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.

A big thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am giving this book 3.5/5 stars. This book had a lot of great charm. I really enjoyed the Paris setting; the descriptions of the atmosphere and its beauty were just great. If you love traveling books like I do, this has a great setting. I also really liked the characters and how their personalities were so unique to themselves and their identity. Everyone was described and characterized in a way that made them all memorable and special in their own way.

The biggest thing that I did not entirely care for in this book was the writing style. It was pretty lengthy and tended to be repetitive. Everyone has different tastes when it comes to writing styles, but personally this particular style is not my favorite.

Overall, a very enjoyable read. This is a book I would re-read and I think that anyone who likes fun and charming traveling books would have an enjoyable time reading this novel.

I would definitely recommend this book!

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.
The description on this book made me want to read it as soon as I was finished with it. When I started it though, I was afraid it was a bit whimsical for me. Once I got into it more, it made me compare it to Audrey Hepburn’s character in Sabrina and how Paris changed her life and I had a better appreciation for the book and it flowed well as I was introduced to the other characters. There were a few things in there I was scratching my head I knew they were no longer there, like the lock gate, but when I was pulling the info for this book, I saw it was originally published a few years ago, which explained those odd things. I also didn’t realize this was a continuation, which, while it wasn’t too relevant with Sarah’s situation in Paris, it would've helped me to get the relationship aspect with Ridge (as well as her friends) better. Overall, it was a sweet story about a woman who prefers to live in her books (don’t we all??) who goes to Paris and finds herself as well as her backbone. I recommend.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an eARC of this in exchange for an honest review! This book was fun and I enjoyed reading it, but I also found it slightly frustrating. The protagonist lets everyone walk all over her for much of the novel, and the love interest was just irritating. I did really enjoy all of the secondary characters, though!

THE LITTLE BOOKSHOP ON THE SEINE by Rebecca Raisin is a new women’s fiction novel that is the first book in the author’s “The Little Paris Collection” and the second in “The Bookshop” series. This book is set in Paris during the holiday season, but it can be enjoyed any time of the year and it can be read as a standalone.

Small town bookshop owner Sarah Smith is feeling something is missing from her life. She has all her books that she loves, wonderful friends and a gorgeous, adventurous, reporter boyfriend, but she feels stagnant. When her friend and fellow bookstore owner, Sophie offers Sarah the chance to swap running of each other’s stores for the holidays, she jumps at the chance to be in Paris for the holidays.

Once Upon a Time has been located on the Seine for generations and Sophie is enchanted as well as overcome in the city of love. This small-town American is challenged by the craziness of this new store, the attitudes of the staff and the separation from her friends and boyfriend. 

Will Sarah find the Paris she has dreamed about, or will the reality destroy her dream?

This is a sweet story of a woman finding her strength within to grow and blossom in new and challenging surroundings. I love Sarah and her love of books. Sarah and Ridge’s romance is a subplot that twines in and out of Sarah’s personal growth. The author takes her through her transition slowly, but at a believable pace. All the secondary characters play an important role in Sarah’s adventure and are fully fleshed characters. Paris is beautifully described and not just the tourist attractions, but the real day-to-day jewels to be found by those who live there and adventure off the beaten path. 

This is an enjoyable read with charming characters, a love of books and romance and the beautiful setting of Paris.

Let's be honest here, I'm a sucker for any book that written about books.  You know you are too, come on, don't lie, it doesn't matter what genre you read.   Any book that has bookstore, bookshop, library, reading, novel, or the word book in the title is an immediate automatic purchase.  Don't worry, I won't tell anyone, our secret stays right here, where everyone can read it, but no-one but you and I ever will.

Little Bookshop on the Seine was one of those books.  I knew when I saw it I wanted to read it, so I had no problem agreeing to be on Harlequins blog tour.  Here we are with two girls, one in the USA and one in Paris who decide to swap bookstores for a few months, just for a break from their own hum-drum lives.  Who wouldn't jump on that???   Well, Sarah Smith certainly does, except things are not exactly the relaxing routine she is used to.  Her plans of working in a quaint Paris bookstore and visiting the romantic sites go completely out the window when she realizes The Little Bookshop is a busy nightmare, and now it's losing money under her watch.  Not to mention her personal relationship seems to be taking its own mini-vacation.  This is one of those books where you just want to slap your hand to your head and say 'what else can happen?'  Well, this is where I have to tell you, you gotta read it to find out.

I truly enjoyed this read, and I learned so much about Paris while I was doing it.  There was a little down time here and there, as Rebecca Raisin takes time describing Paris in such detail, but it's so beautifully written and presented that you can actually picture everything in your head, so you don't really mind the down time at all.  Reading about Sarah, watching her find her way in Paris, in the leadership role at the bookshop, and in her personal life and relationships was so heartwarming.  There is a little romance, a little mystery and a few twists and turns that keep you constantly turning the pages and makes this book an absolutely delightful read.  I can't wait to see what Rebecca Raisin does with Sarah's character next.  (Sara was first introduced in The Bookshop on the Corner).

Thank you so much to Rebecca Raisin, Harlequin Blog Tours, and HQN Books for a gifted copy of this book for my honest and unbiased opinion.

