Super cute book that you will not want to put down. Definitely a weekend type of read that you can just enjoy without having to think a lot about the plot line.

Thank you to Netgalley for a pre publication copy. In return for an honest review! #thebistroatwatersmeetbridge #netgalley

Finn Anderson has always worked at the bistro. He started out as a pot washer, moving up to an apprentice before he was able to buy it as a qualified chef. To begin with everything ran as a dream. However when Finn's business manager left he soon realised his cooking was better than his business management. This alongside his mum's illness saw the loan not able to be repayed. However Olivia Fuller the owner of La riveria's daughter, the company who has bought the bistro, has been tasked with the renovation of the bistro as her first project. Will she manage to turn the bistro around? And is this the only thing she'll turn around?

The beautiful cover attracted me to this book. It gave a mysterious summer vibe. Drawing me in to want to read more.

This book is a great summer romance read. It is a beautiful story that gently unfolds making nothing feel too heavy. Whilst your totally invested in the characters happy ending.

I felt an emotional connection with Finn and Olivia from the start.
However all the characters were strong individuals who merged fantastically together to create a seamless novel.

The book was beautifully paced between the bistro and La riveria. Makinf it not feel rushed or either setting being incomplete.

I would love a sequel of Olivia and Fin as well as George and Valerie's new lives.

I enjoyed this charming book, a lovely easy read. A story of family relationships, friendship, determination and new beginnings. Lovely setting and a great cast of characters who I really empathised with. Well written with a well paced storyline which kept my attention throughout.

A perfect book to escape with on a cold winters day or a lovely holiday read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

The cover looks very pretty and the blurb of the book sounded interesting. And the story does live up to the expectations the summary made, no false promises made.
It's more the writing style that bothered me, especially how the characters are drawn. None of them sound really authentic in what they say and how they react, especially the bad boys of the story seem more like cardboard characters to me.

I did felt sympathetic towards Olivia and Finn, and I also liked the descriptions of how they run the bistro together, but apart from that skeletal structure the story has no substantial flesh. Combined with a writing style that did not suit me, I can come up with only 2 stars for "The Bistro by Watersmeet Bridge".

Enjoyable story mixing business with pleasure. Some intrigue included around the business component of the story. I found it difficult to warm to the characters though until I was quite some way through the book. Parts of the story do feel a bit stilted and rushed however the ending is satisfying.

Thank you Netgalley.

This was a lovely story about a bistro by the sea, where the women who’s taking over falls in love the with man who never wanted to sell it but fell on hard times. There wasn’t as much detail about the area as I would’ve liked and it just lacked a bit of charm that similar books I’ve read have had. Easy enjoyable read

The cover drew me straightaway to this book and it was the first time I've ever read any of this author's work.  I loved the setting, a cosy little seaside village where everyone tries to help out with the failing bistro.

The two main characters are well developed.  Finn has the right balance of determination not to see his beloved bistro fail again, yet also humble enough to admit where his failings were, which is where the lovely Olivia comes in and balances him out.  It's always nice when the underdog wins against the nasty faceless tycoons and Olivia's old colleagues were delightfully oily and obnoxious.  It was also fun to see a bank manager on the side of the good as well.

Olivia's journey from out of her father's shadow was interesting, as you start off feeling as though he's not giving her a fair shot but then the story opens up and you discover why he sent her to the bistro and things become a whole lot clearer.

The romance between the two characters was the only downside as it was a little lacklustre and not much fire and passion, just a steady bubble which is all very nice but nothing that jumps off the page and grabs your attention.

However, it was still a charming, easy read and I will no doubt return to this author in the future.

Serving up a delightful mix of delicate romance, tasty food and office skulduggery in a tranquil, picturesque setting.

Sometime — just sometimes — a book comes along that’s as warming as a cup of hot chocolate in a snowstorm, a feelgood read in what seems like an increasingly crazy world. Julie Stock’s latest contemporary romance novel, The Bistro by Watersmeet Bridge, is one of those books.

So the caveats. It isn’t twisty or shocking or chilling. It’s a romance, which means you’re not going to be surprised by the ending and it doesn’t have plot twists that will catch you in the solar plexus. It isn’t literary (in the sense that you lie awake half the night wondering what it means or if you’ve missed something). But as for what it is…it’s a stonking great cuddle of a book, and I adored it.

So, the plot. Finn’s bistro in a Devonshire village is in deep trouble and his only option is to sell. When he’s made an offer by Fuller’s, the restaurant chain, on the basis that he remains as chef but a new manager comes in, he has to accept.

