I love reading historical fiction books … especially those written during WWII. What a wonderful example of the strength and determination of a female during that time period. Katja’s willingness to put her life on the line is awe inspiring and you are drawn into her life from the first page. This book will pull you in and you will not want to put it down until you have absorbed the last word on the last page. This is a wonderful addition to the WWII historical fiction genre and is worth putting on your to-be-read list.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ Digital for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!

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Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for giving me an ARC of The Paris Notebook in exchange for an honest review.

'It's all smoke and mirrors,' he told her, nodding towards the bright covers. 'We create the myth and the magic so that people can aspire to the dream, but the reality is rather different.'

The Paris Notebook is a historical fiction novel set before and during World War 2 centered around a young woman named Katja, who after terrible tragedy within in her family, is just trying to make ends meet. After she loses her job, Katja applies to work at a psychological facility as a receptionist. However, she is denied the receptionist position and is instead approached by Dr. Viktor, the head psychologist at the facility, to work as his personal assistant to transcribe patient notes. Her first assignment: transcribe the medical notes of the Fuhrer, Adolf Hitler. The medical notes detailing his psychological deficiencies and mental state could be enough to declare Hitler unfit for office. The Nazis will stop at nothing to destroy the notebook containing all of this priceless information and kill anyone who is brave enough to stand in their way.

I loved this book so much from beginning to end. The story was so interesting from the characters to the plotline to the twists and turns throughout the book. Katja was so personable and likable as well as her love interest, Daniel, a journalist in Paris suffering from his own demons. These characters made me laugh and made me cry, hoping that they would come out of the other side of the war intact. The biggest plot twist is actually at the very end of the novel (which I won't reveal here).

The thing that stood out the most to me about this historical fiction novel was that it centered around one timeline instead of a past timeline and a present timeline. This factor made it much easier to remain invested in the story and the characters.

Overall, I would give this book a strong 5/5 stars! I would love to read more books by this author and would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves a good historical novel.

I think this book would pair really nicely with Kerri Maher's Paris Bookseller! I loved how the books connected to the history of WWII.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

The Paris Notebook is a fascinating WWII historical fiction novel that sheds a light on the actual psychiatric physician notes from Hitler's psychiatrist who treated him during WWI for Hysterical Blindness. Through impeccable research, the author builds a fictional story around the impact of those notes on Hitler's political career if they were to be publicly released during his rise.
The story begins in Hamburg, Germany in 1939 with Katja Heinz as she bears the responsibility for her ill mother after her university professor father is killed during Nazi mass book burnings. Katja interviews for a position with Dr. Viktor and through that journey we learn that he is in possession of the medical notes. Dr. Viktor confides in Katja and entrusts her with the responsibility of transcribing them.
Katja's journey becomes perilous while she travels to find a publisher of the notes while hiding from the Gestapo. From Germany, to Paris, to Calais, to London she encounters harsh realities. deep loss, finds friends, and maybe even discovers love.
Thank you to NetGalley, author Tessa Harris, and HQ Digital for a complimentary copy of the book. All opinions expressed are completely my own. Insta handle books.before.sleep

This book got me through a mild reading slump.

The times I wanted to throw it across the room, only to want to see what happened.

This follows Katja, a 20-something German woman in the middle of a huge secret with her employer. With her employer being Hitler's former psychiatrist, the one that had a journal full of the inner workings of a mad-mans brain. Katjia along with friends she met in Paris in an attempt to publish said journal, finds themselves risking their lives to get the word out.

Tessa Harris was able to write a gripping story. At first I wasn't connecting to these characters as I had hoped, but as their struggles and perseverance continued throughout the pages, I was rooting for their success.

The ending was so relieving to my anxiety.

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC and the opportunity to leave this review.

