Stephanie Sullivan: Review - The Paris Daughter

TITLE: The Paris Daughter

RATING: ★★★★

RELEASE DATE: June 6th, 2023

Summary (from Goodreads): From the bestselling author of The Book of Lost Names comes a gripping historical novel about two mothers who must make unthinkable choices in the face of the Nazi occupation.

Paris, 1939: Young mothers Elise and Juliette become fast friends the day they meet in the beautiful Bois de Boulogne. Though there is a shadow of war creeping across Europe, neither woman suspects that their lives are about to irrevocably change.

When Elise becomes a target of the German occupation, she entrusts Juliette with the most precious thing in her life—her young daughter, playmate to Juliette’s own little girl. But nowhere is safe in war, not even a quiet little bookshop like Juliette’s Librairie des Rêves, and, when a bomb falls on their neighborhood, Juliette’s world is destroyed along with it.

More than a year later, with the war finally ending, Elise returns to reunite with her daughter, only to find her friend’s bookstore reduced to rubble—and Juliette nowhere to be found. What happened to her daughter in those last, terrible moments? Juliette has seemingly vanished without a trace, taking all the answers with her. Elise’s desperate search leads her to New York—and to Juliette—one final, fateful time.

REVIEW: One thing I have always admired about Kristin Harmel is the extensive amount of research she puts into her stories. Every time I read one of her books I learn something new, and The Paris Daughter was no different. It’s like getting a history lesson tucked inside a beautiful story. There were so many emotions I went through while reading this book - sadness, happiness, hope, despair - just to name a few. I loved how Harmel gave a nod to The Book of Lost Names, and she blended it all together perfectly. I predicted the ending about halfway through the book, but that didn’t stop me from getting fully immersed in it, and once I started I couldn’t put it down. Historical fiction fans will easily fall in love with The Paris Daughter. I would highly recommend it to everyone.

(DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this title from NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.)