Newly divorced after an amicable end to her marriage, Juliet is in early fifties decided to visit Paris, the place she fell in love thirty years ago and left behind her love of the life. Being a freelance writer she planned a thirty-day visit to rediscover Paris, reminiscing and reconnecting to put things rights and to finally write her own story.

It is a story of first love, heartbreak and friendship with Juliet as a strong character. The story alternate between the present and past where Juliet is concern and it gave us the insight what happened in the past. The author did a superb job in describing the city. Overall it is lovely love story and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I loved everything about this book! I saw so much of myself in Juliet and I found her so inspiring. I'm about the same age as she was and going through some similar situations in my life. What a wonderful dream, to pack up and go and live in Paris. The city really came alive and made me long to go there myself. Juliet followed her own heart and it paid off in a huge way. Her relationships with everyone were believable and the characters were all great. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this fabulous book.

Very enjoyable read. Fantastic setting and full of twists and turns. Warm, romantic with a sprinkling of glamour. I miss the characters already! The two timeframes helped to piece the story together and provide the platform for the present perspective. Skilfully written and a great read.

Thank you Netgalley

Thirty Days in Paris is a wonderfully written story of second chances and becoming less fearful of what a different future to what you originally envisioned is really like.

Juliet and her husband have amicably separated after 25 years together and following the sale of the family home, they each embark on a new life for the first time in a long time. Stuart buys himself a bachelor flat, whereas Juliet decides to visit Paris having lived there as a twenty year old and almost in a different lifetime that we slowly learn about in alternat chapters. Juliet, a journalist decides to write the story of her life in Paris, as an au pair and learns that she needs to face up to the abrupt exit that brought her hopes and dreams crashing down.

I always enjoy a new Veronica Henry book, having adored The Impulse Purchase and so I was happy to settle down over a weekend to enjoy her new book. I have never been to Paris before but from the descriptions the author provides us with, I felt as though I was a seasoned traveller there. The idea of renting a small attic apartment for a month in the bustling city sounds like absolute bliss to me! The food, the restaurants, the people…..even the thought of getting up in the early hours to go to a market appealed to me.

Juliet’s story is wonderful from start to finish and written perfectly. The alternate chapters of Juliet now and Juliet ‘the au pair’ keep you completely invested in her as a young woman and learning about this experience as essentially shaped her as a woman.

I absolutely adored this book and can see myself reading it again!

Highly recommended.

Thirty Days in Paris, the new book from Veronica Henry, was just the read I needed having recently read a slew of books set during World War Two, some of which were heavy going. This is a gorgeous read which transports you away from your everyday humdrum life to the special city that is Paris as one woman sets out find herself following the conclusion of her marriage. She is attempting to put to bed the ghosts that have haunted her from a summer she spent in the city of lights as an impressionable young girl many years ago.

From the opening chapter, this lovely story wraps itself around you and doesn’t let go until the final word. This story had such a relaxed and comfortable feeling about it with the most perfect of pacing and very good character and plot development. The city comes alive off the pages as a character itself as we follow Juliet on her journey to recapture the past but also to kickstart her future. Juliet has had an amicable separation from her husband Stuart after 25 years of marriage. The house is all packed up and her two grown up children have fled the nest. So now it’s time for Juliet to find herself.

There is a sense of excitement coupled with uncertainty as to her future but she is ready to take the next steps to find a new life of peace, contentment and passion. She has decided to go to Paris and rent an apartment for thirty days where she will write her life story. Her work as a freelance journalist and ghost writer means she can work anywhere, and the city has drawn her back after many years. The summer she spent there aged 20 changed and moulded her and she still feels the affects of the events that occurred during that time. Can she put past demons to rest which will then enable her to move forward? Or does she want to bring elements of that time and the love she found into her new future?

Juliet is determined to rise from the ashes and by writing the book she hopes some healing will occur and give her some ideas as to what her next steps should be. For the first half of the book the story alternates between Juliet in the present writing her story and revisiting places that meant so much to her and then it moves back to her time as an au pair. In the present, she reconnects with old friends, Nathalie in particular. Nathalie now has her own wine bar which has been hugely successful and the pair restablish their friendship as if no time had passed at all. Nathalie is a strong support system to Juliet amongst some of the new friends she makes. She is funny, loyal, quick, bold and very observant. But the question on her lips and the question that persists in the readers mind the further the story moves forward is why did Juliet leave so abruptly? She never gave an explanation and left Olivier in the lurch always wondering what he had done and how could things have been different.

To discover the answers we go back to that fateful summer and I loved how it was intertwined with the present day.The chapters alternated timelines but it never at all felt jarring. It showed the two sides to Juliet and how she was not the same woman as she had once been. She has been through a marriage, had children and experienced a lot of life.You sense that if she was in the same situation as she previously had been in Paris then she would have dealt with things differently.

