The Paris Match by Kate Clayborn | Audiobook Review

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"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)

Why Did I Listen To The Paris Match by Kate Clayborn?

The Paris Match by Kate Clayborn appealed to me because it was in quite a different genre from the previous audiobook I listened to (The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook). So, I bounced from litRPG to contemporary romance. I also love trying new to me authors via audio. After listening to this story, I am feeling determined to read more books by Kate Clayborn. I truly appreciated the depth with which these characters were written and how the story came to life for me.

What’s The Story Here?

Kate Clayborn’s The Paris Match follows Layla Bailey who is a physician. Layla is on her way to Paris to attend the destination wedding of her former sister in law. She tells herself and everyone around her that her divorce was amicable. But was it? Anyways, while on the plane, a teenager has a medical issue and Layla is called into action. There is a ruckus and one of the first class passengers speaks up – a gruff man named Griff. Layla thinks this will be the last she sees of him. That is, until she arrives at her destination and learns that the gruff man, Griffon, is the best man. He will stop at nothing to make sure the wedding goes off without a hitch and that Layla doesn’t cause any drama. However, Layla is a mature and calm sort of woman and so she’s not about to cause a ruckus. As the events of the wedding vacation move forward, Griff and Layla interact a lot and it turns out there is a chemistry between them. Layla doesn’t mind his flaws, nor does he hold her childhood issues against her. And so, we also learn about some more trauma and Griff’s history as well. 

How Did I Like The Paris Match by Kate Clayborn?

I really enjoyed The Paris Match. One thing I liked was how Layla won Griff over. He really shifts his perception of her and I enjoyed that. I also enjoyed how layered his character was. He comes off as a confident jerk. However, we learn about his trauma as well as his anxieties. It ended up making me like him more – because he was a layered and complex MMC. He has a bit of a Beast vibe going on and there is definitely a reason for it. I also really liked delving into Layla’s background and why her marriage ended. It made sense and I was glad Clayborn did not take the ending of the book down the route that so many other books with characters similar to Layla go down. There are parts that this does feel a little overlong, however, I chalk that up to my shortened attention span. I liked that the story took its time to develop and went deep with the characters.

How’s The Narration?

I found the audiobook of The Paris Match to be charmingly narrated by Samantha Archuleta. Archuleta does a great job voicing Layla and Griff. The unabridged 14 hours and 19 minutes flew by. The audiobook is clearly narrated with no production issues. I listened to this sped up a little at 1.5x speed. If you’re looking for an interesting contemporary romance, give The Paris Match by Kate Clayborn a try via audio. 

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April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

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