Member Reviews
Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
Set between London and Paris, Annie is struggling being mum to twins and two older children embarking on their journey, working on a new project for her TV show and her husband seeming to be withdrawing from her all whilst not being in contact with her close friend Svetlana.
Very relatable life situations in some extremely glamorous settings leading to hilarious escapades and some heartfelt moments that really pull at the heartstrings.
Thoroughly enjoyable read.
A big fan of the Annie Valentine series, of course I needed to get my hands on the latest installment! Annie brings fashion, fun, and chaos wherever she goes. Filled with classic characters like Svetlana, this Parisian adventure is chock full of mishaps and misunderstandings, leading to mayhem in pure Annie style. Definitely don't read this without the rest of the installments in the series, but if you know, you know,
I have not read any of the previous books in the series but I think this particular book read quite well as a standalone.
Annie is struggling. She has 2 older children as well as 4 year old twins. Her marriage to Ed seems to be on a bit of thin ice and she has a very demanding job. There are a lot of women who would be able to relate to Annie, me included!
Ed decides that he is going to Paris for a teacher exchange but, of course, that leaves Annie even MORE stressed than she was before and it doesn't help that Ed seems to have gotten very cosy with a fellow teacher, Sylvie, who is very Parisian and chic.
A lovely story about a certain stage of your life when you are being pulled in all directions. I remember it well! That stage is not quite over for me yet either (boomerang adult child but he is soon to be off again, thankfully) and I could just scream sometimes!
Anyway, I enjoyed the tale of Annie in Paris and even though I wondered how this was all going to work out, it was interesting how the author wove the tale. I have to admit that taking a peek inside a Parisian lady's wardrobe was fascinating to me and I learned some new things :)
4 stars from me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books.
a fun easy read, i jumped at the chance to review this (apologies for late review i read it months ago and forgot to save it!)
Annie is a fashion guru but is juggling life and always seems to get herself into a scrape
perfect book for a holiday book
I have to say, this book just wasn’t for me. I found the story to be very bland, and the characters didn’t resonate with me at all. The women in the book came across as both insecure and entitled, which made it hard for me to relate to them or care about their journey.
I barely made it through to the end, honestly. I was hoping for something more humorous based on the excerpt, but the story fell flat in that regard too. Unfortunately, this one didn’t hit the mark for me.
I would like to express my deep gratitude to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for their generosity in allowing me to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
I have not read any of the previous books in this series, so was unaware about the main character Annie Valentine. What an easy get to know, loveable character she is. Really enjoyed the easy to read storyline and look forward to reading some more of Annie's adventures
As expected (I’m devoted to this series), this latest instalment is full of fun and frolics the Annie Valentine way. Chaos ensues in this light hearted, thoroughly enjoyable read. My favourite characters are undoubtedly the twins with their brand of mischief and mayhem. Overall this book is part of a series but is easily readable as a stand alone book, characters old and new are familiar as fashion classics. A breath of readable fresh air.
Thank you Netgalley
I am a regular Carmen Reid reader; however, I am new to the Annie Valentine series but I now have a new favourite female MC. Annie In Paris was a funny, sweet, lovable, heartwarming story and I thoroughly enjoyed it, with it’s strong characters and uplifting narrative it had me flying through the pages as I have come to expect with Carmens books if you add these to your TBR I can guarantee you will love them.
In this exciting and glamorous novel, readers rejoin Annie Valentine, show host and fashion guru, as her life is going all over the place. While her husband Ed is leaving for the summer to teach in Paris, Annie must try and keep her show afloat while caring for their four kids and supporting Ed. Feeling lost and suspicious of Ed’s sudden life change, Annie takes the twins and her friend Svetlana (also having a crisis of her own) off to Paris to fix her and Ed’s marriage, save her show, and support everyone else. Whether or not Paris will solve all her problems is something she will find out in this novel. A complex and funny protagonist, Annie is a captivating narrator and a complex figure; readers will love some of her decisions and question some of her antics throughout the novel. As for the other characters, they are unique and realistic, and their relationships with Annie and other characters in the novel are also realistic and amusing to follow. With the glamorous backdrop of Paris starring in this novel, Annie takes the readers around the city as she tries to find her inspiration and love in this beautiful, historic, and famous city.
