Our Top Paris, France (and Beyond) Based Books We Can't Wait to Read in 2027!
After yet another incredibly enriching year of reads, here we are again, overcome with appreciation that this little book club driven blog just keeps going. We just celebrated our 9 year anniversary - le wow! We still adore sharing Paris (and beyond) through the written word. You can learn more about the Parisian Page Turners Book Club here. Come read with us!
That said, this year's list will be light on World War II reads. We've simply saturated our lists and page turning abilities for the moment and despite the market flood of books on the topic, we're pressing pause to explore some other great reads...
First off, in ongoing memory, the winner of the Leslie Reid Book of the Year Award for our highest rated read of 2026 was The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah.
This year, MANY great reads were introduced in Q4, so we will look forward by looking back just a bit.
Et alors, without further ado, for (later 2026 and) 2027, our most anticipated (non-sponsored) reads are (in order of anticipated publication date):
My Best French Wedding by Amanda Sellet
Ok, another later 2026 publication makes it to the list as it sounds just too delightful to pass over...
Being touted as a gender flipped His Girl Friday, this (and truly, I mean this as a compliment) beachy read takes place in a chateau in the south of France, following the hijinx of Hildy and Walter.
Listen - the catchy tagline says it all...
"Will it be l'amour the merrier or too haute to handle when rival reporters with a tangled history compete to tell the story of the year at a ritzy destination wedding?"
Date Published: August 11, 2026
The Unicorn Hunters by Katherine Arden
Listen, y'all know I am an avid (perhaps overly devoted?) reader of the "A Song of Ice and Fire" series by George RR Martin, so given the chance to entertain both fantasy AND royalty in a book? Oui Please!!
Anne refuses to the be the last duchess of Brittany. "In a desperate gamble to save her throne, a young monarch conceals a secret marriage in the shadows of an enchanted forest - and unknowingly alters the fate of her world in this dazzling novel from the NY Times bestselling author of The Bear and the Nightingale."
'Nuff Said!
Date Published: September 02, 2026
The Lost Perfumes of Paris by Christine Wells
According to the Library Journal, this book is "as impeccably crafted as a Dior gown and as seductive as the scent of Guerlain's Shalimar, this is pure reading bliss." Sounds right up the Parisian Page Turners' alley, if you ask P'Niche!
And I know, I know, we said no more World War II books, but by all technicalities, this happens *after, and honestly, following Élodie Limeaux's journey (alongside the dashing Mardcello, might I add) just seems too much of a good read to pass up.
That said, P'Nicher - what's your scent? I am the (unsposnored) fragrance Rosa Gardenia from Florence's historic Santa Maria Novella.
Date Published: September 08, 2026
The French Illusion by John Grisham
And the 2026 hits keep coming!
Forever on the NY Times Bestseller list, we find John Grisham in the City of Light for the debut of his latest series...
Paul and Chelsea live out their fairy tale wedding before a romantic honeymoon in Paris (as one does) until they are quite suddenly kidnapped from a day trip to the enchanting French countryside.
Eventually several world governments get involved in this, now global, chase and rescue mission - in true Grisham (French) fashion...
Date Published: September 28, 2026
The Paris Files by Eva Jurczyk
This gem will take us on a twsity thriller of a ride through Paris' 11th more residential arrondissment.
In a correspondence type of writing, this book is told entirely through police interviews (by the residents of the lovers' Paris apartment building) and their internal file findings. Think The Correspondent, but if your lover went missing in Paris.
Many of the ARC (advanced reader copies) have reviewers noting that this is a manipulatively slow burn - seems rather perfect for the "spooky season" of October, eh?
Date Published: October 06, 2026
In One Brief Moment - All Eternity by Elif Shafak (Cover Art Not Yet Available)
Spanning Gustave Flaubert's childhood from Paris to Istanbul and beyond, this book tells of Flaubert's writing of Madame Bovary (and her subsequent demise à la arsenic). That said, said, THIS story is told through the eyes of the women (both real and fictitious) that influenced Flaubert's life BEFORE Madame Bovary...
They include his devoted nursemaid, a dancer, and a passionate lover who refuses to be ignored - or forgotten.
