I haven't read a book this good for a long time I loved the research and the recipes were so simple I decided to give a couple a go and boy was I glad. I would highly recommend this delightful moving story, the characters were great, sad and joyful at the same time if that is possible, this author is brilliant and let's hope there's another book soon. Thank you Penguin another amazing book

Starting in 1942 during the war in France, Christoph serving the German forces and Sylvie, French speaking English girl meet after she is sent to France to assist the resistance. This beautiful novel made me smile and made me cry.there are several wonderful characters throughout the book and it’s one of my best reads in 2024.
Marvellous book..

I loved this book. Very emotional, it kept me engaged and curious what will happen. I enjoyed both stories and would definitely read more by this author.

Exceptional Read! We are introduced to Lisette in aug 1942 in war torn Paris as she makes the most difficult choice to leave behind the man she loves and attempts to get to safety. May 2002 in London sees concert pianist Julia, having been mentored by Christoph, suddenly unable to perform as her fingers suddenly freeze without warning. Unable to face more performances until this issue is resolved she heads to France to seek Christoph’s help. She finds him with health issues and his memory failing. She comes across an old recipe book written by Sylvie/Lisette and although not a cook she recreates the recipes in an attempt to help Christoph remember the days of 1942 although this is against the wishes of his son Daniel. We then learn the story of Christoph and Sylvie during the German occupation of Paris. Sylvie is a restaurant chef but is also a secret agent risking her life on a daily basis. Christoph, a German soldier abhors how his fellow countrymen are treating the Parisians. Romance between the two blossoms. Sadly ill fated love as Sylvie literally disappears. Their love never dies and Christoph is desperate in his later years to know what happened to her. The recipe book gradually gives up many clues and secret messages relating to Christoph and along with Julia recreating the dishes he so enjoyed he gradually starts to remember the events of 1942 and his time with Sylvie. This is a compelling read of love and relationships, bravery and hope and I enjoyed it beyond words. I’m totally in awe of the brave men and women of whom so many gave their lives for the cause. My thanks to NetGalley, Michael Joseph Penguin Random House and Fiona Schneider for an E arc. Much higher than 5*. I highly recommend and look forward to reading more from this author

A heartbreaking WW2 story set in two timelines 1942 Paris and 2002 Bonn. I loved the character of Sylvie and her bravery working with the Resistance.A story of love ,bravery during a horrific time and also a story of hope .Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC.

How I loved this book. This is such a beautifully written dual timeline story, but with a real difference. Set in WW2, and 2002, it is written from the unusual perspective of a German officer and a young French girl, working for the Resistance. Sophie and Christoph are thrown together by the circumstances surrounding the Occupation of Paris by the Third Reich.
It is a moving, heartbreaking story of a love found, lost and the question of ‘will it ever be found again?’ The terror and deprivation felt in the city of Paris at that awful time is so vividly portrayed, and contrasting with the supreme power of the German occupiers, it is utterly chilling. The bravery, sacrifice and love in many guises, is described so powerfully.
The plotting and narrative flow are superb, and never flags. The characterisation of the main players is so accomplished, and had this reader totally invested in the storyline. I was sorry to come to the end of this book.
The weaving throughout of the story of Christoph’s young pianist protégée Julia, as she endeavours to help him recover his health, and her difficult relationship with Christoph’s son, is deftly and seamlessly done.
Fiona Schneider is a favourite author of mine, and I look forward impatiently to her next work.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book. Highly recommended.

This is my normal genre but I actually loved it.

It's dated back to world war II but it's very emotional and page turner.

Apologies for the delay in reviewing. This is an excellent and emotional historical fiction book. A reminder that many Germans didn’t want to fight against their friends and neighbours. Look forward to reading more by this author in the future

I enjoyed reading this historical fiction novel about world war 2! I liked how it combine the present with the past and brought the stories together. The characters were memorable and it was well written.

Chef Sylvie meets soldier Christoph during the Nazi occupation of France. She has a big secret but they're drawn to each other yet can love survive a war. Years later and Christoph is trying to remember his past and what happened to Sylvie.

Oh this was an emotional read and the ending was so touching and poignant. This story is told in the past and more present times. We hear the story from Julia in the present and both Christoph and Sylvie in the past. I liked the changes which helped break the story up a little, especially the war related side as its tough reading at times. The characters are likeable especially Christoph, you really warm to his plight by the end of the story. This does touch on dementia and Cancer which can be hard for some to read about. An emotional but beautiful read.

