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stephbakerbooks's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was actually my first Lucy Foley book, and I get why she's so popular. I enjoyed this read, though I don't think it will stand out in my mind as a favorite thriller or anything.
It was very fast-paced with short chapters, though it also feels like nothing is happening for large portions of the book. There, of course, were several twists and turns—but that one twist that happens about halfway through the book I did NOT see coming and I gasped aloud. I do think it was brilliant, but it peaked for me there; it didn't necessarily go downhill from there, but it definitely didn't go up.
The characters were all pretty terrible (as in, terrible people haha). Apparently this is a thing with her books though? Jess was at least someone I could root for, even if I wanted her to stop making dumb decisions! There's not much in the way of character development for anyone, but the whole story is only a few days.
I loved that the apartment itself is a character in the story, though I had a hard time picturing the layout of the apartment building. It was still a cool setting that gave the mystery that "locked room" feeling and added to the sense of urgency.
Also shout out to all the New Girl fans who read this book. I think we all know who the superior Nick Miller is.
It was very fast-paced with short chapters, though it also feels like nothing is happening for large portions of the book. There, of course, were several twists and turns—but that one twist that happens about halfway through the book I did NOT see coming and I gasped aloud. I do think it was brilliant, but it peaked for me there; it didn't necessarily go downhill from there, but it definitely didn't go up.
The characters were all pretty terrible (as in, terrible people haha). Apparently this is a thing with her books though? Jess was at least someone I could root for, even if I wanted her to stop making dumb decisions! There's not much in the way of character development for anyone, but the whole story is only a few days.
I loved that the apartment itself is a character in the story, though I had a hard time picturing the layout of the apartment building. It was still a cool setting that gave the mystery that "locked room" feeling and added to the sense of urgency.
Also shout out to all the New Girl fans who read this book. I think we all know who the superior Nick Miller is.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Trafficking
Moderate: Suicide, Death of parent, and Murder
mytearsricochet_'s review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Infidelity, Suicide, Blood, Death of parent, and Classism
savvyrosereads's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Down-on-her-luck Jess heads to Paris to stay with her half-brother Ben—only to discover his apartment is empty and there is a building full of suspects who seem determined to keep her from finding the truth.
The Paris Apartment is my favorite thriller of the year so far! The setting was fun, the characters were a good mix of lovable and hatable, and, once again for a Lucy Foley novel, the twists were on point. While I figured out some of the reveals a little early, the main twist totally took me by surprise, to the point where I actually stopped reading and flipped back a few chapters to try and find the breadcrumbs I had missed.
I’ve seen a few reviews calling The Paris Apartment a slow-burn thriller but I actually disagree—I felt there was a lot going on from the very first page, and I appreciated the way Foley’s pacing allowed for multiple small reveals over the course of the novel. I did think there were a few forgotten plot threads, which is what ultimately kept me from giving this a full five stars, and the book also fell prey to one of my personal pet peeves, scattering foreign language phrases without always translating them. But, nitpicking aside, I read this one in a day and a half and thoroughly enjoyed it…and I’m already counting down the days until whatever Foley writes next.
Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: multiple (sometimes unreliable) narrators; family drama; lots of secrets.
CW: Sexual assault; domestic violence; some discussions of infertility, pregnancy/childbirth, alcoholism/drug use, and suicide.
Down-on-her-luck Jess heads to Paris to stay with her half-brother Ben—only to discover his apartment is empty and there is a building full of suspects who seem determined to keep her from finding the truth.
The Paris Apartment is my favorite thriller of the year so far! The setting was fun, the characters were a good mix of lovable and hatable, and, once again for a Lucy Foley novel, the twists were on point. While I figured out some of the reveals a little early, the main twist totally took me by surprise, to the point where I actually stopped reading and flipped back a few chapters to try and find the breadcrumbs I had missed.
I’ve seen a few reviews calling The Paris Apartment a slow-burn thriller but I actually disagree—I felt there was a lot going on from the very first page, and I appreciated the way Foley’s pacing allowed for multiple small reveals over the course of the novel. I did think there were a few forgotten plot threads, which is what ultimately kept me from giving this a full five stars, and the book also fell prey to one of my personal pet peeves, scattering foreign language phrases without always translating them. But, nitpicking aside, I read this one in a day and a half and thoroughly enjoyed it…and I’m already counting down the days until whatever Foley writes next.
Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: multiple (sometimes unreliable) narrators; family drama; lots of secrets.
CW: Sexual assault; domestic violence; some discussions of infertility, pregnancy/childbirth, alcoholism/drug use, and suicide.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Homophobia, Infertility, Sexual assault, Suicide, Police brutality, and Pregnancy
alireads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism, Death, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicide, Blood, Trafficking, Murder, and Abandonment
alilbitofmonica's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Filled with twists and turns, this whodunnit tale will keep you guessing from start to finish.
From the beginning, it’s easy to tell that there are some very deep, dark secrets behind the walls of the old apartment building. Each character is as mysterious as the next and each chapter unfolds new truths that lead Jess on a thrilling chase for clues as to what happened to her missing brother Ben.
