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.

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.

The Little Bookshop on the Seine by Rebecca Raisin is the First book in The Little Pairs Collection. This is the story of Sarah Smith. Sarah has a book shop in Ashford where she a comfortable life but is trying to keep her bookshop going. Nothing really exciting happens to her or in the little town. When her friend Sophie who lives and runs a bookshop in Pairs asked her to switch places so she can leave a broken heart behind, Sarah agrees. But when she gets to the Pairs books shop it is a busy book store with totally different setting and issues. The staff is questionable and its keeping Sarah busy with the customers. For me this book took me into the story from the very start. I hope to read more from this author.

Super sweet story; fans of Jenny Colgan will enjoy this this story of discovering who you are in a new country. Nice balance of romance, main character growth, and descriptions of Parisian scenery, food, and fashion. I received a free ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Little Bookshop in the Seine was a magical romance tale for all true book lovers. When I saw this title being offered for the Harlequin Blog Tour, I just knew I needed to get my hands on it. We meet Sarah, who resides in a small town in Ashford. She owns a small cozy bookshop, living a comfy but predictable life. The only thing that is troubling her is the financial situation she's in. With the rent going up, she doesn't know how she's going to manage the bookshop. Until one day Sarah's friend Sofie from France calls her. Sarah and Sophie have been keeping in contact after they met through Sarah's book blog. The best thing is Sofie owns a bookshop as well, and they spend their time gabbling about each other's lives as bookshop owners. After a embarrassing break-up Sofie proposes to Sarah that she take over her shop in Paris....One Upon a Time. Of course, Sarah is hesitant at first. It's a huge transition from her fairly quiet and comfortable life in Ashford.
It means leaving behind her gal pals, her parents, her bookshop, and most importantly her love Ridge. Granted Ridge himself has a rather busy life. What with all the traveling he does for his job trying to become a great reporter. All his constant assignments make him miss those special moments with Sarah. And so Sarah sets off to her temporary life in Paris and she quickly realizes how different it is there. It's always busy, there's ton of paperwork to be done everyday, the constant disrespect of the staff, and the place falling apart is enough to wanna make Sarah cry. Let's not forget that they also have stolen her luggage on the first day she arrived.
Sarah runs into an interesting character in Once Upon a Time that makes her question her future in Paris and her relationship. Sarah knows that Ridge as a reporter has to be on assignment when they call. But the calls are coming less frequently, they're constantly playing phone tag...she doesn't know if it's worth pursuing the relationship anymore. The Little Bookshop on the Seines a great book and definitely has that Paris feel to it. Enjoy it as a hopeless romantic, or holiday book.

Thank You to Harlequin Press and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of the book in an exchange for a honest review. It was great participating in the Harlequin Blog Tours.

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for my advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Sarah is happy with her man, Ridge, … or is she? She works in her quaint bookshop in Connecticut while he is busy traveling the world chasing one news story after another. Too much time in between visits? Too many excuses? In comes an offer Sarah can’t refuse – swap bookshops with a friend in Paris. Think the movie, The Holiday, but with your business. Will that bring her closer to Ridge? Will that get her out of the rut she has gotten herself into?

I really enjoyed Sarah’s character. I admired that this story takes place after she found her man (Side note: come to find out this is the second book in a series but does really well as a stand-alone. In fact, I don’t care a bit about reading the development of Ridge and Sarah’s romance aka book #1). I adored everything Paris – the bookshop history, the bookshop characters, and reminiscing of visiting all the places myself as Sarah frequents them. I absolutely hated Ridge. What a tool! The book gets 3 stars solely because of him. The romance between the two just wasn’t believable. Sarah tremendously grew as a person through her journey in Paris and any girl in her shoes would’ve given Ridge the boot a long time ago. This novel could’ve had a much stronger (and unique message for the romance genre) had the author tweaked Sarah’s story just slightly.

All in all, this was a very enjoyable read with an interesting heroine and a cute plot. Sadly, the predictive and seemingly contradictive ending to the protagonist’s own change makes this book just a fluff read rather than an impactful novel

If sweet romantic stories give you a buzz, then you must read The Little Bookshop on the Seine, the novel written by Rebecca Raisin. Having previously read some of this fabulous author's other work, most recently, Rosie’s Travelling Tea Shop, I knew I was going to be in for a treat with this one and it was stunningly good.

Bookshop owner Sarah Smith, based in Ashford, a small-town in Connecticut, is given an opportunity to exchange locations with her friend Sophie who owns a bookshop in Paris. Despite having a marvellous circle of friends, Sarah feels at a turning-point in her life, and her relationship with freelance journalist Ridge has become increasingly distant as he is constantly away working.

Sarah was an interesting character and it was a pleasant journey to get to know her. I got to see that sometimes life got so overwhelming and nightmarish for her. From the beginning there was so much happening in this wonderful, fun story! There were several laugh along moments and it was wonderful getting to meet all of the characters, as well as Sarah, although I did not particularly have a favourite. The author really worked wonders with most of them and even the less personable ones still had very good parts to play and did not dampen my enthusiasm for this fascinating tale.