This was an engaging but at times, heartbreaking read. It has a dual time line, set mainly in 1942 and 2002 and set in Paris, London and Bonn. The main characters in the earlier time are Lisette and Christoph. Lisette was remarkably brave and Christoph was a German soldier, who was against all Hitler stood for, but had no choice but to join the army. The link to the later time is through Christoph and a talented pianist, Julia. There is also a past concerning Julia and Christoph’s son Daniel. I enjoyed the way the recipes were used to help Christoph’s memory. There are a number of interesting secondary characters in the earlier time, including traitorous acts. The writer does portray how things must have felt to be under occupation. It does have a satisfying ending. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

What can I say about this book it absolutely amazing the weaving of the story just draws you in and you feel you are actually living their lives.

Sylvie Dubois is a French Chef who is a spy trying to help win the War, she is sent to Paris where she meets a German soldier Christoph Batmann who did not want to serve the German army but was forced to because of his sister. Sylvie is giving tasks to do to help the war effort. Sylvie and Christoph become lovers. Years later Christoph protege Julia Clarke finds a recipe book that belonged to Sylvie and she tries to find out who Sylvie and where she is if living.

It was very interesting to read this book and I could not put it down. The book had romance and sadness which was really good.

This is one of the best books I have read this year would recommend it.

In 1942, French chef Sylvie Dubois is sent to Paris to spy on the enemy, while German soldier Christoph Baumann has sold his soul to save his sister. When they meet, the world stops turning. But in a city consumed by war, love is a dangerous affair, and the star-crossed lovers will pay the ultimate price. Decades later, with Christoph's health declining, his young protégé, Julia Clarke, sets out to discover what happened to the woman he never stopped loving.

This story has a dual timeline - 1942, the past set in Paris, and 2002, the present day set in Bonn and London. It's a story of love in a dangerous time between a German soldier and a French chef. The prologue takes us into the heart of the action. This is a romantic war story where people had secret identities, and hard choices has to be made. I liked Sylvie, and her determination to help the French Resistance. In 2002, Christoph's health and memory are fading. Julia decides to help find Sylvie, even though his son Daniel is against it. The two timelines eventually tied in together seamlessly. I liked the author's writing style. This book has been well-researched., and the characters well-developed.

Published 4th July 2024

I would like to thank #NetGalley #MichaelJoseph #PenguinRandomHouse and the author #FionaSchneider for my ARC of #TheParisAffair in exchange for an honest review.

A masterpiece! Never have I got so immersed and involved, reading as fast as I could to discover how lives would turn out! Sylvie and Christoph both put their lives on the line, along with many others in this dual timeline line novel.

In 1942, Sylvie Dubois, a chef, is sent to Paris to spy on the Germans. She meets a German soldier' Christoph Baumann, who doesn't agree with what is happening to his country and what his countrymen are doing to his fellow men.
They fall in love, but one night Sylvie disappears. .
Sixty years later, Christoph’s health is declining and his memory fading. Julia Clarke, a young protégé of his, decides to discover what happened to Sylvie and why she left and even if she is alive.

I really enjoyed this. I keep saying I’m not one for historical war stories, but it appears I really do like them.. I would never have picked this book up myself, but as I was invited to read it then I did. I am pleased I’ve read it!

This is a very emotional story, set in Paris during the German occupation, but also in 2002, where the characters piece together what happened in Paris, the two sides of the story combining really well to bring out the whole story.

This is excellently written, and I genuinely could not put down.

The love story of two individuals who met in wartime circumstances and embarked on a perilous romance set against wartime France. A German officer and a British agent. A dual timeline sees this story brought forward with loves lost and found linked through music and food
A heart warming story

An emotional historical drama set during WW2 and present day, linked by an old recipe book. I love stories about the French Resistance and I was captivated to the end.

What a powerful heartbreaking WW2 love story interwoven with rapturous music (I know by the descriptions) and mouth watering foods. Chefs and musicians are at the heart of this tale that begins in Paris 1942 and spins its tangled threads across the portals of time to modern day London and Bonn 2002.

The novel opens in Paris with a bang as Lisette is in the grips of decision. The war outside is raging and closing in. While bombs are going off, she makes the hardest choice of her life. She must abandon her lover and head for safety. The Prologue throws us into the heart of the action and reveals a moment in the past of significance. Then the chapters that follow unveil everything that led up to that point. I found reading the start again once I finished the novel was very helpful. It took me full circle. Lisette’s departure on that day causes a massive fallout that reverberates into years of loneliness, heartache and missed opportunities. As these two hearts shatter, the damage that follows will bleed into others’ lives.