So, Annie is back, and she's really "older but bolder". It is few years since the last book in the series, but as soon as started reading "Annie in Paris" it felt like being back with your old friend.
What I truly enjoyed and appreciated is the fact that the characters, Annie, Svetlana and Ed, really felt older, they very more mature and behaved like this, so it's a plus point right at the beginning. Though I must admit that Svetlana and her mood didn't do this book a favour - she felt so down and unhappy, and sure, she found something for her, but she was not her old self.
Annie is still chaotic, full of "babes", warm and prone to accident but it still suits her character perfectly.
Although, for me, this book will be not as memorable as others in the Annie series. I had a feeling it lacks in depth a bit and the events felt superficial. But it was funny and sweet, nostalgic and bitter all at once.
I read and enjoyed the Annie Valentine series years ago, so I was delighted to see that there was a new book in the series.
Annie is just like she used to be, full of trouble, wherever she goes, but overall a fun and loving character.
This book focuses on forgiveness, I'm not sure if I could be as forgiving as Annie is. It was good to read about Svetlana again. The ending leads me to believe that there might be another book in the series. It would be good if there is.
Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood books for my ARC.
In Annie in Paris by Carmen Reid, Annie and the family are back and headed to Paris. Ed is finally getting a chance to have a break from the family and takes on a temporary teaching position in Paris. Annie becomes a more hands on mum while struggling to find a way to save her show and possibly mend fences with Svetlana. She didn't count on having to figure out how to save her marriage, as well.
I enjoyed this newest installment and am already eagerly awaiting the next!
Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC
This was a great book about a woman Annie whose husband Ed goes to France on A music teaching scholarship and at first Annie is happy for him but when her son shows her Instagram pictures of Ed with a young woman who her son refers to as hot and she doesn’t know how she feels. Slowly but surely what she feels is jealousy. At the same time we watched her good friend Svetlana who’s sons just left for boarding school in Scotland now she has all the Time in the world to worry about getting older. This was a funny funny book and I have to be honest and say I didn’t read the first one but didn’t feel like I was left out of the loop Carmen read it slowly becoming my go to author for feel good fiction. I want to thank Boldwood books for my free arc copy via NetGalley please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.
Annie Valentine is a personal shopper at London’s, The Store, as well as a star presenter on a TV show, “How To Be Fabulous.” Her daughter, Lauren, works for Perfect Dress in New York. Annie’s oldest son, Owen, is a student at St. Vincent’s School and loves music in all forms. Annie is married to Ed who is head of music at St. Vincent’s. Annie and Ed are also parents to twins, Minette and Max, age 4.
Svetlana is the former wife of a baron. She is mother to Elena, Michael, and Petrov, and she is now married to an English barrister named Harry. She is also the owner of Perfect Dress and a very wealthy woman. Annie used to be her personal shopper until an argument pulled them apart.
Annie is suspicious that Ed may be getting too close to a woman so when he gets the opportunity to teach in Paris for 3 months, she agrees this might be a good idea for him to get away.
Annie gets a chance to do some interviews with clothing boutiques and other French people in Paris so she takes the twins with her and stays with Ed. But something seems to be up with his French colleague and her suspicions result in Ed packing her and the twins up and sending her back to London. Is something going on and if so how can she resolve this?
Per Annie style, this book is full of crazy I Love Lucy type episodes which makes for many laughs. I liked Svetlana and her loving husband, Harry. However, I was put out with Ed when he shipped his wife and children back to London. Seriously, his job wasn’t that difficult so why did he feel the need to get away for a time? Pah!
Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Loved the story of Annie, the personal shopper who now has her own tv series! This is the latest book in the Annie Valentine series and, once again, Annie is funny, likeable and ever so slightly chaotic. Her husband, Ed, goes off to Paris to work and is closely followed by Annie who decides to research French fashion for her new tv series. Thoroughly enjoyable!
I didn't find this book as funny as I thought it would be. At times it annoyed me and frustrating me. It wasn't as good as I'd hoped. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.
I'm new to Carmen Reid's Annie Valentine series, but she provided a helpful character guide at the beginning of the book, which made jumping in at book seven much easier. It's possible that I would have noticed different details or responded to in-jokes if I were more familiar with the series, but I felt this book, Annie in Paris, was perfectly enjoyable as a stand-alone.
