Paris for One and Other Stories - Jojo Moyes

I would assume that everyone knows who Jojo Moyes is from the phenominal success of both the book and the film, 'Me Before You'.
What we have here is a different thin entirely, as 'Paris and Other Stories' is a collection of short stories, though we do start out with a novella 'Honeymoon in Paris'. I like short stories, but feel that this is easily the best of the collection on offer here. For this reader, Ms Moyes likes to tell a story...you know what I mean...and I feel that here, there was so much more to tell about our two main protaganists that it's too short. Perhaps a way could be found to expand this into a full length story? I certainly would like to revisit them.

For the others? To be honest, though hardly throw-away material, I can't help but wonder how much the author's heart was really in the writing of the shorter (some barely a few pages) stories. We'll never know, but don't let that put you off this collection as I'm sure you'll find something to your tastes (other than the first novella).

My thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a review copy.

Although I love Jo Jo Moyes I didn't find these as good as other books . They were entertaining and enjoyable but in my view not one of her better books,

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin UK and the author JoJo Moyes for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I've never read a book of short stories before and i'm not sure i would of picked this up to read if it hadnt been for the fact i have read other books by this author and enjoyed them.

I really liked this book and the collection of these stories, they were easy to read and actually some of them were quite sweet.

Definitely the book for you if you cant stomach a full read or have time to commit to a big read!

That was 3 hours of fun and laughter, sadness and joy. Some great short stories that kept me absorbed from beginning to end.

This was an easy read , but all good stories about women in a variety of situations. The women all end up taking control of their situations and becoming stronger as a result of it. Fun read, bit chick lit for me. Would be a good beach book.

I've just finished reading Paris For One And Other Stories by Jojo Moyes and it was a cute little compendium of stories about finding and keeping love.

I got this arc from NetGalley so thanks to them and the publisher for giving me the chance to read it. This is available to purchase now...

I've put my overall, non spoiler thoughts under the line at the bottom.

Spoilers below...

Paris For One

This is the main story of this collection and is a simple story about finding love when everything else is set against you.

4 Stars!

Nell, the main character is meant to be going away to Paris for a weekend with her boyfriend, Pete. When she gets a text from Pete saying that he's not coming she's not sure what to think. She goes anyway, though to throw hell to the wind.

When she gets to Paris, she's unsure of where to go. She has the address of the hotel she booked but nothing else. At the Hotel she speaks to the receptionist who tells her the hotel double booked her room. The person Nell is double booked with is an American woman who doesn't seem to like Nell. She's not in much of the story though. The American woman leaves the next morning and isn't in the rest of the story. However, she does leave tickets to an art show. Nell attends this show. There she meets Fabien, a Frenchman and struggling writer.

The rest of the story is basically Nell and Fabien helping each other see what the other sees in them.

I wish that it had been in first person POV from Nell's perspective instead of 3rd person because it would have been nice to have actually have been Nell instead of reading things happening to her from the 3rd person perspective. The story centres around Nell and Fabien's building relationship. It would have been nice to see and experience Nell's train of thought on their building relationship.

I enjoyed Paris For One. I just wish it had been a full novel, instead of a novella as I think Nell and Fabien could have been written about more. We didn't see very much of them.

Between The Tweets

A bit of a waste of time to be honest. The story feels like it was never finished.

A girl is reporting on a supposed love affair. We, as the reader don't know if it happened or not. This could have been a great story if it had been a full novel.

1.5 Stars.

Love In The Afternoon

Sara and Doug go away to a hotel for a break to reconnect. This doesn't work out to begin with because they've grown apart. Does it work out by the end. You'll have to read to find out...

2.5 Stars.

A Bird In The Hand

Beth sees an old flame at a party. Both she and he are married to other people now. This would have been better as a full story, rather than a novella too as we only just began to know the characters.

2 Stars.

Crocodile Shoes

Sam gets stuck with a pair of Louboutin heels because someone at the gym takes her bag with her trainers in. She spends the day working, having meetings in the new shoes. She learns that she likes the feel of them. When she gives them back, she goes out to buy her own pair.

This was a story about realising that change is sometimes a good thing. I enjoyed it, although it would have been better as part of a larger story, I think.

2.5 Stars.

Holdups

Alice is robbed at a jewellery store. She's taken hostage by one man. This man chats to her. They kiss and she hits him over the head with a bat. When chatting to a police officer she states that just two men held her captive, when the CCTV shows three. What she doesn't let on is that she's now in a relationship with the third man.

I enjoyed this. It felt a little rushed but more complete than some of the other short stories here.

3 Stars!

Honeymoon In Paris

We follow two couples in this short story. One in modern day, and one in 1905. The modern day couple haven't known each other long. They got married in the spare of the moment. The 1905 couple have known each other longer.

Both couples experience problems on their honeymoons in Paris. Do they stay together or do they split up? You'll have to read to find out...

