Book Review: The Little Bookshop on the Seine, by Rebecca Raisin

Guest review by: Becki Bayley

“Luiz,” I said. “No work today?” It was late, he hadn’t arrived early this morning, which was unusual for him. Luiz brushed a hand through his unruly waves. He looked every ounce the writer – messy too-long hair, a half-dazed expression as though he was only partly here, the rest of him lost in his mind with the characters he’d left back on his laptop.

Did those fictional people miss him? When his front door clicked closed, did they hold hands and jump from the screen? Perching on the keyboard, reading about their own lives, through Luiz’s words? Crazy, kooky Sarah, my friends teased whenever one of these notions spilled from my mouth before I caught myself. But to me, books were alive, the words throbbed and pulsed, as important as a heartbeat, and I bet his books were just as real when they were half-written too.

I love learning about new places through books. This little vacation in Paris was the perfect escape in the middle of my holiday break.

Official synopsis:

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.

Sarah’s afraid her life is too boring, so when her friend Sophie suggests they swap bookstores, she jumps at the chance for some excitement, and possibly the first real risk she’s taken. She’s nervous about leaving her shop, but figures it will just be like running her shop in a more romantic setting.

Shortly after arriving in Paris, she realizes she couldn’t have been more wrong. Sophie’s shop is so busy. There are employees to manage, and spreadsheets and reports to track. She spends some time worried that she’s in over her head, until friendships finally develop with some of the people in her new life. Sarah’s trip has a chance of being everything she dreamed of, as she learns more about herself, life, and her relationships.

Overall I’d give this book 3 out of 5 stars. I liked how Sarah’s sharing of her ideas of the best traditional Christmas are what really help her engage with the other people in and around the bookstore. I was less than thrilled with her romantic relationship with Ridge. I’m undecided if I’d like to find out what happens next with them or not.

{click here to pre-order - The Little Bookshop on the Seine is out on January 7, 2020}

Becki Bayley can be found at SweetlyBSquared.com.