Review: Seven Letters From Paris by Samantha Verant

Title: Seven Letters From Paris
Author: Samantha Verant
Publisher: 3rd November 2014 by Random House Australia 
ISBN: 9780857984647

Pages: 304 pages

How We Read It: eARC

Genre: memoir, non-fiction, travel, relationships, cultural-France
Our Rating: 2.5 cups 

Synopsis:

In the best romantic tradition of ALMOST FRENCH, a woman falls madly in love with a Frenchman in Paris. But it takes her twenty years to find him again …

Samantha’s life is falling apart - she's lost her job, her marriage is on the rocks and she's walking dogs to keep the wolf from the door.

But when she stumbles across seven passionate love letters from the handsome Frenchman she fell head over heels for in Paris when she was 19, she can't help but wonder, what if?

Surely it wouldn’t hurt to try to find explain why she never wrote back. Closure is a good thing, after all.

One very carefully worded, very belated email apology later, it’s clear that sometimes love does give you a second chance.

Jetting off to France to reconnect with a man you knew for just one madly romantic day is crazy - but it’s the kind of crazy Samantha’s been waiting for her whole life.

Truth may be stranger than fiction but sometimes it's better than your wildest dreams.

Our Thoughts:

“Nineteen eighty-nine. Twenty years ago. Paris.  And just like that … we reveled in our past, reliving each moment by glorious moment in a wild romp down memory lane.”

Memoirs often make interesting reading and this one appealed especially so, as the prospect of getting a second chance at love, a second lease on life, would make for an entertaining story. Add to that a window into the lives of two seemingly down-to-earth people, for many it would be a journey, a path they too may have travelled. Although a real connection with the characters is difficult due to the style of writing, it still made for a very easy read.

The memoir is written in an easy going, friendly conversational tone, and true romantics will love how it unfolds. It’s a lovely lighthearted story that will restore your faith in love and life – second chances do exist and it’s never too late to change course and go after your dreams.

“By searching my past, I figured, maybe I could figure out my future …. If there was ever a time to change everything in my life it was now.”

An engaging aspect of this book is the dual genre of both romantic tale and travel book. The detail provided of French locations and cuisine is very appealing for any Francophile and serves as a bit of a ‘virtual vacation’ as you follow along with Sam’s experiences.

As the title of the book suggests, a highlight is the seven initial letters sent from Jean-Luc – definitely French and definitely swoon-worthy! And these letters are cleverly interspersed throughout the book – touching, sweet, and 100% romantic.

“If life was the sum of the choices I’d made, I was just going to have to make better decisions. Starting now.”

Seven Letters from Paris is a light read that will restore your faith and inspire you to:

“Now put this book down and live and love your life to its fullest – without fear, without anger, and without regret.”

Our Rating:

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.