What fun to bring a bookstore from WWII back to life.

Juliette and her husband’s trip to Paris ended in their separation, but it turned out to be a new start for Juliette.

Juliette needed a place to stay and found an apartment above a bookstore and decided to restore the bookstore even though a friend’s grandmother ZiZi who is 97 told her to not dig up the past.

Could this be the same apartment and bookstore that Jacques had owned during WWII?

Yes it is…Jacques and his wife lived in that very apartment above the bookshop while Jacques kept the peace with the Germans by selling books to an officer, but his wife Mathilde was in the resistance and got herself in trouble.

The bookstore sounded lovely and had a hidden room and lots of other secrets...will Juliette find out these secrets?

THE FORGOTTEN BOOKSHOP IN PARIS goes from 1940 to present day.

I always enjoy when there are connections from the past and present.

Could there be a connection between the bookshop and the characters from 1940 and 2022?

A lovely read that has some romance, mystery, history, and a chance to enjoy the city of lights both past and present.

Truly enjoyable for historical fiction fans and women's fiction fans. 5/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

I Will start by saying this book has dual timeline, one in the 1940s and one in present day. For me, personally, dual timelines are Either hit or miss. One timeline tends to ve better than the other, even though they tie together in the end. In the 1940 s timeline we follow courageous people who tries to fight the enemy. We get to meet Jacques. Who in the beginning of the books seens a little bit "dull". But as the story grows we see his passionhis strength and how far he Will go to save others. He is Just a loveable guy.
This timeline has the drive, the emotions that you expect from historical fiction.
In the present timeline, you get to follow strong people too. But it felt more like a romance and or women fiction.
But overall i liked the book. Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest opinion

The Forgotten Bookshop in Paris by daisy Wood is told in dual timelines Paris, 1940 WWll and the present day. I loved the historical fiction aspect of this story however I found the present storyline a little bit hallmark. I love a good love story and chic lit, but here I found the two a little hard to blend. The book's message and it does not matter the year reminds us that change is always possible and that taking risks can provide rewards.

3.5 stars

This fiction goes back and forth between Paris 1940 when the war was closing in on the city and the modern day life with Juliette and her husband on a romantic getaway to the city of light.

The story in a few words:

1940:

In the midst of Nazi occupation, while his wife in hiding, Jacques the owner of the bookshop “La Page Cachée” had to make tough decisions and risk everything to save those persecuted or in need of refuge. The story in time tells us how Jacques managed to rescue many of these poor souls.

Forward to Modern day:

On her romantic getaway Juliette and her husband Kevin realized how far they’ve grown apart. She is craving for a new adventure in Paris while Kevin heads back home. On a walk exploring the city she happens to come across a tiny abandoned shop .....”La Page Cachée” this forgotten bookshop was the answer to her dreams but this little abandoned gem had more than met the eye....

My thoughts:

The dual time narrative works well and is easy to follow. The pacing unravels at a moderate pace and stays that way all through. I enjoy the story but I didn’t find much mystery to it. The “déjà lu” experience kept popping in my mind in fact I know I read something similar in the past. It seems a bookstore during the war was an important place for the résistance to do their exchange...at a risk of evil and betrayal....Nevertheless I liked this detailed and vividly said story, you can picture what is going on, in whole very engaging. Ms. Daisy gives her characters honor roles which they played out beautifully.

In many ways “The Forgotten Bookstore in Paris” is a thought-provoking tale I enjoyed quite a bit.

The Forgotten Bookshop in Paris is a beautiful WW2 fiction set in Paris, France during the resistance.

The majority of the story is set in the past, however, there is also a nice little present day tie-in which worked really well. In some dual timeline books I find myself connecting with one aspect of the story more than the other, however, in this one I was equally as invested and loved trying to see if I could guess how it would all tie together in the end.

Whilst some WW2 fiction books are quite action packed and emotionally confronting, I found this one to be more of a quiet, subtle story. There was of course, still some incredibly heroic and brave characters, and a lot of the emotions that come with war stories, but told in a more gentle way.

The characters were interesting, however, I do think that the level of characterisation could have been developed further. This wasn't an action packed plot, however, there was still enough going on to carry the story along.

Overall, while not my favourite historical fiction read, this was still a very good book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for this eArc

A beautifully written story of bookshops and old Paris. Great characters and very enjoyable. Already planning on buying for an aunt

Bookshops, Paris and intrigue! What’s not to love?
We have Paris on dual timelines of WW2 occupation and 2022. We know this will be an emotional read and it is somewhat predictable. However, the writing is poignant and the pacing good. All in all, the story just captures you, you need to know the resolution and it’s not as straight forward as you think.
A story that is very relevant in today’s world and I highlighted several particularly observant passages.
Thank you to the author, the publisher and Netgalley fir the opportunity to read this. The fact it was free of charge does not influence my opinions at all.

