The Paris Wedding: A Novel

Written by Charlotte Nash

Narrated by Candice Miles

In Australian bestselling author Charlotte Nash's U.S. debut, a young woman attends her ex-boyfriend's Paris wedding and discovers more than she ever dreamed in the ultimate city of love.

Imagine you are invited to Paris, the City of Love, to witness the wedding of your first love to a woman you’ve never met. Would you go?

It’s been ages since Rachael West has seen the man she once believed she couldn’t live without. Receiving his wedding invitation was bittersweet—she was oddly touched he’s asked her, but knows that facing him on this day would be the hardest thing she’s ever done.

But her friends and family convince her to attend. After all, it’s an all-expenses-paid trip to Paris! Surely she can get through that one day, and discover all the delights of that magical city the remainder of the time.

So Rachael leaves her small town, setting off for the City of Lights with her best friend, two feuding neighbors, and a suitcase full of home-sewn couture in tow. She’s determined to let Paris work its magic—and it does by way of a handsome photojournalist. And before her adventure is over, Rachael will be faced with yet another choice. But this time, hers isn’t the only happiness at risk . . . .

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Jun 12, 2018
• ISBN: 9780062880291

Charlotte Nash

Charlotte Nash began stealing her mother’s Jilly Cooper novels at the age of thirteen and has been enthusiastic about romance ever since. She started writing after graduating from medical school, and her romantic stories set in amazing places are now published around the world. She lives with her family and chickens in a cozy cottage on the east coast of Australia.

Reviews for The Paris Wedding

[brokenteepee · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Rachael has spent the last ten years caring for her mother on the family farm. After her mother dies she is not sure what she wants to do with her life. Then she receives an invitation to a wedding – but not just any wedding. Her old love Matthew is getting married to the daughter of a very wealthy man and the invitation comes with tickets to Paris as well as a week full of fun in the city. Does she really want to go and see him walk down the aisle? Or will it help her get him out of her system?Rachael invites her best friend to accompany her on the trip and they head to Paris to explore and experience a world they’ve not seen before. Rachael is an exceptionally talented seamstress so she creates a series of stunning dresses to wear to the parties and to the wedding. She is completely unaware of how she appears to the sophisticated crowd. They all think she belongs.Her unassuming manner endears her to a variety of people and they see her true worth and a number of opportunities open up to her but she is lost in her grief and in the past and only wants to go back to the way things were. She refuses to see what could be only what might have been.The premise of the book had me very intrigued ’cause who wouldn’t love to find an envelope with an invitation to a week in Paris in the mail? Paris is a magical city and everyone should see it. As to the characters and their actions – I had some struggles with understanding motivations but I am old. That does not mean I haven’t experienced loss of both a parental and romantic nature. I have always been a forward looking type so the looking back part baffled me. That doesn’t take away from what was an interesting and well written story with some quirky sub plots and lots of hope.

[CB · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

If you looking for some light pg13 romance with adult dialogues This is nice (I’m 29). I have to admit though I would have liked a more detailed or surprising epilogue, but would recommend it. Entertaining.

[kbranfield-837433 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Paris Wedding by Charlotte Nash is an engrossing novel of healing and moving on.

Ten years earlier, Rachael West selflessly changes her plans to go to college after her mother after a devastating medical diagnosis. Little does she realize that this decision will cost her the future she and her high school sweetheart Matthew Grant planned together. Matthew went on to fulfill his dream of becoming a doctor but he broke her heart when he unexpectedly ended their relationship. Despite the passage of time, Rachael is stunned by how hurt she is after receiving an invitation to Matthew's wedding. It is quite clear to Rachael that while her ex has clearly moved on, she is still in love with him.  Deciding the best way to get over Matthew is to watch him exchange vows with his fiancée Bonnie, Rachael and her best friend Sammy Voss are soon off to Paris for the nuptials. Will Rachael finally break free from the bonds that tie her to the past?

