After Paris
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- Create Date：2022-07-15 14:20:15
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Nicole Kennedy
- ISBN：B099KSVJP9
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Summary
Three best friends take the same Eurostar to Paris for a girls' weekend， but take separate trains back。 What happened that weekend？ A grown-up， thought-provoking and gripping novel set in Paris about motherhood， friendship， secrets， and the face we present to the world。
Three best friends。 A weekend away。 And a whole lot of baggage。
Alice， Nina and Jules have been best friends for 20 years。 They met in Paris and return there once a year， to relive their youth， leave the cares and troubles of home behind， and indulge in each other's friendship and warmth。 But this year， aged 35， the cracks in their relationships are starting to show。。。
After their weekend together in Paris， the three women never speak again。 Each of them claims the other two ghosted them。 But what really happened that weekend？
Three best friends。 A weekend away。 And a whole lot of baggage。
Alice， Nina and Jules have been best friends for 20 years。 They met in Paris and return there once a year， to relive their youth， leave the cares and troubles of home behind， and indulge in each other's friendship and warmth。 But this year， aged 35， the cracks in their relationships are starting to show。。。
After their weekend together in Paris， the three women never speak again。 Each of them claims the other two ghosted them。 But what really happened that weekend？
Reviews
Jen
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3。5 starsWe are all flawed。 We are messy。 And our relationships either strengthen or falter on how we deal with our own issues and histories。 A beautifully messy tale that bounces between three women who meet when they are teenagers and their lives leading up to and beyond their latest reunion in Paris。 I loved the deep hard issues that these women are faced with and how it is clear， like in real life， that they aren’t simple resolutions or decisions to be made。 However as raw as their stories w 3。5 starsWe are all flawed。 We are messy。 And our relationships either strengthen or falter on how we deal with our own issues and histories。 A beautifully messy tale that bounces between three women who meet when they are teenagers and their lives leading up to and beyond their latest reunion in Paris。 I loved the deep hard issues that these women are faced with and how it is clear， like in real life， that they aren’t simple resolutions or decisions to be made。 However as raw as their stories were， I was disappointed in how contrived the ending became。 The writing was decent but choppy and confusing in parts。 Solid 3。5 stars。 I was given a complimentary copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Stella
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After Paris by Nicole Kennedy is a novel that is very。。。chick lit， but one that， while predictable， is about the strength of friendship and the truth of growing up and growing together。 Alice， Nina and Jules all meet when they are young women in Paris by chance。 After one wild night。 the three women have formed a bond that is exactly what each has always needed。 They plan to meet in Paris， year after year to relive that night。 This isn't like a 'one night in Paris' sort of friendship。 They are f After Paris by Nicole Kennedy is a novel that is very。。。chick lit， but one that， while predictable， is about the strength of friendship and the truth of growing up and growing together。 Alice， Nina and Jules all meet when they are young women in Paris by chance。 After one wild night。 the three women have formed a bond that is exactly what each has always needed。 They plan to meet in Paris， year after year to relive that night。 This isn't like a 'one night in Paris' sort of friendship。 They are friends in London and while in University， but their trips are always something special。 But now， in present-day， this current trip， they all have secrets。 Jules is desperate to have a child。。。but seems distracted by something else。 Nina， currently running an up-and-coming patisserie， doesn't seem to be drinking as much as normal。 Alice seems to be subdued and distracted by her children at home。 They all leave the trip separately， and without telling each other。 Months go by。。。。and silence。 This is a story of friends and secrets。 And how we sometimes keep secrets from those we love the most。 It's a wonderfully lovely book about women， modern women and I quite enjoyed it。 Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book。 。。。more
Hanna
