THE LITTLE BOOKSHOP ON THE SEINE by Rebecca Raisin was delightful. Most of the story takes place in Paris, "the city of romance and passion", and there are several love stories not including the lovers of books. The love letters found in the pink purse added a mysterious quality to this romance novel.
My least favourite characters were Tyler, Joey, Callie, Jorge and Beatrice because they were rude and disrespectful of Sarah. I really liked Oceane, TJ, Luiz Delacroix, Sarah, and Anouk owner of the Little Antique Shop under the Eiffel Tower.

When Sophie, owner of ONCE UPON A TIME in Paris, France, asks Sarah Smith , owner of The Bookshop on the Corner in small town Ashford, Connecticut to swap places for awhile, she accepts. A few days later Sarah finds herself in charge of a very old multi-floor bookshop overflowing with books, lines of people waiting, thievery, no work schedules, and unruly staff. Feeling overwhelmed, Sarah is lonesome for her small bookstore and friends back home, and longing for her reporter boyfriend, Ridge Warner, who is globetrotting while chasing news stories.
Will Sarah make friends in Paris? Will she find time to explore Paris and see the sights?
Will she solve the problem of a thief in the bookshop? Can she stop the problem of losing money and turn things around so that the bookshop is making money instead? Will she soon see Ridge? Does he still love her?
If you like reading romances and about books and bookshops, I recommend THE LITTLE BOOKSHOP ON THE SEINE.

Thanks to author Rebecca Raisin, NetGalley, and Harequin Books for providing me with a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

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DISCLAIMER: This post is not sponsored. However, I received an advanced reader copy (eBook) of The Little Bookshop on the Seine by Rebecca Raisin from Harlequin through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The Little Bookshop on the Seine is part of Harlequin’s Fall/Winter Blog Tour for Romance & Women’s Fiction.

The Little Bookshop on the Seine is the perfect read for fans of the Christmas classic, The Holiday. Rebecca Raisin takes you on a Parisian vacation for booklovers and world travelers alike. She created a loveable character, Sarah Smith, an introverted bookworm, who wants to step outside the quiet life of her bookshop in small-town Ashford, Connecticut. She finally gets her chance when her friend, Sophie gives her the opportunity to do a bookshop exchange in Paris for 6 months. I really loved Sarah’s character and the journey she goes on to find herself. Sarah had excellent character development throughout the story, which was really great to see. I really related to her personality and her love of books.

The passion Sarah has for books is very special. I love the way she talks about her books like they’re alive and full of personality. Rebecca Raisin paints a lovely picture with her words as she describes the cozy bookshop on the Seine, Once Upon A Time. Which is the perfect setting for Sarah to learn the ups and downs of working in a Parisian bookshop. Similarly, Raisin does a fabulous job showing the reader how magical Paris can be during Christmastime. Christmas in Paris? Sign me up!

I give The Little Bookshop on the Seine 4 out of 5 stars. I’ve never been to Paris before, but Rebecca Raisin transported me there. I saw the Eiffel Tower, and walked among the Parisians on the cobblestone streets, and stopped by the little bookshop on the Seine. I hope to return soon whether in real life or inside the pages of a very good book that everyone should read if they want to take a trip to Paris too!

Thank you, Harlequin for inviting me to join Harlequin’s Blog Tour, and Netgalley for the digital advanced copy! The Little Bookshop on the Sein is now available in stores and online!

Check out my blog to read my full review:
www.candisbarbosa.com/book-review-the-little-bookshop-on-the-seine-rebecca-raisin/

What an adorbs Christmas read! Super cute and a bit predictable romance. Small town bookshop owner Sarah Smith find herself swapping bookshops with her friend from Paris for six months. This is just the change that Sarah needs and jumps on the idea despite being a person who does not just jump into things. She’s got high expectations for how her Paris escape will go but that all quickly comes crashing down when she arrives in Paris and nothing is as she thought it’d be.

