Book 38 of 2024: The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

When her estranged mother dies, Stella is left with an unusual inheritance: a one-way plane ticket and a note reading “Go to Paris.” Stella is hardly cut out for adventure; a traumatic childhood has kept her confined to the strict routines of her comfort zone. Nonetheless, Stella resigns herself to honoring her mother’s last wishes. Alone in a foreign city, Stella falls into old habits, living cautiously and frugally. Then she stumbles across a vintage store, where she tries on a fabulous Dior dress. The shopkeeper insists that this dress was meant for Stella and for the first time in her life Stella does something impulsive. She buys the dress—and embarks on an adventure. Her first stop: the iconic brasserie Les Deux Magots, where Stella tastes her first oysters and then meets an octogenarian art collector who decides to take her under his wing. As Jules introduces Stella to a veritable who’s who of the Paris literary, art, and culinary worlds, she begins to understand what it might mean to live a larger life.

Thank you to @netgalley for the ARC! I enjoyed this cute story so much. Was it unrealistic? Of course (hot take: French people are not as nice as they were in this book), but that didn’t make it any less charming or heartwarming. I really loved how Stella was able to come into her own and start enjoying her life as she spent more time and made more friends in Paris. I also really enjoyed Stella‘s quest to find out more about what happened to Victorine and her lost art. And the descriptions of food made my mouth water! My only complaint is that there is a scene of child SA early on in the book that came almost out of no where and was quite upsetting. It played a part in Stella’s development and growth in the book, but it was a bit more graphic than I think was necessary, and I did not see any trigger warnings for it so it completely took me by surprise. I think that could’ve been handled and written about in a better way. Otherwise this was an enjoyable and heartwarming read.