I quite enjoyed this book even if it's a bit predictable and slow at times.
I liked the characters, the vivid descriptions of Paris and I enjoyed the plot.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Someday in Paris begins in Colmar (France), when Zara and Leon, meet each other in the Linden museum in 1954 at the age of fifteen. Leon is on a school excursion from his boarding school La Rolande in Switzerland. He has escaped to hide in the museum. While the museum has a power outage Zara and Leons paths cross. They can’t see each other, but they talked about their passion of art, Monet and Paris for the whole time they are together until Leon had to go back to his class.

Zara and Leon know something is different. The teenagers feel an instant magical connection, an invisible bond between the two of them. They don't want to say goodbye for good so Leon promised Zara to write letters to her. He kept this promise and the two became pen pals. Many letters were exchanged until one day Leon missed their meeting in Colmar. After that Zara disappears ... Leon tried everything to find her but without success. The book unfolds over the next twenty years, bouncing from Paris, New York, Colmar and woven together by a love of art, particularly Monet.

It's about dreams and taking chances. Missed opportunities and mistakes. Loss and sacrifice. But above all, it's about love. The kind of love that survives time, distance. Even death. The kind of love I wish for you.

I have no words to express my feelings towards this wonderful book. No matter what I say, it won’t be enough. All I know with utmost confidence is that I might have just read one of my FAVORITE book of all time. The writing is perfection. The characters are well-drawn, endearing, passionate, strong and brave. The story is completely unforgettable. This is possibly the most powerful debut I've ever read. I absolutely cannot believe that Olivia Lara has never published a book before. 

Have you ever read a story that so CAPTURED you, that even as you put it down, the emotions it evoked in you stuck with you all throughout the day, until you could return to it again and were sucked in even MORE? Have you ever read a story that stole your breath away, made your heart feel like it was being twisted into a pretzel, and kept squeezing until you felt…SHATTERED? And yet it also filled your heart to bursting with a love so beautiful it brought tears to your eyes?

Have you ever read a story that made you FEEL SO MUCH, that it felt like it was TOO MUCH - too much longing, too much pain, too much anger, too much love - and you needed breaks from it, while also feeling COMPELLED to keep reading, and you actually thought: "HOW CAN I SURVIVE THIS BOOK?!?!" Have you ever read a story of a love so INTENSE and CONSUMING, that it transcends the pages it is written on and etches itself into your heart? Someday in Paris was such a story, for me!

Olivia Lara has a truly uncanny gift for really making you FEEL everything that her characters are going through. I FELT Zara and Leon fall in love, I FELT their longing, I FELT their desire, FELT their heartache, FELT their joy, FELT their pain, FELT their happiness, FELT their loss, FELT their desperation, but more than anything FELT their LOVE .

Normally I am not talking about ratings in my reviews but I make an exeption for this book. I don't give many 5-star ratings, but I would have given this book 500 if I could have! Nothing I could say would do this book justice, it is just that incredible! If you haven't read it, do it now! Request on Netgalley or pre-order your copy on your favourite retailer website. You won't be sorry. This epic tale of love and loss is a must-read for any romance reader. Your heart will hurt, but the pain will be worth it!

There's one more thing that makes this book even more special to me. I visited the Linden Museum in Colmar, where Zara and Leon met, two years ago. I wish I had read the story back then. I would have seen the museum with completely different eyes. Probably I would have just sat in one of the rooms and cried. Overwhelmed by the feelings to be in Zara and Leons special place.

I would like to thank Aria Fiction from the bottom of my heart for letting me read this book before publication. Should this book ever be available in paperback, I would buy it without hesitation. I would like to have this beautiful book on my bookshelf. A little note to Aria Fiction: Olivia Lara is a gem. Never let her go and publish whatever she writes. It will always be a winner. I am sure of that.

t´s not good. I´m sorry to say, but what did I just read?

