The Little Bookshop on the Seine by Rebecca Raisin is the first book in her new The Little Paris Collection series. Sarah Smith, our heroine, lives in the small town of Ashford and owns her own bookstore (The Little Bookshop on the Corner). Sarah loves her life, especially being surrounded by her favorite thing…books. She has some great friends, and a boyfriend (Ridge), who is constantly away traveling on news stories across the globe. When Sarah’s friend in Paris (Sophie), who also owns a book store, calls her to plead for help, her life will change. Seems Sophie is trying to recover from a failed romance, and is desperate to get away from Paris, and offers Sarah a 6-month exchange; Sophie comes to Ashford to run her bookstore, and Sarah goes to Paris to run the Once Upon a Time bookshop. With an opportunity to get to see Paris, Sarah agrees to the exchange; and feels this will also give her a chance to see Ridge a lot more, as he is usually on assignments in Europe.

When Sarah arrives at the book store in Paris, she is immediately caught by surprise at the size of the shop, which was constantly busy, but the worse part is the staff is unfriendly and disorganized, many of them picking their own hours, leaving Sarah to try do everything, with little or no time for her to enjoy some of Paris. She is also buried with paperwork, and discovers someone on the staff is stealing money. Sarah is also unhappy that Ridge continues to be busy, not visiting her or even calling; making Sarah unsure of where their relationship was going.

What follows is watching Sarah learn to stand up to her staff, eventually earning the respect and friendship with a few of the staff, with them taking turns to take Sarah to see the many sights and delights of Paris. Those were fun and interesting trips that I did enjoy. It was great to see Sarah’s growth over time, as she slowly turned things around in the shop, changing many things along the way, as well as beginning to enjoy her new friendships, and the sights of Paris. I also liked how Sarah was able to discover who was stealing, and find a way to help the culprit, who was in dire need. Nice addition to this story.

The Little Bookshop on the Seine was a charming, delightful and heartwarming story that allowed us to not only learn all about Paris, but also seeing the wonderful friendships in both Ashford and Paris, as well as a nice romance that has a happy ending. I suggest you read The Little Bookshop on the Seine, which was very well written by Rebecca Raisin.

I enjoyed this book. I enjoyed seeing Sarah step out of her comfort zone. However, I never really felt connected to Sarah. I didn't understand her ability to just up and leave nor did I understand her relationship with her boyfriend. I think because of that disconnect I never really got into the book.

Rebecca Raisin writes another charming love story this time set in Paris. When Sarah, who owns a book store is offered a chance to switch places with a friend who also owns a bookstore, she jumps at the chance. Thus starts her life-long hope of seeing Paris and experiencing life as she can only imagine. She also hopes to see more of her boyfriend, a traveling reporter when he passes through Paris with his job. As Christmas approaches many plot lines come together to make a happy, fairy tale ending. This was a very enjoyable read just in time for the holidays.

Readers of this little gem will find a story that is full of magic, reality, and a cute little romance all tied up in a bow! With a few situations for the characters to deal with this story is one that I will totally be checking out again and of course reading the prequel series as well as the next one in this series. It was a light little holiday romance that you could read anytime of year. So curl up with a nice warm or cold drink and read your heart out with this one!!! Book lovers will rejoice in this story!


Go Into This One Knowing: For the book lover!

I really enjoyed a great many things about this book. Characters were fleshed out and the plot was well spaced. Some of the secondary storylines could've used a bit more page space but all in all an enjoyable read!

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Quiet and reserved bookshop owner Sarah Smith is given the oppourtunity to swap bookstores with her friend Sophie in Paris, both of them leaving their lives behind and taking over the others’ business and homes. Normally a home body, Sarah jumps at the chance and soon she is living in Sophie’s house in Paris, and running her bookshop. However, she is soon overwhelmed by the lackadaisical, carefree ways of the employees, the hectic days, and the rude customers. That, combined with the fact that her boyfriend is countries away, and Sarah begins to regret her decision. As Christmas approaches, Sarah makes a final plan to get Sophie’s bookstore, and her relationship, back on the right track.
As you can expect, this was a completely cheesy, gushingly romantic Christmas read. Normally, not something I’d ever pick up. However, Ms. Raisin swayed me with her unfailing love of all things literary, and I instantly connected with Sarah <i> (the heroine who says goodnight to her books each night, is a secret “book smeller” and has more friends in bookshelves then in real life) </i>, and of course, the pull of all things Parisiene didn’t hurt either.
Predictable and completely saccharine, this novel plays out like a Hallmark Christmas movie, but since it IS the season, it was worth exploring.
This novel is first in a series, following Sarah and her friends both in the United States and abroad. As I adore all novels about books, bookstores, or libraries, this one had more pull to me than the other ones. Typically a genre I don’t venture into, it was pleasing and uplifting. The ending was predictable and unrealistic, but that is the way of these types of novels and I was not unsatisfied.
For those who are fans of the romance novels, or who adore Hallmark Christmas movies, this novel will find a fan. Also, the deep connection Sarah has with her books and her fellow book lovers will make a connection with every truly passionate reader.

