USA TODAY bestselling author Sarah Morgan returns with this heartwarming novel about the power of friendship, love and what happens when an ending is just the beginning… But she never expected he’d have a surprise of his own: he wants a divorce. Reeling from the shock but refusing to be broken, a devastated Grace makes the bold decision to go to Paris alone.
Audrey, a young woman from London, has left behind a heartache of her own when she arrives in Paris. A job in a bookshop is her ticket to freedom, but with no money and no knowledge of the French language, suddenly a summer spent wandering the cobbled streets alone seems much more likely…until she meets Grace, and everything changes.
Grace can’t believe how daring Audrey is. Audrey can’t believe how cautious newly single Grace is. Living in neighboring apartments above the bookshop, this unlikely pair offer each other just what they’ve both been missing. They came to Paris to find themselves, but finding this unbreakable friendship might be the best thing that’s ever happened to them…
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I loved the friendship that developed between Grace and Audrey during their stay in Paris. Living in an apartment above the bookshop was the perfect setting, and I really liked the secondary characters that they encountered along the way. Although I wish Grace’s story would have had a different ending, I loved the way that Audrey’s story turned out.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary Advance Reader Copy.
Once again, Ms. Morgan has transported me to a city that I’ve never visited but already feels like home. The way she weaves a storyline together with locations, people, sights, sounds and feelings, leaves me wanting to jump straight into the pages of her novels each and every time.
One Summer in Paris focuses on two main women, Audrey and Grace as well as Grace’s grandmother Mimi. Each woman has her own story to tell in and around the city of Paris in the present and in the past.
Grace has everything she could possibly want in life. A great family life, married for 25 years to her best friend, a daughter about to start college and a surprise anniversary trip planned for her and her husband. On Valentines Day (also their anniversary) he decides to surprise her as well, by ending their marriage because he’d been having an affair and was in love with the other woman. Grace decides to keep the trip to Paris and go alone to enjoy the sights and sounds of her second home alone, and hopefully find herself again.
Audrey has wanted to get away from her home for as long as she can remember. She is only 18 but feels 100 years old from every direction her life has pulled her. Her mom is an alcoholic; she has dyslexia and a general learning disability. She decides the only way she can survive in life is to get away from all she knows. She saves every dollar she can and applies for a job at a bookstore in Paris that comes with its own living quarters. The only downfall is she does not know a word of French but how hard could it be?
Grace isn’t having as good of a time as she thought she would being on her own in Paris. She thought she could overcome the feelings of missing David and immerse herself in the sights and sounds of the city, but so far all its done is make her miss him more. She finds herself at a loss until a pickpocket leads her to a girl that needs her just as much.
Audrey doesn’t have people in her life that care about her. When Grace makes it her mission to take her under her wing, she doesn’t know how to handle all this new attention. Once she gets to know Grace though, she finds out Grace is a little like her and that she could actually help her too.
Grace and Audrey navigate Paris together, each teacher the other something new about themselves they hadn’t noticed before. Grace helped Audrey with her learning skills and letting herself be open to a new romantic relationship. Audrey helped Grace realize she isn’t an old matron just yet, and encourages her to open up the door to the past.
Audrey, Grace and Mimi ultimately realize that the past isn’t something that goes away. We can run, we can hide, but it always catches up to us. And what we think we want or need, might not necessarily be the best thing for us.
As usual, the author takes me on a wonderful trip, with fascinating people whose lives I feel like I am embroiled directly in. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy but I am always left feeling sad and longing for more when the book ends. I want to continue the journey forward with the people I’ve become invested in.
I really loved this book. I have always liked Sarah Morgan’s romances, but now that she is doing some Women’s Literature, she has just gone to another level of story telling that awes me.
One Summer in Paris puts together two women who at first glance have absolutely nothing in common and turns them into the best of friends and as close as you can get to family without actually sharing blood.
This book’s setting took me to Paris (showing the good and the bad), a place I will likely never see in person. Even though the book is rich in different relationships rather than tourist sites, it still seemed as though the feel of Paris came through to me. A large part of the scenes took place in an old dusty shop filled with French books. Morgan had me smelling the bindings of the books and the dust in the backroom. I could hear the obnoxious bell over the door. I felt the confusion of the younger Audrey, the disappointment of the older Grace in her husband and life in general. I was so glad the two found each other! Their friendship was not only a gift to them, but a gift to the reader as well. Loved, loved, loved this book!
I was given a complimentary copy of One Summer in Paris. All thoughts are my own.
One Summer in Paris is the latest release by Sarah Morgan. Ms Morgan is now my new go to author. She is very talented and it really shows in this book. I absolutely loved Grace from the beginning. I admired her bravery and courage to go to Paris on her own. I enjoyed it when she meets up with Audrey and the friendship they develop.
I give One Summer in Paris a well deserved five plus stars. I can not wait for the next release by Sarah Morgan.
I received this book from the publisher, but was not required to write a review. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.
Whenever I pick up a book by this talented author, I know it will be well written, thoughtful and with characters that what makes them perfect, is their imperfections.
This is the case of Grace and Audrey. Two women that meet in Paris and end not only being neighbors but also friends. One goes to Paris after what she thought she had, a perfect life and a strong marriage of 25 years , was an illusion. While the other one, a young English woman , with a self-centered mother , leaves London for a summer in Paris.
It’s a story about re-discovering oneself. About friendships, family relationships, or lack thereof, and hope for a better future.
Add to the mix Paris, the city of lights and love, and you have another enchanting story.
I was entrusted a copy of this book. The opinions expressed are solely my own.