Juliet arrived in Paris to work for a family with three young children. The family are affluent and run a real estate business. Corinne is the mother and Jean Louis the father. They are both welcoming and Juliet settles in and tries to learn some French and adapt to her new life. She feels relaxed and comfortable in Paris especially when she is introduced to Olivier through Nathalie. Cliched though it may seem theirs was a passionate Parisian love affair and I was all for it. It felt so right and natural and not at all forced or unbelievable. I loved this description of how Juliet felt about Olivier. ’A syrupy, narcotic pull she had never felt with anyone else’. Don’t those words just scream pure love, passion and excitement at falling in love and finding the one for you even though Juliet is so young?

Olivier was the best thing that ever happened to her and he changed her life. Paris comes alive through Juliet’s eyes both in the past and the present. I could clearly visualise all the tourist sites, the streets, the wine, the tantalising food, the nightlife and the whole culture and it just added such flavour and feeling to the book. I thoroughly enjoyed journeying with Juliet as she reconnects with her past and finally tries to put right some wrongs. She needs closure and to get everything out of her system. She is chasing around after forgotten dreams and lost love but perhaps this is the best thing for her as you fervently hope that her dreams will come true. To discover whether they do or not you’ll have to grab a copy of this glorious, uplifting and romantic story.

Thirty Days in Paris was a wonderful read and one I very much enjoyed. Even though, I have never been to Paris, I felt I was with Juliet every step of the way as she retells her past story whilst trying to make amends and move forward in the present into what she hopes will be a more positive and happier future. Veronica Henry captured the tone of everything perfectly. It never felt at any point as if the story was dragging as it had a steady and well assured pace to it with finely drawn characters. You are rooting for Juliet all the way but also keen to discover what made her leave both the city and that special someone she had come to love so much.

Yes, I had my sneaking suspicions as to what was the cause but I could never exactly pinpoint. I will admit, I felt ever so slightly let down as to the specifics. Dare I say it, I wanted things to go in another direction to add a little bit more spice as to the reason for her departure. But on reflection, the cause did fit in well with the overall themes and emotions that were explored and developed throughout the story. This really was a fantastic love story which wasn’t cliched or over the top instead it all felt so perfect and right. It’s definitely a book I would recommend. Ideal for a summer or holiday which will inspire you to visit the city that meant so much to Juliet.

f ever there was a book to give me wanderlust it is Thirty Days in Paris by Veroica Henry. When I was invited to take part in this blog tour by Random Things Tours I thought I could do with thirty days in Paris, if not physically possible then mentally would be the next best thing. The main character Juliet is in her fifties, newly seperated from her husband and her children have flown the nest, so she wants to find out who she is now and where better to do that than Paris. Juliet has a past in Paris, and before she can face the future she has to face her past head on.

Thirty Days in Paris is a love letter to this beautiful city, the architecture, the food, drink and of course romance. As a central character I adored Juliet, and envied her in a way for being able to spend time in Paris. I felt I empathised and understood her as I am pretty much the same age and my daughter is also now an adult so the family dynamic is familiar. Juliet has always wanted to write a book, so the time in Paris is to write down what happened to her when she was twenty and working as a au pair. We are able to follow her story both now and thirty years ago and see how mauch she has grown stronger and more confident, leaving the naive young woman behind. I spent the whole book cheering her on as she looked up old friends and made new ones.

Victoria Henry’s writing is evocative of Paris, with detailed descriptions of the city itself, the wonderful food and drink capturing the atmosphere of Paris now and thirty years ago. I was captivated by the idea of reading Juliet’s story of her visit when she was twenty, her time as an au pair, and the build up to the reason she had to leave her friends and job so suddenly; this kept me on the edge of my seat. I also liked the inclusion of French phrases, it tested my recolection of my French and I felt it gave the book an authenticity. All of this combined to make such a brilliant and easy read.

Thirty Days in Paris is a wonderful feel good read that captures the beauty of Paris. Juliet is a character that many will identify with, I loved her confidence and positive out look on life and how she faces her new status head on. Beautifully written, this book takes you on a wonderful journey that left me with a huge smile on my face. The perfect feel good read.

I adored this book. It was such a refreshing change to read about a woman I could relate to. Juliet is such a great character and one who has been through life, had kids, been married, looked after everyone and done everything for them and is now finally putting herself first. She is living my dream and reading this book kind of made me want to leave my husband and jump on the euro to Paris! As with all Veronicas books, I felt like I really knew the characters and felt myself swept away with them. Paris was described so perfectly, I could picture each place in my mind even though I've never been (yet). I loved how we got to know what happened in Juliet's past and her reasons for returning to Paris. This is now another favourite from this author, she just writes the most perfect books every time.

