‘I adored this book right from the beginning… exchange bookshops with a Parisian friend for six months. Saying yes is a no-brainer – after all, who would turn down a trip to Paris?
Even if it does mean leaving the irresistible boyfriend behind, Sarah’s sure she’s in for the holiday of a lifetime – days spent surrounded by novels in a gorgeous bookshop and the chance to watch the snow fall on the Champs-Élysées.
But will her dream come true or will Sarah realise that a fairytale Christmas in the city of love isn’t quite as rosy in reality…
A deliciously feel-good romance perfect for fans of Debbie Johnson and Julia Williams
Praise for The Little Bookshop on the Seine
‘This novel is a love letter to Paris, and even more so a love letter to books; it is absolutely a must-read book for book lovers.’ – Rather Too Fond of Books
‘I literally could not get enough and I was so sad to finish it. It was a truly captivating, spellbinding tale of taking chances and living life to the full that I am sure will ring true with many readers.’ Compelling Reads
‘I love love love this author, and this book cements the fact that this series is a winner!’ Fiona (Goodreads)
‘I loved every second of The Little Bookshop on the Seine, easy to read, with words oozing charm and good feeling Rachel’s Random Reads
‘a beautifully written novel’ Hilda (Goodreads)
‘A delightful story that’s perfect for reading in your favorite cozy chair. … Such a good book to lose yourself in.’ Janet Robel (Goodreads)
‘It really brought Paris to life … extremely romantic, love is most definitely on the menu’ Elaine (Goodreads)
‘a great escape to Paris and I’m looking forward to the other books in the Little Paris Collection.’ French Village Diaries
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I loved this book because it reminded me of a time in my life that I had the same type of travel/job life experience.
The Little Bookshop on the Seine by Rebecca Raisin is the first book in The Little Paris Collection. Sarah Smith owns The Bookshop on the Corner in Ashford. Her friend, Sophie, owns Once Upon a Time in Paris on the bank of the Seine, contacts Sarah in distress. Her boyfriend has dumped her for the owner of the fromagerie next door and Sophie needs to get away. She suggests they trade places for six months. Sarah is a homebody and introvert who would normally never consider leaving her beloved bookshop. However, she has felt like she is stuck in a rut and agrees to trade places. Sarah has an idealized image of Paris in her mind which quickly vanishes after incurring crowds, long days, rude customers and belligerent employees. Sophie’s bookshop is nothing like Sarah’s quiet and cozy bookstore. Sarah finds the store overwhelming and encounters one problem after another. Another downside is she rarely gets to see or talk to her boyfriend and freelance reporter, Ridge Warner. Can Sarah find a way to turn the situation at the shop around? The Little Bookshop on the Seine is a lighthearted romantic comedy. I could relate to the quiet and timid Sarah who considers the books in the shop her children. She has a special connection with the books and manages to find the right book for each customer. From reading so many books, Sarah has a special view of Paris. Unfortunately, Sarah’s rose colored glasses soon fall away. Paris is a bustling city which Sarah is not used to after sleepy Ashford. Sarah needs to find her inner strength if she to survive her stay in Paris managing Sophie’s bookstore. I enjoyed the transformation of Sarah and the employees. We see what secrets can do to a person and how revealing the truth can be good for the individual as well as those her. Sarah’s happiness at decorating the bookshop for the holidays is contagious. The author’s descriptions brought the city of light alive for me. I thought she really captured the city and its atmosphere. The Bookshop on the Corner is a prequel to The Little Bookshop on the Seine. It tells the story of how Sarah and Ridge met. I suggest you read it first because it provides needed background information. I thought The Little Bookshop on the Seine was an uplifting story. If you like to read feel-good holiday story, then you will be delighted with The Little Bookshop on the Seine.
I think that there are a lot of people who harbor a secret wish to run off to Paris and live in that beautiful city. I know it’s something that I’ve thought about my whole life and even though I have visited, I never had a chance to live there. In the Little Bookshop on the Seine, Sarah gets the chance to fulfill her dream. She agrees to shop bookstores with her French friend for 6 months. She leaves her struggling small town bookshop in Connecticut and moves to Paris to take on a large busy bookshop in Paris. Sarah pictures life in Paris as a real adventure – walking along the quiet avenues, eating a croissant and sitting outdoors at a cafe in between her shifts at the bookstore. What she finds is more work than she can handle at the bookstore – the workers show up when they want to, they refuse to help people find books, and they definitely don’t want to take orders from a quiet and shy America who has no idea how to take charge. At the same time, her boyfriend who is a free lance reporter and travels all over the world to report news stories, is able to spend less time with her than ever and she isn’t sure what will happen to their romance. As Sarah struggles to take charge of the bookstore in Paris with money disappearing and people stealing books with no problem, she learns that she has to open herself up to change and to be a good boss, she has to learn how to be a leader. Will she learn how to be a stronger person and find happiness in Paris?
