This book is about facing hard truths. Larisa has to face that her little fabrication has consequences. Jack has to face facts about his marriage. These two come together at Elmhurst, a special house. I did think it was odd that Larisa perpetuated jer charade for so long. It was sad about Larisa’s mother’s dementia. I thought the ending was a little strange. It was a decent read, but has some odd angles.

The Little French Bridal Shop by Jennifer Dupee is a debut novel following Larisa, a woman who returns to her hometown following the loss of her job, her mom's deteriorating health, and a broken relationship. Despite it all, Larisa discovers a beautiful wedding gown that is a bright spot in her life. Larisa leans into this bright spot and starts planning her own wedding with no date in mind as she is single. However a former connection, Jack, makes his way back into Larisa's life and soon her heart.

When I saw this book I was so interested and it sounded so sweet! The premise is interesting and honestly hilarious imagining Larisa making all of these plans. However for some reason I just did not connect with Larisa's character and didn't always understand her motivations and why she was doing the things she was. I also wished there would have been some more dialogue, especially with Jack since I wasn't that invested in their relationship which was such a bummer! I did appreciate how the author handled topics like dementia in this story. Although this book was not for me, I am still interested to see what the author writes next since she has interesting ideas!

Many thanks to the publisher St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

At loose ends, Larisa Pearl returns to the seaside town where she grew up to prepare her late great-aunt’s house for sale. In a move that surprises her more than anyone, the first thing she does is buy a wedding dress, despite the fact she just broke up with her live-in boyfriend.

This is just one of the perplexing things Larisa does. She also sets a wedding date, chooses flowers, and begins fixing up a house she doesn’t own. Presumably Larisa is confused, having recently lost not only her great-aunt, her job, and her boyfriend, but slowly losing her mother to dementia.

I really wanted to love this book. It features a lot of my favorite things—beach town, old houses, dresses... But Larisa’s continued dishonesty seemed more like needless lying, and her burgeoning romance with a married man was also troubling. Even the title of the book seems duplicitous—the only French thing about the bridal shop was the word French. In the end, this is a heartwarming story about a family dealing with dementia, but there were a lot of subplots to wade through to get there. #TheLittleFrenchBridalShop #NetGalley

This is a debut novel about Larissa, who has returned to sell her great aunt's house. She has returned at a very low time in her life having lost her job and boyfriend and trying to cope with her mother's dementia. She no longer knows who she is or what she wants and so begins her impulsiveness and lies until everything becomes too much.

I found it fascinating she decided to stop in the Little French Bridal Shop and try on dresses and even bought one and there the lies began. I was really pulled into her web of lies and her being impulsive and wondered when it might all come crashing down or if she could untangle the web and deal with her losses.

I really enjoyed this emotional story. I received an advance copy of this book and I willingly chose to write an honest review.

I chose this book for the title but it was deceptive. I ultimately enjoyed the book though. There was very little of the bridal shop but the house, Elmhurst, is a very prominent character. The main character, Larisa, is dealing with lots of issues. She was fired from her job, broke up with her boyfriend of 2 years, her mother is suffering from dementia and her great aunt just died. As she goes to see to Elmhurst and decide what to do with it she passes the bridal shop. Needing something in her life she enters and winds up trying on dresses and making up a fake wedding. It's all very entertaining and turns out to be a lovely story. A good quasi-romance.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher and voluntarily chose to review it.

Charming

The Little French Bridal Shop is a charming story of a woman who needs to find herself and open herself to new possibilities. I enjoyed reading it and you will too.

Thank you to the publisher who lent me a time-limited e-arc via netgalley with no obligation. This review is optional and my own opinion.

This book was not what I expected at all. It is about Larisa who gets fired and breaks up with her boyfriend and goes to her hometown where her (seemingly spectacular) great-aunt Ursula had her house. Larisa then spins a bunch of lies to a bunch of people and goes slightly overboard. This book deals with lying to oneself and to others, dealing with family issues including dementia and marriage - the good, bad, ugly and slightly embarrassing. The book is also told from Jack's perspective - who was in the same class as Larisa but grew up being the caretaker of Ursula's house and who loved it as its own. I was quite disappointed by the book - it fell very flat to me and although there was a decent-ish storyline there, I wish there was more.