I knew that I was in for a very special treat when I started reading. There’s something quite magical about the way Veronica Henry writes and I happily submitted to the text and was swept away. There is a dual timeline feel to this story as we read about Juliet’s modern-day visit to Paris, alongside revisiting her early experiences as a young girl.
Juliet’s separation and subsequent divorce from her husband are told with real warmth and I was left wishing that all relationships could end so beautifully. Alas, that is but a dream. As she arrives in Paris, Juliet is enchanted by the bijou apartment that she has rented and gets a real feel for life as an artist. As her memories from her earlier visit return, it’s not easy to understand why she ever left her original life behind. Of course, as we follow her experiences reuniting with former friends, we learn more about her reasons for leaving.
I thoroughly enjoyed Juliet’s friendship with both Nathalie and Olivier. There’s something quite wonderful about friendships that endure the pressures of time. To return to an earlier feeling of love and familiarity with no more than a slight hiccup in connection is a very special thing. In particular, I would love to grab a table at The Girl Who Cried Champagne and sample the mouth-watering food that is described there.
Of course, the key theme is for Juliet to find closure for her earlier visit. To discover a way to close the door on her earlier experiences and find comfort in her memories. That need finds fulfilment in a wonderfully soothing way. As the implications of how her time ended are brought to light, there is a healing and understanding that left me feeling happy.
This is a love letter to Juliet’s younger self and also to Paris. The vivid descriptions and references helped me feel as though I was there. It’s been around 35 years since my last visit, and now I have a yearning to return. I will also make sure that I include the Eiffel Tower in my plans. Thank you, Veronica, I loved this escape to Paris.

Veronica Henry can always be relied upon to tell an engaging story. I was engrossed from the first page eager to know the story of Juliet and what happened during her first job in Paris. The comparison with a mature Juliet was fascinating and as always it wraps up in a very satisfying conclusion.

This is a light hearted story that I read very quickly over a couple of sittings. It is told over a dual timeline, fliting between present day Juliet and 20year old Juliet, who went to Paris to work as an au pair.

Some intrigue is set up from the start, as we learn that Juliet had to leave Paris suddenly because of something that happened and still feels related shame all these years later. This makes for a page turner, however when what actually happened was eventually revealed I was disappointed. It felt a bit 'the crime didn't fit the punishment'.

I've read quite a few other books by Veronica Henry and enjoyed them much more than this one. Nonetheless this book does the job for some easy breezy escapism and I really enjoyed the descriptions of life in Paris, somewhere I've always wanted to visit.

So this book made me fall in love with Paris and nearly made me book the next flight over ! A romance book about rediscovering yourself, facing the past and finding your first love and falling in love all over again. I loved how this was a Never too old for happily ever after novel as I feel sometimes a lot romances are aimed towards the younger people and have a younger main character.

It was nice to see a relationship separation where it was mutual and they were still friends at the end of the day, I wished Jean-Luke faced more consequences than he did as he completely turned Juliet’s life around as he was a coward. I felt Veronica put a lot of research into the book to be able to talk about restaurants, bars and markets. It discusses recent events in paris as well including the Notre dome fire back in 2019 which I feel like is a nice touch.

I always enjoy Veronica Henry books and this is no exception – it is a perfect bit of escapism to the City of Light, a toast to the city and a heartwarming story reminding us that it is never too late in life for new beginnings.

Following an amicable separation from her husband of 25 years, Juliet decides to spend a month in Paris, a city she last spent time in as a 20 year old au pair. Moving between past and present, we experience Parisian life through the eyes of the young Juliet until her stay comes to a sudden end; on her return after so many years, we see her rediscovering the city, reconnecting with old friends, coming to terms with her past and ultimately forging a new path for herself.

If this book doesn’t make you want to visit Paris I don’t know what will! Henry perfectly captures the sights, sounds and smells of Paris – and will make your mouth water with all the descriptions of delicious-sounding food! It’s a love letter to Paris and a delightful story of second chance romance.

I love Veronica Henry's books and I was delighted to receive an early preview copy of this book. This was an enjoyable and engaging read.
I loved the setting of Paris, I have not yet visited there but this book has vivid descriptions and it was very detailed. I could imagine myself being there.
The book is set in two timelines, when Juliet is a young woman and when she is older and her children have left home. It was easy to follow the two timelines.
This is a good read. Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for my ARC.

Juliet’s life has changed beyond recognition and before she looks for a new place to live she goes to Paris for thirty days to work on her book. She has unfinished business in Paris, she was last there when she was a teenager can she face her past? Looking up old friends and making some new along the way maybe Paris can become her home. A brilliant read that makes me want to wander round Paris and eat patisserie.

Over thirty years ago Juliet left a piece of her heart in Paris and now that her children have flown the nest, her marriage has come to an amicable end and the house is sold, it is time to go back.

Juliet rents a cosy little apartment with the aim to spend thirty days in Paris, as a writer this is her chance to write her own story.

