Cover: Sunny and smile-inducing.

I’ve been having an incredible string of bad luck, technology-wise, so my reviews are going to be on the concise side. Force majeure, as screen-freezes are more common than fleas on a dog.

So, without further ado, I’ve got to say that Summer at the French Café is a peculiar one. It’s well-written, even if a bit slow here and there, and with an interesting pair of MCs. Kat and Noah have good inner voices, and they’re quite fun to follow along; maybe they should be a little more proactive though, less–less ‘life is steamrolling all over me’, but that’s a matter of personal tastes.

The third POV works fine here–great choice! The most compelling trait of Summer at the French Café though is its atmosphere: Moorcroft does a fabulous job with the setting.

My issue with it, if it could be called an issue, is that it has too much going on. Subplots are the mitochondria of a story, no questions asked, but if we have too many of them, it becomes hard to keep track of everything without getting overwhelmed. Picking a couple of themes and sticking with them would have helped the plot along, I think.

3.5 stars on GR.

Kat and her dog Angelique have settled into a comfortable life in Alsace. While Kat works in a bookshop/café, set in a large park, Angelique snoozes in the office, dreaming of lunchtime and after work walkies. Friends and relationships come and go, even family bonds have been an issue for Kat in the past, and this summer, life is about to throw a few more challenges her way. Luckily there is nothing quite like the love of a devoted dog.

When things with her boyfriend go spectacularly wrong, it’s not just her personal life that suffers and I couldn’t help feeling that gut-punching disappointment for her at the way she is treated by those she trusted. Kat soon realises the benefits of having brother Solly on hand, but even his presence in her daily life, brings certain buried emotions out in the open – giving Kat yet more soul-searching to deal with.

Solly’s roommate, the quiet and mysterious Noah, carries a heart full of sadness with him and his summer is going to be no less disruptive and emotional than Kat’s. Despite both their problems, Kat and Noah find the time to help each other through the tough days, and a beautiful friendship begins to grow.

These characters were all engaging and great fun to get to know. Their traumas, their weaknesses and the emotional journey’s thrown their way, all made for addictive, page-turning reading. Some of the topics covered were heartbreakingly sad, but always sensitively dealt with. This book really highlighted the emotional damage that family relationships in all their murky forms can lead to, but I also never lost hope that ultimately, they would all find their happy ever afters.

As well as a storyline and characters that grabbed me, this book also had a location that made me feel very at home. Who wouldn’t want to spend time in a book café, especially one set in a leisure park that brought back memories of childhood holidays? I was in fiction heaven. The beautiful region of Alsace, whose food, architecture and customs are so different from the rest of France, came to life from the pages and is tugging once more at my wanderlust.

This book is another superb hot summer read from Sue Moorcroft, whose books just get better and better.

It’s publication day for Summer at the French Café and congratulations to Sue Moorcroft for another fabulous read. Sue is no stranger to this blog, both she and her books have featured many times (a list of previous reviews and posts is below). I do love the cover for this one, it’s relevant to the story and just so eye catching – and yellow is my favourite colour.

Set in the French region of Alsace, the centrepiece of the story features a delightful sounding bookstore cafe, Livres et Café located in Parc Lemmel – a large leisure and waterpark area which sounds wonderful.

There are quite a few characters to get to know, the main ones being Kat (along with her gorgeous dog, Angelique – I love that name), who is the manager of Livres et Café, her half brother Solly, his fellow Parc Lemmel workmate/stablemate Noah and a supporting cast including family and friends. Kat hasn’t had the best experience in love and also has a troubled family background as we find out.

With themes which include betrayal, illness, and revenge, not to mention complex blended family relationships, the pretty yellow summery cover belies the sometimes darker storyline contained within. Of course primarily this is meant to be a romance and that element is well in evidence as the author is exceptional at creating chemistry between her leading characters and the spark between Kat and Noah was 🔥.

The book just fills you with that summer feeling and I envied those tourists and locals being able to sit outside the Café with a pastry and coffee and enjoy the sun. The location and its surrounding area are vividly described and populated with characters that felt real – some were easy to like – especially Kat, Solly, Noah and young Clémence, whilst there were others who were the cause of much angst and unhappiness. The more serious part of the story features controlling behaviour within relationships, I felt this was sensitively handled within the confines of the story and enabled the characters involved to show the different facets of their personalties.

Kat was such a capable and engaging character but she was unable to shake off the shadows from her past and her vulnerability came through clearly. It made me mad on her behalf when others betrayed her and took advantage. All I can say is she was more forgiving than me.