I really loved that Annie is the working mother of young twins plus older children, and that we get to see the very real (if humor-injected) struggle of managing work and family. I also appreciated that Annie is, essentially, a problem-solver, even though some of her solutions are over the top.
The ultimate example of this is, of course, the premise of the novel itself: when her husband, who is off in Paris on a work trip, is photographed sitting a little too close to his female colleague, Annie arranges for childcare, calls her producers (she's a tv host) and goes to Paris herself.
Added to the mix is Annie's close friend, Svetlana, who is feeling age creeping a bit to close – she joins the chaos in France as well, getting a much needed wardrobe update in the process.
Author Reid has given us some serious subjects in this book – fidelity (or lack thereof), aging, work/life-balance – but she wraps everything with the perfect combination of poignance and organic humor.
Overall, this is a lovely story, the perfect read for summer.
Goes well with: warm croissants, fresh strawberries, and café au lait.
Annie’s life is non stop between her busy career and home life. Husband Ed is off to Paris for his own adventure and some me time when Annie hits on a save her show idea and descends on Ed in Paris.
Annie was a whirlwind and needed to slow down and pay attention to some very real big problems right under her nose. I felt bad at first for Ed because he did seem to get steamrolled by Annie and family often.
However, what he confesses to toward the end of the book evaporated any sympathy I had for him. And Annie just forgives him and it’s all good. I say BS!! I hated that part.
I liked Svetlana the best in the book. She was struggling until she found her footing again.
I have read and thoroughly enjoyed a few of Carmen's books. I have to admit that prior to being invited to take part in the blog tour for 'Annie In Paris', I hadn't actually read any of the 'Annie Valentine' series. 'Annie In Paris' is the seventh book in the series. So I thought that I would break my 'Annie Valentine' duck and also share my review. Overall I did enjoy reading 'Annie In Paris' but more about that in a bit.
I have to admit that it took me a little while to get into 'Annie In Paris'. I didn't really gel with the character of Annie to start with but over time as I got to know her a bit better, I started to warm to her and eventually got to quite like her, which made me enjoy the story all the more. I would pick the book up only intending to read a chapter or two but I would become so wrapped up in the story and in the lives of the different characters that I would still be sat there reading several chapters and an hour later. I had my own theories as to what was going to happen so of course I had to keep reading to see if I was on the right track or if I had wandered off in the opposite direction. I ended up enjoying 'Annie In Paris' so much that I didn't realise just how quickly the time was passing and how quickly I was getting through the book. All too quickly I reached the end of 'Annie In Paris'. I found 'Annie In Paris' to be a light hearted and fun romantic comedy.
'Annie In Paris' is well written. Carmen has an easy going writing style that is easy to get used to and easy to get along with. In fact reading one of Carmen's books often feels more like a chat between friends rather than reading a book. I hope that makes sense. Carmen's love for her characters and this shines through in the very vivid and realistic way in which she describes them. She makes her characters seem just as real as you and I. I love the way in which the author makes the reader feel as though they are part of the story. That's how I felt anyway. 'Annie In Paris' was the perfect escapist book, which certainly made me laugh out loud on several occasions.
In short, I really enjoyed reading 'Annie In Paris' and I would recommend it to other readers. I fully intend to read more of Carmen's work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 4* out of 5*.
So I read Book 1 and thought it was a good start to a series, but I didn't get a chance to read the books after leading up to this. Carmen included a handy up-to-date character list and what they had done so I don't feel I missed anything. I must say I enjoyed this book so much! I just had one gripe and that was how the marriage "troubles" were resolved, it annoyed me a bit and I wasn't happy with the behaviours of either party.
However, Annie is back, being Annie and she provides a lot of entertainment. I was laughing and shocked by some of the situations she got in. However, at times, her parenting skills need to be addressed!!
I will go back to the other books at some point as I would like to see how Annie got where she is now! I loved the trip to Paris, and will be interesting to see how it goes with Sylvie! Plus that cliffhanger with Svetlanka!! I need to know what the text said!!! Plus she wore a cape to do the gardening in! LOVED that!
This is a great book to lose yourself in, not take too seriously and just relax. I loved the audiobook of this! Julie Maisey is just such a fab narrator, and like the first book, Annie is brought into technicolour! I loved that! Annie is your everyday person, who is trying to get by, juggling everything she does, and that I can relate to!
Looking forward to Book 8!