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This is the story of a friendship between three women from different backgrounds。 They meet at Le Bal in Paris as teenagers， and the story follows the development of their friendship over the next several years。 Through their individual struggles and growth， they always share their love of Paris。 The story jumps from the weekend trip they take in their mid-thirties to their trips in the years leading up to it。I had a little trouble following the storyline at the beginning since it jumps around a This is the story of a friendship between three women from different backgrounds。 They meet at Le Bal in Paris as teenagers， and the story follows the development of their friendship over the next several years。 Through their individual struggles and growth， they always share their love of Paris。 The story jumps from the weekend trip they take in their mid-thirties to their trips in the years leading up to it。I had a little trouble following the storyline at the beginning since it jumps around a bit。 But by the time I caught on （I would say 20% of the way into the book） I was sucked into the story。 Each chapter is labeled with when it’s happening so it’s really not that confusing， I just struggled。 She incorporates small details in a very subtle way that allows for their story to unfold naturally on both timelines。 And by the time I got to the climax of the story， I had a hard time putting this book down。 In addition， this book addressed a lot of themes that I haven’t seen a lot in contemporary fiction， and I really enjoyed that。 I don’t want to get into the details because I don’t want to spoil anything， but it really was refreshing to read about something new。 I love a good story that gives me wanderlust- and I definitely got some ideas for things to do the next time I’m in Paris- but the relationships that develop in this book really drive the story。 Their friendship has lasted over so many years。 They have each grown and changed during that period， but they continue to support one another through their individual struggles。 And I think that is highlighted well by the time span of the story。 This book is a good combination of relationship-driven story that still has a pretty juicy plot。 A great summer read！ 。。。more
Books I Read
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After Paris tells the story of Alice， Jules， and Nina。 They are three close friends who go on a holiday in Paris together but return their separate ways。 What happened in Paris？ Can it be fixed？I was instantly atracted by this book's description and knew I would totally love it！ After Paris didn't disappoint。 I did see a few nods to The Beautiful and Damned by F。 Scott Fitzgerald which made me feel very excited and ultimately connected to Nicole Kennedy as a writer。In After Paris， Nicole Kennedy After Paris tells the story of Alice， Jules， and Nina。 They are three close friends who go on a holiday in Paris together but return their separate ways。 What happened in Paris？ Can it be fixed？I was instantly atracted by this book's description and knew I would totally love it！ After Paris didn't disappoint。 I did see a few nods to The Beautiful and Damned by F。 Scott Fitzgerald which made me feel very excited and ultimately connected to Nicole Kennedy as a writer。In After Paris， Nicole Kennedy is able to create seemingly flawed characters that you can root for which as we all know， is not always easy to do。 I was particularly interested in the way friendship was analysed， and how a small incident and miscommunication can break down a years-long friendship。A solid read！goodreads。com/booksireadandlikedDisclosure: I would like to thank the publisher and author for my advanced review copy of the book。 This is my honest review 。。。more
Emily Reid
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Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of After Paris。Overall a fun read， some minor twists and turns。 The way the three friends meet in the beginning was unique and creative。 A story focused on female friendship spanning multiple decades， the ties that bind us， and the circumstances that slowly sever us or completely tear us apart， After Paris is a lovely narrative on the way friendships change and evolve as we age。 Easy reading， kept me interested to turn the page。
Jessica | JSxReads
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~thank you to the publisher Head of Zeus， Aria and NetGalley for the advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review ~I have extremely complicated feelings about this one。 On the one hand， I devoured this is one sitting because it was so enthralling and I just needed to know what would happen next。 Knowing the secrets and just waiting to see them be reveal honestly was making my heart race throughout， I haven't been so completely captivated in a while， granted the reveals felt anti-climat ~thank you to the publisher Head of Zeus， Aria and NetGalley for the advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review ~I have extremely complicated feelings about this one。 On the one hand， I devoured this is one sitting because it was so enthralling and I just needed to know what would happen next。 Knowing the secrets and just waiting to see them be reveal honestly was making my heart race throughout， I haven't been so completely captivated in a while， granted the reveals felt anti-climatic when we did come to it。But on the other hand， and I'm sure this is not meant to be the takeaway from this story - I just could not for the life of me understand why Alice， Jules and Nina were ever friends in the first place。 I found their individual stories so compelling （albeit a little toxic） but their friendship made absolute no sense to me。 When I think of true sisterhood and friendship， I wouldn't think of trio as exemplar of this。 The secrets that they kept from each other， big secrets at that， that really affected one another's lives completely blew my mind。 It was completely unsurprising that they drifted apart the way they do， when you spend the first half learning how their friendship was riddled with lack of communication and jealousy。 