Summer at the French Café is a fantastic engaging and entertaining summer read; it had enough drama to keep me invested, character development along the way, and of course romance. I loved it.

Sue's books have such a good quality for drawing you in from the first few pages and I always end up falling a little bit in love with the characters (isn't that just the beauty of this genre) and this book was no exception. I also absolutely LOVED the setting, I mean a book cafe.. books and pastries.. erm yes please - if this is based on a real place then I need to get my ticket booked! The whole Parc Lemmel sounds incredible if I'm honest, loads of green space for walks and adventure, a massive lake to kayak or paddleboard on, the rides and rollercoasters, and the sunshine of France, I don't think I need to sell it anymore do I?

Well, if that paragraph is drawing you in then you need to pick up this book ASAP and it's out now so there's no excuse ;) the whole book is just so so good! I was ever so lucky to be sent a physical copy from Avon books and isn't it just absolutely stunning - and so summery, you know it'll be featuring in plenty of stacks this summer!

Anyway, before I got distracted by the cover I was telling you about the actual story, so it's set in a book cafe in the middle of a picturesque park in Paris and the main character who pretty much runs the cafe is Kat. She's been living in France for a few years when we meet her and is just starting to feel settled, perfect job, perfect little flat and a super hunky boyfriend ... what could go wrong? I mean, the blurb says it all, but things soon start to take a rather dramatic downfall and how Kat managed to stay calm in that situation, I take my hat off to her!

Noah is one of those characters that you just grow to instantly, I think I would say that I liked him more than Kat and that is a tight call. It's so clear that he's been dealt a blow and needs picking up and a big hug, but that he is the kindest and sweetest guy you'll find. I absolutely loved Cle and you wouldn't know that there were any issues hiding away when you see her and Noah together, such a strong and genuine relationship that warms your heart.

Ultimately, this book is a happy one, with lots of moments that will have you grinning from ear to ear - especially those that involve Solly as well, but there were times towards the end of the book that I found myself getting a bit emotional. I was trying to hold back the tears as I couldn't see a way out of the pickle that we were experiencing but the ending of the book was just so so good and I could have happily read the book again immediately.

This book really is set in the most enticing of locations, quite perfectly described and brought to life. I think I’d rather like to settle down for an afternoon – after browsing the bookshelves of course – at an outside table at Livres et Café, order a peach tea and perhaps a tarte au framboises (as a special treat), and soak up the unique atmosphere of Parc Lemmel in the warm sunshine.

And at the start, it’s a happy place for Kat too. She’s taken over the café’s management while its English owners are handling a few problems of their own (it’s challenging, but she’s taking it in her stride) – and her home life’s also pretty good, with a lovely garden flat in Kirchhoffen, her blossoming relationship with Jakey, and her much-loved dog Angelique always at her side. Her family background might be particularly difficult and complicated, but she’s rather looking forward to having her younger brother Solly around for the summer, and to have the opportunity to get to know him a little better.

But then life turns rather more difficult – Jakey proves to be something of a disappointment (and that’s putting it mildly…), someone’s out to sabotage all her hard work at the cafe, and on top of that there are all the many complications family can bring. Thank goodness for Noah – he’s working with her brother at the park, and they soon become good friends and more – and I really enjoyed both his personal journey and their very authentic-feeling developing relationship. But his own family life isn’t without its complications – he’s in the area in search of his ex-wife, who disappeared with his young daughter and a new husband determined to keep the family apart – and the way that unfolds might just jeopardise any possibility of a shared happy ending.

And I have to say that’s a very simplified telling of a story that has many more layers – and I really enjoyed the way they were all explored and handled. I particularly liked the family-related content (ah, the difficulties of blended families…) – Noah’s determination to be a father to young Clémence and part of her life, and its sharp contrast with Kat’s difficult experience with her own family. Both sets of relationships and their psychological consequences are dealt with particularly realistically – nothing too heavy, but these are very real people, and rarely behave in the ways you’d rather like them to. And there are actually quite a few people in this book who behave particularly badly – I’d grown to really like Kat, always so sunny and warm, and one development later in the book made me particularly angry on her behalf.

