Sadly I cannot recommend this book. It was slow moving and confusing to understand quite often. I was not expecting this having read other books by the author.
The story is told by "LOVE". Marie-Jeanne has a unique ability to see Love in other people. She uses this when she tries to match books to the person. There are other virtues (that appear capitalized like characters) that show up. There is a talking Olive Tree.

I wanted to enjoy this one a bit more than I did since I really enjoyed Nina George’s book The Little Paris Bookshop. But this one just took me so long to get into (the first half of the book seemed so long). I really enjoyed the narrators of this book and the fact that books and reading brought the community together was pure gold.

It's taken me a long time to read this book, the beginning was confusing and hard to get into. This wasn't my normal type of book but I took a chance on it.

Thank you to NetGallery and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Although this one started strong, I struggled to finish it. I won't be reviewing this on Goodreads or on Amazon as I fear I won't have enough to say.

This was strange. I liked the ode to books angle, but the narration was all over the place. It was hard to stay connected to the story; who was the narrator?

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

I hate when I let months go by after finishing a book before I get around to writing the review. Especially when it’s a book I loved. I find myself reading other reviews to remind myself why and what I loved about the book.

Such is the case with The Little Village of Book Lovers - I rated it 5 stars, but didn’t take any notes! But after reading a few reviews it all came back to me.

This is such a sweet and charming book. The kind you want to read slowly (I remember taking my time to soak it all in.)

The main character is Marie-Jeanne. We learn her story through the narrator, Love. Yes, love is a character in the story and the main narrator. And, she should be because she has given Marie-Jeanne a special gift. Marie-Jeanne can see a glow on people when they are near their true love.

Give me a book about books, with some magic thrown in, and then add a helping of sweetness and charm and I am all in.

Loved this!

Whimsical, beautiful! Love as a character.......a young girl that can see the glow of love on others. This was a journey into the mind of true love. What does it all mean? Can you really love without being vulnerable? loved this sweet tale. 4.5 stars!

I just could not get into this book. I did not like have Love, Fate, etc as anthropomorphic characters and I was just never looking forward to reading this book. I could probably force myself to finish it, but I just don't want to.

This cover is great. And I love a book about a library bringing a community together. Thank you so much!

'The Little Village of Book Lovers' by Nina George was such a calming read for me. It was the first book by Nina George I ever read, and I really enjoyed it. The writing was lyrical and poetic, and the plot was really creative. The only slight downside was that the read felt a bit slow to me at times. Otherwise, I really enjoyed it.

I love when books are either featured in a book, part of the plot or career of someone in the story, or included in a beautiful cover like this.

THE LITTLE VILLAGE OF BOOK LOVERS
tells the story of Jean Perdu, who ran a bookstore in his restored barge and now floats to the surrounding towns and villages.

I loved the characters and themes of family and friendship.

*many thanks to randomhouse and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

A delightful story set in the late '60s of Southern France, already a dreamy wide eye time in the world's history. Throw in MJ who has a developed a gift through her rocky past.
Emotional story telling of love and loss in a little village where everyone knows everyone, yet everyone is lonely in a uniquely personal way.
Romantic, magical realism, that is a great read for those who want a little peice of France and her people without leaving their cozy reading nook.

Unfortunately this is a dnf book. I tried twice to read it, I even tried it as an audiobook format and I couldn’t get the hand of it. I’m sure it is a lovely book but it is not for me.

Thank you Netgalley and for the ARC in exchange of my honest opinion.

The French setting is a definite plus for this story by Nina George. However, I am not a fan of books about magical realism. Just not my cup of tea. I did appreciate the story of how Marie-Jeanne can do magical matchmaking. And the thought of the mobile library providing comfort to those whose hearts are broken is touching. And while Marie-Jeanne can perform matchmaking, is she ever able to “see” her true love? Hmmmm.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!

I’m sorry this one wasn’t for me, Very slow and simply didn’t keep my interest and attention. Thanks for the arc in exchange of an honest review.

Heart warming story! Vivid details of France and the lives of the townspeople. Story told from the lense of the narrator, Love.

This companion book to "The Litte Paris Bookshop" by Nina George but it can be read as a total stand alone book. I wanted to love this book more because it has magic, books and a beautiful olive tree!!

What I did love:
1. Books and references to books
2. Meeting all the emotions and "hearing" their dialogues
3. The descriptions of the countryside and the food!!

What I wished were a little different:

1. So many characters - it was difficult to keep up with all of them
2. The opening of the book was slow and took awhile to get me involved.
3. Too philosophical for such a "magical" opportunity!
 
Thank you to Net-Galley and Ballantine for an early copy of this book.

Nina George's The Little Village of Book Lovers is about people loving books, sure. But it's also a story about finding love and all the little ways people show love to one another.

A sequel/companion to The Little Paris Bookshop, which I have not read, this novel's narrator is Love. And through Love, we first meet Marie-Jeanne and her adoptive parents, Elsa and Francis. Francis makes deliveries throughout their small French town, and in doing so, he's struck with an idea - why not deliver books that people can pay to rent?

Because of the books, Marie-Jeanne and another local woman decide to host a literary salon for lonely hearts - and play matchmakers! Marie-Jeanne has a gift that allows her to see other people's love glow and know who they are meant to be in love with.

This wasn't my most favorite book. It took me awhile to get into the story and get used to the narrator. Sometimes a chapter might be interrupted by a separate section, which I found odd at first, but then I got used to it. There was something about the flow of the story that reminded me of Amelie.

If you're a fan of The Little Paris Bookshop and want to know more about the fictional novel that was talked about in that book, well, THIS is that book.

The Little Village of Book Lovers is published by Ballantine Books and will be available to purchase tomorrow, July 25, 2023! I received a free e-ARC.

This book is one I picked up in the summer and lost interest in; I then found the audio narration and completed the full story. It is a unique concept in that the story is narrated by Love and includes other characters such as Death, Logic, Chance, Fate, Wonder and Time. I enjoyed the French setting, the traveling book bus, and the author's exploration of the concept of all types of Love and the ways Love leaves a mark on each person. I enjoyed the story and think many lovers of of literacy fiction will enjoy this work.

I love this author’s writing style and previous book but I found this was to drag a bit at the beginning.

I liked the plot and premise of the book but didn’t connect the same way with the characters that I did with The Little Paris Bookshop. It just didn’t pull me in like the previous book.

I’d like to thank NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.