Did 'After Paris' capture the intricacies that come with female friendships？ Sure。 But I think I struggled with understanding the trio， when my own personal experiences and beliefs of what these friendships should be is so far removed from I read。 I'm in awe their friendship lasted as long as it did if I'm being honest， but I still appreciated how it all came together in the end and the acceptance they found with each other。 The epilogue was so sweet to read too。The structure of this book was confusing to navigate - not only the back and forth between time periods but working out who was narrating at any given time。 That being said， Nicole Kennedy expertly handled many important topics throughout such as addiction， abortion， infertility， neurodiversity in a manner that never felt forced， but engaging and real。 Thoughts on the friendship aside， this was an enjoyable read that has me counting days till August when I get off the Eurostar at Gare du Nord and walk along the Seine with my closest gal pals！3。25☆ 。。。more
Avery Wolfe
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Such a great read！ There are so many aspects of each friend that feels relatable and real， all while exploring the importance of honest connection in friends。 Loved it！
KathVBtn
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After Paris is a wonderful story about female friendships， growing up， finding out who you are and what you really want- all the best things in a story like this。 It starts with some very posh debutante types about to attend a ball in Paris - I had no idea that even happened！ - and we meet Alice Digby who is there with her friend Teddy， who she doesnt find attractive at all。 honest。 Whilst they are getting ready for the ball， we also meet the beautiful artistic Nina， who is at the ball because o After Paris is a wonderful story about female friendships， growing up， finding out who you are and what you really want- all the best things in a story like this。 It starts with some very posh debutante types about to attend a ball in Paris - I had no idea that even happened！ - and we meet Alice Digby who is there with her friend Teddy， who she doesnt find attractive at all。 honest。 Whilst they are getting ready for the ball， we also meet the beautiful artistic Nina， who is at the ball because of her father， and sensible （almost dowdy） Jules who is there to watch from the sidelines。 The four teenagers decide to make a break for it， and leave the ball in search of wild Parisian adventures - and a circle of best friends is born that night。Fast forward 20 years when the women are now meeting up for a regular trip to Paris to spend time together。 Julia is a city exec who is desperate to have a child， Nina is head of a fabulous chain of chic bakeries ， and Alice married Teddy， had three children and is trying to find out what she wants from life。The story flits between their teenage idealism and passions to the current day where they have all such different lifestyles from one another and fear they may be drifting apart。 The latest weekend in Paris uncovers deeply hidden truths for all of them and they return as very different people from when they set off。 The blurb on the back tells us that they don't return together - although this is quite a long way into the story - so the seed is set from the beginning for a falling out， and how this can be handledIt is an ideal summer read， it will make you appreciate your friends and what you have， and maybe question what you're really after。 Its very easy to read and get engrossed into， the friendship and love between the three of them is strong and real。 It also tackles some trickier issues which aren't often covered in female-led fiction， which was refreshing to see。A solid 4 stars from me！ 。。。more
Laura Taylor
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After Paris is a novel which follows the friendship and falling out of three women - Jules， Alice and Nina - who meet in Paris as teenagers and forge a relationship that grows as they do as women。It is almost 20 years after they meet and they have a weekend together to refresh and refocus - but by the end of the trip， each one comes back alone and swears the others have ghosted her。The blurb caught my attention as I think ghosting people has become all too much of a reality in our modern techno- After Paris is a novel which follows the friendship and falling out of three women - Jules， Alice and Nina - who meet in Paris as teenagers and forge a relationship that grows as they do as women。It is almost 20 years after they meet and they have a weekend together to refresh and refocus - but by the end of the trip， each one comes back alone and swears the others have ghosted her。The blurb caught my attention as I think ghosting people has become all too much of a reality in our modern techno-focused world， Kennedy skillfully weaves the plot together， revealing just enough to keep the reader hanging on for more。 I thought each of the women had a very real issue that prevented them from reaching out and the author doesn't shy away from big topics like addiction， abortion， neurodiversity and handles them deftly where the issue doesn't overtake the character。What I enjoyed most about this novel was that the love story was between the friends and celebrated the richness of long term female friendships。 。。。more
