One of Popsugar’s Best New Books for Summer 2020A thirty-year-old woman retraces her gap year through Ireland, France, and Italy to find love—and herself—in this hilarious and heartfelt novel.It’s been seven years since Chelsea Martin embarked on her yearlong postcollege European adventure. Since then, she’s lost her mother to cancer and watched her sister marry twice, while Chelsea’s thrown … twice, while Chelsea’s thrown herself into work, becoming one of the most talented fundraisers for the American Cancer Coalition, and with the exception of one annoyingly competent coworker, Jason Knightley, her status as most successful moneymaker is unquestioned.
When her introverted mathematician father announces he’s getting remarried, Chelsea is forced to acknowledge that her life stopped after her mother died and that the last time she can remember being happy, in love, or enjoying her life was on her year abroad. Inspired to retrace her steps—to find Colin in Ireland, Jean Claude in France, and Marcelino in Italy—Chelsea hopes that one of these three men who stole her heart so many years ago can help her find it again.
From the start of her journey nothing goes as planned, but as Chelsea reconnects with her old self, she also finds love in the very last place she expected.
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The perfect book for any summer but especially a summer when we can’t travel
I loved this. It’s one of those perfect vacation beach reads.
I’ve been loving travelling on the page this year, because, well, we’re limited to armchair travel these days, and Paris is always a good idea. Jenn McKinlay’s whirlwind Grand Tour is a delight. No spoilers, but after Chelsea’s visits to Ireland and Paris, I found myself holding my breath for her return to a vineyard outside Florence, wondering what could go wrong — or right. Experienced readers will know where we’re going, but that doesn’t take away from the fun of the trip one bit — the satisfaction is in the journey, which involves a few surprises, and exactly the right ending.
I love Jenn’s mysteries, but I also love her romance. This one, a real rom-com, truth be told, would make a great movie. An angsty protagonist who must find herself and find her smile. Who isn’t pulling for her? Set against the backdrop of Paris? Oh, yum. Quite romantic. And yes, a bit hot. Have fun!
These days, I crave books that whisk me away from the current grim reality. Jenn McKinlay has done exactly that–I was delighted to visit Ireland, Paris, and Italy in this new romantic comedy. And finished cheering for the heroine and her new romance.
McKinlay stays true to her storytelling gift in providing her readers with plenty of humor and lots of wit, while also exemplifying the journey many of us take when trying to overcome the self-doubt and confusion that often comes alongside true grief. Her characters are always relatable and ones that you wish you could be friends with. She has the amazing ability to create true romantic chemistry, making you entirely invested into their stories. McKinlay’s ability to draw you into the characters’ thoughts and lives are unparalleled and keep you wanting more and more long after the story ends! I have loved every novel by Jenn McKinlay and Paris is Always a Good Idea definitely did not disappoint!!
Seven years ago, Chelsea Martin took a post-college year-long adventure around Europe. Since then, she’s lost her mother and devoted herself to work. She’s now become one of the top fund raisers for American Cancer Coalition where the only fly in the ointment is her annoying coworker, Jason Knightley. When her father tells her that he’s getting married again, Chelsea doesn’t take it well. She admits to herself that life stopped for her when her mother died. So, to find the part of her that loved again, Chelsea plans a return European adventure where she’ll look up the three men who took part of her heart seven years ago.
I love Jenn McKinlay’s cozy mysteries and her Bluff Point series so I decided to try this book and I’m very glad that I did. This is an excellent book about grief and coming out the other side. It’s also a fabulous book about love and opening our hearts. The book’s well-written and the main characters are wonderful while the other characters are done well. I was drawn into this story from the beginning and didn’t want to put the book down. There was one thing at the end that I didn’t quite agree with but I do understand why the female lead did what she did so it didn’t take away from my enjoying this book. I highly recommend this book to Jenn McKinlay fans and anyone who wants to read a wonderful romance that also deals with how people handle grief.
If I could give this book more than 5 stars I would. Chelsea stopped living her life after her mother died when she was 22. Now her father is getting remarried and Chelsa can’t accept it. At the age of 29, she decides that she doesn’t like the person that she has become so she packs her suitcase and heads back to Europe to try to find the happiness and the woman she was before her mother died. That summer she fell in love three times. As she visits each of the men she loved at 22, she realizes both she and the men are not the same. During the way, she finds herself and a new love. An unexpected one at that. As she travels through Ireland, Paris and Italy she realizes what she loved about these men is no longer what she needs. I enjoyed the slow build up of the relationship between Chelsea and Jason, her nemesis from work. I loved Chelsea’s journey of self discovery This was a most enjoyable read.
