This book was not my cup of tea, there was nothing bad about it, it simply was not for me and I should have stopped reading it. But I didn’t and here goes.

I really think my disappointment in the book was because it felt way too much like a lesser version of Eat, Pray, Love. Written in the context of a 29 year old on a quest to three countries to rekindle old flames and to find herself, Paris is Always a Good Idea fell short in comparison. It is not the author’s fault that I am decades older than her protagonist and found myself rolling my eyes at her inexperience and naiveté, or that I happened to have read EPL in the past two months, or that I finished the book when I probably should have just stopped reading.

This all being said, none of the above is why the 4, not 5 stars. The book was very well written but was far too predictable, at every turn. I found myself making a game out of the predictability, which took me out of the moment. Ms. McKinlay wrote a very good book, and I am sure the younger crowd resonated with it - I think I saw where a movie is coming out about the book; far be it for me to say it was anything other than five stars. ( )

With her father's plan to marry a woman he's only known for two weeks, Chelsea Martin decides to go back to Europe and find the three men she fell in love with the year before the death of her mother in hopes of reclaiming her ability to be happy. At the same time, Chelsea, the lead negotiator for the American Cancer Coalition, is trying to secure the deal of a lifetime that will net a huge donation. However, Chelsea's rival in her organization, Jason Knightley, uses her absence from the company to secure the account for himself, or so she thinks, until she discovers that he may have entirely different motives for his actions.

Paris is Always s Good Idea has some elements of a rom-com but is a far heavier novel than it appears to be. Many issues are explored including grief, loss, and acceptance. Cancer and it's devastating effects are at the center of the story, precipitating all decisions and motivations of the characters. While the plot is full of emotion, there are many humorous moments that somewhat lighten the mood. However, Chelsea's journey to find herself makes her frustrating at times, but her story arc is very satisfying by the conclusion. Overall, Paris is Always a Good Idea takes the reader on an emotional roller coaster that is well worth the read. ( )

Chelsea Martin is blindsided and less than supportive when her widowed father announces he's getting remarried. When her sister and Dad suggest that her opposition to the idea is a result of her refusing to feel love for anyone in the seven years since her mother's death, it sends Chelsea on a path to retracing her gap year travels and reconnecting with the three men with whom she fell in love. Chelsea wants to try and rediscover the woman she was who was happy and could fall in love so easily. But finding love with someone might just be with the person she least expected.

A cute contemporary romance that involves some world travel, some swoony moments, and an enemies to lovers plot. McKinlay does a great job of describing all of the locations Chelsea visits and also deals solidly with the ramifications of grief and the massive influence it's had on Chelsea's life. While the final conflict is a little over the top, it's resolved very quickly. Ultimately a fun romance that might awaken your wanderlust. ( )

Die 29-jährige Chelsea ist Single und erfolgreich in ihrem Job. Doch glücklich ist sie nicht, denn etwas fehlt in ihrem Leben. Aber das wird ihr erst bewusst, als der Vater ihr mitteilt, dass er wieder heiraten möchte. Seit dem Tod ihrer Mutter vor Jahren hat sie ihr Privatleben vernachlässigt. Das letzte Mal war sie auf einer Europareise wirklich glücklich, denn dort hat sie das Leben ausgekostet. Nun will sie in Europa ihr Glück wiederfinden und macht sich auf den Weg.
Die Geschichte ist aus Chelseas Sicht erzählt. Daher konnte ich ihre Gefühle hautnah miterleben. Trotzdem bin ich mir ihr nicht ganz warm geworden. Ihre Handlungsweise war mir manchmal zu fremd. Wer macht sich schon nach Jahren auf, um die unterschiedlichen Liebhaber aufzusuchen? Auch die Beziehung zu Jason, dem verhassten Kollegen, konnte ich nicht so nachvollziehen.
Das Ende der Geschichte ist ziemlich vorhersehbar. Auch wenn es ein paar dramatische Momente gab, so hat mich der Verlauf der Story nicht überrascht. Kann man lesen, muss es aber nicht. ( )

Chelsea is focused, driven, and has little time for fun. When her dad announces that he is getting remarried, she won't accept that he is moving on. Her dad, and then her sister, told her that she stopped letting love into her life, and stopped having fun, when her mom died.

What I loved about her character is that when Dad pointed this out, she actually took a step back, did some deep soul-searching - and decided to find the carefree girl on a gap year until called home because her mom was very ill. That jump gives us a bit of foresight into the girl she was - and how she'll tackle her crazy plan to revisit the three great loves she met and left in that gap year.

But that means leaving her job behind and in the hands of Jason, her co-worker and arch-nemesis. He's everything she's not - where she's tightly buttoned, detailed-oriented spreadsheet driven, and acts after careful thought, he's a fly by the seat of his pants, big idea (and let someone else worry the details), wild and flashy idea kind of guy. And they are totally oil and water. Yup, this is an enemy to lovers story.

Chelsea's adventures in Ireland, Paris, and Italy are fun and offered some laugh out loud moments. I equally enjoyed the real emotional connection that develops between Chelsea and Jason. Can we ever go back to who we were, or can we at least reclaim a bit of who we were in the past? It's a great question, and I really enjoyed following along as Chelsea finds the answer to them. ( )