Rachael has absolutely no regrets about staying on the family farm to care for her mother, but an overheard conversation makes her feel very inadequate. Paralyzed with indecision about what she wants for her future, she instead focuses on trying to get over Matthew. The all expense paid trip to Paris is undeniably a distraction, but she is definitely still pining over her lost love despite the new opportunities that come her way. Rachael has many stellar qualities but her constant indecision is extremely frustrating. She also has a HUGE blind spot where  Matthew is concerned and this inability to the man he has become leads Rachael down a destructive (and embarrassing) path.

Also in attendance is charming photographer Antonio Ferranti who is photographing the festivities as a favor for Bonnie.  He and Rachael strike up an enjoyable friendship that has the potential to turn to romance.  However, with Rachael confused about what to do with Matthew, will the opportunity for a new beginning slip through her fingers?

The Paris Wedding is a heartwarming albeit exasperating journey of personal discovery for Rachael and her friends. Rachael is a compassionate and caring young woman who is surprised by the uncertainty that plagues her after losing her mom. The story's settings are absolutely  exquisite and Charlotte Nash effortlessly brings both Paris and the Australian Outback vibrantly to life. The novel ends on an uplifting note with a lovely epilogue that is quite delightful.

[reneebooks · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A light beach read that was somewhat enjoyable. I didn't like the immature heroine, her sister, her best friend and her ex-boyfriend but I loved the settings of Australia and Paris. Great descriptions that made me want to visit both places someday. There were some good characters I liked especially Yvette. I thought the plot line was rather improbable but fun to read about an all expense paid trip to Paris. This is not a romance but has a slight romantic element. Everything came together in the epilogue - heroine finally grows up. Take this book along for your next vacation trip, nothing too heavy, with a decent ending.

[cinacio-2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book was a fun, easy, light story and I would recommend it for lovers of chick-lit and maybe even for a beach read. While I love anything based in Paris, I did find the entire premise of the book quite absurd. First off, under no circumstances should an ex be invited to your wedding, especially if it's someone you haven't even talked to in a decade. I also thought that main character Rachael was kind of pathetic and unrelateable pining over a guy who dumped her for ten years and then going to his wedding for "closure."However, if you're ready to suspend all sense of logic and reality, it can be a cute book and I wish there was a story of the sisters' relationship instead of this ex from years past.

[gwnfkt12 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

 A difficult story to get into (warning: it doesn't start off romantically at all), once Rachel arrives in Paris and starts exploring the world outside her small farm in rural Australia everything starts to come together. There's a small town aspect to the story, with the postmistress and town baker (and Elvis fan) being not only neighbors but arch-rivals. Everything comes together in Paris, though, with enough drama and emotion and twists and turns to keep the pages turning. I can't say I was rooting for Rachel the whole time, but by the end, I wanted her to get her happily ever after.

[jlafleur_12 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An enjoyable quick read, perfect for vacation reading. Some interesting characters, including a strong female protagonist populate this novel about chasing your real dreams. It explores the twists and turns that sometimes surprise us as we make our way through life. After all, as John Lennon sang - "Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans." I don't believe a novel about "romance" must necessarily be considered of less literary value. Also, setting a love story in Paris can be trite, but in Ms Nash's capable hands, it is charming.

[godsgirl_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a good book overall. I really enjoyed the descriptions of places she visited in Paris. It reminded me of my trip there. The love story was good. A little predictable but it wasn't a perfect story all wrapped up with a bow like a Hallmark movie. The characters actually seemed real with real issues. I'm going to pass this book on to friends to read. Which is saying a lot for me :)

[jonri-4 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I won this book in an Early Reviewers giveaway.It turned out to be more of a romance novel than I expected.The plot was preposterous, but the places in the novel were well researched. There was also some overly purple prose which at times was laughably bad, but overall it was fairly well-written. In that sense, it reminded me of Emily Giffen's books.So, on balance it was a good beach read.

