Samantha's Reviews > The Paris Novel

This is very tropey in that Eiffel Tower poster on your dorm room wall kind of way, but it was better than I expected from an entertainment standpoint, and I liked it better than the overly saccharine Delicious, Reichl’s first novel.

I have always adored Reichl as a food critic and have been now twice-surprised by the slightly schlocky quality of her fiction. That said, where Delicious felt sappy and somewhat cringey, this is cute and fun, and perhaps a good reminder that sometimes a book can be read purely for pleasure and for immersing oneself in the story rather than for the sake of learning something.

Reichl’s Paris is very much a tourist’s Paris (an Emily in Paris’ Paris, perhaps), but I don’t think that’s all bad. The foodie aspects of this are, unsurprisingly, very well-rendered, and though the Olympia “mystery” and the Shakespeare and Company stuff feels a bit obvious and surface-skimming, it’s also satisfying and charming and makes for a lovely—if predictable—feel good read.

*I received an ARC of this book in exchange in exchange for an honest review.*