I loved Lucy Foley's 'The Guest List' and despised 'The Hunting Party', so I was very intrigued to see where 'The Paris Apartment' fell on this spectrum. I am pleased to report that this book fell towards 'The Guest List' side of things in terms of the quality of the mystery, twists and thrills. Jess is on the run from an incident at her awful bar job in Brighton, using the last of her money to join her brother at his cushy apartment in Paris. However, when she arrives, her brother is missing and the rest of the tenants in the building are acting decidedly shifty...

This book is a slow burn mystery. We get a variety of perspectives from the strange residents of the building, a mixture of the present goings on with Jess and flashbacks to Ben's short time living in the apartment building. Some of the reveals were really clever (the first big one about halfway through - wow!) and we get to see the seedy underbelly of Parisian society and the lives of the rich. The most confusing part of the story was probably everyone being in love with Ben (literally everyone) but he is not really developed enough to understand his magnetism.

Overall, this was a fantastic mystery - I loved the twists and the ending. I look forward to reading Lucy Foley's next novel!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars
I loved this author’s last two books so I was very excited to start reading this one, keeping it until I could sit down and properly enjoy it.

The story starts off slowly as the author sets the scene, while we get introduced the mysterious, apartment blocks and the interesting residents. From the start I had a bad feelings about the apartment blocks and admired Jess’s courage that she stayed there so long when I think I’d have run away.

Each character has a chance to narrate the story and we get to hear each of their points of view. It was very intriguing to learn more about them and their history with each other. All of them have secrets which are slowly revealed and makes the book difficult to put down as there always seemed to be something happening. I had mixed feelings about the main character Jess. She seemed very real as she had moments of strength but also vulnerability where I just wanted to reach into the book and give her a huge hug. She did frustrate me at times though as she seemed oblivious to the danger she was in and just seemed to wander into situations without any thought about her safety.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be recommending it to others. The tension builds slowly until the book becomes very hard to put down. There always seemed to be something happening to keep my interest and lots of twists that helped keep me guessing as to what way the story was going. I liked that the author keeps the story going for a little bit after the dramatic ending so we find out what happens to everyone.

If you’re a fan of gripping, atmospheric mysteries I highly recommend this book!

I've enjoyed many of this author's other books and was so excited to get my hands on an advance copy of this one. Unfortunately, this book pales in comparison to her others. It's unnecessarily long and confusing, and the characters don't really come alive for us. The mystery is buried beneath too many layers of the story and hidden behind too many undeveloped characters. Disappointing.

Thanks to NetGalleyUK for an e-galley of this book.

Jess arrives in Paris, hoping to stay at her brother’s apartment. But he’s not there.

This thriller is set in an eerie city apartment building. It’s a quiet place, away from the bustle of the main streets, and no one except the neighbours ever seems to be around:

The watchful concierge
The lover
The prying journalist
The naïve student

The Paris Apartment is like watching a tense film (without the music!) where I didn’t actually realise there were multiple narrators until now – I thought the main narrator was just quite talented! It was particularly nerve-wracking to listen to in bed.

Don't you just hate it when you get sucked into the hype of a new book, everyone's reviews making you excited to get your hands on it and then you read it yourself and are just left feeling disappointed? Yep... that was me!

Now don't get me wrong, the book gave a good solid start that had me gripped but I found the further along into the story I got the more it seemed to just plod on. I felt like I was reading for ages but not actually getting anywhere with it.

The chapters alternate between different characters, all seeming to have a connection with the main character Ben who is a journalist living in a Paris apartment. Each character is secretive and obviously hiding something but a big downside for me is I felt that the majority of characters just felt flat and were not at all likeable or relatable.

The author has always had this mesmerising way of transporting you to the place/country the book is set in but unfortunately I just didn't get that feeling this time. There were a handful of mentions of Paris landmarks but because the majority of the story was set within the apartment block it basically could have been anywhere in the world.

As expected there were a few plot twists and turns but in all honesty they didn't give the shock factor that I've come expect from Lucy Foley.

This one just didn't hit the mark for me but it definitely wont put me off reading this author in future.

Thanks to netgalley and Harper Collins UK for the ARC.

I quite enjoyed this one, I loved the setting, multiple perspectives & the overall tone of the book. 3.5* rounded to 4.

Good writing and unconventional twists, but I found it very hard to connect to any of the characters - I found them all so unlikeable! Maybe that was the point, but in not rooting for any of them I didn't connect to the story as much as I would've liked.

Lucy Foley is a new author for me, so I was excited to receive a digital proof and then win a physical proof of the book.

It starts quite slowly at first, and I was a little impatient as the pace just didn't feel fast enough BUT...after the first twist it drew me in.

We have some more interesting characters in that of Jess and Mimi, though there were a few moments where Jess seemed to forget it what she was supposed to be focusing on! At times, you the reader act as more of a super sleuth than Jess and she seems more prone to just stepping into danger! I like Mimi's complexity, and the layered approach to revealing more of this, with the book's format supporting this nicely as we pieced events and new information together.

