Annie in Paris by Carmen Reid is the 7th book in a series. While it could be read as a standalone, I feel that readers who have been there for Annie's full journey would perhaps get more from the story. There is a useful character guide at the start of the book - I somehow completely missed this so be sure to check it out! A very enjoyable summer read.
Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the review copy.

I've been a fan of the Annie Valentine series from Carmen Reid for years and I'm so glad that Annie is back for a new adventure! This time around Annie is juggling four year twins and two teenagers, which is more than enough, but when you add in keeping her fashion career going, you can see why Annie is struggling. Add to that Annie's husband Ed has been invited to teach in Paris, and it feels like Annie's world if falling apart.

The series hasn't lost any of the realism and warmth from the previous books. In fact reading Annie in Paris feels like having a long overdue catch-up with a good friend, with a lot of laughs along the way.

I have not read the previous books in Annie series so I was a little bit apprehensive thinking I would be lost. My fears were immediately squashed as soon as I picked up the book as the author has helpfully written a list of characters in the beginning along with a little summary about each one. Then I read the first page of the story and I instantly knew that I was going to have the best time and I did! Annie is a fashion guru and has her own series which in the book she faces the possibility of losing as well as dealing with two teenage children and four year old twins who I found adorable, her marriage to Ed may also be in strife. This is one of those books that you smile all the way through and it gave me a endorphin rush! I laughed so much and I fell head over heels for the characters. I am not a big fashion fan as I prefer to wear whatever is comfortable but I did enjoy reading everything about the fashion world. I will be reading the rest of the series and I hope there is more too come!

In the latest chapter of Annie Valentine's life, her husband Ed goes to Paris for a work exchange program, leaving her feeling overwhelmed by his absence and realizing how much she depends on him and her sister, Dinah, who helps with childcare. While taking her kids to visit a friend, Annie nearly crashes her car when she sees a social media post showing Ed sitting closely with a beautiful colleague in Paris.

Annie decides to visit Paris under the guise of researching French fashion for her show. She arranges for Dinah to look after her older son, Owen, and takes her twins to Paris to find out what's happening with Ed. Meanwhile, her friend Svetlana, feeling the void left by her sons going to boarding school, plans some cosmetic surgery but agrees to meet Annie in Paris for a makeover.

Chaos ensues in Paris as Annie navigates her strained relationship with Ed and helps Svetlana update her decades-old style. This installment explores themes of priorities, responsibilities, and how people react to aging—some embrace it while others try to recapture their youth. The book offers a more serious tone than earlier in the series, with Annie reflecting on her marriage, career, and family dynamics.

Despite the turmoil, the story maintains a strong sense of humor and relatable characters. The author leaves the story open-ended, hinting at more adventures for Annie. This chapter stands out as a compelling read, with a blend of comedy, drama, and deeper themes of personal growth and reconciliation. Overall, the book provides a satisfying continuation to the series, leaving readers eager for the next chapter.

Hello again Annie Valentine!!!
Our old friend Annie Valentine is back.....a bit older but definitely not lacking adventures.
She faces life as a busy mum, wife and fashion guru....but while she's trying to hold it together....everything starts to fall apart.
As she heads off to Paris, it is the beginning of a memorable adventure.......but is it memorable for the right reasons?

What a fabulous, fun read from Carmen Reid.

I thoroughly enjoyed it, and as it was my first "Annie Valentine" book, I have plenty to catch up on. It can easily be read as a standalone, though, I imagine that if you're new to the series, you'll quickly become enamoured with Annie and her family and friends.
Annie is so likeable, very believable and so "normal". She walks the tightrope of life as a busy mum, knowledgeable career woman, loving wife and caring friend in precariously high high heels. It's not easy being everything to everyone and sometimes she makes matters worse but always with the best of intentions.
Being as far removed from a fashionista myself as it's possible to be, I loved how each chapter opened with advice from the fabulous MM; she and Annie were destined to meet.
A hugely entertaining read, one I didn't want to put down. This was a funny, optimistic, heart-warming and incredibly relatable story and I'm looking forward to reading up on Annie Valentine's life.

I have read all the books in this series and feel like I've grown up with Annie!! she's a great character, a middle aged mum but still with masses of fun to be had. her husband can sometimes seem a bit wet but not in this story! really enjoyable and I will definitely be reading this again on my holidays this summer x

"Annie in Paris" shines as another delightful installment in the Annie Valentine series. Whether you're a loyal fan or new to the series, this book stands strong as a standalone read. The helpful forward provides a seamless introduction to the characters, ensuring a smooth dive into the fashionable world of Paris. With its witty humor and effortless storytelling, "Annie in Paris" delivers an enjoyable reading experience that's hard to resist.

A very enjoyable book that i won’t hesitate to recommend to others. Thanks for the opportunity to read & review it.

In the most recent chapter of Annie Valentine’s life, we find Ed heading off to Paris as a work exchange program within his music department. A mere four days into Ed’s absence, Annie feels she’s falling apart and begins to realize just how much she relies on her husband and her sister/paid child minder, Dinah.

As Annie is packing up the twins to take Owen to a friend’s house, Annie almost slams into another car when Owen stumbles upon an actual post from Ed’s social media. He’s sitting, rather closely, to a gorgeous woman who is also a colleague.

As Annie’s mind races, she reaches out to her producer Tasmin about an idea for the next season: examining the classics that make up French fashion. She offers to do some fact finding and early shooting in Paris. Making sure Dinah can look after Owen, Annie takes the twins on the trains to France.

Back in the UK, Svetlana is feeling lost and restless after dropping her growing sons off at boarding school. Elena is still finding success in New York City and Annie has a busy career and young children to take care of. In true Svetlana fashion, she calls her doctor to make an appointment for a little nip and tuck. Annie insists she come to Paris and allow Annie the opportunity to make her look years younger by updating Svetlana’s decades old look.

