Aria's Traveling Bookshop is the perfect read for fans of Jenny Colgan's The Bookshop Around the Corner. Following the titular bibliophile after the loss of her husband, this book is heartwarming and features a second-chance romance, tons of literary references, and family connections that will keep you returning to Aria's Book Van long after this book's stunning conclusion. Aria defies all conventions as a widow, and her spunk and tender heart captivated my attention from page one.

While Aria’s Travelling Bookshop appears to be listed as a stand alone novel, it did not read that way to me. I felt I had a better grasp on the story because I had read the first book Aria appeared in, Rosie’s Travelling Tea Shop. Both narratives detail the joys of van-life and the delight of being a nomad.

Lovely Aria Summers doesn’t mind being the third wheel in her friends’ relationship. In fact, as a determinedly single-forevermore widow, she is resigned to that status as her lot in life, now and in the future. Aria doesn’t care because she loves her freewheeling van-lifestyle and finds lots of pleasure in taking her camper/bookshop on the festival circuit, travelling with Rosie and Max and creating community with whomever else she finds herself travelling. She also appreciates that it gives her plenty of solitude; whether it’s quiet hours spent driving down scenic roads with only her own thoughts for company or spending an evening curled up with a good romance novel, she has plenty of time to just enjoy living on her own. Aria is firmly convinced she’s meant to be a free bird, flying solo.

The night before she, Rosie and Max leave for France is different. Their little caravan of campers, a group who has travelled together for the last several months, is heading in (mostly) different directions. Aria feels obligated to go hang out at the bar, drink too much wine and say goodbye to all the friends and acquaintances she’s made touring the festival circuit.

When she arrives, she is surprised to see Jonathan Chadwick chugging drinks with the Van-Lifers. Aria met the smart bibliophile at a festival earlier in the year and they’d talked for the best part of a day about the novels they loved, especially the romcoms. But the caravan moved to a different city and, she assumed, left him behind.

Aria quickly loses track of Jonathan in the crowd and she’s good with that. They had a bit too much chemistry for her to be completely comfortable around him, given her vow to never love again. Then a series of unexpected events result in her falling off a karaoke stage and straight into his arms. Aria isn’t sure what causes her to completely lose control and kiss him (the wine), but she is sure that she enjoys it far too much to ever repeat that mistake again. She’s just glad she won’t keep running into him once she’s on the continent.

Only… she does. Jonathan is touring France, too, albeit for a different purpose and many of the places he lands just happen to coincide with the places Aria’s scheduled to be. Is fickle fate tempting her beyond what she can endure? Or is life telling her it’s time to move on?

I’ve seen this novel described as Friendship Fiction/ Romance / Women’s Fiction (humorous) and I would say that definition is apt. The story is as much about Aria’s relationships with other women – her crusty mother-in-law Mary, the delightful Rosie, and the difficult Tori – as it is about Aria’s burgeoning romance with Jonathan. In fact, Jonathan is in the novel far less than Rosie and almost equal to those other two characters. This was my main problem with the book – that it was such a hybrid of women’s fiction and romance, there is no real buildup to an HEA/HFN. I liked what there was of the love story but the truth is that there isn’t much to it. Once they work past the considerable obstacle in their path, they are so perfect for each other they fall in love very quickly and easily.

That obstacle is Aria’s reluctance to ever be in a sexual relationship again. Her first husband loved her utterly and completely, and she had loved him the same way. When he died of cancer, Aria was understandably devastated. During his last few months, they had toured the Lake District in a camper and Aria has not felt comfortable making a home anywhere but that camper ever since. She also hasn’t felt satisfied just parking it somewhere; she has remained on an endless travel tour since shortly after he passed. A part of Aria realizes she is trying to outrun her grief, but she certainly doesn’t want to stop and let it catch up with her. Much of the book is spent processing her pain with the help and wisdom of Rosie, Mary and a special diary as her guide. Because Aria’s sorrow is several years old, the author is able to treat it with a light hand, combining heartache, joy and humor skillfully so that Aria’s journey towards Jonathan is meaningful and filled with funny, sweet moments.