The description on this totally pulled me in.  "It's THE HOLIDAY on the Champs-Elysees"  One of my very favorite movies.  
It starts out with a job exchange for the owner of an independent bookstore.  Sarah is going to switch places with Sophie for 6 months.  Unfortunately, not all is as she had planned.  Between the rude customers and unfriendly co-workers she wonders if she has made a mistake.  She becomes determined to turn this around.  She is great heroine to root for. 
Overall, just an enjoyable romance.  I look forward to trying more from this author.

I was provided a free e-arc copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Whomever compared The Little Bookshop on the Seine was fairly spot on, in most regards. Which is awesome since I loved that movie. I will say, I started and finished this in one day, it was that enjoyable. 

The French charm the author is trying for is evident in the entire book, not overly done. It made it so enjoyable, especially when describing some locales. I visited Paris myself once, back in 2004, and I felt like I had revisited it while reading this lovely story. I loved getting to know all the characters introduced in Paris, but did feel that development for those from the US was slightly lacking. But that may be because this book, while showing as the first in a series, actually started in a short story that was initially part of another series that features some of the US crew of characters. While it's not entirely necessary to have to read those other books or the short story, for the sake of completion and more well rounded characters I would suggest giving them a try. I hope to do so myself soon.

If you love love letters to Paris, or love letters to books then this is your book. I definitely recommend it to anyone who is the slightest bit romantic.

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.

3.5 Stars

The Little Bookshop on the Seine by Rebecca Raisin is a sweet winter romance. The setting is perfect and the characters are interesting as well. The ending seemed to tie up far too neatly, however, which takes away from its realistic concept.

I really enjoy a story that is set in a bookshop, and The Little Bookshop on the Seine is the ideal place. The author’s descriptions of Paris, the food, the people, and the shop itself really give a very lovely vibe. It will definitely give readers a travel itch as they read about Sarah’s adventures.

❀ BOOKWORM MAIN CHARACTER

Sarah is your typical bookworm character that lives in small town USA. Her friends are close-knit and she hasn’t seen much of the world past her little bookshop. Having never read any of the author’s other books, it was easy to jump in and learn about all of these characters for the first time. There are some really interesting ones, including an author who spends his days writing in a hidden location of the shop.

❀ AN HEA ROMANCE

Although the story is a light and easy read, it does have some drama that needs to be worked out. Maybe I haven’t read enough HEA (happily ever after) romance novels to review the genre properly, however, the problems that the characters are going through seem to tie up and vanish all at once at the end of the book. Personally, I would have preferred something to long for in the next book in the series.

Fans of HEA romance novels will be sure to love The Little Bookshop on the Seine. The story is easy to follow and the characters are engaging. It is a sweet read for a cold winter day.

Title:  The Little Bookshop on the Seine
Author:  Rebecca Raisin
Genre:  Women’s fiction
Rating:  5 out of 5

Sarah Smith loves her little bookstore in tiny Ashford, Connecticut. She swears her books talk to her, and she’s happy with her life, her tight-knit group of friends—and their pastries—and her boyfriend, globe-trotting journalist Ridge. Except he’s gone so much, and Sarah is a little bit bored. So, when her Parisian friend Sophie offers a six-month bookshop exchange, Sarah finds herself flying to Paris to take care of Once Upon a Time, a famous, and popular, bookstore on the Seine.

But Sarah’s dreams of quiet time spent reading, forays to explore Paris, and getting to see Ridge as he travels the world fade quickly once she arrives in Paris. The staff at the bookshop are suspicious and uncooperative. The customers are rude. There’s barely time to breathe, much less read. And instead of spending time with Ridge, their relationship is reduced to occasional quick phone calls. But Sarah has had enough. Christmas is coming and she is determined to get things sorted out, no matter what.

I loved this book! I didn’t realize until I finished it that Rebecca Raisin also wrote Rosie’s Traveling Tea Shop, which was also a lovely read…but it all makes sense now. The Little Bookshop on the Seine made me want to visit Paris, which has never been on my Places to Go list, but I’d pack right up for a chance to work in Once Upon a Time, and Sarah, with her love of books and reading contrasting with her desire to experience life is so me that I related to every page. I highly recommend this!

Rebecca Raisin loves books. The Little Bookshop on the Seine is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin/HQN in exchange for an honest review.)

3.5 stars

I loved the premise of this book, book shop owner in the U.S. swapping placed with a bookshop owner in Paris and growing during the process. While the romance does play an integral part to the story, I wouldn't necessarily describe it as a romance. It's more about Sarah, the main character, finding her voice and learning who she is and what she wants in her life. She does go through a lot of struggles that include miscommunication, insecurities, trouble fitting in and more. While the romance does play a large part in some of her struggles it's not necessarily the main topic.

I loved the descriptions of Paris and especially how Paris was seen through Sarah's eyes. Each of the people who became her friends and showed her what they loved about Paris had such unique personalities that were fleshed out and fit into the little family that worked in Once Upon a Time. The different conflicts and issues that each character had were also well thought out and complimented the story.

There were parts of the story which were a little predictable, but in a warm story such as this that's totally fine. If you like heartwarming stories about coming into your own, definitely check this out.