It's a creepy and atmospheric story, I could really visualise this apartment block, with its somewhat unfriendly inhabitants, corridors and hidden areas. Whilst I guessed a couple of the twists, there were still some unexpected ones which really helped the story to come together towards the end.

I'm a big fan of books told from multiple POV and this device worked really well here in adding to the mystery and building a bit of tension. I think the author has built a solid foundation and I'd quite like to revisit these characters to see what happens next for them, it weirdly feels like the story needs a sequel.

If murder mysteries and thrillers are your bag, give this one a whirl!

Thank you to @harpercollinsuk and Abigail in the Readers' Room team for my proof copy 🤗

This is a fantastic, classic murder mystery. It has all the hallmarks of a classic; the questioning neighbour, the family members who all have motive, and the innocent staff. Ben's fantastic new apartment - what a great deal! - is not what it seems. Weird family, weird vibes. It starts out slowly but the pace builds quickly and it is a great holiday thriller.

The premise of this book sounded really good. This is the first book that I have read by this author, I admit that I still have The Guest List sitting on my tbr…

The socialite – The nice guy – The alcoholic – The girl on the verge – The concierge

Everyone’s a neighbour. Everyone’s a suspect. And everyone knows something they’re not telling.

I admit that I struggled with this book, maybe it was the heat, maybe it was just that the book was a slow burn that didn’t seem to be going anywhere? I found it hard to engage with any of the characters too as they all seemed so sure of themselves and reluctant to help. And there were so many characters, involved and I did find myself having to skip back a few pages to work out the who, what, why, where and when of yet more people. Jess, the main character also didn’t seem to work for me either, running away to her brother in Paris, with no money and no hope but as soon as she got there, everything fell into place…

I think that after reading this book, The Guest List may end up on my tbr for a while longer yet.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for an e copy of this book, in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

What a varied group of people that live at this one apartment building in Paris. They at first glance have nothing in common with each other than an address, and from their opening chapter a general feeling that Benjamin Daniels was the catalyst for everything.

It seems Ben wasn't overly well thought of by the rest of his neighbours, and when his half sister Jess turns up unexpectedly and finds him missing, she can't help but start asking questions.

Which instantly starts to make us as readers feel she is going to uncover something - and wow what a lot of secrets, and connections and deceit there is to be unravelled.

It kept me guessing throughout, I was never completely sure what to believe, and it had just the right level of creepiness to hook me.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent with these characters, even if there were very few characters in this that I would ever want in my own life!

Thank you to Harper Collins and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Ok, I realise this isn't going to win the Booker anytime soon, but it is a huge amount of fun. I love Lucy Foley. She produces genuinely paces, clever books that continue to keep me guessing.

I am usually a big Lucy Foley fan and loved her books Hunting Party and Guest List but this book failed to hook me in and I did not feel particularly invested in the narrative or characters. It failed to sustain my interest and I expected a lot more from this.

A great and absorbing read. You actually feel like you are in Paris. A thrilling tale, would highly recommend.

I enjoyed this book, particularly a different setting to the usual. I think the author did a great job of setting the scene and making the reader feel as though they were in Paris. A very good, absorbing mystery. I suspected all the characters at one point or another but didn’t guess how it would turn out. Would recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the advance copy.

I listened to The Paris Apartment on audio this time and I was so delighted I did instead of reading the paper copy. It is a story set in beautiful Paris and I guess listening to the different narrators with their French accents gave me an amazing feel for the story and immediately immersed me into the centre of it.
It was a compelling read, dark in places and all the while reading it you can feel a creepiness in your bones that seems to seep from the walls of the apartment block where the story is based.
If I am honest with you all, I don’t think I liked any of author Lucy Foley’s characters. They all had something to hide which did create immense drama.
Jess the young woman who arrived to the apartment block to find her brother Ben had disappeared is the only character I particularly warmed to. She is strong and resourceful and I think I would like to have her in my corner fighting for me if needed.
The plot and story were exceptionally well written and I have come to expect this from this author. She writes with experience, with confidence and has the ability to reel you in quite quickly. She almost drip feeds you the story which of course adds to the suspense and drama.
I think you will enjoy this one.

Twists aplenty. Lucy Foley knows how to weave a thrilling tale. Thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend.

I loved the somewhat cosy, not quite locked room, but with very few characters in one building, it has that feel. The reader gets to know the characters really well, what makes them tick and their histories.
Although the main characters are not particular likable, the plot keeps you wanting to keep reading to see how horrible these people are and what they'll do next.

This is the first Lucy Foley book I have read and it won’t be the last. I liked the way the book raced along and the fact the chapters weren’t to long and unnecessarily wordy. The characters were brilliantly written and it was a gripping story, it was great that it wasn’t a story that I guessed the ending before I got there. Great read, would really recommend.

This was good, but not up to the same level her other books are.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.