While that portion of the tale is well done, my favorite part of the book details van life. Working out the schedules, counting pennies, living in the company of other nomads, figuring out how to get medical care or communicate across language barriers, deciding what’s appropriate to bring to group meals – all that totally fascinated me. How they support each other’s businesses is interesting, too. Aria would sell her books with the customized love poems written by one of her peers and Rosie makes special bookish tea blends to help buyers of Aria’s books immerse themselves in the world of their favorites. The businesses work cooperatively rather than competitively.

Aria’s Travelling Book Shop is a gentle, charming story about the abundance of love and how our lives often have room in them for more than one great romance. Readers who enjoy women’s fiction with an HEA should give this one a try.

I loved Rebecca Raisin's book "Rosie's Traveling Tea Shop." In that book, we met Aria, a friend who helped her grow accustomed to the nomadic camper van lifestyle. Aria was such a fun character in "Rosie's Traveling Tea Shop," that I was thrilled to learn that Raisin had written a book centered around her. So naturally, I dug into this book right away!

The story continues describing the nomadic camper van lifestyle introduced in Rosie's Traveling Tea Shop. But this time, we're introduced to Aria's traveling book shop. I must admit, I wish I could find a camper van bookshop like this. Because Aria is an incurable romantic, her little bookshop is filled with all types of romance and love stories. Aria puts on a brave face, but inside she's lonely and missing her husband TJ who passed away from cancer. She doesn't think she can ever find that level of love again, and she really doesn't want to try. But then she meets Jonathan and tries to ignore the feelings she never thought she would feel again. Can she overcome the sadness and open her heart again, without feeling like she is betraying TJ?

I enjoyed reading Aria's story, and discovering various areas of France as she and Rosie took their vans to various areas for summer fairs and markets, I loved peeking into the nomadic lifestyle and hope Raisin will write more books around this theme.

Aria loves her nomadic "van lifer" style. She is content with her books, her friendship with Rosie (and Max). She doesn't need much more in life. Her husband TJ died three years ago and Aria is not interested in romance except that to be found in books. Along comes Jonathan, whom she met last summer and spent memorable hours chatting with - but romance is out of the picture. Aria and Rosie are headed to France for the summer on the festival circuit and keep running into Jonathan. A summer of sunshine, travel, wine - friendships follow. Sometimes life does not care what we think we want; life is what happens when we are busy making other plans.

I loved this book and all of the characters. I found myself a bit envious of the van lifers - what could be better than travelling with people you like, stopping when you like, and a lot of reading and laughter along the way? This is a very sweet, enjoyable story.

Aria's Travelling Book Shop is the lovely follow up to Rosie's Traveling Tea Shop. It's a great vacation read, There are such fun characters and several storylines about following your heart. Rosie and Aria are traveling in France with their vans and meet new and old friends along the way. I hope Rebecca Raisin brings them back in future book because they are great characters!
Thanks you to NetGalley and Harper 360 for my review copy.

I love this story. The friendship between Aria and Rosie was great. Their back and forth conversations had me laughing out loud at times. I don't want to say to much about Jonathan but what a gentleman and so understanding. Great book all round.

So if I had the capacity to roam and do what I love, I'd do exactly what Aria is doing in her traveling book shop. But if I am honest with myself, I am a homebody and that much traveling is just a bit beyond what my true makeup is. Aria has gathered the crumbs of her life and taken it on the road.

Aria is a young widow who has decided that her husband was her one true love and she just won't take a chance on love again. With her friends Rosie and Max, she goes to France with her bookmobile and travels from one festival to another. Along the way she meets Jonathan, who she doesn't know is her favorite contemporary author. There is an attraction, but she's not willing to pursue it to see where it will go. UNTIL she receives the last diary her late husband wrote. Her mother-in-law has been holding this from her for the last three years because Aria followed her husband's wishes instead of her mother-in-law's desires.

What Aria doesn't know is that Jonathan's book tour is following where her caravan is going, so she runs into him frequently, and he's a patient man.

At first, this novel was a bit sluggish, but there were some significant points that Rebecca Raisin made in the book:
Grief has no time-line, but, if allowed, it can consume the person in grief
Being yourself is the best person you can be
Love is findable, if you take the blindfold off
Love is findable, if you don't push too hard to make it happen
Being a friend is more important than coming out on top
Four strong stars.

