The Paris Match
by Kate Clayborn
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: April 7, 2026
Reviewed by PJ
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.
PJ's Thoughts:
I've decided that when Kate Clayborn publishes a new book I may as well go ahead and block out the entire release day - and night - because I'm not going to get anything done - and certainly, no sleep - until I turn the final page and am assured of another couple's happy ending.
I found myself completely immersed in The Paris Match from the beginning and, if anything, became even more invested as the story progressed. First, there's the setting. I don't know if Clayborn has wandered through the streets of Paris in real life but it absolutely felt like that's what I was doing as I tagged along with Layla and Griff. Hot chocolate and croissants at charming sidewalk cafes on quiet streets, history-drenched art and statues in museums, high fashion, long walks along tree-lined avenues, soft jazz floating on night air and sparkling lights outlining the Eiffel Tower. It all created an atmosphere of romance and self-reflection which, in Layla's case, was both pleasurable and painfully poignant.
The characters were skillfully depicted with messy relationship ties, complicated back stories, and, in Griffin's case, both physical and emotional wounds at play. I appreciated that the author took the time to slowly build trust between Layla and Griff, leading to a gradual unveiling of the events and decisions that had brought both to this place and time in their lives. Nothing was quick or easy about their journey which made the ultimate outcome all the more satisfying and realistic. I loved the growth of both characters. It was only in discovering their own strengths, acknowledging their weaknesses, and taking long-overdue steps to address them that these two were able to take that step into a solid and lasting relationship. I was right there with them every step of the way.
If you enjoy contemporary stories with charming settings (I mean, come on, we're talking Paris), adversaries-to-lovers romance, awkward (ex) family relationships, humor, heart, and emotionally satisfying happy endings, I highly recommend Kate Clayborn's The Paris Match. I turned the final page at 1:30 am and do not regret one single minute of lost sleep.
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