This sucked me right in. I love historical fiction, my favorite typically being WWII so it was an obvious win for me. I love the story and the way it jumps timelines so seamlessly.

Set over dual timelines this is a wonderful novel by Daisy Wood.
1940, beginning of WW2 and Jacques runs a Bookshop in Paris with his wife. But the Germans are closing in and he risks losing everything he loves, but he cannot stand by and watch as people are persecuted just for their race.
Present day and Juliette is on holiday in Paris, the city her Grandmother grew up in. Finding the old village square that was on her Meme's painting at the same time as discovering her husband has been having an affair, she decides it must be fate that she stays for a while longer.
This novel is a story of overcoming loss and betrayal, both in the past and present. I preferred reading Jacques story but the two timelines slotted in nicely together resulting in a heartwarming conclusion
I received this advanced copy from Netgalley and Avon Books but am under no obligation to leave my review

I was delighted to receive a copy of "The Forgotten Bookshop of Paris" as I love Historical Fiction and of course books. It is a dual timeline book. Primarily it tells the story of Jacques and Mathilde during WWII and the story of Juliette in the present day. Jacques and Mathilde Duval own a bookshop in Paris at the outbreak of World War II, "Le Page Cachee. Mathilde gets involved with the French Resistence while Jacques, who besides selling confiscated books, wants to keep his head down, but the events of the War cause him to rethink his agenda for getting through the war. Secondly it tells the story of Juliette who is in Paris and searching for information on her Grandmother who lived there during WW2.

While I enjoyed the book, I did feel it would have been improved by telling the story of Jacques and Mathilde only and omitting the dual timeline. I found their story far more interesting and found myself speed reading to get back to their tale.
The character of Jacques was well written and he was the ordinary man, just like most of us, in the war wanting to remain anonymous, not wanting any trouble but at the same time knowing he needed to do what was right.

Overall it was an enjoyable read and I thank Netgalley and Avon Publishers for an advanced eARC in return for an honest review.

This is a lovely read. A story told in both the past and in the present and very well woven together. I loved how the story moved seamlessly from one era to the other.

Juliette has always had a yearning to visit Paris but it’s not going well. Her husband just wants to go home to the States. When Juliette discovers something very upsetting she decides to stay in Paris and a whole Noe’s life begins as she searches the past for answers to many unsaid questions. Those questions are answered back in the war years when Paris was occupied and danger was everywhere. It’s a lovely book and a lovely story carefully portrayed. I recommend it highly

Another new author for me and I wasn’t disappointed, This was a really lovely read that I just couldn't put down. The story was well written with such an interesting storyline and lovely characters. As always with this era of book it’s thought provoking.
Thanks as always to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the early read.

I was excited to receive this book, having previously read ‘The Clockmaker’s Wife’ by Daisy Wood. That book was an unforgettable 5 Star+ read for me, also written with a dual timeline between WW2 and present day.
Sadly, I was so disappointed by this book, as it is not in the same league, in my opinion, as the previous book.
The part in Paris, involving the bookshop, is engaging enough, but the present day timeline, and the schmaltzy romance is such a letdown.
I think I am done with the dual timeline WW2 fiction theme. I feel it has now been done to death, I’m sorry to say.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book.

Set in WWII in Paris and then moving to the present times, the story as is usual in two time lines links
what is seemingly inexplicable and a mystery.

Juliette has come to France with her husband - it has been a dream of her for so very long to recapture the
world of her grandmother's past in France and now that she is actually in Paris she feels a connection that
is scoffed at by her husband. Whilst on holiday, Juliette accidentally discovers that her husband has been
unfaithful from a message she inadvertently read and that seals her decision to stay on in France and try to
find out more about her grandmother and her family history.

We then backtrack to occupied France and how the persecution of the Jews saw many French people come out to help to try to save as many people as they could. We see here Jacques the owner of the original bookshop and his wife Mathilde. Mathilde was more active in the Resistance and was interrogated on suspicion. Jacques was hesitant to get involved until his hand was almost forced by the humanitarian problem facing Parisians. Jacques begins leading a double life - holding people facing persecution in a hidden chamber in his house, buying books from Jewish families needing money and then being befriended by a Nazi official who was looking for book treasures but who also helped him by warning him of imminent arrests.