When Katja ends up getting a job at a doctor’s office, the last thing she expects is typing up top secret medical records. At the end of WWI, Doctor Viktor is seeing soldiers for treatments for psychological disorders and one of those patients is Adolf Hilter. Within those secret medical records is a secret that could destroy the Fuhrer’s reputation and change the course of the war if it got out. Traveling to Paris, Dr Viktor and Katja hope that within the backroom of the Shakespeare and Company Bookstore, someone will publish the controversial medical document to change the tide of the war.

I loved and devoured this book. I was not expecting the ending and gasped several times. Different perspective of the war, which made this book much more enjoyable. Highly recommend.

The Paris Notebook is a fast-paced spellbinding account which is loosely based on historical events in which a German doctor diagnosis Adolf Hitler and through this discovers he is unfit mentally and tries to make this information public in some way before it is too late. It’s a love story as well, but it is also the story of a young woman whose father died because of Hitler, whose mother is mentally ill and she must take care of her, but who finds herself now in the position to assist in stopping Hitler a man she despises. A true and strong heroine, she will stop at nothing to get the information to where it needs to go.

After Katja Heinz’s father dies, she is now left to care for her emotionally unstable mother in Germany during the Hitler regime. She needs the money, but it seems no one will hire her until a psychologist, Dr. Viktor makes her an offer. She is told to transcribe his notes into a notebook about a patient he treated. He tells her she is not allowed to know who the patient is, and she must keep what she is doing secret. She is just grateful for the job.

But, very quickly, it is obvious that this secret patient is none other than Adolf Hitler and what Dr. Viktor has discovered is very important and if Hitler knew what was being typed and there was a notebook they would be hunted down and killed.

And just like that Katja is thrown into a world which she knows nothing about as they try to find someone who will accept the notebook and publish the findings. They must smuggle the notebook into France to meet a journalist, Daniel who works for a paper. Their hopes are raised that perhaps their prayers have been answered. 

But after all that they refuse to publish it and Dr. Viktor and Katja go back to Germany. Except now it seems, Hitler’s men know they are up to something and begin to threaten them and their families.

Soon, Katja is on her own and once again must find her way alone now with the smuggled notebook back to France to once again try and find help. She understands her life is in danger and as she plays a game of cat and mouse and hide and seek with the Nazi’s who are on her tail. She must endure whatever they do and keep going forward in the name of all those she loves and have loved. She and Daniel get close and this is her only salvation.

But what is the end result? As innocent Katja turns into an espionage spy and a heroine who grows stronger with every obstacle they try to throw in front of her, she could possibly lose everything, including her life to put the notebook in the hands of someone who can help.

The Paris Notebook is an exciting romantic spy novel with twists and turns and shocking revelations and a leading lady who is strong, determined and stubborn.

Thank you #NetGalley #HQDigital #TheParisNotebook #TessaHarris for the advanced copy.

In this fascinating, high-stakes historical fiction novel, Tessa Harris introduces readers to Katja Heinz, the daughter of a disgraced professor living in Nazi Germany. To support her ill mother, Katja takes a job as a secretary to Doctor Viktor, who treated the most powerful man in Germany -- Adolf Hitler himself -- after World War I and now seeks to publish his medical notes to take Hitler down. However, forces at play across Germany will stop Doctor Viktor and Katja at all costs, forcing them to travel to Paris for help and refuge, eventually meeting journalist Daniel who becomes more critical to Katja and Doctor Viktor’s mission than they could have imagined. Harris’s characters are incredibly complex, dynamic, and interesting, and the various motivations and agendas at play add a level of tension, isolation, and suspense to the novel. Katja is a fascinating, relatable, and complex heroine, and readers will enjoy her journey of self-discovery and the relationships she builds along the way. The settings of Germany and Paris, particularly the Shakespeare & Co. bookstore, are a great background for the novel and the many characters, as these locations play such central roles for the characters’ motivations and the threats that Katja, the doctor, and Daniel face over the course of the novel.

After losing her father to the Nazis in 1933, Katja is trying to survive and care for her mother who suffers greatly from depression. Now, though, Katja has taken up her own fight against the Nazis. As the personal assistant of Dr. Viktor, Katja is transcribing psychological records from 1918 for a prominent patient. Soon, Katja realizes who the patient is and must find the courage to get the records into the hands of those who can use them to fight against Adolf Hitler.