I loved the setting of the book! It was described wonderfully and I felt as if I were there on the charming Parisian streets. I loved all the bookish tidbits here and there and it made me want to own my own bookshop in Paris. Our MC gets some good growth while in Paris(maybe could’ve gotten more but oh well) and we are given a HEA as the book wraps up. I was not the biggest fan of Ridge, Sarah’s boyfriend, though. I felt like Sarah deserved much better.

This was a feel-good, easy read! I overall enjoyed it. I’m giving it 3 out of 5 stars

This is the first book that I have read by this author, and I found it to be mildly entertaining, It was a light, quick romance that could be categorized as “Chick Lit.” Sarah owns a small bookstore in the small town of Ashford and has a boyfriend named Ridge who is busy with his career. When Sarah’s friend Sophie, who owns a bookshop in Paris, offers to exchange bookshops for a while, Sarah doesn’t have to ponder the offer for very long. After all, it is Paris! So, Sarah sets off with a glow in her eye, expecting to be charmed by the bookshop and the city. What she is not prepared for is how disorganized the shop is and how disrespectful the employees are. This is not really a rocking romance, but rather it is a character study of Sarah and how she overcomes her own insecurities and becomes a strong and independent woman. The hostile environment that she encounters in Paris was unexpected for her and forced her to make wise and strong decisions. The romance with Ridge was a slow burn on the back burner, consisting mostly of missed phone calls and messages. There is romance, but it does not play a significant part in the central story. The story itself is charming, with some surprises and some humor. I recommend this book to fans of light romance, quick reads and Chick Lit.

*** BLOG TOUR ***

Paris and bookshops - I am sold on the cover alone of The Little Bookshop on the Seine by Rebecca Raisin. I love books about books and bookshops. Setting it in Paris makes it all the more charming. The book delivers with a sweet story about a woman finding herself, about friendship, and also about love all centered around Once Upon a Time, a bookshop in Paris. What is unexpected is that the book and the romances do not quite end up where I expect, and that is what gives this book added depth and dimension.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2020/01/the-little-bookshop-on-seine.html

Reviewed for NetGalley.

Not my usual type of read, but every now and then I like to mix it up with something light and fluffy.

This was a nice and easy read, with a bit of romance. And I mean, come on..it's Paris. How can you not wanna read a book set in Paris?!

Overall, it was an enjoyable read!

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.

So I think my run with romance may be nearing the end. I can honestly say that for a genre I don't pick up often, I've really struck gold with some of my recent choices. However, my dark soul is craving something heavier.

Sarah lives in a small town where she owns and operates her own bookshop. She is friends with Sophie, who lives in Paris and who was recently jilted by her boyfriend. Sophie proposes to Sarah that they switch places for a while so Sophie can get away and Sarah can visit the city of her dreams. Although it's totally out of character, Sarah jumps at the chance. After all, her boyfriend is a traveling reporter and they can get together in Paris just as easily as her hometown. Sarah knows she's in for a change when she arrives, but she has no idea just how hard a transition the switch will be.

So first of all this book is about people who love books and bookshops. What more is needed right? Well, there could have been a dog, but at least there was mention of a few cats who resided in the Paris shop. Because Sarah is used to running her shop in a small town with no outside help, she does have trouble initially managing a bigger shop and suddenly being a boss. There's also the issue of her boyfriend, who isn't visiting or calling as much as he did originally. I liked Sarah as a character. She showed a lot of growth during the novel and goes from someone who wants someone to sweep her off her feet just like her famous romance novels, to someone who realizes she can make herself happy on her own.

The book is also full of additional quirky side characters. I enjoyed seeing them interact with Sarah and thought their side tales added interest and intrigue into the novel.

My only real complaint about the book is that I want to know more about some of the other people. We get some insights as to how Sophie is doing in the US, but not a lot. And it makes it seem like Sophie is fitting right in and having no trouble with the switch while Sarah is struggling. Since this book is part of a series, I do believe this may come out in future installments.

