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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A solid MEH. Had I not been reading this to lead the book club discussion, I probably would have get it down somewhere in the middle and probably not picked it back up again.
There was a part of me that really did empathize with Vincent - yeah, her husband hiding this very autobiographical book and his past from her was really a betrayal of trust. And it's going to take some sorting out. And you can see how an affair with a younger man might come into the picture.
But then this almost came under "pot calling the kettle black" and she's lying about the affair while simultaneously being pissed that someone came onto her husband and some other stuff and then a "wants to have her cake and eat it too" situation and then it starts feeling very meta and is this a script adaptation of Cillian's book and bleeeeaaaaahhhhhhh I just didn't really care about Vincent or Cillian at all by the end.
There was a part of me that really did empathize with Vincent - yeah, her husband hiding this very autobiographical book and his past from her was really a betrayal of trust. And it's going to take some sorting out. And you can see how an affair with a younger man might come into the picture.
But then this almost came under "pot calling the kettle black" and she's lying about the affair while simultaneously being pissed that someone came onto her husband and some other stuff and then a "wants to have her cake and eat it too" situation and then it starts feeling very meta and is this a script adaptation of Cillian's book and bleeeeaaaaahhhhhhh I just didn't really care about Vincent or Cillian at all by the end.
I am not 100% sure how I feel about this one.
I really enjoyed the writing. But I didn’t love the story. I think it’s because I didn’t love Vincent as a character. I felt for her and the betrayal she felt by her husband. And I could understand her desire to rediscover herself in a new place. But something just didn’t click for me.
I will say, this story gave me wanderlust. I feel like it’s just as much a love story about Paris as anything else. I want to go back, wander the streets and eat all the delicious food.
[cw - infidelity]
Thx to Libro.FM & Hachette audio for the ALC.
I really enjoyed the writing. But I didn’t love the story. I think it’s because I didn’t love Vincent as a character. I felt for her and the betrayal she felt by her husband. And I could understand her desire to rediscover herself in a new place. But something just didn’t click for me.
I will say, this story gave me wanderlust. I feel like it’s just as much a love story about Paris as anything else. I want to go back, wander the streets and eat all the delicious food.
[cw - infidelity]
Thx to Libro.FM & Hachette audio for the ALC.
I loved this book. It was the perfect amount of romance and chaos. It consumed me. I will forever be obsessed with Paris (& Loup). Let me live in the daydreams this book provided.
Two things can be true at once. For instance, I enjoyed the time I spent with this book, but I am also really disappointed with how it ended.
Leesa Cross-Smith's prose is gorgeous. I fell in love with Paris and I was enchanted by how Vincent got to spend her days. Who wouldn't to live in a beautiful apartment and go for walks and create art and have fabulous dinner parties and hot sex with a young, sexy man? It's ideal in every way. I love the playlists. I love the creative writing prompts. I love that there is a black female protagonist with an incredible, successful and well-off family and they all love and support each other in their respective artistic endeavors.
Her husband's betrayal is unacceptable. Keeping that kind of a secret for that long and then releasing a book about it without talking to her? Unfathomable. However, it seems that their relationship otherwise is extremely healthy. They communicate well. The love is deep and abiding. I understand her reaction to flee the country and create emotional and physical distance. But as Cillian says, he can't be punished forever.
I don't think every story needs to have a neatly tied bow conclusion, but this ending fell flat compared to the first three-quarters of the novel. Instead of providing us something that honored her journey, I was left feeling like Vincent was an indecisive narcissist who would spend the rest of her life navel-gazing. I feel like every character deserved better in the end.
Leesa Cross-Smith's prose is gorgeous. I fell in love with Paris and I was enchanted by how Vincent got to spend her days. Who wouldn't to live in a beautiful apartment and go for walks and create art and have fabulous dinner parties and hot sex with a young, sexy man? It's ideal in every way. I love the playlists. I love the creative writing prompts. I love that there is a black female protagonist with an incredible, successful and well-off family and they all love and support each other in their respective artistic endeavors.
Her husband's betrayal is unacceptable. Keeping that kind of a secret for that long and then releasing a book about it without talking to her? Unfathomable. However, it seems that their relationship otherwise is extremely healthy. They communicate well. The love is deep and abiding. I understand her reaction to flee the country and create emotional and physical distance. But as Cillian says, he can't be punished forever.
I don't think every story needs to have a neatly tied bow conclusion, but this ending fell flat compared to the first three-quarters of the novel. Instead of providing us something that honored her journey, I was left feeling like Vincent was an indecisive narcissist who would spend the rest of her life navel-gazing. I feel like every character deserved better in the end.
Just finished, read a few other reviews and the other negative ones seem to have the same issues I did with the book.
I just could not get on board with the main female character (Vincent) and what seemed an over reaction to her husband's secret. She was apparently upset about a lie in his past and then the book is nothing but her lying to her family and friends about her present. There is also almost never a situation where I'm going to like a character that cheats on a marriage.
Beyond that, the book felt a bit pretentious and like name dropping, but with places in Europe. It felt unnecessary to the story. I just couldn't find anything in common with any of the characters. Almost everyone was artsy, well-off (aka wealthy enough not to have to worry about real jobs), and high brow. I wouldn't be friends with these characters if it was real life, so it's not surprising I didn't like them in the novel. Lastly, I've been to Paris and it's lovely and I love reading about it, but it's still just a place in the world. There are many wonderful places but I can't imagine being so tied to one or so in love with a location like Vincent is in the book.
Writing was good. But this just wasn't the book for me.
I just could not get on board with the main female character (Vincent) and what seemed an over reaction to her husband's secret. She was apparently upset about a lie in his past and then the book is nothing but her lying to her family and friends about her present. There is also almost never a situation where I'm going to like a character that cheats on a marriage.
Beyond that, the book felt a bit pretentious and like name dropping, but with places in Europe. It felt unnecessary to the story. I just couldn't find anything in common with any of the characters. Almost everyone was artsy, well-off (aka wealthy enough not to have to worry about real jobs), and high brow. I wouldn't be friends with these characters if it was real life, so it's not surprising I didn't like them in the novel. Lastly, I've been to Paris and it's lovely and I love reading about it, but it's still just a place in the world. There are many wonderful places but I can't imagine being so tied to one or so in love with a location like Vincent is in the book.
Writing was good. But this just wasn't the book for me.
Too drawn out and unforgettable. The audio was super annoying because of the reputation in multiple chapters… I thought maybe my version was glitching. After checking my physical copy, it looks like a better book to be read than listened (the accents were also challenging). Overall, meh.