[msnick_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Paris Wedding was a little too predictable and fluffy for me; it seems to scream "Hallmark Channel Movie!" I can recommend it for some easy-to-read chick lit for the beach. 3 out of 5 stars

[theyodamom · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

4.5 stars I loved the story, loved the mature attitudes of the characters, and the romance was done right. This was a romance book I could believe and be surprised by. I just finished and miss this little world already. I was pleasantly shocked with the maturity this authors characters showed during some really testing moments. I expected the normal behaviors most books seem to have but no these "people" acted like adults. Amazing, yes ? I will be reading more from this author. I won this book from The Library Thing site- thank youRacheal is left behind when her first love moves for school. She stays home on the farm to care for her ailing mother. ten years later her mother dies, she is just starting the recovering period after the funeral when she opens and envelop thinking it's condolences. No, it's a wedding invitation for her first loves wedding in Paris all expenses paid. Shocked hurt and bewildered she still goes in hope of finding closer. She finds a lot of complications, questions and truths. I had the feels all through her adventure, I was mad at her, sad for her, angry at the world for her and finally happy for her. The ending was unexpected and well done.

[nbmars · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Rachel West lives on a farm in a small town in New South Wales, Australia where she spent the last ten years taking care of her mother, who has just died from primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS).When Rachel was 17, she and her boyfriend Matthew promised to love each other forever, but then Matthew went off to college in Sydney and after six months, broke up with Rachel. Although they were only together for a bit over two years, Rachel has been carrying a torch ever since.As the book opens, Rachel is still reeling from the loss of her mother when she receives, along with a few other people in town, an invitation to Matthew’s wedding to a woman named Bonnie Quinn. The invitation includes the offer of an all-expenses-paid trip to the venue in Paris; the father of Matthew’s fiancée is very wealthy. At first Rachel doesn’t want to go, but she thinks it might give her closure and allow her to move on from Matthew. She invites her best friend Samantha (“Sammy”) as her date, and they fly off to Paris. She leaves the wheat farm, now hers, in the capable hands of her sister Tess and her husband Joel.They all stay for a week at the swanky Maison Lutetia, and we follow Rachel and Sammy around as they fall in love with the city. Rachel, to her surprise, also receives a couple of job offers while she is there. She is a seamstress, and everyone is wowed by the dresses she made herself for the wedding week. And one of those impressed is the photographer, Antonio, a dashing photojournalist who is doing this job as a favor to Bonnie.Although this book seemed like it would be a predictable romance, there are definitely surprises in store, with some unpredictable developments. It all could end disastrously, or not. An epilogue seven months later fills us in. Evaluation: This book is not only a romance, but a love letter to Paris, and to pastry! Speaking of pastry, there are some delightful side characters, one of whom runs an Elvis-themed French bakery back in Australia called “Blue Suede Choux.” The book is perfect for a light - but not too light - summer read.

[alandee_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Paris Wedding is a predictable but albeit charming romance novel. Rachael West is a devoted daughter who gave up her future plans to care for her ailing mother. Coming to terms with her mother’s death, she accepts an invitation to her ex boyfriend’s Paris wedding and ventures from her home in Australia to the uncharted waters of the City of Lights. Trying to put her love for her old boyfriend behind her, Rachael searches for courage to follow her dreams, and to find her place in the world. A quick and enjoyable read with very likable characters.

[pdebolt_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I was admittedly at fault for requesting this book. I didn't realize it is a romance, which is not a genre I enjoy. The characters and situation seemed stereotypical, although the Paris setting was very well done. It is a very light beach read; just don't expect the characters to leave a lasting impression. Thank you to LibraryThing and to the publisher for providing this book.

[debnance_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Every now and then, it's nice to read a gentle romance. It's not a huge plot---an Australian woman is invited to her ex-boyfriend's wedding in Paris---but the book is filled with a whole slew of delightful characters and the characters are all attending the week-long wedding festivities of a millionaire's daughter, all-expenses paid and the wedding is in Paris. Who wouldn't want to attend?

