The Little Venice Bookshop is the story of a woman who journeys to Venice to discover the secrets of her late mother. I enjoyed reading this book. More than that, I've been to Venice several times and this book brought back lovely memories. Whenever I see a book written by this author I'm there. Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For anyone looking for a lighthearted read then this is the book for you. Not really my cup of tea and some of it was predictable.

There is definitely something magical about opening up the front cover of a book and unleashing the joy and heartache, love and sorrow, humour and nostalgia contained within. I love books about books and bookshops and consider myself part human part bookworm.
I also loved this story. It had everything mentioned above and more.
My only complaint is not spending more time with the main characters and seeing how they were together, as it finished very soon after. Lots of praise for Rebecca Raisin and a big thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me a temporary copy in exchange for an honest review. I hope you'll allow me to review more of these as they come out!

Loved this book. Such a sweet story. I love Rebecca’s books and I hope to read more in the future. This was such an easy read with lots of descriptions. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

The Little Venice Bookshop by Rebecca Raisin is a most delightful contemporary novel that will warm your heart.
Following the death of her mother, a daughter is searching for her roots after a discovery of decades old letters. For all her life, it had been enough just being with her mother. Now she wants to seek out her father.
We see the importance of family. Family does not have to be blood related. The mother and daughter had spent their lives living with other women in a commune. “Women who will always strive to lift me up and love me. Help me when I fall.” These women were family.
Travelling to many places meant there is no one place to call home. But perhaps home was never meant to be bricks and mortar, maybe home is meant to be flesh and blood.
Sometimes when we are hurt, we build walls. “My walls are built high so that no one can ever leave me again.” Walls we build to protect can actually imprison us. Demolish the walls and begin to really live.
We all have an instinct to survive and so we hide our feelings. “Survive at all costs and put on a brave face.” We need to find someone we trust enough so we can be real and be vulnerable with them.
A character is locked in the past. He has tasted real love and now lives with his memories. In contrast we see a lothario who cares only for the moment, himself and having a good time.
The little Venice bookshop is trapped in time and positively delightful, if a little dusty, with its old books and many rescued cats who are named after literary characters. The cats had their own personalities and were perfectly charming.
Rebecca Raisin has wonderfully captured the scenes and the atmosphere with her words. I had a positively delightful time at The Little Venice Bookshop.
I received a free copy via Rachel’s Random Resources for a blog tour. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

Loved, loved, loved.

I'm obsessed with Italy, with books and with romance so I knew I would love this book, I just didn't realise how much I would love it.

Rebecca is an instant read author for me, ive read quite a few of her books now and each one I've loved just as much as the last.

For me the bookshop on the canal was just the most perfect setting, I really wish I could visit.

I've loved Luna's journey of self discovery and adventure, I feel like I've done the journey with her.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I like stories set in Italy because it's a good way to see your own country through different eyes.
This is well done, a sweet story with a pinch of mystery and a likeable heroine.
I enjoyed the descriptions of Venire and the story.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

This was my first Rebecca Raisin book and I enjoyed the storyline, the setting and the characters. A lovely, light feel good read.

3.5 stars An enjoyable, lighthearted story set in a beautiful destination! Luna and her mother lived a nomadic life until her mother decided 10 years earlier to settle in a tiny home in Missoula, Montana in a community of like-minded women. Luna continued to travel the world on her own and is in Thailand with a friend when she gets a phone call telling her that her mother has died. While going through her mother's things in Missoula, Luna discovers a packet of love letters from a man who owns a bookshop on the canal in Venice and decides to travel there in search of answers.

This is a quick read and mostly a light bit of escapism but there are some serious themes as well involving Luna's grief over her mother's death and her search for a sense of belonging whether it be through her father or through found family. Loved that the book takes place in Venice (a city I have always wanted to visit) plus the bookshop and the cats - a charming setting!! I have read several of Rebecca Raisin's books and know when I pick one up that it will be a satisfying read!!

So grateful to have been sent this beautiful book before its released 💞📚 @netgalley

When Luna loses her beloved mother, she’s bereft: her mother was her only family, and without her Luna feels rootless. Then the chance discovery of a collection of letters in her mother’s belongings sends her on an unexpected journey.

Following a clue in the letters, Luna packs her bags and along with her best friend Gigi heads to Venice, to a beautiful but faded bookshop overlooking the canals, hoping to uncover the truth about her mother’s mysterious past.

I was instantly swept up in Luna's quest to find answers. I felt like I was backpacking again (oh those were the days). Despite the fact I was sat in my house, warm and snug with my puppy Luna on my lap turning the pages, I felt like I had been transported to Venice. I could feel the sun, the heat, smell the food, hear the hustle and bustle of people as they walked the streets of Venice or rested in the afternoon sun sipping on an aperol spritz. Owning a bookshop would be a dream of mine, so I could relate to Luna as she marvels at working in the bookshop and the many stories that lay on the dusty bookshelves. Luna's quest to find out who she is opens up a world of new friendships, family, possibilities, love and ultimately answers she never saw coming. I absolutely loved this book and will definitely be reading more books by @rebeccaraisinwrites2
Now, I need to book a city break to Venice.......congratulations @rebeccaraisinwrites2 on writing such a beautiful story 📚💞

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

I really enjoyed reading this book, found it hard to put down.