This was a light fun romance with a happily ever after ending but what made it even more was the Paris setting. The author took the reader down some of the quiet lanes and into the bustle of the city and gave us a view of the magic of Paris. I loved seeing Sarah’s growth and her ability to find happiness and friendship in the city of Love. It was a cute love story with a great main character and Paris – what more do you need from a good romance novel?
This book continues the relationship between Sarah and Ridge. Sara is in Paris and Ridge is traveling as a freelance writer. Their relationship is strained since he hardly calls, text, and doesn’t travels to France like he says he will. Will their relationship survive? Sarah is confronted not only with emotions but also with some employees who don’t like her coming and making changes. Along the way, Sarah experiences life in another culture and falls in love with it. She makes some terrific friends which she will never forget. Will she find her happy ever after?
3.25 stars. The Little Bookshop on the Seine is a sweet story about friendship, pushing beyond comfort zones, and making dreams come true. I had every intention of reading this one over the Christmas holidays, but I wasn’t able to get to it. I also began this book unaware that the characters, Sarah Smith, the owner of a bookshop in a small town in Connecticut, and her beau, Ridge Warner, were introduced in another book by Rebecca Raisin, The Bookshop on the Corner, a book that covered their meeting and romance. I liked Sarah from the beginning. What book lover wouldn’t? She loves her bookshop, her books, her friends, and Ridge. Maybe in that order. But I couldn’t help feeling that I was missing so much about her story having not read the first book. For instance, I didn’t really like Ridge. He seemed schmaltzy and too good to be true, but this story really isn’t about romance and it took me a few chapters to figure that out.
Once Sarah switches bookshops with her Parisian friend, the story takes off. The reader gets to experience Paris for the first time through Sarah’s eyes, and it is just how it should be, beautiful and overwhelming. I enjoyed that things didn’t go smoothly for Sarah and she struggled with the Parisian bookshop, Once Upon a Time, which was very different from her small, quiet bookshop in America. I appreciated that she had to grow, rely on herself, and trust her instincts. Romance is actually not the focus of this book, which was at first confusing, but then refreshing.
While I did enjoy Sarah and her story, there were side characters that were flat and inconsistent. It felt a bit like the book had been rushed and still needed a good editing. But it did make me want to visit Paris immediately. And pick up The Bookshop on the Corner to see if my opinion of Ridge would change. I would recommend this quick read if you’re looking for something light on romance and heavy on the Parisian atmosphere, which makes it a perfect read for the holidays, too.
Thank you to the publisher, Harlequin, for providing me an advance copy through Netgalley.
A sweet story of a stifled, small town girl coming into her own. The side stories were supportive and not distracting. I enjoyed the authentic French descriptions and cultural experiences. I’m looking forward to others by this author. Mild language and suggestive/implied romance scenes, but otherwise, a funny rom-com.
The Little Bookshop on the Seine is an easy-breezy read with the best setting, a Parisian bookshop. It’s a perfect read for anyone who loves Paris and books about books. It has interesting characters, a touch of romance, and a touch of magic. The plot is a little weak, but the setting more than makes up for it. It brought up the best memories of my Parisian visit and made me want to return to the magical city. Read this book when you feel nostalgic for Paris or dream of visiting it.
My Rating:
4.5
Favorite Quotes:
I only ran if chocolate was involved, and even then it was more a fast walk.
What? Just ’cause I’m an old woman that don’t mean I can’t appreciate beauty! My eyesight still works plenty fine!
Missy had a thing about boosting people up, she only saw the good in a person and threw compliments around like confetti.
The closest I’d come to confrontation was when the local book club dissolved into a heated argument, their opinions divided, and someone had to stand in and mediate. But I’d known those ladies my whole life, and all I had to do to calm them down was threaten to take the wine away.
He was my Mr. Right, there was no question about that. It was just a shame he wasn’t Mr. Right Here.
My Review:
I adored this tender story and debated and waffled in how to rate this lovely tale. The writing was easy to follow, highly relatable, and sweetly engaging while gently paced with several slowly evolving yet beguiling storylines and cast with a peculiar hodgepodge of curiously alluring and intriguing characters. I enjoyed the leisurely, humorous, and captivating glimpses of the quirkiness of the authentic Parisian lifestyle and the secret marketing tactics utilized with the locals vs. tourist mentality. My heart seized at every mention of the iconic Notre Dame while I alternated between wistfully remembering my long-ago visit with the rather hideous gargoyles and recalling the more recent and distressing news videos of the beloved structure in flames. While it wasn’t an enrapturing breath-stealing romance or brain itching thriller, the descriptive and engaging prose kept me well entertained with a smile on my face for most of the day. I have finally hit a soft landing and alit on the smooth quality and skillful finesse of the talented wordsmith and a 4.5-stars rating while coveting more of the same.