This book’s rather lovely cover might lead you to expect a light read – but that’s never quite what you get with a book from Sue Moorcroft, and it’s one of the reasons why I enjoy her books so much. The story is strong and well-told, the characters well-drawn and convincing (and, in the most part, eminently likeable and sympathetic), the setting far more than a mere backdrop, the issues she addresses very real and well-researched (cyber security, anyone – I certainly learned a lot!), and I particularly enjoy her sureness of touch with the emotional content. But it’s also tremendous fun, feel-good fiction at its best – I loved the convincing romance, the relationships between the characters, Angelique’s swishy-tailed interventions, the excitement of a small child, the whole atmosphere of the park.

I just love the way she writes – and I think this book is one of her strongest yet. Highly recommended.

(Review copied to Amazon UK, but link not yet available)

Summer at the French Café is a feel-good charming romance that will have you wishing you could pack your bags and head off to France.

I stumbled upon this book on NetGalley and instantly knew I needed to get my hands on it. It has everything that I love in a romance book, a gorgeous setting, an adorable dog, and a wonderful bookstore. Sue did not disappoint me with this book. It’s just so darn delightful and such a fun escape read. The story has plenty of twists and turns to keep readers entertained and very engaged.

One of the things that I love about Sue’s books is that they often have so much substance and depth. She offers her readers the charming romance they desire while at the same time tackling some pretty tough issues. In this book, Sue spends a lot of time focusing on family and how families can often be complicated, messy, and sometimes there are no easy solutions to family problems. I loved how Sue addressed the topic of blended families and included the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to family relationships.

I need to talk about the setting in this book, the little French Village that Kat lives in just sounds so utterly charming and perfect. Sue masterfully brought the setting to life in this book with her lush and vivid descriptions of the park, Kat’s house, and the little village she lives in. All I wanted to do was go there and spend my day exploring all this little village has to offer.

The romance in this book is so oh la la fantastique! The relationship between Kat and Noah is this perfect blend of sweet and spicy. I really enjoyed these two as a couple and absolutely adored all those “zingy” romantic sparks that went off whenever they were together. I also really liked that their relationship had a lot of substance and depth to it. These two listened and talked about their lives and supported each other through the tough times they were going through.

Overall, Summer at the French Café is c’est magnifique and a book I would highly recommend.

Thank you, Avon Books UK for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fabulous trip to France!
Wonderful characters, beautiful setting and a gentle romance, what more could you ask for from a summer read?
Loved seeing the slow romance blossom, and the families coming back together too.
A delightful book , that oozes sunshine from every page! ☀️

A beautiful cover for a beautiful book!

I've read a few books by Sue Moorcroft, and I've enormously enjoyed them all. They all have the particularity of covering very serious and difficult themes which are treated by the author with extreme sensitivity. Her writing style is gorgeous, and every book is a real treat. Can't wait for the next one!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Can I say Sue Moorcroft you know how to fill a coffee shop with romance and sunshine!
I loved this light heartwarming book, it takes us to France where Kat runs a bookshop/cafe for hear dear friend Reeny who is battling cancer.
When her half brother Solly arrives to work in the theme park where the shop is situated he introduces Noah his roommate to Kat who is nursing a damaged heart by her cheater boyfriend Jakey.
Noah and Kat become friends when. Noah helps Kat out be walking her beloved dog Angelique.
Noah is also trying to sort out his family as his ex wife has run off with her husband and Jakes daughter Clemence bringing him to work in the park.
Will Kat and Noah find happiness together and will Noah be allowed to be back in Clenence’s life.
Get your shades on and your tissues ready for Sues new book, it’s a must.!
Thank you Avon Books Uk and NetGalley for a ARC of this lovely summer read..

Two and a half stars.

I must preface this review by saying that while I generally love Sue Moorcroft's UK-based novels I have a less enthusiastic relationship with her novels set abroad, despite that I requested this book when it came up on NetGalley.

Kat(erina) Jenson works in a bookshop come café in Parc Lemmel in Alsace, France. The owners Reeny and Graham were very kind to her when she first moved to France, giving her somewhere to stay etc, and she has been fiercely loyal ever since. Now Reeny has cancer and Graham's mother is ill in the UK so the task of managing the bookshop falls squarely on Kat, which she relishes.

Kat's stepbrother Solly has recently also started work in the park, after being sacked as a teacher for drunken rowdiness on the school steps, as a groundskeeper. Kat and Solly have not been close previously as Solly's mother Irina has always made it clear that she is jealous of any time that Kat spends with Solly, or her father Howard even though Kat only saw her father at weekends. Even Kat's mother showed her less attention when she remarried, prioritising her new husband's young daughters who were traumatised at their mother's death. Then after her own mother's death, her step-father and his daughters moved away, leaving Kat all alone.

