The Paris Match
"The most engrossing love story. A 2026 must-read."—Christina Lauren, New York Times bestselling authors of Love and Other Words
AN INSTANT USA TODAY BESTSELLER ∙ AN AMAZON BEST OF ROMANCE PICK FOR APRIL ∙ A LIBRARY READS HALL OF FAME PICK FOR APRIL ∙ A JULIA QUINN TODAY SHOW RECCOMENDATION FOR 2026 ∙ A TOWN & COUNTRY BEST NEW ROMANCE NOVEL TO READ IN 2026
A woman tests the limits of her so-called amicable divorce when she flies to Paris for the destination wedding of her former sister-in-law, only to butt heads with the deliciously gruff best man, in a poignant and romantic novel from Kate Clayborn.
Physician Layla Bailey has spent over a year telling herself she's moved on from a painful but amicable divorce from her college sweetheart. Staying friends with her ex seemed like the mature thing to do, but when Layla is invited to her former sister-in-law’s destination wedding in Paris—where Layla once spent her own romantic honeymoon—she knows her commitment to maturity might be her worst enemy…especially since her ex isn’t attending alone.
The only thing that could make the week more difficult is getting through it without the distraction of the wedding.... But when what Layla thought was a harmless conversation about the choices of her younger self leads to the bride getting cold feet, Layla finds herself facing down the groom’s mysterious, taciturn best man, Griffin, who will do anything to make sure this wedding happens.
Since she broke it, Griff demands she help him fix it. Going along with his plan to alleviate the engaged couple's doubts seems like Layla’s best chance at maintaining a good relationship with a family she once called her own. But as she learns more about the past heartbreak that’s driving Griff to help his friend, she gets closer and closer to confronting the true depth of her own pain…while finding herself more and more willing to risk it all again for Griff.
“[A] tremendous love story … proof that Clayborn only gets better with every book.” —Kirkus (STARRED)
AN INSTANT USA TODAY BESTSELLER ∙ AN AMAZON BEST OF ROMANCE PICK FOR APRIL ∙ A LIBRARY READS HALL OF FAME PICK FOR APRIL ∙ A JULIA QUINN TODAY SHOW RECCOMENDATION FOR 2026 ∙ A TOWN & COUNTRY BEST NEW ROMANCE NOVEL TO READ IN 2026
A woman tests the limits of her so-called amicable divorce when she flies to Paris for the destination wedding of her former sister-in-law, only to butt heads with the deliciously gruff best man, in a poignant and romantic novel from Kate Clayborn.
Physician Layla Bailey has spent over a year telling herself she's moved on from a painful but amicable divorce from her college sweetheart. Staying friends with her ex seemed like the mature thing to do, but when Layla is invited to her former sister-in-law’s destination wedding in Paris—where Layla once spent her own romantic honeymoon—she knows her commitment to maturity might be her worst enemy…especially since her ex isn’t attending alone.
The only thing that could make the week more difficult is getting through it without the distraction of the wedding.... But when what Layla thought was a harmless conversation about the choices of her younger self leads to the bride getting cold feet, Layla finds herself facing down the groom’s mysterious, taciturn best man, Griffin, who will do anything to make sure this wedding happens.
Since she broke it, Griff demands she help him fix it. Going along with his plan to alleviate the engaged couple's doubts seems like Layla’s best chance at maintaining a good relationship with a family she once called her own. But as she learns more about the past heartbreak that’s driving Griff to help his friend, she gets closer and closer to confronting the true depth of her own pain…while finding herself more and more willing to risk it all again for Griff.
“[A] tremendous love story … proof that Clayborn only gets better with every book.” —Kirkus (STARRED)
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Community Reviews
I wanted to love The Paris Match. I really did. A second-chance-at-life (but not love), destination wedding in Paris, emotionally complicated exes, and a grumpy best man? This is usually where I thrive.
And to be clear, there is a good story in here. Layla navigating the aftermath of her “we’re totally mature about this” divorce while being emotionally ambushed in Paris? Delightful. Toss in Griff, the broody, no-nonsense best man who is absolutely not here for her drama? Even better. The emotional arcs, the introspection, the whole “maybe I haven’t actually processed anything” journey? Solid.
BUT.
The writing style and I? Enemies.
I have never seen so many em dashes in my life. Every paragraph—every conversation—every internal thought—just dash—dash—dash like the characters are all collectively incapable of finishing a sentence. At one point I felt like I was reading a book where every character had the attention span of a goldfish on espresso—mid-sentence revelations—half-formed thoughts—dramatic pauses that lead absolutely nowhere—like no one in this universe has ever successfully completed a single—full—uninterrupted—
I wanted to grab the characters by the shoulders and yell, “Spit it out already! Finish your sentence! We can do hard things!”
It completely pulled me out of what was otherwise a genuinely thoughtful, emotional story. Which is frustrating because the bones of this book are so good. The tension? Great. The character growth? Meaningful. The Paris setting? Très charming.
But the constant stop-and-start rhythm of the writing made it hard for me to stay immersed, and I found myself more focused on punctuation than plot. Never a great sign.
If you vibe with a very stylized, fragmented writing voice, you might absolutely eat this up. If you, like me, prefer your sentences to actually finish what they started… just know what you’re getting into.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for this review copy!
And to be clear, there is a good story in here. Layla navigating the aftermath of her “we’re totally mature about this” divorce while being emotionally ambushed in Paris? Delightful. Toss in Griff, the broody, no-nonsense best man who is absolutely not here for her drama? Even better. The emotional arcs, the introspection, the whole “maybe I haven’t actually processed anything” journey? Solid.
BUT.
The writing style and I? Enemies.
I have never seen so many em dashes in my life. Every paragraph—every conversation—every internal thought—just dash—dash—dash like the characters are all collectively incapable of finishing a sentence. At one point I felt like I was reading a book where every character had the attention span of a goldfish on espresso—mid-sentence revelations—half-formed thoughts—dramatic pauses that lead absolutely nowhere—like no one in this universe has ever successfully completed a single—full—uninterrupted—
I wanted to grab the characters by the shoulders and yell, “Spit it out already! Finish your sentence! We can do hard things!”
It completely pulled me out of what was otherwise a genuinely thoughtful, emotional story. Which is frustrating because the bones of this book are so good. The tension? Great. The character growth? Meaningful. The Paris setting? Très charming.
But the constant stop-and-start rhythm of the writing made it hard for me to stay immersed, and I found myself more focused on punctuation than plot. Never a great sign.
If you vibe with a very stylized, fragmented writing voice, you might absolutely eat this up. If you, like me, prefer your sentences to actually finish what they started… just know what you’re getting into.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for this review copy!
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