All hell breaks loose in Paris! This is the most serious of all of the books in the series, in my opinion. It looks at priorities and responsibilities and how those can affect people as they grow older. While some settle into their age and look at the future with excitement, others look back at their youth and try to recapture it.

This was another 5 star read for me although I’m still pretty salty about Ed! I love that the author left it open for yet another book! I’ve binge read/listened to the entire Annie Valentine series since Wednesday and have absolutely no regrets!

This will be shared on Amazon, TikTok, and Instagram as Meddings_musings. It will be shared on Facebook as Erin Lura Meddings.

I really enjoyed this book and it reminded me that I’ve read another book in this series, not knowing that it was a series, so I’ll have to go back and read them all now. Annie is just gorgeous and so is her family (how cute are her twins names, Max and Minette, the m&m’s). It was a really fun read that made me smile and feel happy. I will be looking for the rest of these books to read.

I read the first book and thoroughly enjoyed it as Annie advanced in her career. This book was more about her evolution with her family as she needed to balance so much that she often lost sight of herself and as a result her relationship with Ed. I was glad that she reclaimed her love of fashion while in Paris as she celebrated the effortless and chic style Parisians have that often looks effortless. With seventy four different pieces coupled with the "grit of an oyster", each Parisian creates their own signature style as she epitomizes in her television series. Svetlana never disappoints with her wealth equal to the GDP of a small country but it certainly was to be celebrated how she turned so much into good especially given her upbringing. This book is a breath of fresh air as it comes alive but at the end, the underlying theme is that of love.

This is a new to me author and the first book of this series I’ve read and I had no trouble as the author provided a rundown of each character’s backstory in the beginning of the book which was super helpful. I will be looking forward to more of this series!
Annie is relatable and funny and I loved the supporting characters as well she makes mistakes, she loves her family and her job. Annie has to figure out a way to revitalize the show that she works on while her husband has been given the opportunity to do a term assignment teaching in Paris. When she decides to join her husband to give her marriage a boost and to save her show at the same time, that’s when the story really picks up. The sights and sounds of Paris. The fashion. The shopping. And of course, her friend, Svetlana,
If you like Sophie Kinsella’s shopaholic series, which I am a huge fan of, you will enjoy this.
Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

I read this without having read any of the series (didn’t pay attention when I got it) and it can absolutely be read as a standalone and you won’t feel as if you’ve missed anything, plus you’ll have a great read about adults dealing with adult issues. This was a really fun, honest, emotional, laugh out loud, honest story about life, marriage, career, family, children, friendship and all the highs and lows of all of them. I very much enjoyed this wonderful book and am looking to what forward to what comes next.

There are absolutely no words to describe just how ecstatic I was to see this book announced, but also slightly apprehensive. After all it has been more years than I can count, since the last new book in this series was released and although I know I love it, I was concerned I may not remember much.

But those fears were allayed within moments of opening the book and cheering loudly that there was a full character list and small bit of info about each of them. Which allowed my poor head all it needed to remember more than enough, and to feel right at home from the first few pages.

And given the prologue opened with a classic Annie Valentine chaotic moment, I knew I was going to love it and be totally happy reading this.

It was so great to be back in Annie Valentine's world. although I was concerned that things didn't seem as hunky dory as normal with her and Ed. It was fabulous catching up with Owen, who we have seen grow up over the series, and her four year old twins are amusing.

Things aren't totally smooth in the Annie and Svetlana friendship either, but we get to have whole chapters from Svetlana, and I feel I know her a whole lot more just from this one book, than I have done previously. We are treated to a lot of her background, and its wonderful to read.

Once Annie is in Paris, the book ramps up the comedy and fun, and besides learning a lot of Parisian fashion, and I was completely entranced by the story. I was loving every single second of it.. ok perhaps love is not quite the right word for one instance of Annie's rather iffy parenting, but even that felt very in keeping with her character!

This was like greeting an old friend and picking up exactly where you have left off, even after a considerable amount of time has passed. It is brilliant, I'm over the moon that this series is back and is having a resurgence in popularity too, and above all... please please please please please, can we have some more!

Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

I have enjoyed reading Carmen Reid books for the longest time. I was so excited to get this book.
It lived up to all the hype too of all her other wonderful books.

Five sparkling stars for this stellar book. I howled with laughter. I cried at the heartfelt romance. I oohed and ahhed at the fashion and Paris and the gorgeousness of it all. And most of all I fell in love.

Just brilliant.

Another great Annie Valentine story, this time set in beautiful Paris. Life has taken an unexpected turn, will Annie get through these problems? The twins are great, cute and funny!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC of Annie in Paris!

I’ve read one of Carmens books before and loved it, however I haven’t read any of the Annie books. At the start there was a reminder of the characters in the previous books so I felt I could start this story without reading the others. Thank you Carmen for this- very thoughtful touch!

I love anything to do with fashion and Paris so this book was one I couldn’t put down. It look me a little longer to read than usual but that was personal reasons nothing to do with the book! I loved the mix of being in Paris and the French Fashion element. It made me want to go out and buy a new wardrobe!

I love Annie and Svetlana too and their relationship, there were several types of friendships/ relationships in the book which I liked and gave the book an extra layer.

There were some laugh out loud moments, some irritating moments (mainly from the husband but it does all make sense!) and some sadder moments you feel for Annie for in Particular. The plot flows effortlessly and you are wanting to read more and more.

What a read Carmen! Get me on that plane to Paris now

This book whisked me away to Paris. You could just feel like you were walking the Persian streets, eating the tasty food and soaking in the environment. The twins in the story are both really funny. However ed was not the best character and didn't come out of the story well for me. Annie deserved better.