Firstly it took me 9 days to read first 30% of this book, everyday I had to force myself to pick it up and, if I didn´t have to review it, I would have dnf´d it at that point. Alas I kept torturing myself for almost all month.

Seems like author was so eager to write this book, that she just could´t stop herself from using almost all book tropes imaginable: soulmates, soulmate bond, soulmate dreams, missed opportunities, "ships in the night", mistaken identities, memory loss and so on. One or two of them would have been enough, but now it was just too much and in the end it get even irritating to read. 

Speaking about that "one and only love". Fifteen year old, who even didn´t see each other and have talked about 15 minutes fall in love? Really? And throughout all the book they barely interact. It´s just a drama overload. 

And even the characters didn´t help to redeem this book, none of them were at least a little bit likable. 

I´m sorry to say, but even writing about this book I feel angry of waisting all those days for this read. 

Don´t recommend!

This is a wonderful book, it combines three of my favourite things, Paris, Art and romance. Not only that, it's exciting, gripping, fast paced but not so you can't keep up, intriguing and frustrating (you'll know what I mean if you've read it with them missing each other). I couldn't put it down because I always needed to know where they were at and what was going to happen next.

It ties in with my belief that everything happens for a reason (well in my life it has anyway). Love it and will definitely read move by Olivia Lara.

"Same rhythm. One heart. One soul. His lips touched hers and the world stopped. Time stopped."

Someday in Paris completely consumed me. My heart and soul were lost to the possibilities that lay before Leon and Zara. Young love, first love but fate had other ideas. The two star crossed lovers would become so very close to having it all only to have it torn from their grasp.

While they end up being separated and still not knowing who the other one is, their lives become inextricably intertwined. She thinks she has found the "one", he knows he'll never forget her. Even though they've both moved on the transparent line that links them is like a live wire and whenever her dreams come she knows their link has not been broken and that maybe someday her dreams will come true.

'I love you', she whispers, and my heart is full. 'Always, only you', I say.

This has definitely fallen into the category of one of my favorite books this year. I can file this as a to be reread for sure.

**Received ARC through NetGalley. Voluntarily reviewed**

I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I was SO pleasantly surprised by this book!! I am not a big fan of historical fiction so I'm not sure why I requested this one, but I'm so glad I did. The book starts in present day with a woman named Dominique talking to her granddaughter about love. She then goes back and tells the story of a boy she met when she was young in the 50's. They instantly connected over a book, but then their paths parted. The rest of the book follows both characters throughout their lives as their paths cross and verge and it seems to be a series of missed opportunities. I really felt their love story and was rooting for them the whole time. At first I was concerned this book would have a magical realism twist but it really doesn't. I thought that part was done well, though still a little strange. My complaints are that some of the ways their paths intersect were very convenient and a little unbelievable. The fact that they both had name changes seems a little unlikely. This group of 5ish characters was SO interconnected it was a little bit of a reach. Also the whole premise that they wouldn't recognize each other was a little interesting, but with different names etc. its possible! Finally, I think there were a few places where the book dragged a little, but overall this was a very good read and I'd highly recommend it!