Kat hasn't had much time to spend with Solly so far as she has been too engrossed with her French boyfriend Jakey, until shocking truths are revealed about who he really is.

Despite her heartbreak and shock, Kat soon finds herself attracted to Solly's housemate Noah, who has moved to Alsace from the Dordogne to try to find his ex-wife Irina and daughter Clemence who abruptly up and left with his ex-wife's new (controlling) husband Johan with no notification. But given her history of being thrown over for other people and their children, will the situation with Noah be any different?

Sorry, I tried to like this but I found it incredibly slow. Also, Kat was such a victim of absolutely everyone she knew that I started to feel that maybe she was partially to blame, like those people who are 'bullied' at every single job they have - at some point you have to ask are they oversensitive or are they themselves acting unreasonably and getting upset when they are called out on it?

I've said it before but this time I mean it. No more overseas romances from Sue Moorcroft for me.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Loved this book!!! What an amazing tale of love, blended families and all the love, complications and warmth that comes with it too!! French summer time in all its glory!!
Kat is manager at the book cafe in the beautiful Parc Lemmel in Alsace. Her brother Solly works nearby with his friend Noah at the lake with the kayaks and keeping the park maintained. Kat lives in a nearby village with her dog Angelique.. working long hours throughout the summer is hard work!!
The gorgeous summer atmosphere, aromas of flowers and coffee, the pastries, the books, dog walks, Kat and Noah, this is the perfect summer read this year!!
Brilliantly written, characters I can relate to, a fantastic feel good fabulous summer read!! Loved it!! Best yet from Sue Moorcroft!!
Thank you NetGalley for the early read, so very much appreciated!!

Review: I am a firm fan of Sue Moorcroft’s books and know that I can sit down with them and be transported to another world. This book sounded absolutely ideal for a summer read, and I looked forward to being whisked off to a warm French location; I could almost smell the coffee even before I opened the cover. When I started to read, I found that the setting was not only a cafe, but a bookshop into the bargain - one of my favourite sorts of establishment. The story itself soon had me engaged and I finished it all too quickly.

The central character in the story is Kat, who is managing a popular bookshop-cafe by the lake in busy Parc Lemmel in the village of Kirchhoffen. Having left behind a complicated family situation in her native UK, she is happy with her life in the French village, where she has a job that she loves, a handsome boyfriend and an adorable dog who accompanies her to work every day. However, her peaceful existence is suddenly shattered by the discovery that her boyfriend is not the person she believed, and this revelation brings her into contact with someone who is super-vindictive, causing trouble for her and her shop. On a lighter side, she is delighted that her step-brother has also come to work in the parc, giving her a chance to get to know him better, a thing that seemed impossible in the home setting. Contact with him has also brought into her life newcomer Noah, a divorced father with a young daughter. A relationship soon blossoms between Kat and Noah, but his family life is also very complicated, and, although they try to work through their problems together, there seems no way forward for the pair.

The bright and breezy cover on this book suggests a light summer read in a beautiful setting, but it is so much more than that. Within the book’s pages, Sue Moorcroft has introduced and dealt ably with a number of serious topics which I will not list for fear of bringing in spoilers. I will just say that the main characters in the story have to deal with such a lot. There is romance here, but it is set around a strong storyline which twists and turns, keeping the reader guessing as to how it will all end. I very much liked both Noah and Kat and was amazed at how they were able to cope with what was continually coming their way. I can thoroughly recommend this book to Sue Moorcroft fans and those new to this author, but be ready to be confronted with some difficult topics.

Another beautiful one by Sue Moorcroft.

This would be my second by this author and it does deal with some heavy subjects. It made me super emotional...

It is a well written book and I loved all the characters and the way the story was developed...

Overall - an enjoyable warm read...

I love Sue Moorcroft, the author is great at a romance holiday light read.

Summer at the French Cafe is much heavier than her usual style and alot of it comes across as an information dump sometimes. It's very here's info as it's crucial to the story working but not necessarily naturally fitting into the story line.

The story line is great, has a fair bit going on and is every book lovers dream of running a cafe bookshop in a warm country!

Thanks Netgalley and publisher for the honest review of this ARC.

Kat has my ideal job, working in a café/bookshop. So many books to read & so much cake to eat! The story is based in France where Kat is managing the café for the owners as Reeny has cancer & is undergoing treatment. The story covers many issues, such as stepfamilies, cyber hacking, custody battles, new relationships & added in, a bit of deceit!