I liked the idea of this book, but I also felt like nothing really happened. She went to Paris frustrated with her boyfriend, become more frustrated with the employees, and in the final 20 pages everything worked out? Okay. Not much plot, an optional buy where contemporary light romance is popular.

Ah, Paris! This is a book for book lovers, for sure. I slugged through the first third that was rife with flowery description of shops and landmarks and neighborhoods and architecture... wanting for some more dialogue and action. And then Rebecca Raisin served it up beautifully. Love stories upon love stories; friendships and tenuous-co-worked-relationships-turned-friendships; Parisian markets and antique shops; walks with friends and lovers; and more happily-ever-afters than the bookshop owner Sarah Smith could have wished for.

I was looking forward to a light and happy love story that revolved around book. I gave this book a chance, but all of the characters just fell flat so I did not finish it.

I received an electronic ARC from Harlequin through NetGalley.
This is a sweet story about a small bookshop owner who takes a large risk and trades places with her friend in Paris. The culture shock and transition is rocky but smooths out as romance readers expect. Though the way is round about, everyone gets their happy ending.
I was frustrated by the main couple not sharing with each other. If either of them had been honest about their feelings, they could have had the conversation much earlier in the story and still maintained the plot. Sarah was a flat character to carry so much of the novel. She had tremendous potential for growth but stagnated too long. The supportive cast was amusing but rather one dimensional as well. There were a few "big" reveals but none were a surprise.
It's a sweet read that I stopped and started for a couple weeks as other books drew my interest away.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly, this book wasnt for me at all. It was very slow and the characters just weren't interesting to me.

With that said I know some people who this book wod absolutely be geared toward and I will definitely be recommending it to them!

The story was boring to me and I DNF the book. I really didn't like the main character and the story was just not for me.

Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC of this book. I love the writing in this book. Charming story.
This story will appeal to those who like sweet romance and women’s fiction/Chick-lit style novels.

I read this book because the title and synopsis sounded good. I was not disappointed. It is a wonderful holiday read! I would highly recommend this book!

Sarah Smith is a small bookshop owner in her hometown in a tiny New England town. She loves her job, her friends and her boyfriend- whom she has a long-distance relationship with because of his job as a reporter. Life is good but its boring and she is feeling an itch. When another bookstore friend in Paris suggests the two swap lives for 6 months, she takes the leap.
But her dreams of running a bookstore in Paris are not played out so easily. She struggles with the employees, friendships, communication with her boyfriend and figuring out where she really belongs.

I like the premise of this book a lot - and while I enjoyed the story as a whole there were several things that irritated me such as how weak Sarah was when it came to the employees at the bookstore and this flakey boyfriend. For a long story, there was just so much internal happiness that makes her a bit unlikeable and annoying. This character has been given a chance of a lifetime and she just wallows way too long. I don't mind reading about an evolution of a character but this just took forever for her to get there and even by the end I wasn't impressed with how she developed. I think i just tend to like stronger leading women characters.
I did not expect the book to end as it did- in fact I was a bit surprised and a little confused. It went in a direction I did not see coming but in hindsight from how the book played out it makes sense, Overall, if you enjoy the bookstore/Paris connection, this is a cute read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A quick romantic story set in a lovely bookshop in Paris.
I thought the first part of the book alittle slow. It gradually gets better and ends on a happy note. Thanks to Harlequin for the early copy

**Review will be published on my blog closer to publication for a blog tour**

**3.5 STARS**

Thank you to HQN and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC and for Harlequin for inviting me to be part of the blog tour.

This book is made to be a Hallmark Christmas movie, it has a bookshop, a little romance, and Paris! A bookshop in Paris during the holidays is a treat and a dream.

