After Paris by must read author, Mary Ellen Taylor is a gut wrenching, deeply emotional dual time line story about a modern day writer researching a story about a famous Parisian actress who vanished without a trace midway through WWII. Both stories will keep the reader eagerly turning pages. This reviewer’s thoughts at the finish were, “Wow! I never saw that coming.” I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. Most highly recommend.

After Paris by Mary Ellen Taylor is an engaging and thought-provoking novel that blends the past and present beautifully. The story follows Ruby Nevins, a 25-year-old woman who, after surviving a two-year battle with cancer, is cautiously trying to move forward with her life. When Ruby begins researching a French actress, Cécile, from the 1940s, she uncovers an old diary that leads her to a mystery involving Cécile’s disappearance during Nazi-occupied Paris, as well as the life of Sylvia Rousseau, Cécile’s dressmaker and confidante.

The novel shifts between Ruby's modern-day story and the historical accounts of Cécile and Sylvia, two women who risked their lives during the war to help the Resistance. As Ruby uncovers their pasts, she starts to see parallels between their strength in survival and her own journey to overcome cancer.

The characters in After Paris are well-developed, and the story is both engaging and emotional. Cécile and Sylvia’s lives during wartime are inspiring and show the deep courage and sacrifices women made in the face of danger. Through Ruby’s connection to these women, the novel explores important questions about survival and judgment. Ruby reflects on the choices these women made during the war, and it makes readers think: who can judge people just trying to survive in such a time of fear and danger?

Overall, After Paris is a highly enjoyable read with memorable characters and an emotional, thought-provoking story. It’s a beautiful reminder of the strength people can find when faced with life’s toughest challenges. Taylor does an excellent job of creating a story about survival, hope, and the resilience of the human spirit.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This novel is a gorgeous, haunting journey through time that grips you by the heart. The juxtaposition of Ruby’s fight for life with the bravery of these women in WWII creates such emotional depth. The way the author weaves the past and present together feels seamless, Ruby’s connection with these two women feels so real. The pacing is perfect, and the historical elements are richly layered, making it impossible not to get lost in this story.

Wow!!!

This was the first book I’ve read from this author, and it certainly won’t be my last.

From start to finish I was gripped, so much so that I stayed awake until 2am to finish it. Books with multiple timelines can often end up confusing and disjointed, but Mary expertly wove the stories together in a way that was just perfect. I thoroughly enjoyed the stories of both Ruby and Sylvia, and love how there were additional POVs at the start and end of the book from others - not too much, but enough to round the whole story out.

I would love to read sequels from the POV of Emile during the timeline of this book, and Otto through to the end of the war.

5 stars out of 5 ⭐️

I love this book and feel Taylor has a way with creating characters with heart and storylines that keep you engaged and motivated to continue reading
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review book

Oh my gosh
Ruby is a huge fan of historical French cinema and especially an actress named Cecile who was popular in the early 1940’s and then disappeared without a trace in 1942 and Ruby wants to try and find out what happened to her
A note before I properly start the review, some things may read a bit odd this time and apologies in advance, there are some bits of the book that I don’t want to spoil for you
This book is truly totally amazing and had me hooked from the very start. It looks at a part of the war that so often doesn’t get talked about, those who had to work with the Germans and in a more niche subject, the French film industry in wartime which is something I didn’t really know anything about before reading this book
The story is told primarily by Ruby and Cecile’s dressmaker Sylvia, whose daughter is assisting Ruby in her quest to find out what happened and to tell her mother’s story. To me, this worked really well and I could feel the danger and drama that Sylvia and Cecile had to go through and then the contrast with the modern characters which flowed and kept me reading
I will admit that there were some twists and turns that I didn’t see coming but which I loved and this book kept me hooked and reading late into the night, desperate to know what would happened
I would recommend this book to those who enjoy an unconventional war time book which will pull you in and keep you reading

I really enjoyed this as a story and enjoyed the look into these women's lives, the overall storyline worked well and was glad it had that element that I was looking for. Mary Ellen Taylor has a strong writing style and the characters had that feel that I wanted. I enjoyed the overall feel of this and enjoyed how it showed the different periods.