There was some lovely depth and poignancy to Rebecca Raisin’s writing which kept me hooked throughout. The author touched on many earnest themes from self confidence, friendship, travel and love, to self belief. Paris has a commanding presence in the story and I felt this really strongly. I relished reading about the sights of Paris -the quaint shops, the delightful culinary delicacies, and the Parisienne people Sarah encounters along the way adds so much vitality to the novel.

I adored this fantastic first book in the Little Paris Collection series, first published in 2015, with The Little Antique Shop under the Eiffel Tower and The Little Perfume Shop off the Champs-Élysées completing this trilogy by Rebecca Raisin.

This is such an enchanting story, with some stunning descriptions of Paris that I highly recommend.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my request, from Harlequin-Romance via NetGalley and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

The Little Bookshop on the Seine by Rebecca Raisin is one in a series, however I hadn't read any previous ones and found it could easily be read without former experience!

This is certainly a book for book lovers and those who would love to visit Paris. It has oodles of both. Sarah has come from her quiet, sleepy town in Connecticut and has swapped bookshops with her friend Sophie who has one in Paris. Sarah's bookshop doesn't really do well, but then she hates parting with any of the books! Sarah's on the other hand is a bustling, busy shop.

All that is expected of Sarah to do in the busy Paris shop had my head reeling. I think hers must have been worse! Life goes at pace, and she is taken out of her small world as she sees the amazing art around her in Paris. It's a pity though that the book must have been seen through its final stages before Notre Dame had its terrible fire.

Sarah  has to learn how to handle a rather odd staff, find out where some disappearing money is going  and to try and keep sales up so that Sophie is happy. She also has to believe in the man who says he loves her and works all over the world as a journalist, following the latest story as they arise. All big asks.

This is a story of Sarah stepping out into the unknown and different. Of it taking time for her to find her feet and feel that she is part of Paris and the people she meets up with, many of whom touch her heart and become good friends. And she learns to speak up and display her enthusiasm for all things Christmas. A touching, warm hearted story.

I wanted to like this one so badly - I really did - but it just fell flat on almost every count for me. The main character didn't seem to have much depth to her, and I didn't connect to her relationship AT ALL (honestly, thought she should've just dropped him). The only saving grace was the love letter to Paris written throughout this book, but even that wasn't enough - and, at times, felt a bit caricature-ish.

It might seem like a tiny detail to matter so much, but honestly, the thing that bothered me the most about this book was the Parisian bookstore owner. She begs for this American to come run her store, and then spends basically the entire time she's in America berating the other woman for running her store into the ground? Especially considering the Parisian woman gave the American no heads up at all about the absolute shambles she was handing over in terms of staff. Every single time this came up it drove me absolutely bonkers. If you're so upset about it, give me some advice on how to work with your staff or just come back to the shop yourself! *end rant*

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for the gifted book and opportunity to read and review it prior to its publication date! This in no way affected my review, all opinions are my own.

Books, food, romance, and Paris what more can you want from a book? This was such a fun story with a slight holiday vibe. Rebecca Raisin brought the beauty of Paris to life with her descriptive writing and dazzling storytelling. Sarah feels as though she is in a bit of a rut so when her friend Sophie who lives in Paris offers a book shop swap she jumps at the chance. The city of lights, holiday time, and a book shop, it’s a dream come true. But has Sarah bitten off more than she can chew? The bookshop is busier than she expected, the staff is unreliable at best, and her boyfriend seems to be putting his job before traveling to Paris. Will Sarah be able to find her inner strength and turn things around?

Sarah was a great character, but I did want to give the girl a major peptalk. This book shop swap was not as advertised. Sarah was doing her friend Sophie a favor and Sophie didn’t seem to give her the knowledge she needed to be successful in this bustling hostile environment. I am not certain if this is a French thing, but I cannot imagine working anywhere especially retail where people popped in and worked when they chose to? There was no set schedule? Just reading about it stressed me out. Fortunately Sarah made some good friends that made this all a little more bearable. As the book progressed the magic of Paris inhabited Sarah more and more. I loved her character development throughout the story. The romance in this story was really in the background, this really was more about Sarah becoming fierce. I was glad of how things ended with Sarah and her boyfriend.
Cute story, charming characters, books, and Paris.

🎧🎧🎧 The audiobook was narrated by Sally Scott. I am pretty certain that she is British, so I am not certain why she was narrating a book that was primarily told from an American’s perspective? I mean if I had to speak in a British accent I’m sure people would find all kinds of things wrong with it. While her French accent I thought was brilliant, her American accent bothered me a bit. She dropped her R’s that drove me nuts, but did admittedly bother me less as the book went on.

This book is a nice light read for individuals who love books and all things Parisian. The premise is that the main character "swaps" bookshops with an online friend who happens to live in Paris. The remainder of the book tells of her foibles as an American trying to get by in a strange city, with a new bookstore and new employees. Along the way she also has some communication issues with her long-distance boyfriend who is a photojournalist. As suspected, by the end of the book, everything resolves with a nice ending.

While a nice story, this book didn't knock my socks off. It's an enjoyable afternoon read but does not leave a lasting impression. Book lovers will enjoy it, but I suggest borrowing from the library.

What a great book! I really enjoyed this one. It was sweet and charming and who can resist the thought of owning a bookshop?