Rita
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Overall it was a good book to read， but 。。。- the book synopsis says "A grown-up， thought-provoking and gripping novel set in Paris about motherhood， friendship， secrets， and the face we present to the world。" so I was expecting more from the relationship between the girls; you will probably relate to at least one of them because they are very different and have different backgrounds， but the relationship could have been explored more in depth- in my opinion the switch between past and present di Overall it was a good book to read， but 。。。- the book synopsis says "A grown-up， thought-provoking and gripping novel set in Paris about motherhood， friendship， secrets， and the face we present to the world。" so I was expecting more from the relationship between the girls; you will probably relate to at least one of them because they are very different and have different backgrounds， but the relationship could have been explored more in depth- in my opinion the switch between past and present didn't seem to be well made; I think that if there were two parts， past and present separately， the storyline would have been clearer， specially for those who take a bit to read books。Having said that， there were certainly good points about the book:-the fact that the women are so different allows for the reader to relate to at least one of them;-the setting is perfect， Paris seems to always be a good idea;-it is a beautiful romance centered on the love and pain of a friendship and although it felt like it could be better explored， it was a beautiful read。 。。。more
Lucy Hollander
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Loved the idea of this book and its focus on female friendships but I just kept waiting for something big to happen…and it never did。 The book was a very slow burn， to the point where I almost gave up on it a few time。
Chantelle Hazelden
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This for me was a unique tale about friendship。Three women who have essentially watched each other grown and evolve over the years suddenly find themselves you at a cross roads of sorts。I loved that it was told from three points of view。 It was interesting to see each characters thoughts on certain events， just how they differed from one another。 These narrations made it more realistic as it is true in real life， we all perceive things in a variety of ways。There were times throughout where I did This for me was a unique tale about friendship。Three women who have essentially watched each other grown and evolve over the years suddenly find themselves you at a cross roads of sorts。I loved that it was told from three points of view。 It was interesting to see each characters thoughts on certain events， just how they differed from one another。 These narrations made it more realistic as it is true in real life， we all perceive things in a variety of ways。There were times throughout where I didn't feel as though I really liked any of them。 Although they'd all experienced sadness and trauma， they also came across as quite selfish at times。 This wasn't something that I disliked though， it was refreshing。 We all love to hate certain characters don't we。Kennedy has really worked hard to show the complexities of humans as a whole。 Even better， these complications were shown over various time periods。 Showing us that no matter how old we get， life really doesn't get simpler。Not everything is black and white and some secrets and lies seem necessary at times （we've all hidden things for what we think is the greater good haven't we）。There are many subjects covered in this novel。 From abortion and miscarriage to adultery and addiction。 I was impressed as none of the above were simply glossed over。 Each issue was treated as important and the reasons behind them also came across as honest and justified。Over all， After Paris is filled with great emotions。I admired its honesty。 。。。more
Jilly
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I enjoyed After Paris a lot more than I expected to。 The major plot points aren't that different from a lot of the female friendship-centered books on the market right now， but I really like how Nicole Kennedy explores the breakdown of those friendships that tend to happen when people hit their 30s。 The characters each have to work through their flaws and struggles while becoming more aware that everyone in their lives is going through something。 Thank you， NetGalley， for the ARC of this book。 I enjoyed After Paris a lot more than I expected to。 The major plot points aren't that different from a lot of the female friendship-centered books on the market right now， but I really like how Nicole Kennedy explores the breakdown of those friendships that tend to happen when people hit their 30s。 The characters each have to work through their flaws and struggles while becoming more aware that everyone in their lives is going through something。 Thank you， NetGalley， for the ARC of this book。 。。。more
Sara Scully
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This book touched on so many important concepts: female friendships， neurodiversity， substance abuse， addictions， and fidelity。 The book’s characters seem totally normal—our friends and struggles。 But it still transported me by taking me to Paris， walking along the Seine， eating croissants。 I loved it。
