The Little Bookshop on the Seine by Rebecca Raisin ~ a Review

by MK French

Sarah was in a rut in her small town bookshop and with her long-distance relationship with her freelance reporter boyfriend. When her friend Sophie suggested swapping bookshops for a little while, she jumped at the chance to visit Paris for six months. It isn't everything she thought it would be, and it's frustrating to deal with angry and rude customers, staff that don't want to follow her lead, and a culture she doesn't understand. She's determined to get everything in order by Christmas and make it a trip she adores.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

January 2020; HQN; 978-1335050274
audio, ebook, print (288 pages); women's fiction

The Little Bookshop on the Seine is actually the second bookshop story with Sarah and Ridge; the first detailed how they fell in love. I hadn't read that one, but I wasn't missing much other than the backstories of all Sarah's friends in her hometown. I didn't miss anything by starting with this book. Sarah is a believable heroine that feels like someone that every reader would know. She has a steady life that is predictable and bland, so of course, Paris feels like an extraordinary place to be. There is her love of books, architecture, and art, all of which aren't indulged nearly as much as she would love. The shop is bigger and busier than her small town one, so there is a lot for her to catch up with and learn. Her boyfriend Ridge continues to run all over the globe saying how much he loves her, but their communication is sparse and they only get one day together in the City of Lights before he's off chasing another story and leaving her alone and frustrated. My heart went out to Sarah at that point, because she has bent over backward to make everyone else happy and she's the one feeling empty and alone.

The supporting cast in Paris is great flashes of different lives, almost like they're facets of Sarah that could have been if she had fostered them instead of the anxiety. TJ is flamboyant and exuberant, eager to enjoy life. Oceane is sophisticated and always in the know. Beatrice is determined to be who she wants to be. It's difficult for Sarah to change how she deals with employees and the building, and it's only when she gives up trying to impress them that she makes any kind of headway. At that point, the story comes together rather quickly and neatly ties up a number of loose ends. It seems to fall together a little too neatly, but for a romance novel, I understand that. It's been a long three months to get to that point, so it really isn't as fast as it seems at the close of the novel. Otherwise, I really enjoyed how the city seemed like a character of its own, and seeing Sarah grow over the course of the novel.

Buy The Little Bookshop on the Seine at Amazon

Born and raised in New York City, M.K. French started writing stories when very young, dreaming of different worlds and places to visit. She always had an interest in folklore, fairy tales, and the macabre, which has definitely influenced her work. She currently lives in the Midwest with her husband and three young children.

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