Hello, everyone! I'm super excited to bring you guys my stop on the blog tour for ALONE IN PARIS by Ashley Earley hosted by THE FANTASTIC FLYING BOOK CLUB. I'm so happy I got the chance to read and review this novel and be a part of this blog tour so let's not dilly dally too much.
I was sent an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review as part of this blog tour.
Down below is my full review of this book, the author's links, the link to the rest of the blog tour (which you should really check out), the purcahse links for the book should you fancy buying yourself a copy, and finally, a GIVEAWAY!
NOTE: The giveaway is taking place over on the author's Instagram page which I've linked down below.
______________________________________________________
Rating: PG
Genre: Contemporary
Score: 4.5 stars
Page Count: 310
Stand Alone
Publisher: CreateSpace
Published: April 1st, 2017
Breathe, Taylor.
Taylor Clay's family isn't exactly perfect. They may look the part with the nice, big house and her dad's fancy job, but that's what's tearing them apart. That, and her dad's sudden recurring drinking problem.
Though her family is close to falling apart, she never wished for something like this to happen. She never wished for her father to drive off a bridge. Especially not while they were on vacation; especially not when her and her mom were in the car with him at the time.
Breathe.
She's devastated after the fact. And it isn't helping that the papers are gossiping about how the pristine lawyer could have driven off the bridge on purpose. And just when she thinks nothing could possibly make things worse, she realizes she's left alone with no relatives to care for her.
So she's alone. Her parents are dead. And she's stuck in the country her family was visiting for their vacation. She's alone in Paris.
Just breathe.
Then Nathan walks into the picture. Funny, snarky, persistent, and sometimes, just flat out rude, he annoys Taylor to no end. He won't leave her alone, but Taylor doesn't know whether or not she should push him away.
Taylor Clay's family isn't exactly perfect. They may look the part with the nice, big house and her dad's fancy job, but that's what's tearing them apart. That, and her dad's sudden recurring drinking problem.
Though her family is close to falling apart, she never wished for something like this to happen. She never wished for her father to drive off a bridge. Especially not while they were on vacation; especially not when her and her mom were in the car with him at the time.
Breathe.
She's devastated after the fact. And it isn't helping that the papers are gossiping about how the pristine lawyer could have driven off the bridge on purpose. And just when she thinks nothing could possibly make things worse, she realizes she's left alone with no relatives to care for her.
So she's alone. Her parents are dead. And she's stuck in the country her family was visiting for their vacation. She's alone in Paris.
Just breathe.
Then Nathan walks into the picture. Funny, snarky, persistent, and sometimes, just flat out rude, he annoys Taylor to no end. He won't leave her alone, but Taylor doesn't know whether or not she should push him away.
Review:
PROS:
1. So . . . that cover. If I hadn't known about the author for some time, the cover would've been enough to get me curious about this novel. I've actually known Ashley for a little while now as we've been Instagram buddies for almost a couple of years. I have no idea how I came across her books and writing but I've been meaning to read her other novel The Darkest Light ever since it's release. It's been collecting dust on my tablet (I tend to forget eBooks are a thing) so when the chance came to review Ashley's newest novel, I couldn't turn down the chance. I was SO EXCITED when I got a confirmation for my spot on the tour, I can't even describe it to you all in words. Having finally been able to read something written by her, I promise my review is NOT biased. Just getting that out there. Okay, here's my review: 
2. As I said, that cover. Upon actually reading the book, I was hooked from the very first page. Our main character Taylor is a girl living all alone with no friends, relatives, or anyone at all to care for her and watch over her in the way that a young girl needs to be taken care of. She's lived on her own for a little while and trusts no one with her secrets or in general. She's not sure where she's going, how or when she'll get there, but she's very closed off from people and doesn't interact with anyone if she can help it. Taylor learns throughout the book how to open up to people, learn to trust people again even if it's just one person, and that life wasn't meant to be lived alone drowning in a pain that she can only escape with someone's help. As an aspiring artist, Taylor is a shy, quiet, and observant character which made her very easy to relate to as the story progresses. Not to mention her character development was quite nice and had a good pace.
3. The story was really deep at some points and very fluffy at others but had a good balance of both. There was a constant underlying tone to the book that kept it from being too heavy or too light and for it to be such a quick, short read, I was impressed with the range of emotions and themes we get in its short pages. Trust and grief are two main themes that we see. Taylor isn't sure if she should trust anyone, let alone a stranger who seems to show too much interest in her for her own comfort and is in a constant roller coaster of grief, pain, and even suicidal thoughts as she struggles to move past the pain of losing her parents. Taylor fights a silent war inside herself and as the story pans out, we get to see her thoughts and deepest, darkest fears and worries as she wonders if her life will ever be different from the aching pain she feels every day.
4. The romance was very sweet and had a very nice development, though I would've liked a little more time for the relationship to develop to allow for just a tad bit more angst. This story is also very character driven which I loved. There wasn't much setting to the book or description of the sights, other than a mention of a few places to set the story up in Paris, France, so if you're looking for a quick read that cuts to the chase and doesn't focus too much on setting, I highly suggest this one. It had just enough set up to place the story in Paris and focused mainly on the characters which was a big reason why I enjoyed this book so much. Overall, I really loved reading this one. It was fast, sweet, heartbreaking yet funny and quirky at the same time. A perfect summer read that I think a lot of people would totally enjoy as much as I did.
You Can Purchase The Book Here:
______________________________________________________
About The Author:
Ashley Earley is a 20-year-old author that is working toward her B.A. in English with an emphasis in Creative Writing. When she’s not writing, she’s posting on her blog, reading, obsessing over a book character, or spending time with friends. Her obsession with books started at the age of twelve, before developing into a love for writing at the age of fourteen, when she wrote her first novel.
Her Thriller/Suspense short story, Chasing Hair of Gold, won first place in the 2016 Writer’s Digest Popular Fiction Awards.
Author Links:
______________________________________________________
Follow The Tour!
______________________________________________________
I really like your quote boxes!! So PRETTY! I love a book that can balance the fluffiness and the seriousness. Glad you loved the book and that you got to read a book by someone you've known for so long :)
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds so cool. Plus, any book set in Paris is bound to catch my attention. I love the cover and quotes. I really enjoyed your review ^^
ReplyDeleteMy latest post: Giveaway: An ACOTAR Candle (International)