Pietro
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Alice， Jules， and Nina meet， in rather dramatic fashion， at a debutante ball in Paris， and become fast friends。 Over the decades they support each other through the adventures of adulthood--education and careers， romantic entanglements and marriage， pregnancy and child-rearing--and meet regularly for weekends in Paris。 Until one weekend， when all three women are "off" and they cannot seem to connect as they once did。 Alice is worried about having left her children， especially her autistic daught Alice， Jules， and Nina meet， in rather dramatic fashion， at a debutante ball in Paris， and become fast friends。 Over the decades they support each other through the adventures of adulthood--education and careers， romantic entanglements and marriage， pregnancy and child-rearing--and meet regularly for weekends in Paris。 Until one weekend， when all three women are "off" and they cannot seem to connect as they once did。 Alice is worried about having left her children， especially her autistic daughter， with her husband， and about her nascent career in interior design。 Nina seems to have it all together， with her expanding empire of patisseries， but she is hiding the secret of a new pregnancy and is not sure how she feels about it。 But， the one thing she knows is that she cannot tell Jules， who is deep in a world of IVF attempts and miscarriages。 After two days， in which they fail to truly engage with one another， two of them leave the apartment suddenly and separately， in the early morning， leaving the third sitting alone at brunch and wondering what has happened。 Their lack of connection and poor communication leads to months and months of no contact， as their worlds are thrown into upheaval。 In these months "after Paris" they wonder about their friends and their friendship。。 As I raced through this lively and engaging book， I wondered when they would actually talk to each other and get beyond these obstacles。 This is a thoughtful story of female friendship， for better or worse。 Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ARC！ 。。。more
Bridget Calhoun
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First off I would like to thank NetGalley and Head of Zeus for providing me with this ARC。 I have always wanted to visit Paris and this book made me want to visit more。 The premise of the book is that 3 best friends take the same Eurostar to Paris for a girls' weekend， but take separate trains back。 Now the reader is left with the challenge of what exactly happened that weekend。 Well I won’t give that away lol。 But I will tell you what I loved about the book。 The storyline was hilarious and hear First off I would like to thank NetGalley and Head of Zeus for providing me with this ARC。 I have always wanted to visit Paris and this book made me want to visit more。 The premise of the book is that 3 best friends take the same Eurostar to Paris for a girls' weekend， but take separate trains back。 Now the reader is left with the challenge of what exactly happened that weekend。 Well I won’t give that away lol。 But I will tell you what I loved about the book。 The storyline was hilarious and heartfelt。 The characters could be felt off the pages。 They seem so real but at the same you could see their defects。 I also loved that each of the friends had their own problems that they were dealing with， which brought a new aspect to the book。 I’m glad each character didn’t have the same problem。 My only concern about the book was that it was hard to tell if it was in the past or the present。 But despite that concern I still recommend this book！ 。。。more
rosie takhsh
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i really enjoyed this novel - i liked how it uniquely explored the lives of 3 women， and their growth， regrets and heartbreak they experienced together and individually。often with books about women’s separate lives and united friendship， authors utilize the same problems or issues for someone to face， however this one was the opposite。 i loved the unique story lines that kennedy explored for each character， with aspects such as neurodiverenge， addiction and fear of failure being investigated in i really enjoyed this novel - i liked how it uniquely explored the lives of 3 women， and their growth， regrets and heartbreak they experienced together and individually。often with books about women’s separate lives and united friendship， authors utilize the same problems or issues for someone to face， however this one was the opposite。 i loved the unique story lines that kennedy explored for each character， with aspects such as neurodiverenge， addiction and fear of failure being investigated in such an honest and vulnerable way for the three main characters。loved this book， and it definitely made me want to visit paris more :） highly recommend！！thank you to netgalley and the author for the arc of this novel。 。。。more
Catarina | cat literary world
