Editor’s note: This article contains spoilers for “The Paris Match”
“The Paris Match” by Kate Clayborn follows the story of Layla Bailey as she returns to the City of Love for her ex-sister-in-law, Emily’s, destination wedding, all while grappling with her “amicable” divorce. Reading it has left me counting the days until the end of the school year and wishing I was having a Euro summer of my own.
On a night out with the bride-to-be, Layla unknowingly says something that causes Emily to doubt her upcoming wedding. The next day, Layla wakes up to the mysterious best man, Griffin, demanding that Layla fix this mistake. Griffin insists that the wedding has to happen, for reasons undisclosed, and we learn that there is some kind of weird bond between Griffin and the groom, Michael.
This drama eventually leads to an entire subplot of Layla and Griffin working behind the scenes to keep Emily and Michael together until the wedding, without letting any of their family members or guests know that anything is amiss.
While the story was interesting, it took me a few days to pick “The Paris Match” back up after I first put it down. The pacing in the beginning of the book felt weird, with some parts feeling rushed and others too slow. There were so many extraneous characters that I often forgot who was who. Still, the writing was extremely descriptive, and it was easy to imagine the streets and museums of Paris.
The best books are the ones that you don’t want to put down, and, unfortunately, this one felt like a chore to read. There was too much going on with the addition of another subplot about Griffin’s secretive backstory. Clayborn frequently describes burn marks that cover Griffin’s face and body, and the characters learn that he hasn’t left his house in years and is an alleged billionaire.
Of course, this is a romance book, so another subplot follows the blossoming feelings between Griffin and Layla. It was extremely predictable but also seemed to come out of nowhere. Just by reading the synopsis, I could tell there would be a romance between the two, but in the actual book, their relationship seemed underdeveloped before the characters admitted to liking each other. One second Griffin wouldn’t even speak to Layla, and the next, a lengthy smut scene that didn’t seem to match the rest of the book’s writing style filled the pages.
Then, boom, another subplot. Michael’s parents arrive a few days into the wedding week, and it is obvious that they strongly dislike Griffin, but the reason is unknown to all. Layla eventually discovers that Michael has been hiding a huge secret from Emily.
The middle part of the book lulled and was the hardest section for me to get through. Things begin to pick up near the end, though, when Griffin tells Michael’s secret to Emily and the wedding is canceled. From there, so many things unfold that I have already lost track, and then the story wraps up with a fairly satisfying epilogue.
As a whole, I was not the target audience for “The Paris Match.” I do think there are people that would love this book and enjoy its slow buildup and flowery writing, though. I appreciate the way the author showed Griffin’s life as a burn survivor and how realistically that struggle was depicted. Although this book was not for me, Kate Clayborn is an amazing writer, and I am excited to read more by her.
Check out “The Paris Match” when it’s released April 7.
