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In March, we were up all hours with MarieClaire.com’s #ReadWithMC choice, The Parisian apartment—Lucy Foley’s twisted latest thriller about a woman who leaves her life in London to go to her brother’s Paris apartment and realize something is seriously wrong.
We created #ReadWithMC to foster a community of book lovers (while holding us all accountable for finishing!) — but also to curate authentic reviews and recommendations for women wondering what to dive into next.
The Parisian apartment had a lot of what readers loved about Foley’s other books – unpredictable twists and lively settings. As a reader said so“I’m a huge fan of Lucy Foley – her books always offer excellent entertainment value + wanderlust-worthy settings, and the same goes 1000% for her new novel, The Parisian apartment.”
Here, a sampling of other readers’ thoughts on The Parisian apartment.
“Finally! My favorite author is back with another incredible thriller!
I loved The Hunting Party and The Guest List and so as soon as The Paris Apartment came out I knew I had to buy it and read it straight away. Again, the settings are beautifully depicted, there are enough characters to have multiple storylines, and the twists come out of nowhere. I find Foley’s writing oddly comforting, you know what to expect with the multiple POVs, twists, turns and all at the end of the book.
That said, I think this was my least favorite of the three books. Whether it was because the setting wasn’t as remote or isolated as usual, meaning there were a few more outside characters, or more likely I read this while battling COVID!
For me, reading a book in less than a week, with Covid and work, is unheard of, so it must have been captivating to say the least!”
“I have a fascination with the city of Paris having been able to visit years ago and approach this novel with anticipation. And the premise initially shook me: a creepy apartment building in Montmarte with mysterious inhabitants who all seem to have secrets and Perpetually out of luck, Jess arrives there, the reluctant guest of her journalist brother Ben, to find him missing, no one seems to know where he is and no one seems to want to help him. to find him.
As Jess begins to ask questions and search, it becomes clear that something sinister is going on. Ben’s investigation of a story official put him in danger. Time is running out and Jess must find him before she too finds herself in danger.
This promising premise stems from the plethora of characters introduced and tangential storylines blurring the story’s cohesion. The slow-burn aspect of the thriller works instead of simmering with tension. The plot twists seem seamless and I longed for a resolution that didn’t satisfy.
I have enjoyed this author’s past works, including The Hunting Party and The Guest List. Ultimately, The Paris Apartment failed to connect with me as a reader and fail to excite me.”
-@suzylew_bookreview
“I saw a lot of mixed reviews on this one and while I really liked it at the start (even though it’s a slower burn) the end tried to do too much and lost me .
What I liked :
🇬🇧 Great prologue to hang on to
🇬🇧 Several points of view
🇬🇧 Short chapters
🇬🇧 Cool Paris setting and a gothic apartment complex
🇬🇧 Some good twists/revelations
🇬🇧 Favorite characters: Sophie, Mimi, Concierge
What I did not like :
🇬🇧 A bit too descriptive/verbose and sometimes cliché
🇬🇧 Writing is not my favorite
🇬🇧 Use of French without translation
🇬🇧 A random steamy scene that seemed out of place
🇬🇧 Too much cramming, and sometimes exaggerated, twists/revelations at the end
🇬🇧 Some plot holes / unnecessary plot lines
In the vein of @emilybookedup here is my ranking of Lucy Foley:
🥇 THE GUEST LIST (4.5)
🥈 THE HUNTING PARTY (4.5)
🥉 THE PARISIAN APARTMENT (3.5)
While not my favorite, I’ve definitely seen reviews from people who really liked it. If you’re a fan of his other work or Lisa Jewell, you might like this! A subsidiary of Sony owns the rights to the movie, so maybe that’s where I like the movie more than the book!”
-@readmorewithlaur
“📚 Rating: 4.5/5 stars
📖 Unlucky Jess travels to Paris to stay with her half-brother Ben, only to find that her apartment is empty and there’s a building full of suspects who seem determined to keep her from finding out the truth.
💭 THE PARIS APARTMENT is my favorite thriller of the year so far! The setting was fun, the characters were a good mix of lovable and loathsome, and, again for a Lucy Foley novel, the twists and turns were on point. While I understood some of the revelations a little early, the main twist took me totally by surprise, to the point where I actually stopped reading and flipped a few chapters to try and find the breadcrumb trail that I had missed.
I’ve seen a few reviews calling THE PARIS APARTMENT a slow-burning thriller, but I disagree. I felt there was a lot going on from the first page and enjoyed how Foley’s pacing allowed for several small reveals along the way. of the novel. I thought there were a few forgotten plot threads, which ultimately stopped me giving it five stars, and the book also fell prey to one of my personal pet peeves, scattering sentences in foreign language without always translating them. But, nitpicking aside, I read this one in a day and a half and really enjoyed it…and I’m already counting the days until Foley writes next.”
-@savvyrosereads
“When Jess arrives at her brother Ben’s new flat in Paris, ready to escape her old life in London, he is nowhere to be found. What she discovers in the first hours of her stay tells her that something terrible happened to his brother. But what… and why…
I can see where the mixed reviews are coming from with this one; however, I really appreciate it. There’s just something so unique about Lucy Foley’s writing that I can’t quite put my finger on – a kind of meandering madness mixed with things that jostle in the night, and I love that at every time.
While this one has a completely different vibe to its other thrillers, it shares some of the same stylistic techniques, from short chapters told by different characters, to cliff hanger chapter endings that make you want to keep reading. Plus, his description of this luxurious, overwhelming, dark apartment complex is so detailed that I can see every square inch in my mind. It helped me stay engaged as the action unfolded.
I agree there was a piece towards the middle that looked like it was dragging a bit. However, overall I felt completely immersed in this secluded and creepy Parisian apartment, much like Jess, trying to figure out the whodunnit and what had been done.”
-@marenreads
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