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Thanks so much to NetGalley， the publisher - Head of Zeus， and the author - Nicole Kennedy， for allowing me early access to this ebook。 I’m extremely grateful！I’ve been in a contemporary romance binge reading ever since 2022 started， but now I was wanting to move to romance not focus on the romantic part， if that makes sense。 The synopsis said “After Paris” followed three friends after their friendship drift apart and I thought it would give me the romance not focused on the romantic part I was Thanks so much to NetGalley， the publisher - Head of Zeus， and the author - Nicole Kennedy， for allowing me early access to this ebook。 I’m extremely grateful！I’ve been in a contemporary romance binge reading ever since 2022 started， but now I was wanting to move to romance not focus on the romantic part， if that makes sense。 The synopsis said “After Paris” followed three friends after their friendship drift apart and I thought it would give me the romance not focused on the romantic part I was looking for。 The book brings us a lot of relevant subjects， and they unfold in a nice manner， not revealed right away， which makes us interested in continuing reading。 I felt women in generally will be able to relate to， at least， one of the friends’ experience or views on life， as they are so different from each other。 I felt there is some character growth as well， as we get to see the friends as teens and then as adults。 However， there were some things that made it difficult， for me， to connect to the book。 For starters， the pacing was kinda off。 I usually like these books were we get alternated chapters between present and past， but， in here， I felt it didn’t work well， as there were no particularities that made it easy to distinguish between past and present。 When I put down the book， and then picked it up again， I took sometime to remember if I was in the present or in the past。 I felt the girls friendship was not very well explored。 I really like seeing their lives evolved as individual characters， but， as a group， I didn’t find the chemistry I was expecting。 Maybe it would have worked better with a linear timeline， from past to present， allowing us to see their friendship growth。 I spend the first half surprised by their lack of communication and the second half not surprised at all by the fact that they drift apart。 Still， I considered it an interesting read as it represents a lot of women’s problems in current days。 It has an important message regarding women supporting women， which gave it a very good ending。 。。。more
Stroop
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After Paris is a heartfelt tribute to friendship and a lovely read！Alice， Jules， and Nina meet in a bathroom in a fancy hotel in Paris as teenagers and their lives change forever as they become close friends and navigate love， work， life。 The story spans 20 years and there are plenty of laughs， heartaches， and surprises along the way。 I recommend it to readers of women’s fiction and Francophiles。 Enjoy！Thank you to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for the opportunity to read this ARC。
Lynsey Scott
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I absolutely adored this book。 I think it is rare to find a book that is purely about female friendships， and while there were romance elements and more secondary significant other characters， this story of the journey of friendship so resonated with me。Things I loved: - All three girls' points of views were perfect in following the story and how they perceived certain situations。 Sometimes with books that are split perspective， I find myself looking forward to certain narrators over others， but I absolutely adored this book。 I think it is rare to find a book that is purely about female friendships， and while there were romance elements and more secondary significant other characters， this story of the journey of friendship so resonated with me。Things I loved: - All three girls' points of views were perfect in following the story and how they perceived certain situations。 Sometimes with books that are split perspective， I find myself looking forward to certain narrators over others， but I genuinely loved all of the characters and equally looked forward to their reality。 - Captured the intricacy and insecurity in friendships - even lifelong ones that you should feel the most secure in。 Especially in this reality of social media， comparisons of who's doing what and where they're at in their lives， and the fear of being vulnerable when you don't always have it together， even with people you are the closest to。- The complexity of humans at different stages in their lives。 I felt like this novel worked to break down a lot of stigmas of who women "should be" at different moments in their lives， and accurately captured the pressures that come with those stages （careers， motherhood， etc。）。 - Such a unique story line。 The timeline throughout the book was absolutely perfect， too， with the set up of their friendship when they were younger and then flipping back and forth between the main Paris trip and past trips/events， and then the fall out of the weekend after they all ghost。 Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the ARC of this book！！ 。。。more
Tilly Fitzgerald
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Absolutely loved every second of this novel - it caught my attention at Paris， but kept it with real， flawed characters and a great storyline！ Funny， moving， relatable and almost impossible to put down - really recommend！
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=After Paris
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=After Paris&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,After Paris&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0