So overall, The Little Bookshop on the Seine was a fun book which I could best compare to a cozy mystery without the mystery. I am sure people who love books about books and bookshops will want to give this one a chance.

When stepping out of your comfort zone provides you the push you need to grow and evolve into the woman you need to be. That is what this book is all about, I didn’t realize that Sarah had a book previous to this one but I didn’t feel left out for a moment.

Sarah is a true romantic and book lover, she had her moments of fanciful thinking but don’t we all. I loved that she thought the store had a life of it’s own and she could just get lost in it all. On top of jetting off to Paris she has a really handsome amazing boyfriend. The downfall is she never gets to see him and is starting to doubt their relationship has what it takes. I fell in love with all of the side characters they brought so much more depth and fun to the book I almost couldn’t handle it. While Sarah kind of fit in with some of the characters in Paris she didn’t fit in at all with the others. Her interactions with all of these characters is what made her evolve into a stronger more outgoing woman.

This book definitely put me more into the Christmas spirit. While it wasn’t so much about the romance as it was maybe more women’s fiction. I couldn’t wait to turn the page and see what was going to happen next. The only thing I couldn’t relate to was how things were done in Paris but I really enjoyed the journey the author took us on in learning how things may be seen from a Parisian point of view.

A charming tale set in a Paris bookstore. What's not to like? Sarah and Sophie decide to swap bookstores for 6 months, so sheltered, small-town-girl Sarah moves to Paris. She encounters unexpected problems: stolen luggage, nasty staff, lukewarm boyfriend, surprising cultural differences, and considers quitting and going home early. Very descriptive text with beautiful images of Paris. Extremely enjoyable! Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC.

A book about a bookshop?! Count me in! What is not to like?! Have you seen the cover? I am in love.

Sarah Smith loves her little bookshop in her quaint little town in Connecticut. Life is good for Sarah, she knows everyone, has a great group of girlfriends and a drop dead gorgeous boyfriend. What more could a girl want? Will she be willing to walk away from all this for six whole months? You bet! When Sophie begs her to switch places so she can escape her cheating ex, Sarah realizes this is a chance of a lifetime. Sarah will be managing Once Upon a Time bookshop in Paris while Sophie will take over The Bookshop on the Corner in Connecticut.

Sounds like a fairytale right? Until Sarah arrives in Paris to a not so warm welcome. The staff of Once Upon a Time gives her the cold shoulder, business is off the chain and Sarah just can't seem to fit in with the Paris locals.

My heart went out to Sarah as she tried to fit in. The author captures that feeling of "being new" perfectly. Sarah being new to the bookshop had no one she could trust or confide in. She felt alone and alienated. She had left a perfect life for this! Then she began to question if her long distance relationship could stand this latest test or will she find a new love in Paris?

This was my first book that I have read by this author and it was an absolute delight. Fantastic developed characters that made my heart melt. I see many more Rebecca Raisin books in my future! A lovely story in a fantastic setting.

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?

A treasure for every book-loving Francophile. A romance novel where the lovers are separated by great distances, but where true love still shines through - to the reader, at least. The protagonist is a little wishy-washy and grating at times, which doesn't save the often repetitive nature of the story. But as this book exists in a series, we see the building of more love stories, and isn't that what die-hard romance fans really want?

Oh my goodness, is Sarah an immature teenager? No? Well that's how she is written. On the other hand Ridge, the self-absorbed boyfriend is definitely portrayed true to himself. These characters are written like bad examples of Americans traveling in Europe. No longer the “Ugly American” now just the culturally obtuse American. I found it impossible to like Sarah and Ridge was not worth her time. The side characters were for the most part the bookshop employees. One was British, one American, one wealthy French. The rest of the part time workers were ignored except when they were busy trashing their boss, Sarah. She is in charge yet she lets everyone walk all over her. She has more of a workload than she can handle but does nothing to fix it. Ridge comes up with several explanations for his absence from her and although she questions their relationship she continually forgives the dirtbag. Sarah's jaunts around Paris are designed to give the reader some atmospheric feels for the insiders Paris. But she keeps leaving the bookshop to wander alone or with a fellow employee which leaves me to wonder who is doing the work back at the shop?

