I loved this book from beginning to end. I mean historical
fiction with a supernatural type edge, what’s not to love? The relationship between the two sisters, Sofi and Lara, is so beautifully betrayed it gives the whole story a real charm and tenderness to it which works perfectly with the darker elements of the story. The atmosphere of this story is perfectly created especially with the chateau and time period giving a sense of darkness. betrayal and uncertainty. Definitely a recommended read.

It's 1789 in Paris, and there's this super fancy wallpaper factory called Oberst that's got everyone talking. What makes it really weird? Every single wallpaper design has this mysterious woman in it - word on the street is it's Mrs. Oberst, who died under some pretty strange circumstances.

Enter two sisters, Lara and Sofi, who start working at the factory. They become friends with Josef Oberst, whose mom (yep, the woman in the wallpaper) is no longer around. While Sofi gets caught up in all the revolution drama happening in Paris, Lara starts noticing something seriously creepy - the scenes in the wallpaper seem to mirror her own life. And it gets weirder - Josef's stuck-up wife Hortense is freaked out by the wallpaper in her new home too. With angry mobs taking over the streets of Paris, she's worried she might end up like the last Mrs. Oberst.

The heart of the story is really about Lara and Sofi's relationship as sisters. There are also tons of interesting side characters too, like the mysterious Josef.

What makes this story so cool is how everything comes together. The factory itself is like its own character, with all these amazing details about how they make the wallpaper. The author really brings 1700s Paris to life - you can practically smell the paint and hear the angry crowds in the streets.

The wallpaper isn't just for decoration - it's super meaningful to the story as well. All those hidden patterns and scenes are like a mirror for the bigger themes about how our past shapes who we become. The French Revolution isn't just being used out of convenience - it's woven right into everyone's personal drama, showing how big historical events affect regular people's lives.

Sure, the story drags a bit every now and then, and yeah, some parts are a little predictable. But honestly? It's such a page-turner that you probably won't mind. It's perfect for anyone who loves historical stories with strong women characters and a touch of spooky vibes.

This novel is set in revolutionary era Paris and follows the story of a couple of sisters who move with their mother to work in a wallpaper factory
In the countryside
Initially life seems straightforward but their relationship with the son of the owner of the wallpaper factory becomes complicated. Add into this the factory workers going on strike and Aristocats throughout the country being sent to the guillotine and you have a potentially volatile situation.
The elements of this novel that I enjoyed most were their straightforward historical details which seem real and concrete. There is however another element in the novel with the wallpaper in one of the rooms in the managers house showing pictures of women which seem to change and seem to look very similar to the young women in the story. This magical element of the story I felt was not as strong and the mixture between magic and reality for me didn’t quite work.
There are some Exciting sequences towards the end of the novel where the where people are right running for their lives and ending up in revolutionary prison facing the guillotine
There are some quite emotional scenes which were well written. In general the author has a clear easily read prose style making the novel and easy read.
I’d recommend the novel for lovers of historical fiction
I read an early copy of the novel on NetGalley UK in return for a unbiased review. The book is published in the UK on the 20th of February 2025 by Little Brown book group UK.
This review will appear on NetGalley UK, StoryGraph, Goodreads and my book blog bionicSarahSbooks.wordpress.com. After publication it will also appear on Amazon UK.

Set during the French revolution this gives an interesting perspective on the time . It is set in an unusual sphere of a wall paper factory
A lengthy read

I’m pondering between 3 or 4 stars for The Woman In The Wallpaper but am opting for 4 as this is Lora Jones’ debut novel and I think she has some excellent future novels in her. It is well written but I struggled with parts of it and found the pacing slow for the first three quarters of the book. It’s mostly romance with a touch of horror, gothic and fantasy thrown in. I don’t like horror or fantasy so those elements detracted from the overall novel for me.

It written in the voices of three women. Two are sisters Lara and Sofi Thibault who are 16 and 15 at the novel’s beginning in 1788. They live in Marseilles with their parents, Luc and Margot. Luc is a stone mason who runs his own business. Aristocrat, Baron de Comtois, owns most of the neighbourhood and puts the family's rent up by 50%. The Thibaults are struggling to survive and things go from bad to worse when Luc is killed in an accident caused by the Baron and his drunken loutish friends. Soon after, the sisters and their mother are evicted but fortunately all are offered jobs at the Oberst family’s wallpaper factory to the west of Paris where Margot’s older sister, Berthe, is already working as a housekeeper.

Margot, Lara and Sofi are given a tiny cottage in the grounds of the large estate that the wallpaper factory is in. Soon they meet Josef who is the son of the factory owner. His mother died some years ago in mysterious circumstances. Of similar ages, Josef soon befriends Lara and Sofi.

