A Year Like No Other

by Pauline Lawless

Four women arrive in Paris to spend a year there. Each has different expectations, fears and dreams of what this year will bring. Ashling is thrilled when her banker husband is asked to relocate to Paris to work on a financial project which is all very hush-hush. She has always loved France and feels she will be living a dream come true. New Yorker Taylor has no choice but to join her husband when he too is posted there. A spoilt, prescription-drug addict, the only thing that makes the move bearable for her is all that designer shopping on Rue St Honoré. Felicity is devastated at the thought of leaving London when her husband is chosen to work on the project. Nervous and uptight, how can she face a whole new world? Jazz is a beauty. She is also clever and ambitious but her biological clock is ticking loudly. Then in Paris she meets the man she once loved and lost. He’s married but surely this is her last chance of happiness. Yet Paris manages to surprise them all . . .

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, Amazon, France

368 pages, Paperback

First published June 27, 2011

Reviews

[Karen Gunning · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read some other reviews & it seems I'm in the vast minority but I really didn't enjoy this book at all. To me, it felt obvious that the author was Irish as most other characters of different nationalities were awful clichés. Aisling was the only likeable character. Some darker topics are touched on in the book but they are dealt with in such a blasé manner. They lend no depth to the story & it really grated on me. Also, the repetition in the writing! I don't know how it wasn't caught in editing.

Now that I've got all that out, I read another review that summed it up pretty succinctly - "ugh".

[ꕥ Ange_Lives_To_Read ꕥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't have too much to say about this one. It was silly, soapy and fun...the Real Housewives of [Every Major International City] Spend a Year in Paris.

I probably won't remember a thing about it in a week (checking a back a few weeks later - I was right!) but it was an enjoyable, escapist read and a sort of love-letter to Paris.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an easy read, one I picked up for my fluff read and that's what it was, fluff. The characters, being from different countries, were all stereotypically represented except for the Irish family. I can assure you not all Americans are so boorish, rude and out for rich men to take care of them. If you want to read for fluff, this is an ok read. If you want substance, I'd pass.

[Kellie Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to love this book, but I want to hate it too.

Following the lives of 5 women over the course of one year is interesting, but tiresome. The book itself is not long but I felt myself getting older reading it 👵

I loved 4 of the 5 women - the ones who chose to embrace change and each other. It was a good story about women supporting women to get through life's challenges.

[Chiara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Admittedly, I was expecting something else entirely, however, my misplaced expectations are just one of the reasons why I didn’t like this book.
It could have been a simple - albeit predictable - story full of good people and good feelings, but it came with an obsession for women’s weight and figure that I found quite disturbing. Remarks like “she would have been beautiful, if only she lost a stone/got an expensive haircut/bought a fancy dress” are all over the book. All the characters are extremely well-off, some of them are outright rich, they can afford everything they want, and when one of them gets caught for embezzling his bank’s funds, they are all sympathetic because “it could happen to any of us”, and the prime minister finds the man a job as one of his stuff as soon as he gets out of prison. What was the author thinking?

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun and quick read in a lovely setting. Who wouldn't want a year in Paris while your husband is working on a special project for the banking world? There were a variety of different nationalities and personality types, most of whom were appealing in their own way (give-or-take the woman who was an alcoholic pill popper who then found cocaine...). I wasn't crazy about the open marriage story (surely not all French people think affairs are no big deal), but that resolved eventually. And I loved the idea of taking cooking classes, writing novels in the cafe that Hemingway and friends frequented, and putting your kids in a French Montessori school. And of course, it had a nice happy ending.

[Nancy Wilkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun year of unexpected growth and change for actually not just four women but for their husbands/partners as well. A bit confusing at the start trying to keep track of who's who, but after getting past that the story rolls right along. And... The book also actually ends!!! That's unusual today with all the sequels and series. This book acted like a real book should and tied up all the loose ends and then finished! How novel! (Sorry... Couldn't resist!) The women are full bodied characters and the men just slightly less so, as they are not the main focus, but full enough to see the evolution of their characters as well. A nice read set in a great venue. Who wouldn't want this incredible experience?!!

[Hanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

A moralizing tale

I found the writing mediocre and the story a cautionary tale about the problems of making wrong moral choices. But what the author considers moral is nowhere near traditional and still questionable to many readers. A disappointment..

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! Thoroughly enjoyed the setting in Paris. Having couples from various countries put me in their life as well. Great fun read.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now I want to learn French and visit Paris, with or without my husband. (wink, wink..)
I really enjoyed how Miss Lawless detailed each character within the storyline. I felt like I was right there among them in Paris! I hope she continues with them returning for a reunion to find out how each and every one of them continued with their success back in their own countries.
(I'm keeping my fingers crossed.)

[Sabrina Sellers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wish I had unlimited money and a rich husband so I could spend a year in Paris blowing money, eating pastries, and dining at expensive restaurants. Alas, these people and I come from VASTLY different worlds. That being said, this was a nice ‘fluff’ read that entertained me in their fantasy world. I had a hard time getting invested in any of these characters, even the alcoholic, drug-addicted American who was rapidly headed for an overdose (interesting that she was the only American woman in the bunch and a real bitch, I guess all us Americans are self-entitled drug addicts who are rude and boorish). But I guess that’s what fluff is. It was not a bad book, nice easy little read and I’m a sucker for a happy ending so there you go. It was worth an afternoon and I will even check out some of the author’s other books.