Publication Date: January 12, 2027
Belle Haven Finishing School by Adele Myers
Listen, if John Grisham can tie the US and France together in pages, we can too. We're here for the ride and this book looks like an amazing historical fiction tale.
Best selling author Charmaine Wilkerson notes the book as, "an eye opening tale that will pull on your heartstrings. Loosely inspired by a real life cover-up, the fictional story of Birdie and Charlotte examines ambition and ethics, while also exploring the restorative power of loyalty, family, and friendship."
Dark academia in a finishing school setting? Here's my registration to read!
Publication Date: January 19, 2027
An Impossible Woman by Reeta Chakrabarti
Picture it - Paris 1930 - and the first Indian student, young Amrita Sher-Gil, arrives at the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts. She trains in canvas painting and changes history along the way.
A woman of her own mind, she leaves a trail of discarded lovers through Parisian society - all the while panting canvases - and scandals.
Her transition back to her home life in India proves to be a bit more difficult. Based on both truth and tragedy, this story teaches us all to be... impossible women.
Publication Date: April 08, 2027
Grenade by Coco Mellors
This book is getting *tons of buzz for 2027. While I've not yet read anything by this author I am excited to do so...
Zuzu - a filmmaker - arrives in Paris for the glamorous premier of her highly anticipated film, her first. That said, she is also on a clock for a different type of premier - trying to conceive a child.
At the age of 34 (tick tock, I guess?) she is facing time challenges, former flames, Parisian temptations, and the like on her path to motherhood.
What could go wrong, amiright?!
Publication Date: April 27, 2027
The Monet Affair by Duncan Murrell
Claude Monet endeavored to bring light to the canvas - but that does not mean this his own life was not full of darkness and shadows.
Told from the point of view of Blanche, Monet's daughter in law, we will embark on an impressionist journey through the Great War (World War I), loves by both vow and by temptation. We will see a life full of beauty, at the hands of a loss of vision.
This book, where "every masterpiece casts a shadow," is for any Monet lover and shows that all genius must come at a price.
Publication Date: May 11, 2027
The Lost Diary of Joan of Arc by Unknown
In another "cover art not ready" - even the author is not named (but we hear it is Johnny Teague) this will be a telling of the church's true heroine in France.
With so much mystery, it's a good thing we already know where the book will lead - to victory!
Publication Date: May 11, 2027
Now, it goes without saying that we have a few solid honorable mentions previously published...
The Mad Women's Ball by Victoria Mas
This book was mentioned at several book discussions by a friend and a long term Parisian Page Turner (hi Lois!)
This book takes us to Paris 1885 - the Salpêtrière Asylum and the women it contains - cast offs and those not deemed worthy of proper and polite society.
Annually at the Lenten Ball - the Mad Women's Ball - people come to stop and stare, while the women enclosed within the walls seek out a fleeting moment of hope.
Wow - just WOW. Cannot wait to read this before it becomes a film adaptation!
Date Published: September 07, 2021
The Iron King by Maurice Druon
Yes - you saw this here last year and we didn't get to it for timing! I refuse to give up. If George RR Martin says this is the "Original Game of Thrones" (did someone say dragons?!) I am IN...
This is the first installment of a series of seven books, and don't we all love a good series to dig into?
"France became a great nation under Prince Philip the Fair - but it was a greatness achieved at the expense of his people, for his was a reign characterized by violence, the scandalous adulteries of his daughters-in-law, and the triumph of royal authority."
Think tyranny, but make it Templar Knight!
Date Published: March 26, 2013
Needless to say, this is only a sampling of some of the Paris or France based reads we are eager to explore this coming 2027. Again, omitted a great many titles, as they are focused on World War II, a time frame we are ready to pause on for the moment. It's always such a thrill to share these literary journeys with you. We're consistently making strides to our next goal - 10 years and 100 books read and discussed by the Parisian Page Turners - can you even imagine?! I am beyond words and more than grateful...
Are you excited for these reads, P'Nicher? Which will be on the top of your "to read pile?" Sound off in the comments below et à bientôt!
#Paris #Parisian #iLoveParis #parisjetaime #read #reading #book #books #bookworm #reader #BookClub #clubdelecture #ParisianChic #ParisLifestyle #literature #PageTurners
Comments