Daniel Keenan, an Irish journalist in Paris, is drowning his loss daily in drink. His wife and daughter were killed just eighteen months earlier. He finds solace in books and his friends at Shakespeare & Company. Through various connections, Katja and Dr. Viktor come to Paris to meet with Daniel and his publisher in the hope of selling the medical records as a book. All know the risk of what they have, but also feel a great duty to push forward even when faced with rejection, lies, threats, and death.

I have read a lot of World War II historical fiction recently, and The Paris Notebook is not among my favorites. The note at the end of the text helped me to better understand the base for which the author wrote, but I found a lot of the writing forced especially the literary, creative, and powerful name dropping. It didn't seem to fit within the story. I also struggled with the fact that everyone was horrible and conniving. It was hard to find redeeming qualities in anyone at the clinic or who had power; everyone was just awful.

Before Hitler came to power and spread terror throughout Europe he was a soldier wounded in WWI. Suffering from psychological blindness, he was treated by Dr. Viktor, a psychologist who took extensive notes. Now he feels that the world should know the truth about the monster that he feels he created while he might still be stopped. Katja Heinz is struggling to support her mother after her father’s death. He was a professor who refused to join the Nazi party and stood against the burning of books, which led to his death. She is hired by Dr. Viktor to transcribe his notebook. When she realizes who the patient was, she feels that her father would want her to help the doctor smuggle the notebook out of Germany.

Attending a conference in Paris, the doctor is put in touch with Daniel Keenan, an Irish journalist. Daniel is still mourning the loss of his wife and daughter, killed at a British checkpoint in Ireland. There is an attraction between Daniel and Katja, but her visit is short and there is more to transcribe back in Germany. When Katja suffers a personal loss and Dr. Viktor is arrested she must escape to Paris with the notebook and find a way to have it published. Time is running out as the Germans are heading to France.

Tessa Harris presents a story filled with suspense and characters that are well developed. Her scenes in Germany allow you to sense the dangers faced by Katja and the doctor. While Paris offers some security, it is not long before Katja realizes that it is a city filled with spies and nowhere is really safe. She finds refuge at the Shakespeare & Company bookstore and falls in love with the sights of Paris as well as Daniel. Tension steadily increases as Katja becomes more desperate to get the notebook to someone who can help. Even as they face possible failure, Daniel supports her until tragedy strikes once again. Often heartbreaking, this is a story that is difficult to put down. I would like to thank NetGalley and Harper 360 for providing this book for my review.

I've read quite a few books centered around World War II and I love when I can find one that offers something just a little different. This story revolves around a woman who is hired to transpose the notes a psychiatrist made on Hitler before his rise to power. To have such notes or knowledge was very dangerous and put the main character's life at risk. The ups and downs of her life made for a very interesting story. I really liked this book.

Thanks to Harper360 and NetGalley for the gifted copy. All thoughts are my own.

The Paris Notebook was a diversion from my typical romance and fantasy reads, but it was an incredible journey I’m so pleased I was able to take. Tessa had us falling in love with Katja and Daniel before we knew exactly how their paths would collide.

This story has slow burn, consistent tension, thrills, turns, and stomach-dropping disbelief. It was a story of redemption, healing, and perseverance. It seemed like I could really feel Katja’s determination, every step of this treacherous journey.

It did feel like Katja and Daniel fell rather quickly after meeting, but the rest of their relationship and the horrors they overcame together made me forget about that after a few chapters.

This was INTENSE, but I’m so glad I read it.

This is another enjoyable historical fiction novel. When Katja secures a job as a personal secretary to Doctor Viktor, she doesn't anticipate copying top-secret medical records. It turns out her new boss was a psychologist during WWI who treated a then-unknown Adolf Hitler for psychiatric disorders that would prove him unfit for office. They head to Paris to find a publisher brave enough to publish the book. Shakespeare and Co. Bookstore makes an appearance here as well. The journey to get it published takes on lots of twists and turns to the surprising ending.

