Beyond failed marriages, what internal barriers must characters like George, Julia, and Shelby overcome to pursue authentic love, and what does this suggest about its costs?

Shelby and Melanie are both spurred to action after witnessing strangers act courageously. What does this pattern suggest about the novel’s model for personal transformation?

After researching the history of the Grande Mosquée de Paris during World War II, how does this history contribute to Harmel’s thematic focus on Living Fully in the Face of Mortality?

Compare and contrast Meet Me in Paris with one of Harmel’s other novels, like The Sweetness of Forgetting or The Paris Daughter. What shared elements or themes emerge?

The song, “City of Light,” connects Henry to Celeste, but art also facilitates connections for Piper, Kayla, and Jackson; what are the limits of art’s connective power in the novel?

The novel’s structure was inspired by the film Love Actually (2003). How does Harmel adapt the ensemble romance formula to explore The Pursuit of Authentic Love? What similarities or differences do you see between Harmel’s novel and its cinematic inspiration?

How do the various historical settings, from the Beat Hotel to Le Bar Kléber, shape the personal journeys of the characters who visit them?

What rhetorical devices or literary techniques does Harmel employ to explore The Connective Power of Art? Cite specific examples from the text to support your argument.