While the story moved along pretty slowly, the whole book taking place over just three days time, each chapter is focused on revealing more and more about the various occupants of the apartment building. The mystery is incredibly complicated, sometimes almost too much so. Most chapters involved flashbacks to previous interactions with other characters, all leading up to the big reveal of what happened the night Ben disappeared. But at times, those flashbacks were a bit hard to follow, or even seemed repetitive and unnecessary.
On top of that, I do feel as though there are some details that don’t line up throughout the story and it makes it difficult to connect with any of the characters. On top of that (potential minor spoiler) the more we learn about Ben’s past, the more I hated him and the way he played people. It made me feel a little less urgent at solving the mystery and potentially finding him.
All in all, it was intriguing and kept me guessing til the end. I was able to predict a few of the twists, but there was no way to predict all that went down inside that Paris Apartment.
From the beginning, it’s easy to tell that there are some very deep, dark secrets behind the walls of the old apartment building. Each character is as mysterious as the next and each chapter unfolds new truths that lead Jess on a thrilling chase for clues as to what happened to her missing brother Ben.
While the story moved along pretty slowly, the whole book taking place over just three days time, each chapter is focused on revealing more and more about the various occupants of the apartment building. The mystery is incredibly complicated, sometimes almost too much so. Most chapters involved flashbacks to previous interactions with other characters, all leading up to the big reveal of what happened the night Ben disappeared. But at times, those flashbacks were a bit hard to follow, or even seemed repetitive and unnecessary.
On top of that, I do feel as though there are some details that don’t line up throughout the story and it makes it difficult to connect with any of the characters. On top of that (potential minor spoiler) the more we learn about Ben’s past, the more I hated him and the way he played people. It made me feel a little less urgent at solving the mystery and potentially finding him.
All in all, it was intriguing and kept me guessing til the end. I was able to predict a few of the twists, but there was no way to predict all that went down inside that Paris Apartment.
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism, Death, Rape, Sexual content, Suicide, Blood, Murder, and Pregnancy
annoyedhumanoid's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
(adjusted from 3.25 to 2.75)
disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes really is the main character, no i will not elaborate
Ben must be a Greek god or something because whydoes every character want to fuck him . this man is constantly described as unbelievably charming, emphasis on the "unbelievably"—where was the "show, don't tell"? if he was that brainwashingly charismatic, shouldn't i as a reader also fall for his charm? but he was just like, there, which at least makes me admire Jess for going to all this trouble just for him.
speaking of Jess, sometimes she was irritating too when she's supposed to be our protagonist—like when she walks into a riot because "it sounded like a street party 😊" and just stands there as people run away from the approaching tear gas. come on now.
it's prob because i'm queer & we gotta look out for each other & i crave positive representation, but i wishNick was a better person and had a better ending.
characters aside, the plot had some unexpected twists and was generally interesting, but i was mostly unimpressed. it had such a promising, atmospheric concept: murder in Paris, ooh la la, and all the apartment tenants are suspects; i think i heard it described as a locked room mystery, though i may be confusing it with another book. and then it just, wasn't and my hopes were let down.
cover design review: ★★★★☆. i like the background image, the symmetry, the colors for the most part (i think the background could be less green and more blue), and all the text, but other than that it's kind of bland.
disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes really is the main character, no i will not elaborate
Ben must be a Greek god or something because why
speaking of Jess, sometimes she was irritating too when she's supposed to be our protagonist—like when she walks into a riot because "it sounded like a street party 😊" and just stands there as people run away from the approaching tear gas. come on now.
it's prob because i'm queer & we gotta look out for each other & i crave positive representation, but i wish
characters aside, the plot had some unexpected twists and was generally interesting, but i was mostly unimpressed. it had such a promising, atmospheric concept: murder in Paris, ooh la la, and all the apartment tenants are suspects; i think i heard it described as a locked room mystery, though i may be confusing it with another book. and then it just, wasn't and my hopes were let down.
cover design review: ★★★★☆. i like the background image, the symmetry, the colors for the most part (i think the background could be less green and more blue), and all the text, but other than that it's kind of bland.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Police brutality, Grief, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Confinement, Gore, Infertility, Self harm, Vomit, and Abortion
heymarykathryn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Suicide, and Violence
Minor: Gun violence and Sexual content
bookishkenzie's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
this was okay, but it didn’t meet my expectations. i predicted most of it and some parts dragged on a bit but overall it wasn’t bad.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Trafficking, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Suicide, and Death of parent
Minor: Drug use, Homophobia, and Self harm
rmaff's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Eh this took too long to get anywhere for me. I suppose I liked the payoff at the end, though.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide and Vomit
Minor: Suicide
taelights's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I had a fun time listening to this one. I'd highly recommend the audiobook because it perhaps even boosted my rating a bit because the narrators made it even more interesting. The story dragged me in from the first chapter and managed to keep me hooked. Some of the twists where very predictable, some of them I guessed parts of the idea but not the whole thing, and others totally surprised me. But overall I had a good time with this book and enjoyed seeing it unfold.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicide, Police brutality, Death of parent, and Pregnancy