SPOILERS AHEAD:
Zara and Leon meet as kids and bond over a book about Monet. They don't live in the same place, so their paths diverge, but they never forget each other. Years later, both have had parents die and they both want to go by their given names instead of the nicknames of Zara and Leon. So now they become Dominique and Alexander. They meet again later but don't recognize each other and now that their names are different, they still feel a connection but they think its different people. In Dominique's family, the women all have dreams about the person that is their soul mate. So Dominique keeps seeing this guy in different situations then it happens. 10ish years later, he's dating his best friend Nicole (who used to be dating his other best friend, Vincent) and she's dating Vincent. They also both are connected through is godfather JJ (also Nicole's dad). Long story short, they both break up with their respective partners and he comes to be with her (he's in NY and she's in Paris) and he is in a plane crash, presumed dead. Nicole had said she was having his baby, but truthfully it was Vincent's (they'd been cheating) and finding that out is what made him leave. Shortly after, Nicole dies (potential suicide) and the little girl, Anne, is left to her dad (JJ). However, Zara/Dominique is the one who's helping to raise her. Eventually she and Vincent get together and get married but they both know its not the great love it should be. She keeps having dreams that Alexander is alive and they get together and eventually he does come find her, but she's pregnant with Vincent and is wearing a wedding ring. He lived through the crash but doesn't remember anything and goes by a 3rd name (Anthony) and then one day just remembers his whole life. By that point he has established himself in the art world as Anthony so he and Dominique are working together (still don't recognize each other). She loses the baby but tells Anthony she's going to have to get a different job because he's making her not want to be in her marriage. At the same time, he says he's leaving because he can't stand to not be with her. In the very end it all comes out and they live happily ever after, but its a lot of misses and happenstance before they get there.

OMG! This book!! It was heartbreaking, I wanted to cry in parts. It was happy and I didn’t want it to end. If you like love stories and believe in everyone having a soulmate out there. You want to grab this book the day it comes out and devour it! ❤️I loved it!!! Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy

MORE THAN 5 Stars!!! I'm speechless, I dont know what I need to write without giving away anything about this masterpieces... This book was EVERYTHING!!!!!!!! EVERYTHING!!!! did I said it was EVERYTHING!!!

This book was super mega romantic, the most romantic book I've read in a very long time, it was heartbreaking, it was full of emotions, I couldn't put it down and you know how I knew this book was more than whatever I read before? because I couldn't stop thinking about the dialogs, the scenarios the characters everything was following me around my daily life, like I was inside the book having conversations with the characters.

Someday in Paris definitely is one of my FAVORITE books of this year, I'm still in shock, my emotions still so raw, I cry so much in the last couple of days, my heart was in my troth, I didn't know what was going to happen next, the more I thought I knew the more the story kept turning and turning to different directions making me feel that I was so lost but in a very good way. I was at 90% and I was still crying.

The way the writer brings out this story is beautiful, we get to live every single scenario like if we were looking at those beautiful painting like if we were walking around Paris and living it for the very first time... I've never been to Paris and this book really made me feel like I've been there so many times. the colors, the smells, the amazing sunsets, and beautiful flowers everything was so real.

Dominique is a very strong heroine, I love her so much because she was mature, intelligent always trying to keep her dreams and hope alive no matter how many times people will try to dissuade her from her projects and hope, she was determined so determine until the end.. she had a wonderful heart, and she gave so much love to people that really need it, especially people who were alone living the same situations like her.

Alexander was an amazing hero I fell in love with him so much, he was caring, intelligent, handsome, with so much heart and empathy making him vulnerable from certain situations but when it came about his dreams and love nothing will stop him. he really was Dominiques Soulmate.

The secondary characters wow also breathtaking, they gave so much depth to the main characters and the story, making Someday in Paris a masterpiece. Nico, Vincent, JJ, Anne, Constance all of them really were wonderful.

This book really made me believe in love more than ever, if someone tells you, love is not as we think it is, run away and ignore them. I want to write so much about the book and express all my feelings but I will let you find your own path into this world.

I'm going to re-read this book for sure, I'm going to buy the paperback for sure and I'm going to die finding a way to get a signed paperback copy because this book needs to be in my bookshelves forever!!!

GETTTTT THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for the opportunity to read this book. I struggled a bit with this one I think because it stayed with the characters as children for a long time and I was busy waiting for something to happen with the characters as adults for a bit too long. Wishing the author the very best for the launch.

Good but not a unique idea, that of a girl and a boy meeting, but who are then are parted. There is lots of angst, which I enjoy, but it is not balanced out with the reader getting enough time with the couple together. There were so many obstacles to the romance that it got a bit tedious if I'm honest. More time was spent on the individual stories, and I got bored, just wanting them to get on with it. I liked the two main characters, that of Zara and Leon, and I thought some of the other characters were well-written too, like JJ and Nicole. I had mixed feelings about Vincent. I loved the art element. It's a good story, but for me, not a five star one.

