A review by emmiebee
Goodbye, Paris by Anstey Harris

hopeful lighthearted sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I want to address 2 things about my rating and how I answered the diversity question. 1) diversity: there is some queer representation and a Japanese character, but other than these characters the book didn't read as diverse. The two mentioned characters were very small parts of the story. However depending on your personal idea of what diverse means this may check your boxes. 2) I received this book as an ARC as part of a promotion from a local bookstore and it was not at all my usual genre to the point where I started it wondering why I had it, but it won me over in the end. 
It's definitely a slow build and it's further slowed by frequent looks into the past, however, the information given in these flashbacks are instrumental to telling the story, and starting with them just wouldn't have made sense. Its structure is definitely well done in that respect. There's a really beautiful call back at the end that ties the story up so well. I'd hesitate to call this a romance novel, for me it hit more as a midlife coming of age, but you can decide for yourself. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Miscarriage

Minor: Sexual harassment

there is a recounting of a miscarriage if that's going to be too much, I'd pass. It's not graphic, but it could be emotionally overwhelming. There's also mention of attempted sexual harassment, there are certain lines that are said that could be triggering but the character misses what's happening so it doesn't go further than that.