The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes

Author: Jojo Moyes 
Publication: June 25, 2013
By: A Penguin Special from Pamela Dorman Books & Viking
5 Stars!

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For fans of Jojo Moyes' Me Before You, who can't wait for her new novel The Girl You Left Behind - out in September - here is an irresistible ebook-only prequel novella, Honeymoon in Paris.

At the heart of Jojo Moyes' heartbreaking new novel, The Girl You Left Behind, are two haunting love stories - that of Sophie and Edouard Lefevre in France during the First World War, and, nearly a century later, Liv Halston and her husband David.

Honeymoon in Paris takes place several years before the events to come in The Girl You Left Behind when both couples have just married. Sophie, a provincial girl, is swept up in the glamour of Belle poque Paris but discovers that loving a feted artist like Edouard brings undreamt of complications. Following in Sophie's footsteps a hundred years later, Liv, after a whirlwind romance, finds her Parisian honeymoon is not quite the romantic getaway she had been hoping for...

This enthralling self-contained story will have you falling in love with Liv and Sophie, and with Paris then and now, and it is the perfect appetizer for the The Girl You Left Behind, a spellbinding story of love, devotion and passion in the hardest of times.
 

Author: Jojo Moyes
Publication: August 20, 2013
By: Pamela Dorman Books/Penguin
NOT ENOUGH STARS!/A MUST READ!
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What happened to the girl you left behind?

In 1916 French artist Edouard Lefevre leaves his wife Sophie to fight at the Front. When her town falls into German hands, his portrait of Sophie stirs the heart of the local Kommandant and causes her to risk everything - her family, reputation and life - in the hope of seeing her true love one last time.

Nearly a century later and Sophie's portrait is given to Liv by her young husband shortly before his sudden death. Its beauty speaks of their short life together, but when the painting's dark and passion-torn history is revealed, Liv discovers that the first spark of love she has felt since she lost him is threatened...

In The Girl You Left Behind two young women, separated by a century, are united in their determination to fight for the thing they love most - whatever the cost.

Thank you Pamela Dorman Books/Penguin and Netgalley for these eARC's. 

Anyone who knows me knows I'm rarely at a loss for words but that's exactly how this story, which began in the prequel novella, has left me. Trying to put my thoughts/feelings/emotions into coherent sentences is quite a challenging task especially when the tears just.won't.stop. I read Jojo Moyes' ME BEFORE YOU and loved it, so when this one was recommended to me, I pounced and have come to the conclusion that I will read anything this woman writes! 

Whether you are a fan of historical fiction or not, (I'm generally not) THE GIRL YOU LEFT BEHIND is a heart achingly gorgeous story of unwavering love and incredible sacrifice. It will pull you in, wrap itself around your heartstrings and refuse to let go until you have laughed, cried and hugged the ones you love just a little bit tighter. 

Trust me when I tell you that YOU NEED THIS BOOK IN YOUR LIFE!