I usually love Jojo Moyes books but the draft I was sent was terrible. I really don't want to give a negative review because of this.

I’m typically not a short stories sort of reader, but when I heard about Paris for One and other stories by Jojo Moyes I knew I had to read it, Moyes just has a way of getting under your skin with her writing, so I couldn’t wait to dive right in. With this book featuring quite a few stories I thought with my review I would focus on a few of my favourites.

Between the Tweets
This story was totally unexpected; we have a well known actor who has come under intense scrutiny when a random lady pops out of nowhere accusing him of having an affair. Declan has a wife and kids, so is taken aback by these accusations, he gets somebody to look into who this lady could be especially as she claims to know details about him that only someone who has been intimate with can know about. I was all for discovering who this person could be and to be honest I was fully on Declan’s side, but the two big blows towards the end of the story completely took me by surprise. In the end I was left slightly gobsmacked, but also with a smile on my face with the way things ended up.

A Bird in the Hand
This story I really ended up enjoying, it was about two people who ended up finding a connection whilst working together. They’d tried to keep their relationship under wraps, more so because Beth was married. We’re not fully told the back story of Beth and Ben’s relationship, so I sort of appreciated the way that we’re given their story with their chance meeting at an event. Both are there with their respective partners, and the way they’re forced to interact with one another and reminisce of what could have been because of miscommunication was done beautifully. I’m not going to say how this short story ended, but although it wasn’t how I would have wanted it to, I was still left happy with it. Also this story really left me wanting a full story from these characters.

Holdups
This story was an absolute delight to read. Alice finds herself caught up in a break-in at her place of work at the jewellers. Instead of being scared by the big guy looming over her, she finds herself connecting with the guy with the strange accent and tights on his head. This interaction between Alice and her captor was totally bizarre, but done really well! It was clear that this guy really didn’t want to be in this situation at all, Alice was so easily able to take so much information from him in a short amount of time and would a criminal really allow his hostage destroy a painting they didn’t like? Despite this story being kind of farfetched, I really liked it, Alice was such a funny character and the way things ended up I absolutely loved as I totally didn’t expect it at all!

Honeymoon in Paris
I was totally confused at when first reading this, as I thought the story of David and Liv had come to an abrupt end and we’d be thrown into the world of another couple straight away. To be honest I was kind of annoyed, as I needed to know what was happening with David and Liv; they were on their honeymoon and David’s work was clearly taking a priority over his honeymoon, I understood that it was a big deal for him, but you only went on your honeymoon once, so I totally felt for Liv. And then when we were just in the middle of their story we’re introduced to Edouard and Sophie, yes their story and what was going on with their lives were interesting enough but I wanted to go back to David and Liv, I needed to know what was going to happen to them, would David finally put his love for Liv before his love of work? But seriously it was kind of neat the way Moyes mingled these characters stories together, although at the beginning it didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me, it was cleverly done. So much so that this book ended up being my absolute favourite from all of the stories!

Some excellent short stories. I particularly enjoyed the first story, 'Paris for One', but all the stories were good.

a good selection of short stories. The first being the one I enjoyed the most. They were all very easy to read and ideal for a quick read with a cuppa just before the school run. Feel good stories that made you smile.

I rarely enjoy short story collections. You just start to get engaged with the characters and the story ends. I find them frustrating and generally best avoided. But when Jojo Moyes puts out an anthology I have to make an exception and I'm so glad that I did. Although this is a collection of short stories the two set in Paris are more like short novellas.

Paris for One sees Nell booking a trip to Paris to prove to her impulsive and globetrotting boyfriend that she can be fun and impulsive as well. When she gets to her little boutique hotel and realises that her boyfriend isn't coming she has to decide whether to be brave and stay without him or to just give up and go home. Can she have fun on her own?

My other favourite in this collection is Honeymoon in Paris. A story about two newly wed couples in Paris separated by 80 years. It makes you just want to jump on Eurostar and go visit the Musee D'Orsay and sit in quirky little coffee shops watching the world go by.

Its a fun and easy read and well worth your time.

Supplied by Net Galley and Penguin in exchange for an honest review.

I recently listened to an author who had written his first novel be interviewed. His normal literary form was the short story.
His view was that the short story form was the more difficult to write and I completely agree.
I am frequently disappointed in short stories or novellas. Indie authors in particular, for me, seem to think that they are a quick and easy format that requires only one idea and little plotting of crafting. My own opinion is that the real test of a sort story is whether when you come to the end of the story you are satisfied. It was complete. Whole. The characters were sufficiently explored and the plot had not referrals to previous stories or events in these stories, that you had not necessarily read.
So it was with some trepidation that I approached this short story collection from JoJo Moyes. I love her novels but...
However, this was a beautifully and satisfyingly written collection.
In particular read ‘Between the Tweets’ on how to write a 5 star short story in less than 10 pages! Not to mention the puns of course.
Light humour, warmth, an understanding of human nature pervades the writing whether the stories are short or novella length. And different backgrounds are utilised to look at this nature but with several being set in Paris of course!

