Member Reviews
I absolutely adored this book.
People can be passionate about a lot of things. But only a few are blessed enough to find passion and love at the same time. Paris is the most beautiful city Anna and Claire had visited, and found passion in Paris. Thierry would not give up his passion until the last moments. And Laurent will find that love can be as luxurious as a good recipe, if seasoned with The correct ingredients.
The subject of this story was delicious. And the characters were very well developed. I should say everything has been template precisely to get to our most sensitive inner souls.
I will read more from this author of I have the chance.
Chocolate and Paris how can you go wrong with that combo? A sweet book about two woman at different point in their life. Anna has a freak accident that causes her to lose her toes. Down and out her old french teacher Claire convinces her to go to Paris and work in a Chocolate shop. Claire reunites with her student Anna during their hospital stay. Claire has cancer and doesn't have long to live. She remembers her first love and gets Anna a job with him. A story of love, healing and discovery that will touch your heart.
A delightful sweet story that will leave you craving chocolate and longing to see Paris. You will find romance, comedy and a bonus of recipes at the end of the book.
I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for my review. This book was absolutely delicious!! I'm a total Francophile, so in all honesty this book had me at "Paris," but I genuinely loved the romance, the plot and the many twists that ended up so nicely tied back together in a bow. Anna Trent is the character that many of us feel we are, just on the verge of doing something great and daring, but we set aside dreams because we must be practical and safe. Anna reminds us to be brave and bold even when you are scared to death and many tasty things will happen to you. I loved this one!
Thank you NetGalley for the arc
A very cute read. I was in the mood to a read a book that I didn't have to focus too much on. One that wasn't going to be as intense as some of the others I have read (I love intense books, but every so often I need a break)
I wanted to love this book. I really REALLY did as it was a cute story, but I wound up just liking the book.
Don't get me wrong, its a lovey book. Its easy to read and doesn't get complicated at all. The story is fun and easy to follow....I was just hoping for.......I don't know..more connection maybe?
I still recommend this book though, especially to those who love romance and are in need of a light fun read!
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC
Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The setting for this book in Paris was magical. The story started off with Anna's accident in the chocolate factory and meeting her former school teacher Claire. The interactions between the two of them was interesting but the other characters were slightly boring - her parents were slightly nutty, some of the people she meets in Paris are just not very interesting.
The story flips back and forth in time from the present to 1972 when Claire was living and working in Paris. It was not really what I was expecting, could have moved along a bit faster. There could have been less discussion of Anna's missing two toes...
It's a nice light summer read.
The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris by Jenny Colgan is a decadent delight. I have always loved Ms Colgan's work, and this latest offering is no exception. A charming, heartwarming read about love, Paris, and chocolate.
Anna has an accident while working her job at the chocolate factory and while recovering in hospital, has a chance reunion with her former French teacher, Claire, who is suffering from advanced stage cancer. Claire offers to set the somewhat adrift Anna up with a job with her former lover, Thierry, who is now a master chocolatier in Paris. Anna accepts and soon finds herself falling in love with both her new city and job. Claire, meanwhile, is reminded of her first experience of Paris many years ago, and the man who continues to hold a place in her heart.
The novel alternates between 1972 and the present and, essentially, details two love stories, a generation apart, in the city of light. A beautifully written story that, like fine chocolate, is addictively moreish. I particularly loved the addition of the mouthwatering recipes at the end of the book, and I cannot wait to try them.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this delicious ARC.
Anna Trent falls out of her life as a chocolate taster after an unfortunate accident and can’t motivate herself to get back into it. Her old French teacher, Claire, spent a lot of time with her in hospital and decides its time to shake her up. Claire arranges for Anna to visit Paris and start working in their most famous chocolatier. Paris works its magic and Anna slowly comes to life. This story is both warm and delicious despite Jenny Colgan macerating our hearts in the process. I totally loved it. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own
This was a light, fluffy book about two women who fall in love with Paris. It's a romance with a city, as well as two different love stories.
I enjoyed this, I would recommend it to someone looking for a light, easy read.
I thought the title sounded familiar and didn't realise it was a reissue. In fact I think it was one of the first I ever ready by her. None the less Jenny Colgan is another of my favourite authors and I've never been disappointed with a book yet. Still enjoyable reading it a second time. and chocolate mmmm 5/5
Such a fun story. The development of the characters different relationships keeps you wanting more ! It was hard to put down
I love Jenny Colgan books and this one did not disappoint. I want to go to Paris after reading this, its fab and enjoyable.