I can't recommend this book. It totally frustrated me. I did finish it but if it had been a paperback and not on my Kindle I would have thrown it across the room.

I received this book free for review from the publisher.

I was really excited to read this book. What more can a bookworm ask for - a bookshop in Paris and a romance? but this one fell short for me. The plot was exciting and fun but obviously non realistic which is totally fine when all I wanted was a Paris fairy-tale romance. A bookshop switch between two owners - one in Paris and one in America. Sarah a small town girl with a quiet bookshop thrown into a chaotic busy bookshop in Paris. I found the romance between Sarah and Ridge to be lacking and aggravating, Sarah waiting and pining for a guy too busy chasing his news stories. Bring in a mysterious writer and I thought it was going to move in another direction. I do really think this series has promise and I would likely read the other books. It could have been a lot shorter as I felt it did drag on a bit and then the end seemed to be told not shown and rushed to finish up.

Overall? I give this a 3 stars out of 5. I am interested in seeing what the other characters are like in the other novels.

A solid 3.5 stars! A sweet women's fiction novel perfect for lovers of books and Paris.

Sarah is a quiet introvert who runs a small town bookstore. She has wonderful friends and an amazing boyfriend, but feels her life isn't quite as exciting as she'd like. When her Parisian friend asks to bookstore swap, she unexpectedly jumps at the chance. Arriving in Paris and running a busy bookstore is much more difficult than expected, though. Sales are dropping, someone's stealing money, and the staff couldn't care less about her new rules.

Plus, her boyfriend is still traveling for his job and her dreams of a romantic Paris getaway are dashed. Will she be able to turn things around before it's too late for the bookstore and her relationship?

This novel is primarily about Sarah's discovery of her own confidence and learning to come out of her shell. Moving to Paris forces her to learn to handle other people and explore a city without relying on her old relationships.

I think this may have been marketed slightly incorrectly, since I was expecting more of a Parisian love story. I did quite enjoy the book but I can see why readers might be expecting something different.

I loved discovering the ins and outs of running a bookstore and learning about the more mundane and administrative tasks that go into it. It felt like a realistic portrayal of the struggles small business owners face. Plus, the Paris backdrop is a delight.

Give this a shot if you love books about Paris, bookstores, or women coming into their own!

I am a sucker for books set in Paris, so I will generally seek them out to read. I am so completely fascinated with the city, though I have never been to France. This book does not disappoint and shares so many luscious details about the city and the food and the people that I was in heaven.

And then there are the characters. I connected with Sarah more than I've connected with another character for a long time. And honestly, I would kind of like to be Sarah... a lovely bookshop of her own, trading places to run an historic bookshop in Paris, a hot boyfriend... amazing.

Of course life is not all perfect for Sarah, and she has to deal with doubts and set backs and loneliness, but I felt everything that she was feeling so deeply. I understood her self-doubt, her concerns, her desire to be her best but feeling like she was failing. I felt like the author ripped out a piece of my soul and put inside this character.

I adored most of the other characters as well. TJ was probably my favorite, because he is so sweet. Oceane and Luiz are both fantastic. Sarah's friends back home are so supportive and loving. They rounded out the cast so beautifully.

We don't get as much insight into Ridge as I crave, because he was largely absent through much of the book. But I think that was necessary to the plot line. Beatrice was kind of obnoxious, though has an arc that provides some redemption.

