It’s the last day of the decade and I can’t believe a new year and decade is already here! I am closing out this year with a fun little romance number here that is set in Paris.
This book wasn’t a hard sell for me. I mean come on…..a bookshop romance set in Paris with a little holiday flair? No brainer right there.
Everything I hoped to get out of this book, I got. I hoped for romance, a happy ending, and a fun trip through Paris—check, check, check. I especially was looking forward to revisiting some of my favorite things about Paris with this one and I totally felt transported and happy while reading it.
Summary
When bookshop owner Sarah Smith is offered the opportunity for a job exchange with her Parisian friend Sophie, saying yes is a no-brainer—after all, what kind of romantic would turn down six months in Paris? Sarah is sure she’s in for the experience of a lifetime—days spent surrounded by literature in a gorgeous bookshop, and the chance to watch the snow fall on the Eiffel Tower. Plus, now she can meet up with her journalist boyfriend, Ridge, when his job takes him around the globe.
But her expectations cool faster than her café au lait soon after she lands in the City of Light—she’s a fish out of water in Paris. The customers are rude, her new coworkers suspicious and her relationship with Ridge has been reduced to a long-distance game of phone tag, leaving Sarah to wonder if he’ll ever put her first over his busy career. As Christmas approaches, Sarah is determined to get the shop—and her life—back in order…and make her dreams of a Parisian happily-ever-after come true. (summary from Goodreads).
Review
This book’s tag line boasts ‘a great big love letter to Paris, charming old bookstores and happily-ever-afters!’ and I would 100% agree with this tag line. It is all those things and surprisingly, it had more as well! This book has a lot of different characters for the main character to interact with and grow from which was fun to see. I especially enjoyed the friendship between Sarah and Beatrice.
But the thing that stands out in this book for me is the lovely Paris descriptions. I felt like I was back there walking the same streets and exploring the city of love and lights but also laughing along with some of the not so special things about Paris. When I visited a few years ago for the second time, I too had trouble with my passport and found the people exceptionally rude and snobbish. So I had to laugh at some of Sarah’s issues with the Parisian people. I thought this made the book all the more realistic and lovable. Paris is so easy to romanticize and sometimes it becomes this idillic place of romance when in reality no one wears deodorant and no one will admit to speaking English so I loved that the author balanced the city and its people with romance and realism.
While at first I wasn’t a fan of the love interest Ridge, by the end I felt invested in their relationship. At first Ridge seems rather self centered and just absent—literally. But as the story goes on, their relationship is tested and they are forced to either grow apart of grow together and I loved watching how that played out through the novel.
This is a wonderfully charming romance specifically aimed at readers and I am completely here for it. It was a quick fun festive read that I was able to finish in a few days (which was pretty good for a 400+ page book!) that left me longing for Paris and more great books! Rebecca Raisin is a new to my author but I am thrilled to see that this is part of a series set in France. I can’t wait to see where the next story goes!
The Lit Bitch 