That
Night in Paris by Sandy Barker
Genre: Contemporary
romance (romcom)
Publication
Date: 15th April 2020
Publisher: One
More Chapter (HarperCollins)
Standalone
Novel
Note
to self: don’t sleep with your flatmate after a curry and two
bottles of wine… especially if he’s secretly in love with you and
wants you to meet his mum.
Cat
Parsons is on the run. She doesn’t do relationships. After ten
years of singlehood even the hint of the ‘L’ word is enough to
get Cat packing her bags and booking herself onto a two-week holiday.
A
European bus tour feels like a stroke of genius to dodge awkward
conversations at home. But little does Cat realise that the first
stop will be Paris, the city of love itself.
Joined
by new friends, Cat has got two weeks, eight countries and a hell of
a lot of wine ahead of her. As they discover hidden treasures and the
camaraderie of life on the road, will Cat find a new way of looking
at love?
Travel
and romance are a perfect combination for me as I settled into this
coach tour themed novel visiting popular tourist spots.
Catherine
"Cat" Parsons had a drunken one night stand with her
flatmate, Alex and now wants to escape. So, Cat books a last-minute
tour with Ventureseek to put some space between them. It's two weeks
away and she hopes by the time she gets back, there's no awkwardness.
Little does she know, this adventure will make her see life and love
from a whole new perspective.
The
author has written a fun novel highlighting the pros and cons of
embarking on a coach tour with strangers. Cat's fellow travellers are
an eclectic bunch and like her have a reason to be on such a trip.
Their antics on the whistle-stop tour of Europe make than her "bus
besties" and while I can relate to some of their mishaps, it
becomes tiresome after a while. So, for me, the saving grace is
Jean-Luc Caron!
The
chance meeting with Frenchman, Jean-Luc is kismet, he's Cat's pen-pal
from when they were teenagers after meeting in Australia when he was
an exchange student. They've had no contact since they were nineteen
years old, but it's clear both still have an affection for one
another. He's the knight in shining armour, but I don't believe Cat
is the right woman for him.
It's
not often I don't "take" to a leading character, but Cat is
one I struggled with. As a thirty-five-year-old woman, I found her
behaviour and language to be very immature. She's certainly not
someone I'd expect to teach high school students. Her reasons for
trying to keep a relationship with Jean-Luc casual after taking their
tentative relationship to a new level are selfish especially when she
realises his feelings still run deep. Thankfully, she sees sense in
the end. I also remember such women like Cat do exist in the real
world because I do know someone like her.
Some
of the tour-stops triggered memories from the times I've visited
them; Paris, Antibes, Florence and Rome. I laughed when the group
each bought a gelato when looking at the Leaning Tower of Pisa
because that's what I did at my then three-year-old's insistence. For
those who haven't travelled to any of the places mentioned, the
author paints inviting welcomes
for your bucket list.
For
me, That Night In Paris is a roller-coaster of a novel with highs and
lows but overall, it's a fun and flirty read with some hilarity
along the way. It's a wonderful distraction and a chance to escape
from the real world in these troubled times.
***arc
generously received courtesy of One More Chapter via NetGalley***
I’m
a writer and traveller with a lengthy bucket list and cheeky sense of
humour, and many of my travel adventures have found their way into my
books. I’m also an avid reader, a film buff, a wine lover, and a
coffee snob, though my writing is mostly fuelled by copious mugs of
strong, milky tea (no sugar).
