Jess is off to stay at her brothers apartment in Paris and all is not what it seems!

I read this gripping read in just two sittings, I was totally drawn to the characters and this had you guessing all the way though which kept me page turning until almost midnight.

I really enjoyed this murder mystery thriller, from the first pages I knew it was going to be a good read. There was endless twists and turns throughout to shock you and throw the whole book in a new direction, I really enjoyed how this bout suspense as you were reading.

As a huge fan of previous novels by Lucy Foley I was excited to get started with this latest read. It was a great new release, twisty, thrilling, dark and suspenseful. It really was everything I have come to expect from this author.
I really enjoyed it being set in Paris, an unfamiliar environment to the tough, but frayed main character Jess. It just added that little extra edge of vulnerability and tension. It was easy to like Jess, easy to connect with her and get onside, I have to admit it seemed like an impossible task for her in a different country, with language barriers and no means of supporting herself to find her missing brother.
I loved the way the plot like an onion, slowly shed its layers to reveal tit bits of information to keep you puzzling all the way through as to what was going on.
The setting was perfect, luxury and a lifestyle completely alien to Jess to just keep adding to the mystery of what on earth was going on.
I devoured it, an absolute must read for any fan of mystery thrillers.

Thanks Harper Collins for giving me access to this ARC. I read both The Hunting Party and The Guest List last year and enjoyed the first one a lot, the second I thought was too similar but know I would've enjoyed had I read it first.

I was really excited about this new Lucy Foley even if a little apprehensive that it was going to be quite similar to the others. Although the formula of writing from the different perspectives was there again, it didn't feel the same and I didn't dislike every character (not that liking a character is a requisite to liking a book!). However, I felt the book dragged on quite a bit in terms of revelations. It wasn't until about 50% that something a little different happened and it felt like all the twists were crammed at the end. Because of that, it didn't give me that surprise factor, it felt more like "oh, finally!" which is a shame because the twist was actually pretty good and could've made more of an impact.

In terms of plot in, I felt like the it wasn't very original, like I've seen these type of family secrets before in movies or TV shows. The family in general gave me Succession vibes which was kinda fun - in fact, when I was halfway through the book, I was mentally describing it as "like Succession but instead of power they all want sex".

I won't post this review on Goodreads because it's got some implicit spoilers and I don't want to put anyone off reading because they think they might not like it based on something I said. It's not a bad book at all and I wouldn't NOT recommend, it just wasn't great for me

When Jess turns up at her brother’s Parisian apartment looking to get away from life in England, she’s expecting him to greet her. Instead there’s only a cat with blood in its fur and no sign of Ben.

Ben’s neighbours in the apartment block behave very strangely around Jess, and as she uncovers their secrets she begins to understand why. She also wonders whether Ben’s disappearance is another of those secrets they seem so desperate to hide.

This feels like quite a short thriller. The action seems to take place over only a few days, but the secrets which have led up to these have been formed over many years.

I found all of the characters quite cold and hard to engage with. This made it hard to care about any of them. Jess and Ben’s relationship has been disrupted and distanced and while it is entirely believable that she would use him to escape an incident in her previous life, it never quite played true how concerned she becomes for his safety.

The secrets are dark, but the characters aren’t strong enough to make me invested in discovering the truth.

I loved this heart-thumping thriller that kept me guessing till the very end! The author’s vivid descriptions brought The Paris Apartment alive. The characters were quirky yet relatable.

this was absolutely incredible. I’ve read both The hunting party & The guest list and you can see Lucy’s development in writing because this one was by far my favourite of the three! I cannot wait to see what she does next, it was completely addictive and i’ll be recommending it to everyone!

Lucy Foley has done it again. Her previous books was excellent but this one is on another level. At times I felt I was sitting in Paris and in the apartment. Jess has gone to Paris to stay with her brother. When she gets there, he has disappeared and she is obviously concerned. Even more so when his phone and wallet are there. Do the neighbours know more than they are letting on??.... An excellent read once again and I can't wait for more from this excellent writer.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC copy of this to review.

Jess goes to see her Brother in Paris, and quickly becomes involved in a mystery surrounding the apartment building and it's mysterious residents.

A suspense filled whodunnit, similar in style to her previous books The Hunting Party and The Guest List (both of which I quite enjoyed) where each section is focussed on a particular character and their view.

I enjoyed this and look forward to reading more of her books in future

I was a big fan of Lucy Foley's past couple of books so excited to read this one. A young woman heads to her brother's flat in Paris after having a bit of an incident at home. When she arrives she finds his keys and wallet in the apartment but no trace of him. The narrative switches between different characters which I found a little confusing at times and occasionally lost track of who was who which meant it wasn't quite as gripping as it could have been. I still raced through it and found it an enjoyable enough read.

“Five stars for Foley”
Hardback edition

by Emma Hopwood
From the first page I was hooked. The character progression throughout the book is excellent with twists and turns that are wholly unexpected. At times, you empathise with the characters and the writing is tinged wi to sadness. The plot is believable and draws you in to the point you cannot put this down. Another amazing book by Lucy Foley.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me access to this book.

