Thirty Days in Paris: The gorgeously escapist, romantic and uplifting new novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author

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Wow, it's not often I want to give 6 stars out of 5 for a book, but this is it. I've read a few Veronica Henry books and enjoyed every one but Thirty Days in Paris, tops them all and feel this will be my book of the year. I didn't want it to end and read this book for hours at a time, needing to know what happens to the main character Juliet and her friends and family next.

This place is massive and you literally could spend days here. I find the Louvre to be crowded and overwhelming. My favorite part about visiting the Louvre is just taking in the grandeur of the building. The sheer size of this place is impressive. Several rooms, like the Apollo Gallery (where the crown jewels are kept), are gorgeous. WINTER: Paris is cold during the winter months, with average high’s ranging from 5 to 7°C (mid-40’s Fahrenheit) and the average low hovering just above freezing. Rainfall is slightly higher than most of the other seasons, with Paris getting about 8 days of rainfall per month in the winter. Skies tend to be overcast on a regular basis. THE LOUVRE: In our Guide to the Louvre, we cover the top things to see, a walking route through the Louvre, plus lots of tips to help you get the most out of your visit and avoid the crowds. However there is the boy that is now a man that she left behind with no explanation , Olivier who you can't help but fall for twice over as you read this book. Her first love , that was snatched cruelly away by two very selfish people , one that had me cursing at him for what he did. I must admit that I will read anything about the city Paris whether it's fiction or factual. I have a love affair with Paris after several visits on holiday. It's a favourite city to visit for me , and reading about it always has me feeling nostalgic for those lovely times.I recommend getting the 4-day pass. If you visit everything I have listed (not including the optional museums on day 3), you will pay €88.50. Even though you don’t use the pass all four days, you still save €18.50. If you visit another museum on the afternoon of day 3, that’s an additional €13 to €14 savings.

The story is just wonderful as Juliet lays to rest the demons of her past. I found Thirty Days in Paris emotionally mature, intelligent and appealing so that Veronica Henry moved me to tears with her ability to convey Juliet’s inner thoughts and feelings so effectively. Despite the fact that Thirty Days in Paris is uplifting and liberating with love at its core, it tugs at the heart strings too with its vibrating, melancholic sense of missed opportunities and what might have been. At the same time, this is a story of hope and encouragement. Forget youth. Forget life beginning at forty. What Veronica Henry shows you is that life begins at whatever point an individual decides and all that is needed is to be a tiny bit brave. I thought this message was outstanding. In my experience, trying to speak the local language opens you up to much more meaningful interactions with people. Even if you are not perfect or you make a mistake, your effort is appreciated. Hours: The palace is closed Mondays; the palace is open at 9 am to 5:30 pm; the gardens and the park are open every day and are free to visit. Paris is the real star of the story. This is the Paris of love stories, full of lovely shops, beautiful art and friendly bar men, a Paris where all of the men are good looking and the women are impossibly well-dressed. It’s probably not very realistic on an every day basis but the book certainly made me want to revisit the city and to try and find some of Juliet’s bars, restaurants and markets. Metro: Rambuteau (line 11), Hotel de Ville (line 1 and 11), Chatelet (line 1, 4, 7, 11, and 14) Visit the Catacombs

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Musée d’Orsay houses the largest collection of Impressionist art in the world.It is here that you can see Monet, Manet, Degas, Cezanne, Renoir, Van Gogh, Gaugin and more. It’s literally a collection of the who’s who in the Impressionist art world. On this itinerary, you can spend all day at Versailles or just spend the morning at Versailles, using the afternoon to visit a few more places in Paris. Juliet finds herself single again after her marriage of twenty five years has come to an amicable end, as she and her husband Stuart no longer want the same things, so she sets off on a journey to rediscover herself, and where better than Paris, the place she fell in love thirty years ago and found the love of her life, Olivier. What will happen during the next thirty days in Paris is entirely up to her and she is ready to tell her story... For the ultimate picnic experience, go shopping on a charming French street and enjoy your meal in Champ de Mars, the large park in front of the Eiffel Tower. Père Lachaise is free to visit but if you want to get more out of the experience, you can take a guided tour. This tour lasts 2 to 3 hours and you can see the final resting places of famous people such as Edith Piaf, Jim Morrison and Chopin.

The authors love for Paris shines in this book, she made me believe I was their experiencing it all with them.FALL: In fall, the weather turns cooler and rain chances increase slightly over the summer months. October is another beautiful month to visit Paris, with cool weather and a hint of fall colors. During her stay Juliet wants to write down the story of her visit when she was an au pair to a young couple and their three children. The story is told as a dual time-line with Juliet’s present day story alternating with the chapters of her book as she writes them. We see how she settles into her new life and meets old friends and we also get the story of how they first met and formed their relationships in that first visit. Yes, the Eiffel Tower is super touristy but a visit to Paris would not be complete without a view from the tower, especially if this is your first time in Paris. I loved meeting Olivier, Natalie and the Beaubois family too. Corrine adds a poignancy to the story that is a catalyst for Juliet’s life but the lightness of touch in Veronica Henry’s writing of this element is just perfect.

The storyline of this book was wonderful, I loved meeting Juliet who was this beautiful strong lady about to embark on her own journey of self discovery. After her 25 year marriage ended she decided to give herself some time to discover who she is now and who she wants to be. She had a couple of moments where she doubted her and Stewart’s decision to separate but deep down she knew they had done the right thing for both of them. She was so excited to be going to Paris for thirty days, a place where she spent time as an Au Pair when she was much younger and where she left the love of her life. How long does a visit last? If you’re fast, it takes 3 to 4 hours to zip through the palace and walk through a portion of the gardens. Some people spend all day here, touring the entire gardens as well as the Estate of Trianon. Ideally, plan on spending at least three days in Paris. This gives you just enough time to visit the highlights, explore a few neighborhoods, and dine at a few restaurants. If you have three days, take a look at our 3 Day Paris Itinerary. Reunited with her friend Nathalie (such a vibrant and likeable character ) that you'd want as a friend , you get to see some of the old Juliet returning with a zest for life and a remembrance of how much she enjoyed the city of Paris , the food , the atmosphere and an idea springs to her that they should write a book alongside the one she's writing for herself during her 30 days stay. Finally, all of the times in the daily schedule are rough estimates, just to give you an idea about timing throughout the day. Your times may differ, based on queues and how much time you decide to spend at each place. I did my best to anticipate waiting times and visiting times, but on very busy days (or very quiet days) these times can differ.

Cost: €19.50 to tour the palace; €28.50 for the palace, gardens, and the Musical Gardens and Musical Fountain Shows To avoid museum fatigue, I didn’t put too many museums in one day. Yes, the art museums in Paris are amazing, but most people can’t handle more than two museums per day. I know I can’t! EUROPEAN ITINERARIES WITH PARIS: If you want to visit Paris plus one to two other European cities, you have several great options. A 10 day trip to London and Paris makes a great trip if it is your first visit to Europe (or if you just want to visit two great cities). With 10 days, you can also visit Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam or London, Amsterdam, and Paris. The Louvre is the world’s largest art museum. This building was once the home to French Kings, including Louis XIV. During the French Revolution in the 18th century, the Louvre was converted to a museum.