Jojo Moyes

From provincial Sophie being swept off of her feet in the glamour of belle epoque Paris to Beth's unexpected confrontation with an old lover in a marquee in Britain, this first collection of short stories from internationally bestselling author Jojo Moyes contains ten tales of love, loss, liberation and laughter

Paris for One and Other Stories

Melissa Palmer

Book #44 Read in 2018
Paris for One by Jojo Moyes

This was my first read by this author and I enjoyed it. In the main story, Paris for One, Nell has planned a weekend getaway to Paris for she and her boyfriend Pete. Pete leaves her hanging and says he cannot make it. Nell goes on her own, and ends up meeting a French waiter who is charming. Her independence comes out during this weekend and Nell is a changed woman. The other short stories are decently written. I borrowed this book from the public library.

Liv, a spontaneous twenty-three-year-old graduate and Sophie, a provincial shop girl, both find themselves in Paris and in love. Though living decades apart, Liv and Sophie have a lot in common and they both find that marriage is only the beginning of their love stories . . . Beth didn't expect to see Ben's face when she walked into the marquee for Krista's summer party. Her old lover, the one who never showed at their last meeting. But when she finds out that their split was all a misunderstanding, it's time for her to make a choice . . . Miranda finds a mobile phone and begins texting a stranger pretending to be someone else. Exciting? Yes. Moral? Possibly not. But what if this is the life she's supposed to lead? Chrissie is frantically trying to finish the Christmas shopping, even though she knows that she will get it wrong, however hard she tries. Her husband and his viper-tonged mother are just never satisfied. Chrissie is fed up, but maybe this Christmas is the time to take control . . . In her first collection of short stories, Jojo Moyes explores real life with humour and heart.

Toni Marie McFadden 

** spoiler alert **
           Wow!! Fabian and Nell want ugh such life goals for me anyways. I would’ve read 400 based on them alone!! But it was nice to read some short stories too. Finished this in a day!!

Emelie

Jordan /

Brittany Harper

Listened to this one.  I have decided that I am not the biggest fan of short stories (at least not in an audiobook format).  I started to get into the first story (which was more than half of the book), and then it switched stories, and I could not keep the rest of the book straight.

Becky

I liked some of the short stories more than others in this one but this book did prove to me that I shouldn't disregard Jojo Moyes and that I need to investigate her books beyond Me Before You.

I did find that the title short story is the one I loved the most but that may be partly because that is one of the longest ones. The other I loved was Honeymoon in Paris as that was also a longer story. Maybe it was the setting of Paris for both that and Paris for One which made me love them both, I don't know.

I would recommend this read for any fans of Jojo Moyes, it probably isn't the best if you've read nothing by her before but maybe borrow from the library if you fancy some short and interesting reads. I think I loved the stories which featured relationships best, the others were about people but they just weren't as interesting to read. There wasn't quite enough story to sink my teeth into so I too quickly forgot many as soon as I finished them.

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Giver of Stars, Paris for One and Other Stories is an irresistibly romantic collection filled with humor and heart. “A vicarious jolt of Parisian romance. . . Delightful.” –People Magazine "An old-fashioned, feel-good love story. . . It’s as if Moyes has booked a vacation and is taking us along. To Paris. Amour!” –USA Today “Dreamy escapism, a book you can curl up with and easily finish over a weekend, with or without a glass of wine.” –Miami Herald Nell is twenty-six and has never been to Paris. She's never even been on a romantic weekend away—to anywhere—before. Traveling abroad isn't really her thing. But when Nell's boyfriend fails to show up for their mini-vacation, she has the opportunity to prove everyone—including herself—wrong. Alone in Paris, Nell finds a version of herself she never knew existed: independent and intrepid. Could this turn out to be the most adventurous weekend of her life? Funny, charming, and irresistible, "Paris for One" is quintessential Jojo Moyes—as are the other stories that round out the collection.

Jimena Vázquez Oliver

"Quintessential Jojo Moyes, Paris for One and Other Stories is an irresistibly romantic collection filled with humor and heart. Nell is twenty-six and has never been to Paris. She's never even been on a romantic weekend away--to anywhere--before. Everyone knows traveling abroad isn't really her thing. But when Nell's boyfriend fails to show up for their romantic mini-vacation, she has the opportunity to prove everyone--including herself--wrong. Alone and in Paris, Nell uncovers a version of herself she never knew existed: independent and intrepid. Could this turn out to be the most adventurous weekend of her life?"--

Fiona

None of these stories were particularly great- they were actually all pretty identical to me. I listened to this on audiobook and at one point I found myself sure I was hearing the same story twice, an hour apart, as the characters and plot were that similar. 

I didn't enjoy this and the only reason I even finished is because I was naively hopeful that the next story would be better - especially after that dreadful first one. I enjoyed Me Before You when it was hyped but was wary to pick up other works by Moyes and this book sealed the deal I didn't notice she had written this until I was halfway into it!

Jawahir M

This is my first time writing a review so excuse me for my mediocre first attempt :)

This is not my first Jojo Moyes book so I kind of got accustomed to her types of stories and writing. I love the way in which she mixes humor and romance to be woven into the story without playing down the solid parts. The characters have personality and are relatable. 

For this novel, I fairly enjoyed the first story Paris For One. A total page turner that was light on the heart but still kept you tingling on what will happen next. Paris is an absolute cliche when it comes to romance novels but Moyes adds her own touch that it makes it memorable to the reader. 

The tragedy however comes in the short stories after Paris For One. I've just read through them like reading through a magazine article half interestedly. Perhaps only Holdups I would say lit up some interest within me. But the rest, it's like hearing the complaints of unhappy middle aged woman about their marriages. So 3 stars for Paris for One, but had to take a way two stars for the dull short stories.

Erin 

After having read (and fell in love with) Me Before You, and then having been slightly let down by After You, I still had decent hopes for this collection of short stories. It was entirely unintentional that my first two books of 2018 are short story collections, but the genre is something I haven't really explored before so I went with it. First of all, I picked this up as part of a book club, but I do think I eventually would have gotten around to it based upon how much I loved Me Before You and how much I am continually in love with Paris. Now, a breakdown:

Paris for One: 5 beautiful golden stars. This is more of a novella than a short story, because it has chapters and many characters. I absolutely loved it. The idea that in England one can hop on a train and be in Paris in a few short hours is mind-blowing to me. I absolutely would be jetting off to France every weekend if given the chance. Totally instalovey, but how could it not be? Every character (yes, even the receptionist) was perfect. Well, except maybe Pete.
Between the Tweets: 4.5 stars. I did like this one a lot and definitely didn't see the twist coming. Of course that was before I realised that a twist was in fact coming. I need to do more research on short stories.
Love in the Afternoon: 3.5 stars. Kind of sad and a bit boring, but you can't have them all, can you?
A Bird in the Hand: 4 stars. I think this is the one with the miscommunicated affair. I did like it though.
Crocodile Shoes: 4 stars. If only I believed people cared about shoes that much, but still pretty good.
Holdups: 4 stars. Rather interesting but with an ending I find kind of creepy.
Last Year's Coat: 4.5 stars. I really really liked this one, but that could be simply because I adore a good wool coat (I'm Canadian, okay). 
Thirteen Days With John C.: 3.5 stars. This one was just kind of weird. Why would you meet up with someone you don't know, who doesn't know it's you they've been talking to??
The Christmas List: 4.5 stars. This is an excellent story to end the book on. I thoroughly enjoyed this one, second only to Paris for One.

How many books by an author do you have to read before counting them as one of your favorites? Asking for a friend.

Paris for One and Other Stories

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