Sarah and Sophie are good friends and they both own book shops. They just live in separate parts of the world. They decide to do a bookshop exchange. They swap bookstores. Sophie moves to America and Sarah gets her dream. She moves to Paris! However, it is not as much fun as she expected. Sarah’s passport and money get stolen right off the bat. Plus, Sophie’s store is much busier than Sarah’s and Sarah is more stressed and she not having much time to explore.
This story focuses mostly on Sarah. She is the one looking to have a new experience. Sophie is looking to escape an old boyfriend. Sarah really has a time of it. But, oh how I enjoyed her struggles. The shop is in an old building and it has different levels with different rooms. I could just picture it in my mind and boy would I love to explore it.
This story is perfect for a bibliophile! I can just smell the books and feel the energy around this book shop. I wanted so badly to climb into this book and be a part of the scenes. It does slow down some in the middle. But, it is still a great read with the setting of Paris and all the book references. Plus, the characters are perfect.
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
I’m new to author Rebecca Raisin, and I found her story to be sweet and heartwarming. I did not realize that The Little Bookshop on the Seine was a follow-on from a prior book of the author’s (The Bookshop on the Corner), and I had no problem jumping into the storyline.
When Sophie and Sarah trade places, I would have thought that Sophie would leave Sarah with more detailed information about her business, given how tight she held the reins. While Sophie expected Sarah to keep everything the same, she makes many changes at Sarah’s business. Sarah’s business thrives with the changes, and Sophie’s business declines under Sophie’s strict mandates.
Sarah jumps at the chance for this adventure, and she quickly learns that the grass is not greener on the other side, but a different shade of brown. She leaves coddling parents and supportive friends for a vision of romantically exploring Paris after she closes up the bookshop everyday. What she gets is a difficult staff, antiquated business practices, tedious bookkeeping, and a long-distance boyfriend whose phone keeps getting answered by his female coworker while they are traveling on assignment.
Her only respite comes from the mysterious gentleman who spends most days quietly in one of the bookshop’s obscure rooms. When they discover a bundle of old love letters, they set off to discover who the correspondents are and if the two ever realized their dreams of a life together.
I loved Ms. Raisin’s vivid description of Paris and the various secondary characters. I felt that I accompanied Sarah on her journey to bistros, back-alley antique shops, and boulangeries. I adored the Paris bookshop’s staff and the complexity they brought to the story. Sarah’s relationships with each of them creates a richer story, and those relationships make the book more contemporary fiction/women’s literature rather than a romance.
I struggled with the viability of Sarah and Ridge’s relationship throughout the story, and I spent much of the book wishing Sarah would let go of her obsession with Ridge and adventurously take in all that she could of Paris. In the end, author Rebecca Raisin gives her readers a message of friendship, love, and self-confidence. Even though it took entirely too long for timid Sarah to find her way, she eventually comes into her own in Paris, and I finished the story believing that Sarah grew confident enough to tackle anything.
I’ve always thought that there was something a bit magical about bookshops, second-hand in particular, and it is clear that Rebecca Raisin feels the same way. The author’s descriptions of Paris were absolutely stunning and I was left with an enchanted, romantic view of the City of Love. The harried pace really conveyed the unsettled, fish out of water state that Sarah was in while also keeping this reader engaged despite the parts of the story I didn’t care for.
The critiques I have for this read ultimately come down to my preferences for characters as a reader. I didn’t particularly care for any of the characters, main or side, with the exception of Oceane. I wanted to pull Sarah out of the book and shake her a number of times, particularly when it came to her relationship with Ridge. I can’t go on without spoilers, but I will say that the ending was not what I had hoped for.
Ultimately townsfolk, what it comes down to is I don’t think this reader was the intended audience for this book. Rebecca Raisin truly has an enchanting way with descriptions that completely transport the reader but, unfortunately, I didn’t connect with her characters. If you are a fan of gorgeous, descriptive prose and have a hankering to travel to Paris without actually leaving your living room then definitely pick this book up.
*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Tis the season for cheesy Christmas romances but hey I love Hallmark movies so this should be easy. Well it’s a little painful with all of the side stories and with the h herself being well let’s just say easy to walk over. There’s plenty going on and this could have been an amazing read especially with the changes and growth in the h as she went from woe is me to I got this and took control. Either way there’s just too much distracting and taking away from what could have been good and then not enough of the glue to make it work at least for me. The wonderful thing about books is that we all see something different and while this didn’t work for me doesn’t mean it wont work for you.
A lovely read. I fell into the story. The couple, Sarah and Ridge (yes, Ridge, is his name, lol), are working through their long distance relationship. Sarah has some maturing to do. Ridge has to decide his priorities. This is a sweet Christmas story, with many fun characters and a lovely ending. A cup of eggnog and a warm throw, makes this a great holiday relaxing read.
Sweet story that uses Paris to the fullest!