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.

This was an unexpected warm hug of a story! I loved every single character, the plot was addicting, the tone was delightful - it was everything I needed! Having "Love" as a snarky narrator was such a good creative choice by George. Love's take on what was happening never felt intrusive nor did it upset the flow as some interjections can - it felt organic and seamless. Truly, if you are looking for a sweet story with a cast of loveable bookworms, this is a perfect weekend read.

**Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the eARC**

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

The Little Village of Book Lovers is about an orphaned girl who touches Love and in so doing can see the marks Love leaves on those around her. These marks grow brighter when they are around what they love whether that is a person, an activity, or a place. As Marie-Jeanne grows up she realizes she does not have a love mark and makes it her mission to help those in her village to fulfill theirs.

This book is really just vibes. They are good vibes but there isn't a whole lot of character development or plot to speak of, just small village living in 1960/70s France.

The title of this book was used as a plot device in another book by the author, The Little Paris Bookshop, and she had so many readers ask about the fictional book that she ended up writing it. I haven't read The Little Paris Bookshop so I can't speak to how well these books fit together or whether it makes this story more enjoyable to have the extra context. I can say that my impression of the book falls in line with that origin story. It feels a little like set dressing. There isn't a whole lot this book is trying to say but not all books need to say something.

If you enjoyed All the Light We Cannot See or The Nightingale for the slice of life in small town France but don't mind missing out on the WWII storylines, this might be a good pick for you.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ (2.75)

#TheLittleVillageofBookLovers #NetGalley

This book was such a good premise, but the execution was lacking. I spent the last half of it checking to see how much time was left (thank you kindle!)
In 1958, Marie-Jeanne is born, sees Love, and reaches out to grab her hand. In touching her for an extended period of time, Love gives Marie-Jeanne the unique ability to see soulmates before they even realize they are meant for each other. While she doesn’t know what she is seeing at first, as she grows she realizes what it is and works to gravitate the people together. Along with all of this, Marie-Jeanne’s foster father discovers books and how wonderful they are. He creates a book mobile to bring books to everyone. While it doesn’t seem to go with Marie-Jeanne’s part of the story, they basically go side by side and work together.
I loved the idea of someone helping to bring soulmates together, but I was bored throughout the majority of this book. It is pretty much all narrative and most of it moves very slowly.
I never read Nina George’s previous book The Little Bookshop of Paris, but apparently The Little Village of Book Lovers was featured in that as a fictional book called The Southern Lights. According to the Author’s Note, Ms. George received so much mail regarding the fictitious book that she decided to write it. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for an advanced copy of this. It hit the shelves on July 25th.

This was the cutest book ever! It made me fall back in love with love! First, I love the way that love was portrayed, not as an entity but as its own person. That and the fact that it could have conversations with pride and logic was pure perfection. The story was easy to follow between characters and kept me on the edge of my seat. I fell in love with the characters the way they fell in love with each other! 100/5!

I did not finish this book. I was put off by the narration by "Death". I read about 1/2, but it's just not to my taste. I suspect others may enjoy the book about a small village, but I just couldn't get into the story.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I was hopeful for this new title because it had aspects of a magical theme to it but I felt like the beginning was confusing and I did care to finish it.

This was a sweet book that gave me cozy vibes. Great second book in the same realm/world. The character development was sufficient and the warmth I felt from reading this book gave me such happiness. Would recommend to anyone who likes a cozy read with a historical fiction setting.

a very neatly woven lyrical work, easy to read and enjoyable to follow. The message is beautiful and the power of unification of books is just heartwarming. I am personally not a romance reader and it boggled me a little, I should have expected it from the blurb, but nonetheless, the readers of cozy romances will appreciate the book.

Nice look at everyday in southern France including olive tress and all. Brings back all the memories of visiting that part of France. Makes you want to go again and enjoy all the sights and good cheeses.

3.5 stars
I was able to read The Little Village of Book Lovers as an ARC from Netgalley. Thank you to the publisher. The story unfolds around Amelia, a bookish young woman who inherits a bookstore in the titular village. As Amelia steps into her new role as the bookstore owner, she discovers not only the joy of curating stories for her customers but also the power of literature to shape lives. The author paints the village with vivid descriptions, making it come alive with its cobblestone streets, charming cafes, and, of course, the bookstore itself – a haven for readers of all kinds.
While this book wasn't what I expected, that isn't a knock on the novel. It just wasn't what I thought it would be.

Unlike other books by Nina George, this book was hard for me to connect with. I ended up setting it aside and DNF. Perhaps later I will return and pick it up again because I have enjoyed every other book written by Nina George. Thanks to #netgalley, #ninageorge for being able to read this book.

“Everyone knows me, but none can see me. I’m that thing you call love.”
And that's the heart of this charming little book and in a sense, love is the main character. Set in a little town in the south of France in the 1960s, an orphan named Marie-Jeanne begins to see the marks Love leaves on the people around her. When she realizes that she's the only one who can see these marks, and that she can discern people's love matches through the marks, she begins to try to nudge those matches towards each other.
When her foster father decides to establish a traveling library that travels throughout their region, she finds that she can use books to help bring more soulmates together. All the while she realizes she has no mark herself, and wonders if there's someone out there for her. It's a lovely book about how we love and why we love, and how we find (and lose) each other. There's some commentary from Love itself, along with Fate, Death, Wonder and other "voices" that affect our lives. It's lyrical and whimsical, and Nina George has created a place I'd love to visit, filled with characters I'd love to know. It's a companion piece to The Little Paris Bookshop, which I own but haven't yet read - but I'll be correcting that soon.
Thanks to Netgalley and Random House/Ballantine for providing a copy for an unbiased review.

Nina George’s newest novel is on the slow side, much too slow for me. At 40% and still on the confused side, I chose not to finish. I know many will love this story, it just didn’t work for me. Thank you to Ballentine Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

There’s a young girl in a little village in France who has the ability to see love and she helps people get together. She also loves books. But as she gets older she becomes frustrated because she cannot see love for herself and wants nothing more than to find it. It’s a lovely but unusual story.

This one wasn’t for me. I didn’t love the structure of the book, the slight aside backstories made it confusing for me to follow the actual storyline. The language was too ‘precious’ for me…just wanted to get to the heart of the book that really never delivered for me.

Much thanks though to Netgalley for the ARC…you can’t win them all!

Thank you for the opportunity to review this new novel.

This was unfortunately not for me. I had major problem getting into it and put it down. The writing didn't flow and I didn't really care about the characters. I'm sure others will enjoy it though!

I DNFed this at about 15%. I didn’t find it to be engaging at all and found myself forgetting the story even as I was reading it. Though I loved the book this was a spin off of, I have found that maybe I was not the right audience for this.

The Little Village of Book Lovers is such a sweet story that kept me wanting to know more and more what was going to happen. However, at times, I found it a bit confusing or felt like I was missing something. It wasn't until I realized that it was actually related to another book that it somewhat clicked into place. Overall I enjoyed reading this book.

The Little Village of Book Lovers:

The book has a open, flowing sense to it. It's fun, whimsical and different. Our story starts out with a young female orphaned baby in the South of France in the 1960's.
The story is told in Love's point of view. It touches people, blows in the wind, it's in the trees. It's free flowing, all surrounding. It's not just romantic love, parental love, friends love.
Marie-Jean is a matchmaker and sees love all around her, but will she find her own? Will love freely flow to this gentle soul and send her soulmate to her? Very open, seeing, seeking and encouraging book. Well written.

Pub Date 25 Jul 2023
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.