The Paris Affair is a very romantic war mystery full of secret identities, double agents and hard choices. The past sweeps into the present with monumental effects like storm waves on a shoreline. Here, we find Christoph with serious health issues. He has been losing his memories of the past and Julia wishes to help him reclaim what he has lost. She finds the recipe book of Sylvie’s and begins cooking the dishes to help him remember. Food has powerful connections to our emotions and can evoke memories.

Julia is a concert pianist who was mentored by Christoph (a master of the keys). Although the piano has always been a very important refuge to her, since the death of her mother she has been unable to perform properly and is suddenly gripped by fear and bad dreams. Is there a connection to her loss? The novel explores this possibility.

The Paris Affair is brilliantly written and has much to offer the reader in both timelines. Christoph is the main ingredient between them as he is in both. The vehicle that carries the story from the past to the present is the special recipe book once owned by French Chef Sylvie. Her foods and beauty captivate many, including a German Kommandant but more importantly the heart of his administrative assistant Herr Leutnant Baumann (Christoph). His first meeting with her is a memorable one at the restaurant. I really enjoyed Christoph’s tasting experience after the Kommandant offers him a spoonful of dessert to try. In fact, the food descriptions made my mouth water: particularly the crème brûlée that Sylvie makes!

We see very quickly Christoph is nothing like the ones he serves. He is not happy at what the Nazis are doing. He is in his position out of necessity to protect his family—particularly his sister who is what the Germans would say is less that a perfect specimen. Her life is under threat as a result. And when he witnesses an incident of Jews being rounded up, their cries pierce his heart and haunt him. Because he is unable to do anything, he feels shame and deep sadness for the people being wronged. We see the true Christoph when he walks through the cemetery looking for poet Baudelaire’s memorial. There he remembers a line: ‘How little remains of the man I once was, save the memory of him! But remembering is only a new form of suffering.’

The story is told from various perspectives: Lisette and Christoph in 1942, Julia, Christoph and Clara in the current timeline. So, we are able to be part of their most intimate thoughts, their suffering and inner battles. Not only do we have one romance from the past to follow but also one in the present: Daniel and Julia’s. As they work out the mystery from the past, their relationship begins to change and old wounds heal.

Sylvie and Julia’s ‘acts of love’ (as one character describes cooking) lead them on a quest. Through the recipes, clues, actions and thoughts we learn what broke the couples, rearranged their priorities, challenged their devotion to others but never let them fall out of love for each other.

This is a timeless tale, a modern Romeo and Juliet or Catherine and Heathcliff romance in many ways as Sylvie and Christoph are on opposite sides—drawn together in a forbidden relationship. (There’s a bit of this in Julia’s and Daniel’s relationship, too). Christoph is German and Sylvie is French. He is kind and caring with a compassion for the downtrodden; a brilliant musician who opposes what the Nazis are doing. Although his nationality and position represent everything that goes against who Sylvie is, she is caught by his humanity in her moments of weakness. Her attraction to him is strong and he is captivated by her determination. Strangely she feels safe in his arms and he is at home in hers. But reality shakes her when she is away from him and she is reminded of her hatred for the Nazis. Hitler’s men destroyed her family and fiance and she wants to retaliate. Her decision to join the resistance is fuelled by the injustice. But it is a dangerous path for one who is wounded and feels helpless. It is understandable she wants to make a difference and fight back in memory of her loved ones. But what happens when she comes up against a German who does not fit her generalisation? This makes the reader aware we cannot tar everyone of one nationality with the same brush. Otherwise, we are repeating the same prejudice.

This debut novel has amazing emotional depth, profound wisdom and a flawless delivery. It squeezed every piece of my heart until it hurt. It should come with a warning: all emotions known to humans will be experienced while reading this novel! Despite the pain(!) I loved it immensely and look forward to more wonderful stories by Fiona Schneider. 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Penguin Random House and Netgalley for a review copy.

This is a really moving love story. It’s told around events which occurred during WWII and the present day. As the story unfolds, we discover how complex and dangerous love can be.
The story is written with real feeling and there’s a depth to our characters which is heart-warming and restores faith.
Although fiction, it still makes the reader think about how hard life must have been during this period and how resilient people were.
All of the characters were really interesting and very different, and all had their story to tell.
It’s just a lovely book and highly recommended to read.