I enjoyed this story, it was well-researched and I loved all of the characters. It gives us a peak into Shakespeare and Company at a time when all of the famous writers were hanging out there.

Thanks to Harper 360, Netgalley, and the author for an ARC of this story.

Quick and Dirty⁣
-WWII historical fiction ⁣
-Germany & France settings ⁣
-closed door romance⁣
-anti-Hitler German POV⁣
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Thoughts ⁣
This book is for WWII lovers! I adore a good WWII story (as you all know), and this book was no exception. Katja's story was not only moving, it was also really captivating. I read this on my recent trip to Hawaii and found it hard to put down at times. The espionage aspects of the story were very compelling; the big secret galvanized all the characters to act, creating a connection with the reader that kept me coming back to the book to find out what happens next. The active plot combined with the heartfelt romance made this book hard to resist. I was rooting for the characters hard, hoping beyond hope that things would work out. With so much loss and trauma this book had an air of sadness that juxtaposed well with the bright sunshine of Katja and Daniel's love for each other. It brought hope to what could have been otherwise a very bleak read. One of the best things about this book was the inside look at how and why Hitler came to power, as well as the anti-Nazi viewpoint of German civilians. The descriptions of life in the German state were not glamorized the way they are sometimes in other books, giving a sense that not all Germans aligned with the Reich. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good WWII novel!

Thanks to NetGalley for a digital copy of The Paris Notebook.

This book can hold its own among other WWII historical fiction, and I especially enjoyed the overlap with The Paris Bookseller by Kerri Maher that I coincidentally read earlier this year. The premise of Katja transcribing the psychiatrist's notebook from Adolf Hitler's days as his patient was an interesting one. There were some situations in this book that I found very improbable and a little bit too "easy" for the sake of moving the story along; mainly her work environment and the danger others are put in so easily. This book also went from 0 to 60 in several places, where it's an average day in one paragraph, and the next characters are dodging bullets and fighting for their lives. I felt like I had whiplash several times. Overall it was an easy and interesting book to read. I wanted an author's note at the end to tell me what parts were fact. The book is a decent read for lovers of WWII novels, and I would definitely recommend if you've already read The Paris Bookseller for more on the story of Sylvia Beach and Shakespeare and Company.

I would seek out more books by this author- she did her research, and it was an interesting story.

The premise is interesting; I found the idea of getting into Hitler’s mind and understanding his thought processes fascinating, and the first part of the book had me hooked. And then it became repetitive and implausible, with Katja traipsing around town with the incriminating manuscript on her person, foiling the Germans again and again; this was fantastical and improbable. Otherwise, the setting was well described and, at times, I felt like I was there, browsing through the bookshop Shakespeare and Company. Overall, a good way to pass an afternoon or two.

3.5 Stars

I have always been so fascinated with World War 2, so when I saw that this revolved around the early days of Adolf Hitler's rule, I knew I had to read it.

The opening scene was riveting and we were immediately thrown into an exciting and heart-racing opening scene and it made me so excited for this book. The story was a bit slow for me but looking forward to the fast-paced writing from that earlier scene kept me invested in the book.

I loved the author's descriptive writing and the story was truly a unique take on World War 2, but the romance wasn't something I felt myself routing for and the dialogue felt a bit un-natural and overly formal, even for the late 1930s. I loved the development of Katja, but was wanting more out of some of the side characters like Katja's mother and her relationship with her father.

Overall, I did enjoy this book and will recommend to others who enjoy historical fiction.

I've recently become a big fan of World War II fiction, so I was very pleased to be given a review copy of The Paris Notebook by Tessa Harris. This was my first book by this author, but it certainly won't be my last! Not only was it a riveting WWII story, but it also had an "ode to books" subplot which touched the book lover in me.