I enjoyed this short story. I wish there had been a little more of the modern day story as I found this the most compelling story to read. Liv, the modern day woman meets a man, who isn't her husband at an art museum. I wish we'd seen an affair type thing happen there. The husband was a waste of space here, being too busy with his job on their honeymoon so it would have been okay for Liv to go with someone else, I think. It's only fiction after all.

As for the other story, it's really about a jealous woman trying to get in between a couple. This half of the story is more adult themed as the husband, Edouard is a painter that paints scantily clad women.

3.5 Stars!

Last Years Coat

Evie needs a new coat. However, the one she wants is too expensive as her family struggle for money. Does she get the coat she wants? You'll have to read to find out...

A really simple but enjoyable story.

3 Stars!

Thirteen Days With John C

Miranda sees a phone lying on the floor. She takes it and gets texts from this "John C" character. John C refers to Miranda as his Scarlet Woman. Who is John C and usher worth risking her marriage over? You'll have to read to find out...

This story was building up to being good. However, at the end I was let down by it.

2 Stars!

Margot

A really short story about a woman, Margot giving hope to another woman Em.

I didn't dislike this but it was too simple to give any more than 2.5 stars.

2.5 Stars!

The Christmas List

Chrissie is buying presents for Christmas. She's doing her husband's shopping too. His mum is coming to stay over the Christmas period. She's having trouble finding a particular brand of expensive perfume for his mother. She gets a taxi and starts to relay the story to the taxi driver, Jim about how she's looking for a certain type of perfume and a certain type of cheese for her husband's mother, also. Jim rings in wife and she tells him of a place to go to get the perfume. They get the cheese as well. However, Chrissie has a friend in Spain, that she would prefer to spend Christmas with, it's revealed. Does she stay or go?

I enjoyed this novella a lot. Chrissie is a girl who has had a choice to make about her future. What choice does she make? You'll have to read to find out...

4 Stars!

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This novella collection was good. I think the stories could have been fleshed out more to make actual full length novels. Overall, I'm giving Paris For One And Other Stories 3 Stars. Some of the stories were great, some were just good and some weren't for me.

Have any of you read Paris For One And Other Stories? What did you think of it?

I loved these short stories with their twists and turns. I must admit that I am a great fan of Jojo Moyes. Easy read, light but engaging.

Nell is 26 and has led a very staid life - she is definitely not one for taking risks - and so when she persuades her boyfriend to go to Paris with her it is a big moment in her life - until he doesn't bother to turn up! Alone at the station Nell decides to go anyway and hopes he will join her but things go from bad to worse when she arrives at the hotel and finds that her room has been double booked.

This first story is the longest and shows how Nell grows in the space of a few days making new friends and changing her life forever - learning how to really enjoy herself. Lots of other short stories then follow all with a bit of a twist, great characters and a bit of fun - I love all of JoJo Moyes books and this was no exception

Paris for One and Other Stories is just a wonderful collection of short stories. There is romance, humor, just a dash a criminal activity and also history. A wonderful read, but you can't expect anything less from Jojo Moyes.

I'm afraid this is not really my kind of book although I'm sure those who've enjoyed Jojo Moyes before, will enjoy this too.

This is a poignant, funny, uplifting, thoughtful collection of short stories which take place in Paris or with a Paris connection. With great insight Jojo Moyes hits the nail on the head every time.

I will begin with the fact that this book is mainly made up of short stories which appeared in magazines so the majority are quite short and thus rather unsatisfying. They have the potential to develop into a lot more but they themselves are simply snippets of characters and situations which I found interesting but they didn’t satisfy my appetite for a good story. I kept waiting for more and they ended instead. There were only two stories which truly stayed in my mind and they were the longest ones. It goes to show Jojo Moyes’s writing skills are evident when she had a little bit more room to develop characters and story. When she’s writing small pieces you get a taste without ever feeling invested. Basically, I’ll only really be talking about Paris for One and Honeymoon in Paris. They were both stories I loved and they both made me want to go to Paris.

Paris for One was amazing. It was sort of like a version of Just One Day for grown-ups. I think it’s the falling in love with a stranger in Paris that gave me the vibe. And the limited number of days together influencing somebody to change the way the act. Those things definitely gave me a strong urge to reread the Just One Day books a whole lot. Anyway, the story itself was fantastic, I could relate to Nell’s nervousness and unwillingness to try new things which makes her exploration of Paris all the cooler. And when she starts hanging out with a heartbroken Frenchman she gets over her anger at having a suckass boyfriend and learns to live her life for herself. It was sweet and awesome and will make you want to go to Paris. Like… a lot.

Then there was Honeymoon in Paris which was also great. I don’t want to say that the Paris setting worked for me in the two stories and made me love them but it did. I think I liked it because it wasn’t just the story of one couple and their honeymoon but two linked through time via one painting. It was just great seeing the relationship between these two couples and the way in which they push each other through their misunderstandings and the reasons for them falling in love marrying. It was truly awesome and a really good story and was smart seeing the connection.

So, if you feel like reading an interesting collection of short stories, sure go ahead, but to be honest, there are only two stories which will truly hook you (at least that’s the case for me).

