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!
Thank you to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thirty Days in Paris will be published on 13th April.
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