[Granny Swithins · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hell no. I'm less than 20% in and I'm abandoning it already. Dreadful stereotyping of characters; we have a "snooty bitch" of a posh Englishwoman, a "snooty bitch" of a posh American woman, an enigmatic European woman who is as convincingly European as Nigel Farage, and the lovely, charming Irish woman. Lawless is displaying nothing but contempt for two of her leads, who are both the same stereotype, which leaves them feeling very unrealistic and underdeveloped. Perhaps she'd get away with having one character of the "can't be too rich, can't be too thin" type, but having two leads like this who are both shown nothing but disdain is starting to feel misogynistic. Plus, they all sound the same, even characters who are supposed to be French or German merely sound English (or Irish, I guess - what are the chances of a French woman knowing "colleen" as a word?!) Perhaps we're later shown more understanding about these characters, but I'm not prepared to wait that long, the writing is just annoying me.

A book like this needs to be funny or charming, but this is neither. I was looking forward to being charmed by a year spent in Paris, but instead I'm giving up.

[Paris05 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the this. It’s a quick undemanding read that sometimes you just need. Having said that I loved it. A regular visitor to Paris I’m missing it so much I was hooked straight in. Unlike other reviewers I liked the way the characters unfolded and that not all were likeable. Sometimes there were obvious clues to what was going to happen that would have been better avoided. No spoilers but an example would be Yves visit to Jazz’s apartment - it was obvious what would happen a few weeks later! Perhaps a little more research was needed to make it more authentic such as finding a cafe, probably off the tourist drag where writers really go, describing those would really add depth. However I thoroughly enjoyed it, I escaped to Paris for a few hours, liked the storyline, liked the ease of language used. Thoroughly enjoy reading this.

[Heather Menefee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect fast-food read

I usually like crime and mystery books, but I will stray every once and a while and read a chick lit for a break from murders. This was an easy read and gave me all the feels. The characters were ones you could relate to and most likely have people in your life that reminds you of them. Even those it has the "happy ending" I still really enjoyed it. I'll definitely recommend to my friends.

[Ruth Deegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Wonderful Read

Ms Lawless writes fabulous characters, that draw you in and make you want to get to know them better. Her male characters have depth too! Although we get our happy ending, there are twists song the way to keep your interest... Having read this for fee, I intend to buy her other books. I hate being told I will like something, but if you enjoy Kathy Kelly, you will probably enjoy this too.

[Dorissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly loved this book. I wasn't sure at first, but I found that the story and the characters were easy to follow and understand.

This is the story of 4 women from all over the world, who move to Paris for job opportunities. Along the way they forge some amazing friendships.

One thing that I really appreciated about this book is that the author fully wrapped up each storyline and didn't leave any questions about what happened to each character.

[Debbie Duncalf · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Year Like No Other brings us the story of a set of couples that locate to Paris for 12 months due to their husbands working there on a special banking issue. We get to meet these couples and live their lives with them as the ups and downs of life strike at them. A truest beautiful well written book to read.

[Stacy Espinoza · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a lot going on in this book. If you don’t enjoy jumping from person to person to get the story told, I don’t think you’d enjoy this book.
The author really does a splendid job of going through a year in these peoples lives. A bit unrealistic on how they spend money (or maybe wishful thinking) but I enjoyed most of the many characters and enjoyed it through to the end.

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Decent beginning to the book, good character development. Halfway through, things got weird and it seemed like conclusions to character issues were thrown together rather than developed naturally. One of the characters has a really weird plot twist that seemingly comes out of nowhere about 3/4 of the way through. Not my favorite read and wont be reading any more by this author.

[Sharon Hughson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn’t Draw Me In

The premise sounded great, but as soon as I started reading the omniscient POV for a women’s fiction story, I should have know better.
But I really liked Sophie (whose story petered out too soon) and Ashling and wanted to see how things went for them. Mostly it was predictable and not engaging, so I guess I didn’t find a new author to read.

[Sandra Kent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love and friendship in Paris

This book reminded me several times of Three Coins In A Fountain except with married business professionals. I enjoyed the premise. The addition of the sex scenes I definitely could have lived without. I also felt a lack of details and descriptors. The characters were written well and the dialogue was very good.

[Maria Perno Goldie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A warmhearted novel

While light and somewhat predictable, this was a fun book to read. It dealt with real life issues and friendships. The characters were mostly likable and it has a happy ending. It does delve into some serious issues, like alcohol and drug addiction, infidelity, lack of self confidence.

[Pat Christie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ebook

A group of bankers are chosen to go to Paris on a special assignment. Each family moves to Paris for a year and what a year it becomes. Divorce, affairs, breakups and now babies.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting year

3.5. This book was interesting in the fact that it follows 5 families quite in depth (the good, the bad, and the ugly). So much truly does happen in a year...for good and for bad. It’s your choice how to live that year.

[Irene Erickson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good characters, slow reading

I loved the characters and the idea of the book but somehow felt like I was reading this author’s first book. Parts were almost boring and slow but then she had conversations that went well.

[anne stafford · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good read!
The story takes place in Paris (a city l love), what better setting?!
Follow the lives of a group of international woman, with completely different backgrounds and see how they become close friends.
I can only recommend this book.

[Marilyn Gonzales · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Read

Nice story line. Women from different countries and backgrounds move to Paris for a year. Although, they don't have much in common , they bond and their is personal growth for them.

[Bhavini Ranson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read

A really good storyline with amazing characters. I enjoyed this book a lot and wag gripped from the first page to the last.
I have read other books by this author and would strongly recommend them

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was just what I expected from a book like that. Light, fluff entertainment. Sure, there are some serious topics mentioned, but that's never the main focus. Bit repetitive, weird time jumps and in parts too much cliche, but a quick and entertaining read nonetheless.

[Nic · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great literature this is not. It is an easy quick read, and I did enjoy the characters enough to want to find out how their stories play out.
Go in expecting a light read and you probably won’t be disappointed.