In the background to all this the French Revolution is gaining pace as the ordinary people and workers of the country rebel about the excessive riches and power held by the aristocracy. The is the time of the reign of Louis XVI and this wife, Marie Antoinette. Lara and Sofi get involved with the revolution as it is a cause close to their hearts given their childhood experiences at the hands of the Baron and his cronies.

The third voice in the book is that of Hortense, daughter of a Marquis living at Versailles. Hortense is rebellious and difficult and is not impressed with any of the men her father is trying to marry her off too and they are equally unimpressed with her. Her father is determined to marry her into money at all costs and spots an opportunity in Josef who is heir to the factory fortunes when his father dies.

Throughout the book there is much description of the wallpaper in the castle and in Hortense’s home which depicts people and scenes from real life. This wallpaper comes to life and changes showing events past, present and maybe future. I didn’t like these parts of the book as it was never clear if these were figures of imagination, mental illness or just pure fantasy within the story.

There were also some fairly gruesome scenes of people being guillotined, and not always entirely successfully the first time, as well as tales of torture including of women. I hated these horror and fantasy elements and would be more careful about selecting a book by this author again in case there are similar triggers. I can see why some will love this book but these elements spoiled it for me. With thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this. Set in Revolutionary France it has spooky strangeness, great characters (even if one or two of them are a wee bit predictable),intrigue and poignancy. There's always something going on and I found it held me all the way through.

Set at the time of the French Revolution the Woman in the Wallpaper centres around three women whose lives become linked by family and circumstance and their actions will have repercussions that will change them in ways they could never imagine. Sofi and Lara had a quiet life with their parents until their father dies following an accident. When they are thrown out of their house, they go to work at a wallpaper factory run by the Oberst family where they encounter the owner’s son Josef and Sofi and Lara are soon taking very different paths.
Sofi and Lara have very different personalities, while Lara is quiet and would rather do what causes the least discord, Sofi is fiery and will argue with anyone if she thinks she is being unfairly treated. As the political unrest grows in France, Sofi and Lara find themselves drifting apart with Lara concerned that Sofi would end up in trouble by her actions. Josef has taken an interest in Lara but has to comply with his father’s wishes to marry Hortense, a rather spoiled women who has managed to avoid all suitors in the past.
There is not much to like about Hortense as she sees the marriage as an inconvenience and her husband beneath her station. She is determined to make her husbands life a misery and suffers Lara as her maid only as she has no choice. Whilst her actions will shock and change the future of some, I can understand her desire to save herself no matter what the cost.
Josef does come across as a strange personality, deeply affected by the death of his mother when he was younger and starved of any affection from his father, he becomes obsessed with Lara and some of his actions appear creepy and possessive although he would say it was out of love for her. The truth of what he witnessed all those years ago do go some way to explain his actions but will never truly excuse them.
Sofi and Lara are like chalk and cheese, and as secrets from the family’s past are revealed their bond is truly tested and Sofi learns the true meaning of family just as it is too late, and their fate is truly heart-breaking.
The woman in the wallpaper is both a physical presence and a metaphorical one throughout the book depicting the life of Josef’s mother and also highlighting how history repeats itself primarily due to the acts of Josef. What I love most is how this book blends real historical events with a fictional story perfectly giving the reader a true sense of that time in history.

I'm such a sucker for a well-written historical novel! This story is set during the French Revolution, a period of history I haven't read much about (to my shame!) and we follow sisters Lara and Sofia as they find themselves forced to get jobs to stay afloat after the death of their father.

I'd recommend to fans of Laura Purcell, as I felt that the creepy, gothic elements were so well plotted and presented!

Jones has set this tale around the french revolution and the storming of the Bastille. Sisters Lara and Sofi have been forced to leave their home in Marseille, following the tragic death of their father, to work at the famous Jouy wallpaper factory. Both are talented artists and hope to work on the wallpaper designs. Sofi is headstrong and political and is entranced by Josef the son of the owner. Unfortunately, Josef is enamoured by Lara which causes a rift between the sisters. However, Josef's father is haunted by the death of his wife who is represented in images on the wallpaper plastered on the walls of the tower in the chateau. We then meet Hortense who lives in the palace at Versailles and appears to be a vacuous character, epitomising the excesses of the time which led to the French revolution. As the crowds foment and the aristocrats are subjected to Madame guillotine, Josef and Hortense are married. This event is the catalyst for the tragic events that unfold.

This is a strong psychological thriller with a story that twists and turns creating an intense and malevolent atmosphere. In fact the wallpaper and imposing chateau become a character equally as potent as the tense political backdrop. I enjoyed the historic elements of this story and the way it brings to life those on the different sides of the revolution. None of the characters are particularly likeable but the story is engaging and gradually builds until there is a race against time. My only criticism of this book is that the alternating narration by the sisters was confusing as I sometimes forgot who was who but otherwise this is a fascinating read. With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc of this book.