The story in present day times was equally good. Juliette finds her dream bookshop decides to stay, become a small businesswoman in Paris, finds love again and gets to the bottom of her grandmothers story.

Extremely good reading, wonderfully strong characters and the mix of history, family saga, romance and life was very captivating.

Good story that pulled me in as I traveled back and forth between the stories of Jacques and Mathilde in the 1940's and the story of Juliette in 2022. It covers the horrible treatment of Jewish people during the war and the courage of some Parisians as they tried to help as many people as they could. This was a page turner for me and I enjoyed the way the author resolved the stories and entwined them at the end. It is a story of the courage of two different women during two different time periods who fight to overcome their obstacles.

WWII, historical fiction, and a bookstore - some of my favorite topics all wrapped up in one story. Incredibly well written and moving, a fresh take on an almost over-covered topic. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advanced copy.

Jacques and Mathilde have only been married a short time when the Germans invaded Paris. Jacques owns a bookshop called la page cachée and Mathilde works at a museum. The war drags on, Mathilde loses her job, Jacques still earns a living selling novels, guidebooks and postcards.

The couple live in an apartment a couple of floors above the bookshop, under the close scrutiny of Madame Bourdain and they don’t know if they can trust her? Mathilde finds living under German occupation difficult, the Gestapo are watching her movements and she has to flee Paris.

Jacques created a secret room in his shop before the war started, and here he conceals a box of banned books. After Mathilde leaves, he begins helping the resistance, he hides boxes, supplies, people and eventually Jewish children. He desperately hopes Mathilde is safe in the countryside, he can’t contact her and they made plans of where to meet after the war ends.

The Forgotten Bookshop in Paris has a dual timeline it’s set in the city of lights during the 1940's and in present time, and it's told from the two main characters points of view.

Juliette and her husband Kevin have traveled from America to France for a much needed holiday. Juliette’s grandmother Marie was French and she moved to America after the end of the Second World War. Kevin can’t wait to return home, Juliette discovers why, she decides to stay in Paris and investigate her grandmothers mysterious past.

Juliette grandmother had a picture of a square in Paris and she explores the Parisian streets and cafes trying to find it. Juliette becomes friends with a French couple, she discovers an abandoned bookshop, and she decides to stay in France. Juliette falls in love with The Hidden Page, she sets about renovating the old bookshop and she uncovers hidden secrets from the past.

I received a copy of The Forgotten Bookshop in Paris from NetGalley and Avon Books UK in exchange for an honest review. Daisy Wood flawlessly combines the past and the present in a wonderful and well written dual timeline narrative. Both Jacques, Mathilde, and Juliette are appealing characters, I really enjoyed reading about their connection and it’s a story about war, love, loss, betrayal, rebellion, defiance, hardship, secrets, greed, and fate. Five stars from me, I highly recommend this book and the author’s previous historical fiction novel, The Clockmaker’s Wife.

I love historical fiction and the backdrop of ww2 made an interesting setting for me. The story involves 2 timelines during the war and in 2022.

In 2022 Juliette and her husband Kevin are visiting Paris from their homeland in America. Juliette feels a strong connection with France as her grandmother Meme was born there, she remembers a beautiful painting her grandmother hung in her bedroom , of a small town square and she feels compelled to visit it. Kevin on the other hand wants to return home and after Juliette finds out a secret her husband has been hiding from her she decides to stay in Paris on her own to have some breathing space and try to learn more about her grandmother’s life.

In the 1940’s the devastation of war was felt in many countries and France was no exception. Jacques is a bookshop owner in Paris, he falls head over heels in love with Matilde a curator at the museum. They marry but soon Jacques learns of his wife’s strong options and although he is initially reluctant to get involved in the resistance movement he soon finds himself helping to hide people who are in danger.

Juliette decides to stay in Paris and embarks on a life change by opening a bookstore, Does the strong feelings of having a connection to the previous owners hold any truth or are they just in her imagination.? As this beautiful story unfolds we are allowed a glimpse into the past as well as the present.

I loved learning how the French people were affected by the war. Their bravery and strength were something I had never really thought about. We must never forget the sacrifices that many made which has allowed us the freedom we have today.

I really enjoyed this book the characters, storyline and setting were beautifully observed. The detailed descriptions made the story come to life and the setting around books and bookshops were perfect for anyone who enjoys reading. Definitely a book I personally would recommend..

I was immediately engrossed by this enchanting book and I could not put it down. It was powerful, emotional and a truly magnificent book.