The Paris Match by Kate Clayborn
Releasing April 7, 2026
Rating: BEYOND OBSESSED

Oh my goodness The Paris Match absolutely blew me away! Here I was expecting a cute, fun, maybe at times serious, romance. I got an incredibly written, emotional, beautiful, nuanced, raw, yet still-fun masterpiece to add to my list of all-time favorites. It’s getting my first ever “Beyond Obsessed” rating.

People-pleaser doctor Layla is getting though the pain of her allegedly amicable divorce only for her ex-sister-in-law, Emily, to invite her to her wedding in Paris, a city that brings back all the memories and emotions from her ill-fated marriage. She’d always played the part of Emily’s big sister, so off she goes to lend her support and find a way to deal with her ex and his new GF. But a few flippant words (maybe) give Emily some doubts.

Grumpy Griff (with legit reasons for his grumpiness), is the best man and is NOT going to let this wedding fail. In no uncertain terms, he demands Layla fix whatever she broke….but holy moly it quickly goes beyond that.

Layla and Griff find themselves together a LOT in The Paris Match as they try to figure out how to salvage the wedding, but this isn’t some fluffy proximity where they charm each other into love. They see each other so deeply, but also have so many obstacles to confront.

Griff sees the real Layla, with her history, pain, emotions, intelligence, strength, rather than the light and easy version of herself she shows others. And boy does Layla start to really GET Griff and understand him, even if she doesn’t know his whole story. Things he does that draw scorn from others, she sees as his way of protecting her and trying to manage his pain.

Slowly, poignantly, and sometimes messily, they pull each other up and inspire each other to be brave. I could go on forever here, but really, you need to just read it!

The Paris Match is ALL about the characters—if you love character-driven romances that are not just the formula, intimate emotional experiences, self-discovery and character growth, this book is so for you. Just a stunningly beautiful story that I can’t get enough of.

I got an ARC of the e-book—but guess who’s ordering the physical copy the second it’s available? And guess who’s reading the e-book again, maybe right this minute?

A HUGE thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for my advance copy of The Paris Match. All thoughts and opinions are mine.

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