Meet me in Paris (Kristin Harmel)

The publisher’s presentation

Nine Americans in Paris. Seven intertwined love stories. One City of Light.
Love Actually meets The Notebook in a tale of love, loss, and finding your way home, all set over the course of one life-changing week in Paris.
Julia Glover has brought her twenty-three-year-old daughter, Piper, to Paris for the first time—but they know it will also be their last trip here together. Julia is dying, and as the mother and daughter desperately try to make memories together as the clock ticks down, the world opens up around them. Piper meets a cute French waiter, who might just understand her better than anyone she’s ever met, and Julia meets a man at a dive bar and struggles with how to tell him the truth about her future.
Rock star Jackson Quick’s glory days are behind him. He had a handful of hit songs thirty years ago, but he hasn’t toured in a decade. This week, he’ll launch his reunion tour in Paris, the city where it all began. But he wants more out of life than being defined by fame. When he meets a woman who finally sees him for who he is at his core, the ground shifts beneath his feet.
Henry McGee has been writing hit songs for decades—including Jackson Quick’s biggest hit, City of Light. But his secret is that every love song he’s ever written is for a woman named Celeste, whom he loved a lifetime ago, when they were both teenagers in Paris during World War II. He has spent eighty years believing she died—but when a letter arrives telling him the opposite, he’s on the first flight to France. Can he break through the haze of her dementia, using the songs he’s written all these years, to remind her of who they once were to each other—and to tell her he came back for her?
Henry’s granddaughter, Melody, has just discovered that her husband of twenty years, Gilles, a French cosmetics executive, is having an affair. When she confronts him, he tearfully apologizes and begs her to forgive him. But can she? And, perhaps even more importantly, does she want to? Or is there a different kind of life out there for her if she chooses to be alone?
These intertwining stories—plus several others—unfold over a few breathtaking spring days, as an unforgettable group of Americans in Paris must find their way to their own versions of happily ever after in the City of Light.

My reading experience

When I started this book, I knew I would love it because I love Kristin Harmel’s writing. I was a bit surprised at first because it was quite different to her historical books, but I really enjoyed her Love Actually-inspired story. She did set off to write something in the style of Love Actually as she is a big fan of the movie, and it really is a success in my view.
The start of the book is quite busy with all the storylines starting, and the reader is juggling with all the characters. But it was quite easy to then follow each of the storylines and, very quickly, the reader feels like a part of the cast, immersed in the Paris atmosphere and totally interested in what is going to happen to each of these people whose lives have collided in Paris.
There is the compelling story of Julia, suffering from terminal pancreatic cancer, but enjoying Paris and whose life is uplifted by a chance encounter with Jackson. This story comes straight out of the author’s own experience with cancer herself and the thoughts Julia has are very much those Kristin Harmel had herself when she was diagnosed.
For me, the story that resonated the most was that of Henry and Alzheimer-sufferer Celeste, as I am witnessing this with my own mother. I could completely relate to Henry and his quest to dig deep into Celeste’s glimpses of memory and the love that still passes through in spite of the disease.
There is a mix of lightness, seriousness, love and hope in all these stories, which I thought was very balanced. And, of course, there is one of Kristin Harmel’s favorite characters in the background: Paris. This town has great magic and this book is paying tribute to it very well.
I loved the book!

You can listen to Kristin Harmel talk about the book at the Poisoned Pen Bookstore, learn more about her on her website, and follow her on Instagram where she shares photos and stories about the places that inspire her books.

Nine Americans in Paris. Seven intertwined love stories. One City of Light.Love Actually meets The Notebook in a tale of love, loss, and finding your way home, all set over the course of one life-changing week in Paris.Julia Glover has brought her twenty-three-year-old daughter, Piper, to Paris for the first time—but they know it will also be their last trip here together. Julia is dying, and as the mother and daughter desperately try to make memories together as the clock ticks down, the world opens up around them. Piper meets a cute French waiter, who might just understand her better than anyone she’s ever met, and Julia meets a man at a dive bar and struggles with how to tell him the truth about her future.Rock star Jackson Quick’s glory days are behind him. He had a handful of hit songs thirty years ago, but he hasn’t toured in a decade. This week, he’ll launch his reunion tour in Paris, the city where it all began. But he wants more out of life than being defined by fame. When he meets a woman who finally sees him for who he is at his core, the ground shifts beneath his feet.Henry McGee has been writing hit songs for decades—including Jackson Quick’s biggest hit, City of Light. But his secret is that every love song he’s ever written is for a woman named Celeste, whom he loved a lifetime ago, when they were both teenagers in Paris during World War II. He has spent eighty years believing she died—but when a letter arrives telling him the opposite, he’s on the first flight to France. Can he break through the haze of her dementia, using the songs he’s written all these years, to remind her of who they once were to each other—and to tell her he came back for her?Henry’s granddaughter, Melody, has just discovered that her husband of twenty years, Gilles, a French cosmetics executive, is having an affair. When she confronts him, he tearfully apologizes and begs her to forgive him. But can she? And, perhaps even more importantly, does she want to? Or is there a different kind of life out there for her if she chooses to be alone?

These intertwining stories—plus several others—unfold over a few breathtaking spring days, as an unforgettable group of Americans in Paris must find their way to their own versions of happily ever after in the City of Light.