After Luna’s mother passes away, she finds some letters, after reading those, she begins a journey to find out about her father.

Arriving in Venice, Luna meets the person who she believes is her father, in a bookshop.

But will things turn out as she wants them to, or does she find more than she expected?

I highly recommend this book.

Following the death of her mother Luna travels to Venice to look into a mystery from their past.
This is a book that grew on me as I read it. I'm nothing like Luna, being an older man happy with being at home with my family, however I really felt for her with her hippy ways. I have been fortunate enough to visit Venice a few times, so could visualise the setting, and the bookshop certainly sound like the type of place that I could lose myself in. An ideal book for those like me who are stay at homes and have our travels vicariously through reading books such as these, together with a touch of mystery and romance.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influenced my review of the book.

Luna finds old love letters after her mother’s death that lead her to Venice on a quest to find the father she never met. She gets a job in a bookshop on the canal and finds so much more. Heartwarming story that makes you want to head to Venice.

The author's writing style is engaging and descriptive, painting a vivid picture of the quaint and charming Venice area. The characters are well-developed.

Luna discovers information that leads her to a little bookshop in Venice. While trying to uncover the truth about her mom’s past she shares her love of books and creates unforgettable connections.

I loved that there was secret being discovered because it kept me wanting to read as I needed to know the secret. But beyond this secret that dragged me in was remarkable stories of friendship, family, and love.

🦇 Book Review 🦇

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

❝ Wanderlust can be a curse as much as it can be a cure. ❞

❓ #QOTD Where is your home away from home? ❓

🦇 After losing her mother and discovering a collection of letters potentially from her unknown father, Luna finds herself on an adventure of self-discovery. The letters bring her to a nearly washed-out, worn secondhand bookstore that overlooks the canals of Venice, owned by a seemingly grumpy old man, Giancarlo. Luna tries to uncover the truth while attempting to revive the bookstore as the source of magic it truly is. Can Luna unravel the secrets her mother left behind while healing from her grief?

💜 Rebecca Raisin's writing is beautifully vivid, not only in its descriptions of Venice's romantic setting, but in her ability to delve into the complexities of grief, healing, and self-discovery. Her writing is strongest in every description regarding bookworms, used books, and bookstores; descriptions I'm sure my fellow Bookstagrammers connect with: "Bookish places tend to be a magnet for those seeking something they can't quite name but will find in a novel, a sort of thirst that needs quenching. The bonus is meeting other readers there, people who've also been to Narnia and know the magic between the pages." She also does a wonderful job of stretching the mystery's suspense out for as long as possible.

🦇 Unfortunately, holding onto the secret for the sake of building suspense leads to a rushed ending. Once we learn the truth (a truth I'm glad defied all immediate expectations), the story gets wrapped up in a neat little bow all too quickly. There's also a subtle romantic plotline in the background, but it's left on the back burner for so long that it feels a bit rushed and forced. Given Luna's self-awareness, I expected more development from her as well.

🦇 Recommended to anyone who has an adventurous spirit. As readers, we all know the magic of being transported beyond our homes and comfy couches. Hopefully, you discover a little bit about yourself with this specific escape.

📖 Book Lover
💕 Found Family
💡 Self-Discovery
❤️‍🩹 Healing From Grief

🦇 Major thanks to the author and publisher for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

A wonderful winter read. I love how Rebecca develops her characters and the story. This story deals with a young woman a free spirit who finds herself trying to understand what a pile of letters mean to her and her newly departed mother. It explores relationships in depth and in ways that we can all relate to in our lives. There are some metaphysics used but only in a kind way. The story evolves and the crescendos and ends like the perfect present being opened.

This is a wonderful travellers paradise and book lover dream of a book!!
Luna is used to travelling, she was born to the nomadic non materialistic life where experience not possessions are all. Luna is travelling with her dearest friend Gigi who is her greatest support. Luna is also a bibliophile, finding herself in her perfect job in a gorgeous second hand bookstore amongst the canals in Venice, full of books and cats and dust. With many an interesting character along the way, the story had me smiling, full of sadness and laughter, the heartfelt tale key to all, and the very essence of this amazing book is staying with me. Books, family, friends and intuition!! Loved.it!!!
Trying not to say too much as don’t want to spoil it for anyone, I can heartily recommend this totally brilliant novel!!
Thank you to NetGalley for the early read!! I really appreciated this one!!

This book was not what I thought it would be.
Luna and her mother have always travelled together but Luna is not there for her final moments.
Surrounded by the love of her friends Luna sets out to discover the truth about her past revealed in letters among her mother's effects.
She ends up in Venice is the most quirky bookshop and is able to find out about where she came from although it is not quite what is expected.
This is a story about adventures and travelling and where home is and I really enjoyed it.

There a few things that can catch my attention when it comes to searching for reading material, and this one managed to do both. If your not sold on the title or the gorgeous location; I have a weakness for anything to do with Italy and this one had a bookshop storyline to boot. This is a beautiful book that tells the story of Luna, a girl who when she looses her beloved mother, her only family, she discovers a set of letters that send her on a journey of discovery.

Luna's story is all about unlocking the past, finding out her late mother's history to a city of water. It's there she finds herself outside a bookshop that overlooks the canels, but more importantly has Luna finally found a place to call home. This is my first Rebecca Raisin book and I look forward to many more as this is well written.