Absolutely, and unequivocally, 5 stars!
This super-fun book is also brand new, and whisks you to Ireland, France, and Italy as a thirty year old woman who feels her life is stuck retraces her gap year through these European countries, and her former European lovers.
A hilarious and heartfelt novel. She finds herself, and maybe even love.
I picked up this book because… Paris and that I had a similar experience post college. Turns out this was an enjoyable, quick romantic read that touches on some heavy subjects. Overall, it’s fast paced and light, and I recommend.
When her father gets engaged, Chelsea is less than thrilled. After all, he’s only known his fiancée for a few weeks. In an effort to process this latest development, Chelsea decides to retrace her Europe trip from years earlier, hoping to find the carefree, fun-loving woman she used to be before her mom died.
This book hit me in the feels! It grapples with love and loss in a relatable way. I loved the humor and the love story. Over all it was a delightful novel worth reading, though it wasn’t as clean as my typical read.
Oh my gosh, I love it so much!
The cover captured my interest first and that title is ultra appealing. It immediately makes me want to satiate my wanderlust, grab a pastry at a cafe, and dive into a fun romance. Add in hate-to-love and I’m beyond content.
Chelsea’s dad abruptly drops a bomb in her lap. He’s getting married. Problem one – Chelsea isn’t over grieving her mother’s death. Problem two – the new lady in her dad’s life won him in an auction. Less than a month ago. While her world upends, she decides she needs to find herself again. Her life is stale, personally and romantically, and only her workaholic tendencies have been her crutch for seven years. Chelsea attempts to take a sabbatical from life and heads to Europe to find the last three men she’s loved. The only trouble is that work follows her in the form of one Jason Knightly, her work nemesis.
Chelsea is my kinda girl. She is completely relatable and her journey is perfectly paced. She gets into some scraps that had me smiling or biting back a cringe. But Jason and his black sneakers can swagger into my life anytime!
TW: skippable steam near the end
This book was a great idea! Fans of The Hating Game will adore this light-hearted romance. Travel along with Chelsea as she revisits the times that she felt loved and was truly happy, as she tries to discover that feeling again. I loved the characters in this story and will definitely be adding it to my physical bookshelf. A must-read that I guarantee you’ll enjoy!
Chelsea goes to meet her father and find out he’s getting married and is totally unprepared for it. She finds herself loosing herself in her work and not finding love. Her sister challenges Chelsea to find what she had when she was abroad prior to her mother’s death. See what she is missing in life.
This book has so much going on as we go on Chelsea’s journey with her. We get to see Ireland and see how her relationship with Colin faired and so on to Paris and Italy with a different boy each time. Chelsea also finds her talking more with a co-worker she didn’t get along with Jason Knightley. She learns why he does the work eh does.
I loved this adventure and it definitely is a promising adventure for the summer. Since most of us are stuck on a staycation this was a great adventure to go on in the comfort of your own house! This book will pull you in and captivate you until the last page is turned! I hope Ms. McKinlay does a book like this again. Everything she touches seems to be incredible!
It was a wonderful story.I loved it.Didn’t want it to end.
A light, humorous read to finish off the summer! I loved the premise: a woman tries to recapture the fanciful freedom of her youth by revisiting the places in Europe she’d lived after graduation. Warm-hearted and cozy.
Love, love, love. This charming romance made me feel like I was on a vacation.
This was just an OK read for me. When the book opens Chelsea is informed that her father is getting remarried. Since the loss of her mother to Cancer Chelsea has been all work. To try and find love and happiness again she embarks on a trip to Ireland, Paris and Italy to reconnect with her younger self and three old boyfriends. I never did warm up to the main character. It was obvious from the beginning of the book who her love interest was going to be so there were no surprises. I did like the travels and the author did a good job with each country. The book was a quick read but the story was too predictable for me.
First time reading this author and I found this book to be thoroughly enjoyable! Chelsea’s grief over the loss of her mother 7 years before kept her from having relationships where she might feel that type of loss again. She heads to Europe to try to find the Chelsea she was before her mother passed. Loved Jason!