Debut novel for Dupee, this story centers on Larisa as she travels to the Massachusetts home of her recently deceased Aunt Ursula, intending to prepare the house for sale. She has also just lost her job and broken up with her boyfriend; worst of all, her mother is slipping deeper into dementia. She spots a bridal shop as she arrives in the town and impulsively proceeds to try on multiple gowns, even purchasing one, while implying that she is engaged. Her deceptions snowball from there as she makes poor decisions galore in a pathetic attempt to avoid the harsh truths in her life.
Jack is an old friend of Larisa's and the longtime caretaker of Aunt Ursula's house, which has contributed to the decline of his marriage. Like Larisa, he seems unable to face the realities and commitments of his life. They flounder together, stumbling ever closer to making a detrimental mistake.
I confess that Dupee's characters were so flawed that I nearly quit reading in exasperation with them; however, I'm glad I stayed the course and finished, because Jack and Larisa, after slogging through their problems, eventually learned some valuable lessons. This was a good first start, and I look forward to Dupee's sophomore effort.

This book was not at all what I expected from the title. It took awhile to like Larissa, the main character. But as she learned to take care of her mother, she became much more comfortable with herself and more likable. I found the story to be both charming and heartbreaking.

Jennifer Dupee's THE LITTLE FRENCH BRIDAL SHOP begins with newly spontaneous, life-in-tumult Larisa approaching her deceased great aunt's house, poised to sell the remarkable house and home she enjoyed for so many years. From the moment she impulsively purchases a wedding gown with no groom in sight for a wedding in 8 months, Larisa is an appealing, surprising, and marvelous woman confronting her distant and recent past, her current dire straits, and the wispy possibilities in her future. Meeting up with former best friend Jack and moving through a small town who thought it knew her back in the day, Larisa is bold, frazzled, warm, and interesting as few protagonists are. I loved escaping to a small town on coastline Massachusetts, spending time with true-to-life, empathetic characters, learning about her past and what she brings to life in her present. A terrific getaway!

Larisa has been fired from her job and broken up with her boyfriend Brent. With nothing left she travels to her Aunt's estate Elmhurst to renovate it to sell. With everything going wrong in her life, when she passes by a little bridal shop she wonders what could it hurt to pretend just for a while. But the shop owner, Larisa's former teacher, assumes she's getting married and spreads the news around town. Soon Larisa is lying to everyone about marriage plans...everyone except Jack, a friend from her childhood and caretaker of Elmhurst estate. How long can she keep up the charade before everything falls apart?
Although the main character Larisa does redeem herself in the end, the first half of the book just felt like I was reading about a spoiled child. Instead of facing or fixing her problems, she throws a temper tantrum or runs away and pretends everything's fine. I had a really hard time connecting with the characters in this book.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The views and opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

<b>**FULL REVIEW**</b>

I had high hopes for this book; the cover is gorgeous and the premise is good...but, it fell a little flat for me.

I found myself skimming through overly detailed yet mundane pages of a story that could’ve been summed up in half the time. I found myself rooting for the wrong couple, hoping the “forbidden” romance budding between them would amount to more...but alas, this is not a love story.

It’s more a story about personal growth and learning to understand that life is hard. Every bit of it, and if we choose to run away from it or hide from it...it just multiplies, creating massive waves in our unsettled seas. Topple that with lies upon lies (all centered around an impulsive buy in the local bridal shop) and we have a recipe for disaster.

So, overall...not impressed, but not disappointed either. I can’t say I related to Larisa but I understood her. I wanted to shake her quite a bit, but I get it.

And as open-ended as the last chapter seemed, it gives hope. Hope that no matter how bad things get, they can always get better. Just like a flower that only blooms once a year, a song that brings enough lucidity for a sweet embrace, and a familiar face to remind us that everything will be okay.

<b>**3 White Lies, Big Consequences, Stars**</b>

I was a little confused about the book’s focus. It was part romance, part finding one self, part dealing with dementia... it never found its purpose for me and never fulfilled any of the aforementioned themes. The author has a nice voice and the pace was OK, but the lack of focus made it hard for me to enjoy.