How I wanted to love this one? When you adore an author, I think you tend to give a little extra credit and forgiveness to the weaker of her works [which are still stellar] and I stuck with this one only because I hoped for some extra Colgan magic. Weaving two love stories and time jumping together took the wind out of this book's sails. It because stretched too thin, and at times grew exasperating. Yet that's in between all of the gorgeous writing and the sense of being there in Paris to be present for the stories. Colgan is a narrative genius of our time, and if this one turned out a little under-baked, there are now and will soon be other books of hers to delight us.
An absolutely adorable book by Jenny Colgan. The story and characters all fit together wonderfully to make it an wonderful read. Chocolate lovers will especially appreciate this one!
I loved this book just like I have with numerous Jenny colgan books previously. This was a delight from start to finish I’d recommend it to anyone.
Lovely story taking place between Paris and England. Old romance - new friends - new romance and chocolate. What could go wrong. Very touching story.
Anna is a chocolate factory worker in England who suffers an accident and experiences a prolonged hospital stay as a result. Her hospital roommate is her former French teacher Claire who is herself very ill. Claire offers Anna an opportunity to work with a famous chocolate maker in Paris, and needing to make changes in her life, Anna begins a life in Paris.
I found this story to be extremely endearing. The overlay of the Anna’s life in Paris, along with Claire’s memories of living in Paris, was written with tenderness typical of Jenny Colgan. I enjoyed the descriptions of the food and chocolate, as well as the narrative about several Paris locations.
A really sweet story. I look forward to reading more Jenny Colgan books in the future.
Please note: I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review which I have provided here.
I love Jenny Colgan books and this did not disappoint. An accident puts Anna in hospital where her old French teacher Claire is also being treated for cancer. The two form a friendship and Claire enjoys teaching Anna French and writes to a friend to get Anna a job in a Chocokate shop in Paris.
The book centres around Anna's work in the chocolate shop and Laurent, whose father Thierry owns the shop. Now an old man Thierry was Claire's first love and Claire's story very cleverly runs almgside Anna's. As the book gathered pace I couldn't put it down however I thought it ended a bit abruptly and would like to have read a bit more about Claire's boys and ex husband in the final pages. I loved Anna's flat mate and the lifestyle he led. Thank you Jenny for another brilliant book.
I really enjoyed this book having never read anything by this author before. Although the story starts out slow it definitely picks up as it goes along. At times you can guess where the story is going; other times not as much. The story starts out somewhat depressing - a woman with terminal cancer and a young woman in the hospital after suffering a freak accident at the chocolate factory where she works. However, the story takes a positive turn with second chances. Wonderful characters; especially Anna's housemate in Paris!
Being a lover of chocolate I could picture the chocolate shop in Paris and could almost taste the delicious chocolates they were making by hand.
All in all, a delightful read.
I’m going to start with some brutal honesty here – I already own many of Colgan’s books and have enjoyed reading them on multiple occasions but I haven’t read her recent work. I feel that the descriptions and the inclusion of recipes were a bit gimmicky for me and that perhaps Colgan had moved towards a direction that I wouldn’t enjoy. So I just removed her from my essential reading list and moved on, still enjoying her previous work. When the opportunity came up for me to read this book I thought sure – why not? and got started. Now I wasn’t ready to write the book off before I started but I wasn’t either super keen to race through. Which meant I enjoyed the first third or so at a leisurely pace over a couple of days. But then, all of a sudden, I was in. Full on roquefort and baguette craving in. I raced through the rest of the book, remembering why Colgan used to be on my must read list and why she would be added again immediately.
So this book starts out in quite a depressing manner to be honest, an industrial accident add a teacher with terminal cancer doesn’t seem like the most interesting starting point, however Colgan is hilarious in how she writes. She is able to make even the most mundane interesting; the most cringey moments magical and the saddest times full of hope. We follow Anna (or AnNA) through her struggles to come to term with a loss of a body part or two, the loss of her job and the loss of her relationship. Her teacher from school (Claire) sets her up on a magical adventure in Paris with an old friend from her own youth. Full of chocolate and Parisian culture this story is heartwarming and bittersweet in equal measure. I’m looking forward to catching up on the other books I have to read from Colgan. I feel like I have hit the jackpot and found a new favourite author with a back catalogue!
I received an ecopy of this book from the publisher through netgalley.
This book will be published in the summer and is a welcome re-issue of a title by Jenny Colgan. This author's novels are always involving and heart warming.
In this one, Anna (who works in the chocolate industry in England) suffers a freak accident. While recuperating, she reconnects with her old French teacher, Claire. Claire encourages Anna to go to Paris where Anna takes a position in a very different chocolate business. Anna's ups and downs form part of the story. The other and equally engaging story is Claire's. The reader learns about the choices she made when younger and her feelings about them.
Jenny Colgan writes novels that tug at the heart strings and leave readers feeling satisfied. That is certainly the case in this novel.
Many thanks to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for a lovely time in Paris. All opinions are my own.