Harper 360 and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

Aria's Travelling Book Shop
author: Rebecca Raisin
Harper 360. HQ Digital

Hop on board like I did on Rosie's Travelling Bookshop of Happily Ever After, as she leaves Southwark, London bound for summer adventures in France. Literary, culinary, and cultural experiences await, as Rosie and her friends, Rosie and Max are nomadic "van lifers", never knowing what awaits just around the corner. I enjoyed every twist and turn in the road, and was cheering for romantic resolutions and happily ever afters, as well.
These three travelling companions are unique yet bonded by friendship, creativity, and wanderlust as they set up at festivals and special events. Aria is a bibliophile, a true bookworm type who can sniff out bookshops anywhere she roams. A lover of Maeve Binchy, she sells romance novels from her camper van. Although somewhat rumpled in appearance, she dresses up nicely in jeans and a literary tee! Aria finds reading to be an escape from the pain of losing her husband T. J. Her new friend, Jonathan, has literary surprises of his own that slowly emerge.
Her friend Rosie is a compulsive, list-making planner, who sells teas and simple homemade English food in her van. Her boyfriend, Max, sells juices at his lean, green, cafe.
Raisin's rich character development combine with quaint, lovely and vibrant French settings that include Rouen, St. Tropez, and Bordeaux for a rich, comforting read. I laughed at the escapades, cried at the grief, and longed for the romantic ventures of Aria and her companions.
Thank you to Net Galley and Harper 360 - HQ Digital for the advance reader's copy of this book and the opportunity to provide my unbiased review.
 #AriasTravellingBookShop #NetGalley

Have you ever has a book that you loved so much and the characters were so real to you that you cried when you finished the book? Well, y’all this book had me crying.

First, this book is about Aria who lost her husband three years ago to cancer and instead of facing her loneliness she ran. I get it because I have done this in my own life. It’s a defense mechanism for me and it was for Aria too. So, once TJ died she began to travel with a group of nomads and sell books out of her van. Honestly, it sounds wonderful and like a nice escape but just like anything it lost the thrill and the loneliness set back in.

This is where the story got super relatable and wonderful for me. She had to examine her past and know that she was still Aria and its okay to go on living even after you loose the love of your life. Through you book you also meet Jonathan and let me say I loved the character but I honestly I hope they do a follow up book to this because the story captured my heart. Please if you get a chance read it.

Charming story of love, loss and moving on. Aria is reeling after the death of her husband and not sure that she can love again. She embarks on a journey through France with her travelling book shop and finds that life after loss is possible.

This was a sweet little, slow burn romance. It has zero spice, which is totally fine, but worth knowing in case you want that in your romance books. I fell in love with all the characters. Rebecca did a great job writing them. I could see each and every character so clearly. It was an engaging story that, once it got going, kept my attention and I looked forward to each time I picked it up to read. It was a bit predictable, but I didn't mind because I liked the characters so much.

This book was so perfect for summer. It was absolutely heartwarming and gave me Float Plan vibes…perhaps I read these books too close together because they felt somewhat similar but that’s alright because I loved them both so much. I’m also a huge sucker for books with books as a prominent subject within, and so that alone made my heart beam reading this. This book was the perfect escape and just what I needed to cleanse my palate after from darker thrillers

I absolutely adored this book! Thank you so much for the advanced copy. I loved the characters, the storyline and wish I could do a mind wipe and start all over without knowing anything about it. Such a wonderful little book!

Sweet characters , love the different personalitys, the way of life seems fun traveling and metting new people , falling in love , living their best life .,

I was provided a free copy of this book from @netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
This is the second book in a series, and you should definitely read that first (Rosie's Traveling Tea Shop)! Aria and Rosie decide to take their vans on the road to travel around France for the summer! While there they encounter a lot of great people, fun events, and quite a few surprises along the way.
This is a great sequel! Although as mentioned in my review of Rosie's, reading the so quickly one after the other I struggled at the beginning with the change of POV and had to keep reminding myself who was talking! 😊
Similar to the other, it is a fun quick read that will leave you happy with very little drama!
And of course... Many discussions about books and bibliophilia! What's not to love about that?!? 🥰
And best news for you, it came out today, so you can get both of these books today!
#NetGalley #AriasTravellingBookshop

