Review: Diana Biller’s THE BRIGHTEST STAR IN PARIS.

Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

📖 Q: I’m personally uncertain about the existence of ghosts. If you had the chance to see a ghost (& potentially know they were real) would you take it? (Or have you seen a ghost before)?

Ghosts + Paris + compelling & tragic backstories + a rekindled romance. Diana Biller’s The Brightest Star in Paris is a rich tapestry of a gothic romance broken at times with humor & always very aware of its humanity.

Prima ballerina Amélie St. James has started seeing ghosts…just in time for the arrival of Dr. Benedict Moore, the man she loved & lost 12 years ago.

In those 12 years so much has happened. Now, Amélie feels responsibility for things Benedict isn’t aware of—a state of affairs not alleviated by the ghosts she’s started seeing.

Is there a way for the two of them to be together?

The author tells a sweeping, lush story that shows again what a talented storyteller she is. But I did wish their was more focus on Amélie and Benedict’s relationship, more development of what they have in the present, outside of their current ghostbusting task.

The Brightest Star is a romance that’s heavy on setting, atmosphere, & history—broadly speaking & its personal effects—with a chills-inducing & also arresting ghost story—& a romance that’s steamy & touching (but maybe not immersive). All in all, a great pairing for fall.

4.5 ⭐️. Out today!


CWs: attempt to sexually extort the heroine. Men who take advantage of women, manipulate them, & then discard them. References to death by syphilis and a woman executed for arson. Death & murder.