I love this book soooooooooooo much! I am actually devastated that I've come to the end of this one.
It's such a shame that I will never have the pleasure of reading this for the first time again. This is a magical read which I haven't wanted to put down.
I honestly don't know how my Review can do this book justice. It is magical and there are not enough adjectives for me to describe how great this book is.
I can honestly say nothing negative about this book. It is absolutely fantastic and highly deserving of five stars.

I absolutely love this book. It was sweet, heartbreaking, and so real. I wanted to grab the characters and push them or pull them apart. This book was so hard to put down and I loved every moment of it.

Someday in Paris: Olivia Lara

Release Date: May 14, 2020

“People say it for a reason. Because it’s true. It does happen. The butterflies, the weak knees, the knots in your stomach. When it happens, hold on to it. Hold on to it like your life depends on it. Because it does. Depend on it.”

Magical, all-encompassing and timeless; an unforgettable romance.

Someday in Paris begins in 1954 when teenagers, Zara and Leon, meet each other in a French museum. The power is out so they can’t see each other, but they know instantly something is different. Their conversation of art and Paris, their voices intermingling, give birth to an intense, magic-like forcefield that will surround and follow them throughout the rest of their lives. As Leon returns to boarding school and his obsession for Zara builds, Zara’s dreams of him through his eyes; an extraordinary gift from the universe that binds her to him. As the universe never ceases to give both Zara and Leon glimpses of their loves, to remind them they are still there, unforeseen challenges arise and their love becomes complicated, convoluted.

"It's about dreams and taking chances. Missed opportunities and mistakes. Loss and sacrifice. But above all, it's about love. The kind of love that survives time, distance. Even death. The kind of love I wish for you."
Set in Paris, this book will make even the most cynical believe in soulmates. Believe in magic. Lara does an incredible job of transporting the reader into cafes and museums scattered across the globe.

If you are looking for a 5-star, epic love story, this is it. As one of my new, timeless and favorite romances of all time, I recommend it to anyone needs who needs a reminder of what love is supposed to be and of what love can be.

What an incredible, gorgeous novel. I am excited I had the opportunity to experience it. Everyone get ready for that May 2020 release!

Along with posting on Net Galley, I will be posting my review to Goodreads, Amazon (when it becomes available), my Instagram (which has over a two thousand book review followers) and my blog. Please find the link to my blog post below. I am very grateful for the opportunity to review such an inspiring novel. Thank you very much.

Link to Blog Post: https://ifyoucanreadthisdotblog.wordpress.com/2020/04/06/someday-in-paris-olivia-lara/
Link to Instagram Post: https://www.instagram.com/ifyoucan_read_this/
Link to Goodreads Post: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3264566793

Respectfully
Chanel Johnson

This one had a lot of consistency problems, yet I couldn't put it down! With short chapters alternating between two protagonists, there was always just one more chapter and a few late nights ensued.

Leon and Zara meet very young, hiding in a dark museum. They share a love of art and especially for Monet. Zara comes from a family where the women have dreams about the man meant for them, seeing things though his eyes. Some of them ignore the ability and slough it off as superstition and imagination. Some believe it whole-heartedly.

Among the problems with this book is Zara, whose real name is Dominique, sharing the story of her star-crossed romance with Leon with her granddaughter and switching between present and past tense to maximum cringe effect, yet the story itself comes through and it was easy to care about the characters and to want to slap them when they made stupid decisions that made them miss each other.

Hopefully the final edit will fix some of the problems, especially the disappearing walking stick and the wrong name used in one of the later chapters. The fact that it held my attention so well makes it necessary to give it four stars either way.

