#BlogTour! #Review – One Summer in Paris by Sarah Morgan (@SarahMorgan_) @HQStories

Apologies for the late post, suffering with multiple chronic illness pain. I’m sure you can forgive me though after reading my review for ‘One Summer in Paris’ by Sarah Morgan. It is such a joy to be on the blog tour today! Many thanks to HQ Stories for the blog tour invite and ARC. Here is my review:

One charming bookshop, two unlikely friends, and a summer in Paris that will change their lives forever…

Grace can’t believe it when her husband of twenty-five years announces he doesn’t want to join her on their anniversary trip to Paris – instead, he wants a divorce. Reeling from the shock, Grace makes the bold decision to go on this holiday of a lifetime alone.

Audrey leaves behind heartache of her own when she arrives in Paris. A job in a bookshop is her ticket to freedom, but with no knowledge of the French language, her summer adventure seems doomed to fail. Until she meets Grace, and everything changes…

Living in neighbouring apartments above the bookshop, Grace and Audrey form an unlikely friendship. They came to Paris to find themselves, but finding each other might be the best thing that’s ever happened to them.

What does TWG think?

Omg I loved this book!!!! I have no idea how Sarah Morgan does it, but every book she produces seems to raise the bar even higher. Honestly, I was blown away by the relatable character flaws, the realistic family heartbreak, and the warm dose of hope that filled every chapter.

‘One Summer in Paris’ is written from three different viewpoints; Audrey’s, Mimi’s and Grace’s. Such chalk and cheese personalities, even though two of the ladies are related!

Audrey is a little firecracker. A firecracker who you just want to mother because you can tell that shes pretty broken but refuses to show that to the world. Actually, it’s not that she refuses, it’s probably because shes afraid of lowering her guard and the repercussions if she did. Her humour had me in hysterics! Audrey probably is my most favourite character in the book, and watching her flourish between the pages was such a joy to watch.

Grace, oh Grace. She lives by the book. Living any other way terrifies her. Sarah Morgan, despite putting a poignant and sore topic at the forefront of her novel, she dealt with it all in a sensitive manner. There was no judgement in her words, nor was there anything to be afraid of. I would even go as far to say that, if anyone finds themselves relating to Audrey and Grace’s past, there is a lot of helpful material in this storyline to help you on your way should you need it. I thought Grace was a soul with the biggest heart I think i have ever seen. As weird as this may sound, I became a little emotional at times as I just wanted to hug her and tell her to take a moment for herself.

Just like other Sarah Morgan novels, romance plays a big part in this storyline, and it isn’t always plain sailing or black and white. Personally, I didn’t agree with a certain decision that one particular character made but, having not been in the situation of having my heart that full, I’m probably not the best person to comment. However, I could empathise with one of the characters due to the predicament they unfortunately found themselves in – in fact, a lot of readers will as I’m sure most have been in that position! Yes, I’m being vague, just read the book and it will all make sense!

‘One Summer in Paris’ is full of joy, sorrow, and hope. This is a book which delivers on warmth and comfort even more than a gas fire on a winters day. A beautiful, laugh out loud novel which started off as a little bud, ended up turning into the most amazing iris I have ever seen (if you haven’t made the connection, an iris is the flower for France 😉 ). I truly believe that this is Sarah Morgan’s best book ever, and is easily one of my top reads of 2019. I adored every single word in this book, and I adored the fact that I finished the book full of hope. A feeling I haven’t felt in a little while.

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