Did I Really Read A Book Of Short Stories? - Kinda

You may not know this about me.  But I am decidedly NOT a short story reader.  So why did I read Paris for One & Other Stories by JoJo Moyes? The answer is an easy one - because she earned it!  After loving Me Before You (4/4) and loving After You almost as much (3.75/4), I thought it was only fair to read anything that she puts out there.  The question then arises:  Did I like it more than I remembered?  Or did I remember it correctly?  The answer is a little of both.  Let me explain.  There are 9 stories in this book.  8 of them are between 10-14 pages.  The 9th (and the 1st in the book) is 148 pages!  And let me tell you that I absolutely LOVED it.  In fact, on page 72, I broke into a big smile and said:  "I love this story!"  (I'm not sure quotation marks were absolutely necessary.)  It was as good as most romance novels I have read.  And it was long enough that it felt like a whole book.

I will quote the blurb on the inside flap of the book for the 1st story, Paris for One:

Nell is twenty-six and has never even been on a romantic weekend away - to anywhere - before.  Traveling abroad isn't really her thing.  But when Nell's boyfriend fails to show up for their mini-vacation, she has the chance to prove everyone - including herself - wrong.  Alone in Paris, Nell finds a version of herself she never knew existed: independent and intrepid.  Could this turn out to be the most adventurous weekend of her life?

Here's the thing about romances.  In most cases, boy meets girl, boy and girl separate, boy and girl get back together.  I won't tell you what happens in Paris for One (it could be a surprise!...or not).  But the point is that it's not about what happens or how it happens.  It's about what the author makes you feel for the characters.  And how she makes you want the characters to get together and stay together.  That, my friends, is easier said than done.  But JoJo does it beautifully.

The other 8 stories together are still about 50 pages shorter than Paris for One.  Are they entertaining?  They are.  I liked some better than others, which you would expect with a bunch of short stories.  They were all still easily readable.  But this is what I have to say about this book:  BUY IT EVEN IF YOU ONLY READ THE 1ST STORY.  It is that good.