Even with very large issues being tackled, the book feels positive & it's very enjoyable. As with all of Sue Moorcroft's books, you are never left feeling disappointed. She never holds back with difficult subjects. Loved the characters, all very believable. Another great book from Sue Moorcroft.

A beautiful novel, set in a summery location of Parc Lemmel in the Alsace, based on a café-cum-bookshop. Fun characters and lots of entanglements surrounding cheating, divorce, parenthood and betrayal. That sounds heavy, but it is a light-hearted story, combined with heavier subjects and is exactly in balance.

Love plays a major role and the relationship between Kat (Katherina) and Noah is nicely built and developed. The other relationships, those with her brother and her parents and those of Noah with his ex and his daughter, are well described and come across as realistic.

The pace of the story is not that high and it drops off a bit in the middle part, but towards the end, when the plot lines are continued and are completed, it is fun and fascinating to read again.

A special role is played by Kat's dog Angelique, as is the little girl Clemence.

Summer in the French café is a nice feel-good and a real summer read.

Starting a new book by Sue Moorcroft is like immersing yourself in a warm bath - comforting, relaxing and you know that you will love it.

Kat has a job she loves managing a cafe and bookshop in France. With her little dog, and her boyfriend, life seems ideal. When her half brother comes to work nearby life just gets better, giving Kat the opportunity to get to know the half brother she wasn't allowed to be with in her youth, and who was the apple of her father and stepmother's eye.

When her boyfriend turns out not to be the person she thought he was, and life starts getting a whole lot more complicated in various aspects of her life, can Kat bring her life back on track and find happiness again?

I loved this book, as I have all the Sue Moorcroft books I have read. It is well written with believable characters, and some interesting situations it is well thought out, and shows how difficult relationships in one generation, can cause issues down the generations. Definitely worth reading, and high on the feel- good factor.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4701445484

Fractured families and feelings: good framework for the romance!🤗

4-4.5🌟 stars
This and Under the Italian Sun are my favorites so far of the books I've read by author Sue Moorcroft. In this story she provides a good sense of character development for Kat and Noah, the principal players, and the story kept up a good pace with all the events happening in their work and personal lives over the course of a summer in northeast France near Strasbourg.

The romance builds in a realistic manner and the intimate scenes have just a bit of heat. Plus, the examination of the complications and pitfalls of broken and reconstituted families gave it extra depth and a share of angst, particularly for Kat and Noah. I really felt for Kat and her piled up disappointments in the key people in her life made her an underdog figure to root for!

I also found the details of local interest just right: not a travelogue but just enough to give a feel for the high points of the area where they lived. And I adored Angelique, Kat's rescue dog; she added some whimsy along with touching comfort when things weren't going well for her human.

Thanks to Avon Books and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

Thank you so much Sue Moorcroft, Rachel’s random resources, Avon books and Harper Collins for gifting me a digital copy of summer at the French cafe in exchange for an honest review. This was a sizzling slow burn of a book filled with heart warming characters in a stunning location. How I wish I could visit Parc Lemmel, find a book and a pastry in the cafe then sit under a tree watching the boat lake. I really enjoyed the relationship between Kat and Solly and the development of their bond. The relationship between Noah and his daughter Clemence was simply beautiful; watching him fight for her was wonderful. This book is beautifully written and I really enjoyed it. Perfect for the longer summer days we hopefully will get this year.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

A perfect Summer Holiday Read.

I absolutely loved this book, couldn’t put it down. It’s the perfect holiday read, with lots of sunshine and a beautiful setting that will make you wish you was there with Kat in Alsace. Or want to visit a book cafe just like the one in this book and treat yourself to coffee, cake and a good book.

Living in Alsace, Kat is really happy with her job, working at a book cafe within a park which has tourists and locals visiting.

Her life didn’t have any family locally and love. Escaping to Alsace from the UK was the best thing she did. Now she has a job and a lovely flat, not too far from where she works, as well as her dog Angelique, Jakey, her boyfriend and she’s feeling happy…. that is until she’s faced with the truth, and suddenly, things aren’t looking to good for her

Just when she needs family, her half-brother arrives to work at the park, and she meets his friend Noah. He is handsome and tall. But, Noah also has his problems, he’s only there to locate someone. Once he’s found who he’s looking for, he’ll go back, to Dordogne, after summer ends.

So, will Kat fall for Noah and will she leave the place she loves? Or will the same thing happen again?

Will Noah find who he’s looking for and will he let himself fall in love again? Or will his present life be too much for him to try again?

Highly Recommend This Book.