Gillian Harvey! You made me cry, smile, wish I could visit Paris, and given me a book hangover! This was 5/5 read because ...... All the Feels!
I am not sure how to review this book, because there are a couple of twists in it that it is best to not know about before you read it. I'll give it a go though!
Shortly after Sophie and Tom got together, he surprised her with a weekend trip to Paris. For Tom, it's no big deal. He's had quite a privileged upbringing where money is no object. Sophie comes from more humble beginnings and so it feels extravagant, especially given that she is struggling to get by with a part time job while they are students. However, she has always dreamed of Paris, and so off they go. Tom has no interest in visiting the Mona Lisa at the Louvre, Sophie must! He doesn't like standing in the queues with other tourists, but Sophie wants to visit all the places.
This is just the beginning of what becomes their thing - an annual trip to Paris, visiting all of the places that become theirs, but most especially the Pont de Carrousel at midnight.
It is only as the two timelines converge that we get more of an idea of what is going on. Life and it's struggles have worn away some (but not all) the uninhibited joy that they feel with each other, and sometimes the trips to Paris aren't as exciting as others. As you are reading the book, there's a word or phrase here or there that makes you go....hold on. And then, well then you realise that this book is something other than the book you thought you were reading!
I first read Gillian Harvey back in 2022, and I have read everything that she has had published since then. I really enjoy the way that she writes about the expat lifestyle, people moving to France and following their dreams, something that she has done herself. And to be honest, I was expecting the same from this book. Instead, we got something completely different and at a whole other level!
By turns beautiful and heartbreaking and hopeful, this is a book that I will cherish, and it is my first 5/5 read for the year.
If I lived in Europe, I can guarantee you I would be visiting Paris on a regular basis! As it is, I can't quite convince my husband that it is worth 24 hours on a plane (plus the cost) to visit every year! It's probably going to be another couple of years before I get to visit again. In the meantime, I will continue to read Gillian Harvey's books to give me that taste of France that I crave! And look at my photos from when we last visited just to torture myself that little bit more.
I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted by The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews. Be sure to check out other stops on the tour shown below. Thanks to the publisher, Netgalley and Rachel's Random Resources for the review copy.
Midnight in Paris
Ten years. Two people. One last visit…
Sophie and Tom first visited Paris together as students. During their weekend away in the world’s most romantic city, falling in love – with the place, and each other – was simply inevitable.
They resolved to return every summer and kept their word, until something happened that changed their world forever.
Five years on, Sophie’s travelling to Paris alone to meet Tom again in their special place, on the Pont du Carrousel at midnight.
Because life has torn them apart. And now Sophie has something to tell Tom. Something that will change everything…
The most heartbreaking, uplifting and powerful novel you’ll read all year. Perfect for fans of David Nicholls, Kristin Hannah and The Notebook.
Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/midnightinparis
About the author
Gillian Harvey is a freelance journalist. She has lived in Limousin, France for the past twelve years, from where she derives the inspiration and settings for her books such as A Year at the French Farmhouse and A Month in Provence.
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