A beautifully haunting historical debut highlighting the role of women in the French Revolution but also more generally at this tumultuous time in France's history. The story focuses on 3 women: hard-working lower-class sisters Lara and Sofi, and then Hortense, a member of the 'Noblesse'. Each perspective is well fleshed out and secondary characters too so you really feel immersed in their lives, the horrors they witness, their sadness, fears and hopes. It was a slightly slow burn for me but then I couldn't put it down. Would highly recommend!

**Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read an advanced e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own **

A beautiful and unique story with a setting that just draws you in. It could however have been a tad shorter, but that's a minor criticism!

I imagine from the premise of this book that it could be really interesting and unusual and a lot of people will enjoy it.
However, for me, I found the prologue irritating with untranslated french words in italics and then so gratuitously nasty with a young boy guillotined that I didn't want to read any more of the book.
Thank you to netgalley and Little Brown books for an advance copy of this book.

An easy five from me. This is an excellent read which, for me, constantly kept me thinking. I had very strong emotions for a lot of these characters, and I was at one point incredibly annoyed at the reaction of one of them, until I thought back and realised none of this was their fault either. I don’t often feel this strongly about characters but this book really got to me, and I’ve never read anything about the French Revolution before so it was a new area for me.

Overall, this captivating, complex, sad, but absolutely riveting book. Loved it.

My thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I must admit that I really was not sure that this book was for me and doubted I would enjoy it as historical novels are not really my thing. As I agreed to review it though I started reading. Three days later ...... I was bereft that it had ended. I adored how this book made you feel that you were there experiencing the French Revolution along with the characters. I was so involved in the book that I felt I had lost friends when the book ended.
Just shows, try something new !

Against the backdrop of rumblings of Revolution in France, Sofi and Lara's lives are turned upside down when their father is killed.

They along with their mother travel to the countryside to work in the wallpaper factory of the Oberst family. Tragedy, love and heartache play out on the mysterious wallpaper lining a secret chamber and soon the girls see instances that mirror their own lives. Will death come once more for their family?

A well researched tale interjected with humanity, undercut with the drama of the impending Revolution!

This was a fabulous change from my usual thriller type reads and I loved the historical references and the gothic vibe that made it difficult one to put down. There are some really good characters throughout the book all with their own unique passions, struggles and stories to tell and as the book progresses these characters tales all begin to interweave. There is a rich and excellently written atmospheric feel accompanying the story and that’s what made the book stand out for me making it one I would recommend especially if you like a good historical story.
My thanks to NetGalley and Little,Brown Book Group UK, Sphere for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Uniquely set in France at the time of the French Revolution I was expecting to understand a bit more of how it impacted women given the 3 main narrators are all women It was a little disappointing in this regard. However, following the twists and turns in the relationships between the three women made for interesting reading The intrigues with regard to parentage of each woman kept one guessing.

I'm afraid I found this a little slow and I could not fully enter into the story. I could not bring myself to care about the characters enough.

I'm sorry about this, as I had hoped to enjoy the book more than I did.

It’s the late 18th century, The Oberst Factory creates the most fetching – and longed-for- wallpapers. But who is the woman printed on the paper? It’s rumoured that the late Mrs Oberst is the inspiration but there’s a murkiness there, with her death dubbed suspicious to say the least. Two sisters begin work at the factory and form a fast friendship with the business heir, Josef. But it’s what is depicted in the wallpaper that is attracting their attention – and honestly, it is so clever and well put together.

It sadly didn't do it for me. For a main reason: boredom. This book was too long, and too slow, where nothing much happened outside of the last ~25% of it. There's no real plot twist, as you're expecting everything because it's either too hinted or said already (for example: in the book, we get to know Hortense before the wedding and we read about her wedding to Josef. Yes, right, but it was already said in the blurb she was Josef's wife so where's the surprise in that...)

The overall story was indeed interesting, especially the ending and the consequences of each of the women's actions. Not everything is black or white, but I do feel like we kind of glossed over Josef's actions and forgave him a bit too easily. The epilogue was done well, it was a good little note to what happened to each of them after all the issues and twists happening in the story.

But yes, I feel like it could have been done with less pages, and perhaps a bit more of personality and emotions, and not only specificities of each ot them. It's a contemplative story, one you read from afar, with no attachment, but still wanting to know what would happen next.


PS: there's some historical inaccuracies that bothered me throughout the book, but the author explained at the end that some liberties were taken. Don't be like me and just gloss over it, instead of checking facts online to make sure you know your own history and what's happening in the book is innacurate lol