I was only going to read one short story between two books, but then I wanted to read another one, and then another... Until I realised I am on the last one.
I liked some more than others, but overall the stories were very easy to read and I was engrossed. They are all about ordinary people and relationships. Although apart from the first novella, the stories are very short, they are well written and all the characters feel real. For me, this was a welcome and unexpectedly very enjoyable break from my usual crime and phycological thrillers. I have never read any Jojo Moyes books before but definitely going to try some now.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

I loved this book! I'd heard of the author, but had never read any of her books. How fantastic to find a new writer! I'm not usually a fan of short stories, but I really enjoyed reading these, although some of them were long enough to get my teeth into. Easy, feel good reading.

Generally lighthearted stories based around love, lost and found. Enjoyable and easy reading, short stories made this easy to pick up at any time. Ideal for reading before bed, as you could read a whole story and still turn out the light at a reasonable time! Characters were easy to relate to, being well written and well described, you feel like you know them or someone just like them. An enjoyable read, recommended!

As a huge fan of Jojo Moyes I was looking forward to these short stories.
Turns out, I'd already read the first (and longest) story... the rest were ok but I had hoped for something a little more special!

Saying this, Margot is my favourite and overall this book is definitely worth a look if you're already a fan of Jojo.

11 short stories based around troubled relationships. A nice book to read and pick up and put down. I found though that it was harder to relate to the characters though. Ideal holiday reading. Well written as you would expect from Jojo Moyes.

JoJo Moyes has been a favourite author of mine for sometime, most recognise her name and associate it with Me before you, but her writing is beautiful and I love to read .

This is a series of 9 stories, 1 novella Paris for One and then 8 shorts, I enjoyed them all and there definitely something for everyone and to suit all tastes.

I was fonder of some couples over others but overall was a fabulous collection and wonderfully written.

4 Stars

Donna

4TLOReading

Paris for one was an absolutely stunning story. You find yourself rooying for poor Nell who is stood up by her revolting boyfriend and ends up in Paris alone. She was slightly to blame because her boyfriend hadn't actually agreed to come - he just didn't say he wouldn't! Poor Nell is stuck in France, in a shared room, and feeling very miserable. What happens next is a charming story, which I didn't want to end. The other stories are also beautifully written - if short.. I loved this book.

An enjoyable set of short stories (some very short indeed). The highlight is Honeymoon in Paris, which I have read as a standalone before and is lovely. The other stories are much quicker, but all feel good and easy to read.

I'm a JoJo Moyes fan already, I admit that. I am not a fan of short stories. This is a romantic collection all connected in some way . I enjoyed she me more than others. The first about Nell, a nice, ordinary girl who planned a trip to Paris for her boyfriend Pete. Pete is not your ideal boyfriend and doesn't bother to turn up o travel with Nell. Thank goodness for that, so developed a sweet tale that I loved. I wanted it to be a book not a short story but never mind that. Other stories were readable but proved again to myself that short stories don't please me as much as a book.

I think it would make a very sweet gift., but I would probably not buy it for myself.

Yet another outstanding piece of fiction from JoJo Moyes.

Her first entrance into the world of short stories and it was a magical one. The characters, the setting, everything kept me whipping through the pages. I thoroughly enjoyed reading and because they were short you didn't have to invest hours of your day they were perfect to flick through on the commute.

My favorite ever JoJo novel was 'The Girl You Left Behind' (I know not 'Me Before You' shock horror), so the novella 'Honeymoon in Paris' was my personal favorite.

I couldn't recommend this more I truly loved.

I was disappointed with this book and the feel of it. It seemed to me that those stories were just ideas for future books that didn't quite make the cut. Half finished ideas and stories piled together to make and unfinished mess of a book. I've read all of Moyes' bibliography and I must say that this one is my least favourite. The Paris story tried to be a small novel but it was actually overshadowed by the other short colourless stories.

This was a wonderful collection of short stories- ideal for dipping into when you only have a short while to read. The title novella is a great story- one I had read before when it featured as a Quick Read. It follows a girl who finds herself travelling to Paris on her own after her boyfriend lets her down. It is a great eye opener for her that there is more to life and she can embrace it all. The other stories mix romance and friendships and valuing self worth.

I really enjoyed this book and would love a copy on my bookshelf.

Some lovely short stories focusing on different experiences of love. I liked that not all of the stories followed the path I expected. Although a couple felt like fairly standard romances, they were well written and lighthearted in tone so I very much enjoyed the collection.