[bookscookslooks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Rachael has spent the last ten years caring for her mother on the family farm. After her mother dies she is not sure what she wants to do with her life. Then she receives an invitation to a wedding – but not just any wedding. Her old love Matthew is getting married to the daughter of a very wealthy man and the invitation comes with tickets to Paris as well as a week full of fun in the city. Does she really want to go and see him walk down the aisle? Or will it help her get him out of her system?Rachael invites her best friend to accompany her on the trip and they head to Paris to explore and experience a world they’ve not seen before. Rachael is an exceptionally talented seamstress so she creates a series of stunning dresses to wear to the parties and to the wedding. She is completely unaware of how she appears to the sophisticated crowd. They all think she belongs.Her unassuming manner endears her to a variety of people and they see her true worth and a number of opportunities open up to her but she is lost in her grief and in the past and only wants to go back to the way things were. She refuses to see what could be only what might have been.The premise of the book had me very intrigued ’cause who wouldn’t love to find an envelope with an invitation to a week in Paris in the mail? Paris is a magical city and everyone should see it. As to the characters and their actions – I had some struggles with understanding motivations but I am old. That does not mean I haven’t experienced loss of both a parental and romantic nature. I have always been a forward looking type so the looking back part baffled me. That doesn’t take away from what was an interesting and well written story with some quirky sub plots and lots of hope.

[whitreidtan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

How long would it take you to get over the guy you thought was the love of your life? Would you mourn your relationship for days, months, years? What about a full decade? And if you are still in love with him a decade on despite being dumped for no good reason, would you be able to accept an invitation to this man's wedding to someone else, even if only in hopes of giving yourself closure on your relationship? In Charlotte Nash's new novel, The Paris Wedding, main character Rachael West is faced with just such a decision.Rachael's mother, who suffered from a fast moving and rare kind of MS, has just died when into her mailbox drops an invitation to Rach's ex-boyfriend's wedding. It's in Paris, all expenses paid. But Rachael has never gotten over Matthew and in the wake of her mother's death, a decade during which she gave up her dreams of university and a life and family with Matthew to stay on the family wheat farm and care for her mother, she is even more conscious than ever of all she gave up, sacrificing the husband and children that so many of her contemporaries now have. Initially she doesn't think she can go to the wedding. Seeing Matthew marry Bonnie, a wealthy Sydney socialite and philanthropist, would be too hard. But then she reasons that maybe actually seeing him commit his life to another woman will help her get over him and move on. So she asks her best friend Sammy to be her plus one as she and the other members of their tiny, rural Australian community travel to Paris for an incredible wedding experience.Once in Paris, things get impossibly complicated though. Rachael is horrified to discover that she still has feelings for Matthew. She is also intrigued by the sexy wedding photographer, Antonio. She and Sammy get in a fight that tests their friendship; she meets and likes Matthew's fiance Bonnie; and her talent as a seamstress and designer, something she's always thought of only as a hobby, is recognized and applauded. With so many potential futures suddenly open to her, where will her heart lead her? Is that once yearned for life with Matthew her dream or is her dream something else entirely?Rachael's character initially feels stuck in place. She never regretted staying and caring for her mother but she did make a huge sacrifice to do so. That she hasn't been able to move past her love for Matthew despite not seeing him for a decade is completely believable given the small town and lack of opportunities in it so the reader sympathizes with her feeling of life having passed her by. Although going to Paris is supposed to help her get unstuck, she can't quite let go of that promised life with Matthew even while she's attracted to Antonio. Her waffling between the two men is frustrating because the reader knows for sure early on what the correct choice is. She spends much of the novel wrapped up in her own troubles, without giving a thought to those around her but luckily she's drawn as kind and caring enough that the reader still wants to see her happy and moving forward. Some of the plot threads are fairly predictable (and some seem to be intentionally so), especially those around the secondary characters, but this doesn't detract from the enjoyment of the novel. When Rachael remembers her mother and the things she used to tell her daughter to help her cope with life, her mum offers some lovely, profound, and true sentiments. This is a sweet romance but it's also about facing the future and learning to let go of those who leave you, whether intentionally (a break-up or abandonment) or because they have no choice (death) and it's about figuring out and following a dream no matter how delayed.