Thirty Days in Paris by Veronica Henry BLOG TOUR #ThirtyDaysinParis @veronica_henry @orionbooks @RandomTTours #BookReview

 

Because Paris is always a good idea...

Years ago, Juliet left a little piece of her heart in Paris - and now, separated from her husband and with her children flying the nest, it's time to get it back!

So she puts on her best red lipstick, books a cosy attic apartment near Notre-Dame and takes the next train out of London.

Arriving at the Gare du Nord, the memories come flooding back: bustling street cafés, cheap wine in candlelit bars and a handsome boy with glittering eyes.

But Juliet has also been keeping a secret for over two decades - and she begins to realise it's impossible to move forwards without first looking back.

Something tells her that the next thirty days might just change everything...

Thirty Days in Paris by Veronica Henry was published on 13 April 2023 by Orion. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review as part of this #RandomThingsTours Blog Tour. 

Veronica Henry is one of my go-to authors, I'm always excited when I turn the first page of a new book by her. I really believe that her writing gets better with every book, I've loved them all, but oh my goodness, I absolutely adored Thirty Days in Paris. 

It is one of those books where the setting is so gloriously described that you will instantly find yourself on Google looking for holiday apartments in Paris. The descriptions of the city, the people, the food and the clothes just made me yearn to hop on the Eurostar and immerse myself in all things French. However, that wasn't possible, so instead, I lost myself in the pages and in Juliet's story and finished it feeling so satisfied .... but still yearning! 

This is a dual timeline story; a structure that I really enjoy reading, and the author does it incredibly well. We meet Juliet as her twenty-five year marriage is ending. She and husband still love each other, they are best friends, but their lives have just gone off in different directions. One of them would have to sacrifice what they truly wanted if they were to stay together, so selling their house, and buying places for themselves is the sensible option. 

Juliet is a freelance writer, she ghost writes books, usually for celebrity authors and also writes lifestyle pieces for various media. She can work from anywhere and has decided to go to Paris and attempt to write her own novel. She's given herself thirty days in Paris.

This is not her first visit to the French capital, and the reader is taken back in time to when a much younger Juliet landed in Paris, having taken a job as an au-pair to a wealthy Parisian family. Young Juliet was naive and not well travelled, but knew that she needed to spread her wings, to see something outside of her small home town, and hopefully add to her CV so that she can one day get a job in fashion. 

Alternate chapters tell Juliet's modern-day story, and then nip back all those years to her first visit and both stories are fascinating and compelling. As young Juliet discovers a new country, a new language, new food and makes friends, she also finds love. There are some absolutely heart-breaking scenes though that really made me feel so much sorrow and pain for Juliet. 

Older Juliet is more confident, more relaxed and wiser. Her stay in Paris is punctuated by new friends, beautiful treasures found in shops and food. Oh, the food! Your mouth will water as you read about the bakeries, the markets, the dishes conjured up. 

At it's heart, this is a love story, and it's a beautifully created one too. Nothing is simple for Juliet, but her determination to make things right is the making of her. 

A wonderful wonderful novel, one to treasure and one to lose yourself in. Highly recommended. 

Veronica Henry has worked as a scriptwriter for The Archers, Heartbeat and Holby City
amongst many others, before turning to fiction.

She won the 2014 RNA Novel of the Year Award for A Night on the Orient Express and is a Sunday Times bestselling author of over twenty books.

Veronica lives with her family in a village in north Devon and can often be found cooking up the perfect seaside feast.

Find out more at www.veronicahenry.co.uk or follow her on social media: @veronicahenryauthor | @veronica_henry