Paris for One; A Review

I can’t quite decide if late night book buying is a fantastic idea or a terrible one. In this case, I would have to admit that it was the best idea I’ve ever had. Backstory to my epiphany: I came home from a last night at work and could ‘t sleep, and for some odd reason I was disgusted by every book I had in my library.  Ok, disgusted isn’t the right word I would use but I wasn’t happy or intrigued by any of them. I have a great deal of historical fiction to read but for some reason, I haven’t been wanting to read historical fiction as of late. So when you have a room full of books and nothing to read, what does any book-worm do? Naturally she turns to her fairy God mother for help…Amazon. I decided to dive into my deep, long Book Wish List on my Amazon account to see if anything triggered my wandering eye. I was beginning to lose hope, I was already 5 pages into my Wish List with nothing but depression and annoyance,  until I came upon Paris for One & Other Stories by Jojo Moyes, and imminently added it to my cart and purchased the book. If you aren’t aware who JoJo Moyes is allow me to fill you in. She is the British novelist who brought us the heart breaking novel Me Before You & After You, which is the adult equivalent of The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. In other words, this novel will rip out your heard, stomp on it, then shove it back into your chest, and then you just cry all the water out of your body. First off, I absolutely loved Me Before You, even though it makes me ugly cry, her writing is stunning and captivating. I have been a fan of JoJos for a while now, and I was excited to pick up this little collection of stories from her.

Paris for One is about a young British woman, named  Nell who decides to surprise her boyfriend with a romantic weekend get away to Paris. Nell, although cautious in real life, decides to throw caution to the wind and expand her horizons by going to Paris for the first time. While on the Eurostar, Nell receives a text saying that her boyfriend isn’t coming with her. She is now bound to spend her romantic weekend in the city of love…by herself. Unsure of what to do with herself, Nell decides to stay and take in Paris for all that it is worth. Nell soon discovers the beauty is living spontaneously and discovering who se was meant to be all along. Filled with other short stories like Nell’s, this collection one that every bookworm should add to their collection. Full with stories of every day women looking to overcome their insecurities, and become the women they are meant to be. This collection is ideal for any woman in any stage of life, that can be easily relatable to any reader. I was enthralled with every story and I managed to finish this collection in one night. I couldn’t put it down, and even when my eyes went droopy, I managed to power through to the very last page. I love reading Jojo’s work because she is able to take a difficult topic and make it relatable to any audience. Her writing draws attention to topics on social issues, identity issues, and the insecurities that the women in modern society have to face. It is refreshing to see stories that have been written to motivate and encourage women to live the life they are destined for. Women who take what is theirs, chase after their dreams, and have a life they have always wanted.

I am not a huge fan on short story collections, but there have been a few that have caught and kept my attention with every page, and Paris for One & Other stories is no exception. This late night discovery was a treat to pick up and helped me to get my reading mojo working once more. When you read so much, it is often times you get into a funk, but luckily Jojo is always a treat to refresh any reader palette. I have gone ahead and ordered two more of her books because, let’s be honest, I am a little obsessed now. Jojo, consider me a loyal fan and I will happily read any book you publish to the world.

Happy Reading!