The one character I really disliked was Sophie. She was awful to Sarah and showed no appreciation at all for everything that Sarah was trying to do for her. She basically escaped and begged Sarah to come rescue her with the bookshop swap, but left her completely ill prepared and expected miracles with providing no support.

All in all, I completely enjoyed this book and loved the bookshop. I wanted to live inside of it!

Disclaimer: I am participating in a blog tour through Harlequin. I received an eARC of this book through Net Galley on behalf of Harlequin in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Unfortunately, I could not get into this book. I love stories about bookshop owners, but this one seemed to have very little plot. The description of Paris just seemed to go on and on, leaving one feeling like the point of the book was to prove the author knows Paris. The question about her lover's faithfulness is an old storyline with no new perspective, at least as far as I got in the book. With so many other books to read, I just had to let this one go.

Sarah Smith is happiest amongst books in her bookshop in small-town Connecticut. She’s in a relationship- just. Her journalist boyfriend Ridge loves a good story and has some stuff to learn about putting her first, so they are more long- diatance than anything. Sarah’s introvert personality and sensitive caring helpful nature are what makes her her and even so she feels like she really stands out as different. She’s worried about what people say and think of her yet is proud of her bookshop and loves Ridge. He loves her and they are good together.

Sophie is French and knows Sarah via Sarah’s bookshop’s blog and so when Sophie suggests a bookshop swap, Sarah is unsure. She knows she loves her books and the shop and is pining for the day Ridge comes home and stays. But something inside her feels the need for change. Is she ready for an adventure?

With barely time to answer that question in her mind, she’s packed her bags, locked the bookshop and told Ridge about her adventure about which he’s supportive.

Once she’s in Paris, she feels excited and free at the prospect of her new start. But will the euphoria last? How will she get on at Sophie’s bookshop? And will she and Ridge stay strong despite the distance between them?

The book is such a relaxing engaging enveloping and atmospheric novel. I loved it so much. Sarah’s bookshop came to life through the tender way in which Rebecca Raisin describes the books as being like children to Sarah. I really felt her nerves and sadness at leaving the bookshop and her old life behind but the sense of excitement and adventure once she was in Paris was palpable.

Get ready for an emotional, realistic novel set in Connecticut and Paris in which a shy woman leaves behind all she holds dear and dares to dream and really live.

Thanks to Rebecca Raisin and Harlequin for my ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. I reviewed The Little Bookshop on the Seine as part of my book choices for the Harlequin Romance and Women’s Fiction Blog Tour Winter 2019/2020.

The novel has excellent pacing and I was absorbed from beginning to end. I identified with Sarah, being away from home and her love of books and all things safe and comfortable. I was proud of her for wanting to be adventurous since I also like adventures.

5 stars. I really want to review more books by Rebecca Raisin.

The Little Bookshop on the Seine was my chosen novel for book analysis during the Writer Igniter Reading Challenge by DIY MFA and I feel I made a great choice.

Sarah Smith is happy running her own little bookshop in her little town and visiting with her friends. She is in a relationship with a journalist named Ridge, and life is going along smoothly until…. Sarah’s friend Sophie who owns a bookshop in Paris suggests they do an exchange for a few months. It’s always been Sarah’s dream to visit Paris, so she jumps at the chance.

Things in Paris are not as perfect as Sarah thought they would be. The employees at the bookshop are hard to manage, her luggage and passport go missing, Ridge postpones his visit time and time again and the list goes on. How is Sarah going to manage to live in the city of love for the next few months?
I loved that the author Rebecca Rain didn’t make this a romance novel only about Sarah and Ridge but also the romance between Sarah and the city of Paris. Her intense love of the city and all the struggles she faced to find her way intrigued me page after page. I loved the supporting characters in the bookshop and was eager to read how their stories would end as well. I was so wrapped up in the story I finished the book in two days.

Thank you to Harlequin, Rebecca Raisin and NetGalley for an advanced copy of the book to read and review. It was a fabulous story.