As the memories come gushing back Juliet realises that to move forward sometimes you must face the past.

I’ve read a couple of books by Veronica Henry before and have found them to be the type of book you can absolutely lose yourself in. Thirty Days in Paris is no different! I fully immersed myself into this story and forgot the outside world; the seamless descriptions fully transform your thinking into believing you are breathing the same air as the main protagonist, Juliet.

The narrative of the book flashes between the past when Juliet was in Paris as a young girl and the present day. This works well as we can delve deep into the joys and pains of Juliet’s past and understand the truth behind why she left behind her desirable Parisian life.

In terms of characters, I found it inspiring and refreshing having a middle-aged protagonist who was so full of life. As someone in their 20’s I don’t know many people at this stage of their life and often when I hear about divorce or children leaving it is often depicted in quite a negative way. As a result, it was really enlightening to read about Juliet experiencing these changes in a more neutral way and those things not being the end of her life but instead she has moved on to a new stage. All the supporting characters were also well written but especially the female character’s - I wanted Corinne’s dress sense with Nathalie’s contagious energy and Juliet’s energy for life.

The book touches upon many themes including love (and the many different forms that comes in), the power of forgiveness and facing your demons, the devastating impact of post-natal depression and finally courage and the fact it is never too late to do something different or start something new.

Not only did this book make me want to book a trip to Paris immediately, it also left me feeling inspired to live, and I mean wholly and authentically live!

Juliet is returning to Paris, thirty years after her untimely departure. Following her amicable separation and both children having flown the nest, it's time for a bit of rest and relaxation, and hopefully putting the past to bed.

As we move through the story, the narrative switches between the present, and Juliet's previous trip. We follow her as she au pairs for a French family in the heart of the capital, meeting the love of her life the way.

Can Juliet redeem her lost love, and lost friendships when she returns? Thirty Days in Paris is a gentle read, but with real heart. You find yourself really rooting for Juliet, both in her younger days and on her return visit. Classic Veronica Henry.

I always look forward to the next Veronica Henry book, and this one was no exception. Lovely book, with good descriptions, you can almost feel you have been transported to Paris.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I was completely absorbed for the two days it took me to read. The Paris setting is wonderful, the writing is superb and the author conjured up the sights, smells and atmosphere of Paris perfectly and immediately transported me there. I completely fell in love with the location, the characters and the beautiful storytelling, as well as the gorgeous descriptions of the French cuisine which made my mouth water.

The story is perfectly paced and I liked the way the author switched from past to present using the memoir Juliet is writing, The Ingénue. It’s nice to see a middle-aged woman represented, Juliet is a strong character, adventurous and fun and I loved her positivity. As she suggests in the narrative this is her ‘coming of middle age’ story, having lost her way in life she is revisiting her past and trying to put right some choices she made in her twenties.

This book made me want to drop everything and book a trip to Paris immediately. A wonderful story and I will definitely be reading more of this author’s work.

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC via Netgalley.

Juliet finds herself newly single and ready for an adventure. Returning to Paris for 30 days, after 30 years away, she's ready to write her story.
This book is written in alternating chapters, between Juliet now and on her first Paris adventure 30 years previously.
I usually love Veronica Henry books but I did struggle to get engaged with this one. The storyline is a touch one-dimensional and slow. I was also irritated by the need to make negative comparisons to the UK on every third page!

Juliet’s children have moved on in life and so has her husband. He has lately been fixated on exercise and ridiculously healthy eating and she can’t keep up. So they decide a separation is the best solution. She determines to spend a month – the 30 days of the title – in Paris, where she was an au pair back in her youth. She acknowledges: “I’m on a bit of a life break. Revisiting my lost youth. Trying to find myself. A La recherche du temps perdu“.

The chapters devoted to younger Juliet are titled ingénue, a good device to ensure the past and present are clearly delineated. Back in the day, working as an au pair for a French family, she was privy to the family’s everyday intimacies, the mum’s conflicted self, struggling with work and parenthood, dad’s easy-going attitudes and the children’s affections that they clearly felt for her. One day, it all comes to a sudden and cataclysmic end.

In the present, over the 4 weeks she will work on her writing, and shop, eat French food and drink French wine, she will also perhaps try and catch up with friends whom she met when she was last in the city. There is the chic and oh-so- French Nathalie, who brought her out of herself. And then there is wealthy Olivier, for whom she fell hook, line and sinker. How would these old friends feel if she touched base? How might she herself feel?

This is a story that bowls along with panache and verve, taking in many of the sights of the city; the sounds and smells lift off the page for a truly transportive and immersive experience. Whether you hanker after a trip up the Eiffel Tower or a meander around E. Dehillerin – spécialiste du matériel de cuisine for some kitchen items, or perhaps even a trip to Père Lachaise Cemetery, the feel of Paris literally assails the reader.