AN AUTHOR’S LOVE STORY TO WRITERS, AUTHORS AND BOOK LOVERS OF ALL TIME. I loved the idea of Van Lifers traveling around France stopping at idyllic locations to tour and have food and wine fetes with Aria in her very small book shop van setting up shop next to her best friend Rosie. Thank you, Rebecca Raisin, for such a delightful story but one that reflects your joy of reading as reflected in your dialogue between characters in naming books or familiar quotes. Romance hangs high among the travelers even with Aria and Rosie. Rosie has her love, Max, who drives the popular Juice Bar Van. Aria is a mess: she’s been mourning the death of her husband for three years and hasn’t been ready to move on until a writer enters her life. Can he be the one to open her heart? I would also recommend this book to grief counselors; one of the best ways I have read of walking through experiencing the loss of the love of your life. Thank you NetGalley and HQDigital for an ARC. I voluntarily leave my honest review.

I hadn't read book one before reading this, but I found you didn't need to because Raisin has made this series work flawlessly by making the books work alone and together. Aria has been a widow for three years. Not a day goes by that she doesn't think about TJ and what they shared. But as everyone around her seems to be coupling up, the loneliness closes in on her. She's met Jonathan, but she knows she has to keep him as a friend. She made promises to TJ, and she needs to stick by them. Poor Aria. For all of her love of exploring the world, she's closing herself off to the best parts.

This was an adorable read. It's sweet and impactful while giving us a super fun friendship with Aria and Rosie. They have a friendship to aim for, which makes me want to go and read Rosie's story now. I loved Aria's love of books, which is completely relatable. Overall, this is a fun read that is both light and heavy and gives you all the feels. Thank you, Harper 360, for sending this along!

Aria’s Travelling Book Shop is a delightful story about a trio of nomadic entrepreneurs whose lives have intertwined in love and friendship. Aria is a young widow who is running from her old life, selling books from her van and reading just as many along the way. Aria’s best friend Rosie plans their routes with meticulous detail. Rosie’s boyfriend, Max, is the true veteran of the Van Life and has connections along the way. Together they travel from England to France in search of adventure and enough profits to continue their nomadic lifestyles.

That would be more than enough for an enjoyable read, but this is also a story about overcoming loss, forgiveness, and moving on. Aria has been running from the family that let her down when she needed them most, choosing to memorialize her late husband with a promise never to love again. So when another man captures her attention, she sees it as a betrayal. Denial and avoidance are her only defenses, but fate keeps bringing them together.

This book is filled with emotions, and Aria’s inner turmoil is skillfully shown through her actions and inner thoughts. She’s a wonderful mess and I love her. The writing is beautiful, the characters are perfectly flawed, and the backdrops are lovely. I plan to go read Rosie’s Travelling Tea Shop next, and check out The Little Paris Collection books, as well.

*I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you so much to NetGalley and HarperCollins360 for this ARC (in preparation for the paperback release)!*

I dearly love a good chick lit book. If you hand me one that is also about a bookshop, chances are I’m going to jump on it! This was a cute story with a really fun setting that made me greatly nostalgic for my time in France.

My favorite thing about this book was definitely the setting. I loved the descriptions of the scenery. It made me feel like I was really there, which is extra fun during this pandemic where we cannot really travel like we used to. I also adored the descriptions of the fun food and shops in each city they visited. It really made me feel like I was there, and I was fondly remembering my own European travels the whole time.

I liked the story pretty well. The idea of running a bookshop out of a van that you also live inside of was intriguing, but also made me realize just how much I appreciate having a home base that I don’t also drive around.😂 The characters were fun, but I also had a hard time relating to them on a deeper level. I didn’t read the first book in this series, and I do wonder if it was a necessity to read that book first in order to feel like I really knew the characters.

The romance was sweet, but it also felt like I was missing something the whole time. I had a hard time believing that Aria could be so taken with Jonathan after only meeting him once. Also, her reasons for not wanting to date again were valid, but also invalid, which was a bit frustrating to me. I guess I felt like the plot was a bit inconsistent and very unrealistic.

Overall, I thought this was a cute book. The setting and overall vibe of the book really saved it for me. While I wished that I felt more of a connection to the characters, the story was also a fun time. It was cute, but that’s about the most I can say for it.

My Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️

I gave Aria’s Travelling Book Shop 3 Stars!

This was a great read, a great escape into a new way of life. I wanted to be one of the readers and crawl into Aria's bookshop with a cup of tea and blanket and read for hours. Thank you for the chance to read this great book!