Paris For One And Other Stories by Jojo Moyes.
Nell is twenty-six and has never been to Paris. She's never even been on a romantic weekend away-to anywhere-before. Travelling abroad isn't really her thing. But when Nell's boyfriend fails to show up, she has the chance to prove to everyone-including herself- that she can be independent and intrepid. Alone in Paris, Nell finds a version of herself she never knew existed . . . In the ten other stories, Jojo Moyes introduces us to a cast of strong, relatable women in the midst of their everyday lives. In Honeymoon in Paris, featuring characters from her bestselling novel, The Girl You Left Behind, Liv and Sophie - though decades apart - both find that marriage is only the beginning of their love stories. In Crocodile Shoes, a businesswoman's blossoming confidence emerges from a fateful changing-room mix-up. And in both Love in the Afternoon and A Bird in the Hand, two couples dance around the trickiness of long-time marriage. In this irresistible collection, readers will be whisked from elegant perfume shops to taxis to five-star hotel rooms and more.
This was a really good read. Funny charming. There were some stories I loved and some not so much. A lovely feel good read. 5*. Thanks netgalley and penguin books.

Paris for One and other stories, is a bit of a mixed bag which never rises to he heights of Jojo's previous novels. The collection comprises of 2 novellas and several short stories and the longer stories were my favourites. However some of the shorter texts felt like fillers and overall the characters and plots were ok but not very interesting or memorable.

I'm generally not a fan of short stories, they're far too short, so why I decided to pick up this collection is probably a fair question. The answer was very simple, Jojo Moyes. I absolutely love Jojo Moyes writing and think I have read pretty much every book she's written. I was therefore very curious to see what she would do with the shorter format. It wouldn't be the first time I've been really let down by a favorite authors attempt at a short story but thankfully Moyes didn't disappoint.

This collection includes 11 stories, 9 short stories and 2 novellas, all of which I enjoyed. I always think Moyes has an amazing ability to create very real characters but also to capture the feelings and emotions in a particular moment in time and this was demonstrated in every one of the stories. I didn't always like the characters, the situations weren't necessarily unique but they were all well written and drew you in, even in just a few pages.

Some are a bit better than others, I get the impression some were written quite a while ago for magazines etc so feel different to her more recent works but they were still good to read. I have to admit the highlights for me (short story hater that I am) were the novellas, Paris for One and Honeymoon in Paris.

Paris for One is about a woman Nell who's planned a romantic weekend in Paris with her boyfriend but gets stood up at the last moment and ends up going alone. As someone whose control freakery knows no bounds and who loves pro/con lists I could definitely relate to Nell and found myself willing her to take a chance and live a little. It's quite a sweet and fun story and while it's not the most original, I absolutely adored it.

Honeymoon in Paris is actually a prequel to The Girl You Left Behind which I read a while ago and loved. It's set in two different time periods and tells the story of two couples during a slightly rocky honeymoon period. It was so good to get to know these characters before the events of the book and I particularly loved the relationship between Edouard and Sophie.

The other stories are good but as they are only around 10-20 pages long there's not really much to say about them.

Overall, definitely worth reading for the novellas or if you're a fan of Jojo Moyes.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC. All views are my own.

An interesting variety of short stories. The characters in the title story were particularly well rounded.

This book was good! An easy read, and to my friends who love a chick lit - this is perfect for them!

The topic however, was a bit out of my comfort zone - I like a thriller. I don't like anything being predictable, and this was. But that didn't stop me from falling for the characters and rooting for the good guys!

I just love Jojo Moyes' style of writing and this collection of dip in and out short stories is just perfect. Although I'm not a huge fan of the short story genre these had me gripped and wanting more. Quirky and so well observed I can't recommend them highly enough.

This is a collection of short stories by Jojo Moyes, I Love (with a capital 'L') Jojo Moyes, and was thrilled when Netgalley gave me the opportunity of reviewing Paris for one ..... in exchange for an honest review, it pole vaulted to the top of my reading list. Ordinarily I am not a hearts and flowers sort of a reader but I make an exception for Jojo Moyes because her writing 'sparkles', but, and this is a big but, it didn't, there was no sparkle, well very little, maybe one or two of the stories (hence the 3 stars) - but this is Jojo Moyes, I expect to be riveted all the way through and I wasn't.

There were a few too many 'maybes' with this book, 'maybe' I just don't get on with short stories, 'maybe' my expectations were too high, 'maybe' they just weren't that good? Truth is 'maybe' if it wasn't Jojo Moyes I wouldn't judge it so harshly, but if it wasn't Jojo Moyes I wouldn't have read it in the first place. All in all a bit of a disappointment.

A collection of short stories centred around relationships. The first tale deals with a woman who gets let down on a romantic weekend break to Paris but does not let it get her down. As I love Paris and it holds special memories for me, this tale was really touching and I loved the descriptions. The rest of the tales are shorter but very good and I enjoyed reading them all.