Know that this is not set in Paris or anywhere else in France but rather in Massachusetts where there'a a bridal store called the Little French Bridal Shop. Rats! But keep reading because this is actually an interesting mix of tropes that turns more serious. Larisa, nearing 40, at loose ends and in the dumps, impulsively buys a wedding dress despite not having a fiance or a wedding anywhere in sight. She's in town to clear up her aunt's estate where Jack, who was a friend when they were teens, is living and working as a caretaker. There's an attraction between the two of them but he's struggling with his own issues, especially his failing marriage. Just when you think this might turn into a romance, there's a serious issue with Larisa's mom, who has dementia. It might be a bit scattered in tone but isn't that how life can be? I liked this for the characters and the storytelling. Thanks to Netgalley for the arc. A nice debut and I'll be looking for Dupree again.

This book gives you the confidence to confess your love of reading...within a few pages. Acerbic wit the entire way, the MC surprises you with her choices

The cover of this romance novel drew me in right away. Paris! French Bridal shop! Don't be fooled😉. Full honesty : There is a bridal shop but it's in Massachusetts.
Larisa Pearl returns to her small hometown upon learning that her beloved Aunt Ursula has died and left her as manager of her estate. Larisa welcomes the change as she struggles with her personal life issues: a job firing, her mother's illness, and boyfriend trouble. She eagerly begins the task of redecorating and bringing back her aunt's home to it's former glory along with help from childhood friend Jack. As Jack and Larisa's feelings turn to more, Jack faces some delicate decisions with his family. Larisa must learn to navigate her challenges, grow up and face some hard truths to find her own love and happiness.
Caveat: I did become frustrated with Maria's penchant for lies by omission and self-centerdness in the early pages of the book and nearly stopped reading. So reader, hang in there!
Thank you to St Martin's Press and Net gallery for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Oh, Larisa... One lie is not just a simple lie if you keep lying. I spent a good part of the book frustrated at all the miscommunications and missed opportunities between Larisa, her parents, the townspeople, Brent, and Jack. Larisa's parents were charming and led to an important storyline regarding dementia and how trying it is for the caregivers. In the end, I was happy how it all resolved and I enjoyed the way the story was woven.

With a charming setting, this book, overall, was very sweet. However, I never felt truly invested in the outcome of the story. It was tough to root for the main character, Larisa, when she repeatedly made the same mistakes.

I also felt that the title of the book is a bit misleading; it implies more focus on the bridal shop than there actually is in the story.

Set in a small northern Massachusetts town, Larisa Pearl has returned to her aunt’s stately home to ready it for sale. The behemoth of a house is where many of her favorite childhood memories occurred, and the town she grew up in has plenty of memories. But now at loose ends, wondering just what her life will look like in ten more years, feeling a bit of loose ends and struggling with her mother’s dementia, her parents’ marriage and love being hard to ‘replicate’, she’s also alone.

Returning to the little town, she impulsively steps into the bridal shop and purchases a dress: exciting the townspeople who’d known her for years and opening a Pandora’s box of lies, deception and a place for Larisa to continue to hide and ‘move on’ even as she remained stagnant. Through the journey we meet Jack, a man of ‘all work’ who is currently experiencing his own relationship woes as his marriage is on the rocks and he can’t figure out how to fix it. The two find a connection: innocent and familiar at first, but quickly deepens into more – even as no lines have been crossed. Together we discover Larisa coming to terms with her life (and her desires) as they stand, as she faces the demons of her own guilt for not being more available to her mother in her decline, her own confusion about what she truly wants, and the fact that soon she’ll be forty with no real plans.

Dupee has created a story that is nuanced, honest and occasionally frustrating in terms of the heroine who should have her life together, but her own insecurities and the heavy mantle of her parents’ own marriage – perfect and loving in every way – leaves her floundering more often than not. With plenty of moments for her to simply come clean and take her knocks: with no real consequence except to her pride, the story winds to a conclusion that brings focus to dementia, self-fulfillment and fear in ways that are unique and bring us empathy for the characters: even when they don’t particularly deserve it. A lovely debut with a story that will have many reactions, I can’t wait to read what’s up next from this author.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=” https://wp.me/p3OmRo-aRN /” > <a> I am, Indeed </a>

This is a lovely debut about children & parents & navigating through the ups & downs of life. This is an adorable debut novel that draws you in right away & charms you so you have to read through to the end. Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for my early review copy. I Highly recommend this book to everyone.