Sarah Smith is an introvert, with a gorgeous reporter boyfriend who is chasing the next big story and a small bookshop in Connecticut that she owns. When an opportunity to take over her friend’s bookshop in Paris comes along, Sarah jumps at the chance, because she’s wishing for a little adventure. She gets all that and more when she arrives in Paris, but will this long distance romance with her boyfriend survive all the changes they are going through?

What I Liked:
*PARIS. I loved the setting of Paris! I visited only once and for barely three days but seeing Paris through the eyes of Sarah Smith brought me back. It’s such a magical place and I love everything that was featured in the story from the bookshop, Notre Dame, the restaurants and secret places.

*I enjoyed the characters in Sarah meets in Paris like Oceane, Luiz, and TJ. Beatrice eventually grew on me at the end, but her relationship with Oceane, Luiz and TJ was pretty great. I’m glad she found her niche and didn’t give up on Paris when times got rough but it’s because of her new friends.

*Sarah is coming into her own in this book. Her boyfriend is away from her, she’s running a bookshop in a foreign country, she’s usually timid and quiet, but she had to come out of her shell and I was proud of her by the end!

*It gave me the giddy feelings of the holidays and it didn’t come from the romance story. It came from the story of Sarah finding and making a little family in Paris. She overcame a lot in Paris and got the adventure she was looking for. 🥰

Things That Made Me Go Hmm:

~It’s a romance novel and though I felt the love on Sarah’s side of her relationship with Ridge, I was distrustful of him. In the end, they have their happily ever after, but most of the book was about them being apart and Sarah finding her way on her own. Sarah’s love story with Paris was more interesting to me than her romance with Ridge. 🤷🏻‍♀️
~There were some passages in the book, more so in the end that threw me off, like they were just thrown into the story and didn’t flow well with the book! Some paragraphs didn’t transition well and I don’t know if that’s just an error because this IS an arc, o it’s not a corrected copy. But it made me pause and reread paragraphs to try and make sense of what was happening. It felt a bit rushed.

~I was getting frustrated with Sarah letting people run her over in the french bookshop but I’m glad things worked out in the end and she earned their respect and even friendship.

Final Thoughts:

The Little Bookshop on the Seine was more about Sarah Smith falling with Paris and herself. She was already in love with her boyfriend Ridge but trying to manage a long distance relationship did have many challenges. Despite some of the issues I found with the story with the story not flowing in some parts, it still left me feeling happy and full of holiday joy. If you like Christmas, books and Paris, this is a great book to curl up with this winter.

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.

Sarah Smith is the proprietor of a bookstore in her small New England town, where she has lived all her life. Her long-distance relationship with her roving journalist boyfriend is probably the most rebellious and exciting thing she has ever done, until now. When a fellow bookstore owner and friend suggests that they swap stores for six months, Sarah leaps at the chance. Six months in Paris, in a well-known bookshop, what could be better? Ridge, her boyfriend, has even promised to come visit for two whole weeks. But from the moment Sarah arrives, nothing is as expected. The store employees are mostly hostile to her proposed changes, she is so busy with the store that she doesn't get to experience Paris, and she can't seem to get Ridge on the phone for more than a few moments.

I had a lot of difficulty finishing this book. Sarah bothered me as a character for the first three quarters of the novel. I am almost always open to an introverted, book-loving protagonist, but I like my protagonists to have a little more spark and life in them. Sarah is simply too naive and accepting of the world around her. I know that her personal growth in confidence and assertiveness is key to the premise of the story (and I don’t think that’s a spoiler), but I was sick of her very early on. The writing style is a bit meandering, and occasionally felt like it stalled out in its love song to Paris and to books, rather than advancing the plot.

Final verdict: It’s a cute little story, if you have more patience than I do when it comes to characters that don’t have much of a spine. Personally, I prefer female leads in romance novels with a bit more energy and snark.

This book was received from the Author, and Publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own

The Little Bookshop on the Seine" is a delightful book, that was I was totally immersed in.
A captivating, wonderful written book perfect for curling up with a cozy blanket on a cold winters night.

A lighthearted read about a young woman who, for six months, exchanges working in her own bookshop in Ashford in Connecticut for the ‘Once Upon a Time’ bookshop situated near the River Seine in Paris. She finds that she has taken on more than she bargained for. The authors ability to create a compelling storyline, that grabbed my attention, and held it all the way through.
Heartwarming and memorable characters adds to this enjoyable storyline.
Be prepared to get lost in the whimsical and ageless beauty of Paris as author Rebecca Raisin beautifully captures the hearts and haunts of one of the worlds most magical cities.

#TheLittleBookshopOnTheSeine