. From the joy of puzzling together the past to insights into life and love, this book was filled with relatable and sincere moments. This story was different enough from past HF I’ve read so it felt like I was reading a fresh take and overall it had interesting storylines to follow with a solid ending.

I read the first half and then listen to the second half and both avenues were great!

I did learn a new term “rag and bone man” which I had to look up and found out it’s a “British term for a person who buys and sells used items, such as old clothes, furniture, and newspapers.” I also had to look up the features of an old Parisian Department store, Levitan, for a full picture of the story and luckily there was a plethora of photos. It helped me understand and connect to the story even more.

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing for the arc and Harlequin Audio for the alc via Netgalley!

I always find these stories fascinating. For such a long time I have been interested in various historical fiction books regarding WW2. I also have an obsession with Paris. To have both of these in one book made it so special.

The stories of each woman and their paths through time all surrounding a heart shaped locket kept me entranced. The ending was so unexpected but very satisfying.

The narrator did an amazing job!

Last Twilight In Paris by Pam Jenoff is a historical fiction story, not my typical genre but it has two of my favorite things, a touch of mystery and the allure of Paris. When Louise finds a locket that she recognizes, we’re introduced to a story that involves romance, mystery, espionage and at its a heart a story about discovering oneself. While this is a work of fiction, it felt so real at times knowing what we know in history. This is written in dual povs, Helaine in the past during the war and Louise in 1953. I was immediately captivated by the writing but also our main characters, their backstories are so well thought out. The attention to detail throughout this was incredible, the scenes in Nazi filled Paris gave me so much suspense! The overall story of the necklace kept me invested throughout and all comes together seamlessly. I must also give credit to the narrators, they both did such an amazing job and added so much depth. This is such a beautifully written and captivating story. This is my first read from the author and I am impressed. I highly recommend checking this out, it’s available for pre order now and out officially on 02/04/25.

🐝 Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing and Park Row for providing me this arc and of course to the author Pam Jenoff.

I was hoping to love this book because I have enjoyed both the author and the narrators in the past. Unfortunately, I found this book to be depressing. I may give it another shot some day. I honestly think the state of affairs that we are going through in the world made me feel depressed while reading this book, but I am not entirely sure. I am bummed that this book didn't work out, but again like I said, I may try it again at a later date.