In Hamburg, Germany in January 1939, Katja Heinz is offered a job in Doctor Viktor's clinic. What she wasn't expecting was to be typing up top secret medical records from a notebook. At the end of the Great War, Dr. Viktor treated German soldiers with psychological conditions. One of his patients was identified as AH - yes, that would be Adolf Hitler! The notes in his possession expose Hitler as being unfit for duty; if these notes got out, they would ruin the reputation of the Führer, and possibly change the course of the current war. And that is exactly what Viktor hopes to do. He and Katja - with her typed notes hidden in her hat box - travel to Paris in the hopes that they can find a publisher brave enough to print the notebook. There they meet Daniel Keenan, a broken Irish journalist, who believes his boss might be willing to publish it. However, Viktor and Katja soon realize they are being watched by Nazi spies. Will there lives be ended before they can let the world know the true evilness of Hitler?

This book had all the elements that make up a good historical novel: great characters, a thrilling plot, historical details and romance. I loved Katja Heinz. She had first-hand knowledge of the evils of Hitler and his regime, as her father was murdered by the SS. Katja had to take care of her mother, who was deeply depressed since the death of her husband, and whose only joy was taking care of her pigeons. Katja was terrified when she discovered what exactly she would be typing, but she really needed the funds, but more importantly she understood the urgency of revealing Hitler's true character to the world. Dr. Viktor treated Hitler for psychological issues after WWI, and he knew he must let the world know what the true nature of his former patient was. He also had the guilt that he helped Hitler become the heiness man he turned into. Daniel Keenan was a broken Irish journalist who lost his beautiful young wife and daughter; his only refuge was in books...until he met Katja. There was a beautiful romance between Katja and Daniel, though intimacy was behind closed doors. I was thrilled to discover that Sylvia Beach was a real-life person who founded the world-famous bookstore Shakespeare and Company! The storyline and plot was thrilling and exciting with lots of action, but also heartbreaking. It all kept me on the edge of my seat. Besides Sylvia Beach, there were other instances/characters based on real people and events. Viktor and his notebook were based on truth. The rescue of British troops at Calais by the HMS Gulzar also occurred. The persecution of Jews really hit home, especially with anti-semitism once again on the rise.

The love of books was beautifully expressed in this story. The main characters herein all had books as their refuge, and it was very touching. Two particular things really struck me as special. One was a quote by WB Yeats, the famous poet: "Be not inhospitable to strangers/Lest they be angels in disguise". I've always loved this quote, but never knew to whom it was attributable. I'm far from a poetry fan, but I believe I must check out Yeats. The other item I found especially meaningful was an idea that Daniel had about books: "When he finished, he closed the book reverently, so as not to disturb the finality of the story, as if the very act of closure might ruffle the words before the next reader could begin them." Isn't that beautiful?! I love my e-reader, but lines like this make me actually miss holding a real book in my hands and turning pages instead of hitting a button. I thank the author for that lovely line.

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

I absolutely loved this book from the very first page, I was transported back to 1939, wholly immersed in the gripping story of Katja Heinz and her dangerous mission to expose Adolf Hitler's secret medical records. As Katja's life unfolded before me, her fears and uncertainties resonated deeply, making me feel as if I were beside her on this challenging journey. The historical setting felt authentic and well-researched, adding a layer of realism to the narrative. The introduction of Daniel Keenan and Sylvia Beach brought unexpected twists to the plot, keeping me hooked till the end. This riveting historical fiction offered a unique perspective on World War II and left me wanting more. I highly recommend it to fellow historical fiction enthusiasts who enjoy a mix of suspense, danger, and intrigue.

The Paris Notebook starts out slow and then picks up momentum for quite the unique and compelling read. There was much to enjoy in reading this novel: Katja's bravery and determination, the Hamburg, Germany setting, the role books and bookstores played in the book and, most fascinating, psychiatry as it relates to Adolf Hitler. A stand-out in the historical fiction genre and one that I highly recommend. Thanks to Harper 360 (HQ Digital) and NetGalley for an advance copy.