An epic love story that starts with two teenagers who meet in a blackout and make an instant connection, but don’t actually see each other. The book unfolds over the next twenty years, bouncing from Paris to New York and woven together by a love of art, particularly Monet.

This book is beautifully written and builds tension between the characters that gave me butterflies. Through near misses and tragedies, this couple keeps missing each other. While other books rely too much on ridiculous misunderstandings, in this book they all make sense and seem plausible.

My one frustration with this book is that I loved the couple so much and would have liked to have read more with them actually together, rather than just missing each other. Overall, it was a lovely book that I definitely recommend if you are looking for a good love story that develops over time.

This is one of those books where the synopsis sounds amazing, but the resulting books is sadly a bit underwhelming. It's a long slog of a read, and in the end, the pay off just wasn't there - you spend the whole book waiting for Zara and Leon to end up together, and you endure all of these ridiculous scenarios that really go beyond suspending disbelief, and then the ending is just so underwhelming and unsatisfying! Also, I really didn't feel the love in this one - I kept reading how they had this magical bond as soulmates, but it felt like I was being told they were in love, not shown it. Their time together is so limited, and it definitely felt like a case of rose tinted glasses making the past seem more than it was to me.

1.5 stars

tw: plane crash; miscarriage; possible suicide

tropes:
- soulmates/ soulmate bond/ soulmate dreams
- missed opportunities/"ships in the night"
- mistaken identities

This book was so promising. I tend to enjoy books where two characters meet, "know", and then don't reunite until later due to outside forces. But the pacing is ultimately what did this book in. The book spends a long time in certain parts of the characters lives, like when they first meet as children, and then skips through years of time and dwells in weird spots. This wouldn't be a problem, except the majority of the book is recapping the characters separate lives. They spend the majority of the book apart. I love angst, and this did provide that, but the payoff wasn't there as you barely get to see the characters interact. It's a series of the characters having near misses with each other, for YEARS, and then getting updates about the characters separate lives that I honestly don't care about that much. The book constantly tells you about their bond and longing for one another, but hinges completely on their magical soulmate bond. The reader barely gets to see them interact. Every single obstacle gets thrown in their way, and it becomes tedious after a while. The romantic pay off is not there.

In addition, some more minor complaints are the side characters and the lack of sense of time period. This was supposed to take place from the 50s to 70s, and I kept forgetting. There were no references to the time period at all. Also, the side characters were flat and many were awful people that the characters kept in their lives for no reason that the readers are shown. These characters have sudden and unearned personality changes throughout the book as well, with readers being told they are "different" without having to work for it.

The prose isn't awful, which is why I didn't want to rate it so low but I can barely find points that I enjoyed about this. I kept reading, not because I was enjoying it, but just to see more of the couple interact and if there would be pay off! I do think this would actually make a much better film, as so much of the characters separate lives could be shown as flashes on screen and it would be much more fulfilling. This had so much potential...

When I first read the description for this book I was so excited to read it! By the middle of the book I was already frustrated and felt it was drawn way out. With each new event that happened it became more and more unbelievable. I love romance novels and this hist didn't hit the mark for me.

If you enjoy tons of angst, believe in soulmates and the power of fate, this book is for you!
I do actually enjoy angsty reads, but this was too much for me. It was agonizingly, frustratingly slow and unbelievable- the sheer amount of situations the characters run into. I can only handle so much, if done well, and this book sadly took the way of a soap opera. However, I could not put it down and wanted to find relief badly. My poor husband had to listen to my every huff and puff, recounting of the tale and rants along the way.
Don’t get me wrong, it was not a bad story. I think lots of people will enjoy it. Just too much for me. Thank you to Netgalley and Aria Fiction for an ARC copy to review.

I really enjoyed this book!! The soul stirring feelings these characters had for each other was inspiring and had me fighting for them! The secondary characters were also good and added to the overall story. The plot kept me engaged and fretting at the same time. I was both relieved and sad to finish this book but I truly enjoyed the writing.