Book Review: Paris for One by Jojo Moyes
- Paola Santana
- May 6
- 3 min read
Updated: May 31
As far as I go, novellas (short books) are notoriously hard to write. That’s because their length requires believable characters and plot, but the word count makes it hard to deliver that without compromising on something. Pace and detail are normally the first ones to be thrown overboard, not that you would know that reading Jojo Moyes’ Paris for One. No doubt, one of the many reasons why this woman is one of the queens of Romance, with millions of her books translated and sold worldwide.
BOOK SPECS:
Number of pages: 106
Format: Paperback
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Novellas, Multicultural Romance
Tropes: Self-discovery, Fallen in Love with the Wrong Person, Holiday Romance
SHORT REVIEW:
The writing is smooth, the plot nicely paced, and the characters believable and charming. I could quite happily read a full-length novel about Fabien and Nell. If you fancy a quick read and you love romance, or if you’re trying to get into the genre, this is definitely the one for you. Detailed review below.
HEART RATE:
SMUT SCORE:
FULL REVIEW:
Plot
Nell and her boyfriend were supposed to go on a romantic holiday to Paris. Unfortunately, he’s not the reliable type and stands her up, leaving her stranded and alone in the City of Love. Awful as it might sound, the trip becomes a catalyst for Nell, forcing her to confront the truth about her relationship, find herself, and run into a cute Frenchman called Fabien.
Setting it over a weekend trip is no doubt a stroke of genius. Most of the novellas I have read tried to deal with characters in their natural habitats – going through events and dealing with people that by design would lend the story to a longer ilk. But the very nature of a weekend away means the story will be short, after all, there is only so much you can fit into 48 hours. And that means that when the end comes, it’s not abrupt or surprising, which is one of the downfalls of novellas for me.
I also love how Fabien and Nell meet right at the beginning of the book, but neither you nor them realize that’s the Meet Cute until later.
Characters
Moyes manages to get a lot of character development packed into 106 pages. As you read on, you realise that Nell is the one that booked the trip, and that her boyfriend had always very much been on camp uncommitted. You also learn what drives her to put up with his uncaring, borderline cruel, behaviour.
Fabien, the Frenchman she meets during her weekend away, is in a similar situation. His ex was incredibly unkind and hypercritical of him, but he just can’t get over her. And so Nell and Fabien meet each other at a crossroads, where they can live in their past, or help each other see things clearly, drop the dead weight, and move forward.
Their romance (and the novella) is left wide open to the possibilities, but it does what both the main characters desperately needed – gives them a glimpse of how different life can be if they decide not to settle for the negative narratives of people that are simply unkind.
Smut & Romance Score
Although there is smut in this book, because of how short it is, Moyes doesn't elaborate too much on the scene. Nonetheless, it's still present but in a very romantic way.
Writing
It has been a while since I read a romance novel in third-person point of view. So this was an interesting change. Having said that, Jojo’s writing is so smooth, you can't fault it. She is very much the queen of romance.
OUT OF CURIOSITY:
Paris for One is part of the 2024 Quick Reads collection – a series of novellas developed by The Reading Agency and designed for those who are trying to get into reading (or develop a book addiction, as it’s my case). They are usually shorter than 120 pages, super fun to read, and written by some serious heavy-weight writers. I have read and reviewed a few of them over the years, and you can read my reviews here.
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