24th November 2021Comment (0) Helpful? Upvote 0
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The Hunting Party
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Lucy Foley has a well-deserved reputation for her twisty plots and morally compromised characters and in ‘The Paris Apartment’ she makes use of both. Jess, from whose point of view we are given most of the story, runs away to Paris where her half-brother, Ben, has use of an apartment. It’s clear fairly soon that Jess is a troubled girl, damaged by her mother’s death and her foster home experiences, but that she can usually take care of herself. However, when she arrives at Ben’s apartment, she feels abandoned. He seems to have vanished. The reader isn’t surprised. We have already learnt that something unpleasant has happened to him.
Determined to find out what has been going on, Jess makes it her business to question all other occupants of the apartments in the fading yet still grand house on the Rue des Amants (or Lovers Road – some clunky irony there!). Whilst Jess is a plausible fallible central character, unfortunately most of the others that she comes across are little more than stereotypes: the overbearing patriarch; the weak, spoilt sons; the chic, stick-thin middle-aged wife; the misunderstood teenager etc etc.
Nowhere more does Foley rely on well-worn tropes than in her depiction of Paris. Mention is made of the best-known tourist sites, Gauloises, good wine, patisseries, bistros, and yet these details have a tick-box quality to them. A scornful reference to the popular Netflix series ‘Emily in Paris’ is given but ‘The Paris Apartment’ is equally culpable of resorting to cliches. And nowhere is the narrative more annoying than in the author’s use of simple French phrases, immediately translated into English.
All of this could be overlooked if the story’s ending was plausible. However, there are too many coincidences and unbelievable events. What could have been a really interesting exploration of the life of the illegal immigrant, as well as an intriguing mystery, ends up as a less than memorable read. There is no doubt that Foley can tell a story but ‘The Paris Apartment’ isn’t one of her best.
My thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.

And Lucy Foley does it again! After success with The Guest List and The Hunting Party I was really looking forward to the new title and am pleased to say I definitely wasn’t disappointed!

The Paris Apartment takes us to a beautiful apartment block in Paris where nothing goes unseen. What stories do the residents hide, from the watchful concierge to the scorned lover, with the prying journalist and the naive student mixed up in-between. Let’s not forget the unwanted guest, what mystery lies behind these doors?

I thoroughly enjoy Lucy’s fast-paced writing style, it keeps up with the characters actions so you too feel like you are running down the Metro platform with them as you begin reading with the emotions portrayed through the character - it leaves you exhausted at times with the ups and downs and suspense but wow is it worth it! Every chapter keeps you wanting more which is exactly what you want from a good thriller. Really like the way the ending all came together too and it wasn’t the obvious tie-up of all the pieces you would necessarily expect. Another hit and would thoroughly recommend!

A visit to her brother leads to the investigation of his disappearance. Is there more to this apartment block than first meets the eye?

The Paris Apartment 4.5*

Lucy Foley is an automatic read for me; Whatever she publishes, I devour, often in one or two sittings. This book is no exception. There’s the usual Foley ticks of approval: beautiful setting, the story told from several character perspectives, clues drip-fed over time and that je ne sais quoi that makes all her books absolute page turners.

I deducted half a star here for excessive product placement. I don’t mind the mention of an Hermès scarf or a Ghom silk rug. It’s clear that these mentions are about symbols of status. But when there are over 30 mentions of high-end brands I start to raise my eyebrows. Where a lipstick has been beautifully described by the author as “a bluish regal colour that says ‘stand back’ not ‘come hither’”, why do I need to know not just the brand but the specific shade from that well-known brand’s colour wheel?

That said above, I would highly recommend this novel and Foley continues to excite me with her work!

Many thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins Publishers and Lucy Foley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

So many twists and turns within this story leaving you not sure who you can trust at any point. Absolutely hooked in from start to finish!

I was very excited about this book as I have enjoyed the author’s previous novels. What Foley does so well is create a brilliant atmosphere of suspense and I was drawn in from the beginning. I liked the plot and the various twists and turns however I struggled with the characters and I didn’t invest or care about any of them too much especially Jess. The ending felt slightly implausible and the back and forth was a touch confusing at times but overall a good murder-mystery type thriller.

Lucy Foley is a must buy author for me and The Paris Apartment was no exception to that rule!

Perfect thriller set in Paris full of twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat.

I loved the multiple POV narration and thought it kept the narrative really engaging.

I like this author and have enjoyed her other books! This one was equally as good, Based in Paris this book centred around an apartment block and its occupants! There were lots of characters, slightly confusing at first but it soon became clear! This is one of my favourite authors.

Lucy Foley is an auto-buy of an author. I look forward to her releases eagerly. Like many others I’m a huge fan of her turn to the psychological suspense genre. Glad to say The Paris Apartment is brilliant. Foley has done it again.
Jess arrives in Paris, desperate to leave her LONDON life behind her escaping the clutches of her creepy boss. She’s somehow stuck being a bartender at 28-year old. Her brother Ben is a journalist and living in a lush Parisian flat due to strings pulled by his university friend Nick. Jess arrived in Paris but her brother seems to have vanished...and she feels like the neighbours are hiding something.

This follows multiple POVs much like Foley’s previous two thriller reads. It’s quite easy to distinguish between; I wasn’t confused at all. While there are red herrings and surprising reveals aplenty there were certain threads of the story that weren’t explained properly and I wished there’d been more closure for the rest of the characters. I think this is just the perfect escapist read. I was compelled and didn’t want to stop reading. Also I appreciate that Foley didn’t go into the pandemic and decided to keep this Covid-free. A corker of a novel.