The new manager turns out to be Olivia Fuller, daughter of the chain’s founder, who’s been given Finn’s bistro as a project by her father and is determined to make it a success. Finn, naturally enough, resents the new manager though he finds her attractive, and all sorts of different sparks begin to fly. Just as everything starts to look rosy, the commercial world gets ugly and Finn and Olivia are left with a fight to save their bistro.

I really loved it. Julie Stock creates believable, engaging characters and places them in realistic and testing situations, so that I found myself rooting for both Finn and Olivia — and, of course, the bistro. Time simply flew by while I was reading it and though it wasn’t a page turner in the traditional sense (I didn’t have to keep reading to know what happened next) I was totally absorbed from page 1.

Thanks to the author and Netgalley for a copy of this book in return for an honest review. And i loved it so much I bought my own copy.

A lovely contemporary romance
This book is heartwarming and uplifting
The cover of this book is lovely and makes me want to visit The Bistro
This book has strong likeable characters and is full of warmth, drama and some twists

Well worth a read

I really enjoyed this book and read it in one sitting. Great characters and a great plot line. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.

The Bistro by Watersmeet Bridge written by Julie Stock is a very enjoyable romance. Utterly delightful in every sense of the word. This book will swept you up in this story and these characters. I love the book cover, it made me think how wonderful it would be to sit and enjoy the food and scenery. Very fun and sweet romance, that I highly recommend.

I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and the publisher. Thank you.

The Bistro By Watersmeet Bridge drew me in with its stunning cover. Let’s just take a moment to appreciate that beautiful cover. It’s so picturesque and really invites the reader to visit this quaint little place. But apart from that I absolutely loved the short synopsis. As many of you might know by now, I am a sucker for books that take place in restaurants, pubs, bakery’s… anything that involves food really does it for me.
I had really high hopes for The Bistro By Watersmeet Bridge, but it hurts to say it didn’t rise up to the expectations. The story is without any doubt cute and a very quick read. But it lacks a little depth for me.
Let’s be frank here. In the feel good genre a new book hits the shelves every day. And they basically all sell the same story. So for me as a reader it is important that the author really puts her own stamp on the story. Sucks me in and makes me want to keep turning pages. And that is what The Bistro By Watersmeet Bridge failed to do for me. I didn’t bought the romance.
For one, the character of Finn is underdeveloped. He isn’t a bad guy or anything. But he’s just there. Like a cardboard figure in the background. He has no character development or strength. Olivia, the female protagonist is a force to be reckoned with. She is strong, fearless and ready to fight for the things she believes in. There was absolutely no chemistry between these two characters. So the romance developing between them was a little hard to understand. No wicked banter, no passionate fights, no smoldering looks. Nothing of that sort, apart from very sudden developments in their relationship. Which would have been believable if they were two people passionately in love, but that element of the story was completely lacking.
So yes, it was an enjoyable and easy read. But it was just that. Nothing I will remember in a few months’ time. And that’s the thing isn’t it. When a friend asks in a few months if I have good Feel Good recommendations I will have forgotten about this story. A missed chance for me, because the overall story was quite enjoyable.

Loved this book. Great characters, easy read, uplifting, funny, romantic and charming. A really nice story that is the perfect sumer read.

I was fortunate to be sent a copy of this to read by NetGalley. When I first started reading I wasn't keen on Olivia, or Finn, particularly and I felt their backgrounds were provided to us as readers too quickly. However, as I got further into the book I found myself rooting for them! The writing transports you to Devon and its a lovely comforting read.

Olivia has been waiting for the chance to run her own restaurant for years, but her father has never given her the chance. Now she finally has one, she gives it her all. Chef Finn lost his restaurant when it was bought up by Olivia's father. Can they turn the restaurant around together?

Soon they are more than friends so what will happen when everything else falls apart around them?

A great read, looking forward to more from this author.

An adorable, happy and heartwarming read set in Devon, anything set in Devon or Cornwall ticks all the boxes for me and the author makes you feel like you are there. A lovely slow burn romantic story, I love opposites coming together over a cause. It’s fun, you’ll find yourself absorbed and passing chapters in moments. A great read by an author I hadn’t read before and now I’ll be looking for more.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

I absolutely love discovering new authors and Julie Stock is a new author for me. After having read 'The Bistro By Watersmeet Bridge', I will definitely be reading more of her work. I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'The Bistro By Watersmeet Bridge' but more about that in a bit.
I couldn't help but feel drawn to both of the main characters in this book- Olivia Fuller and Finn Anderson- from the moment I first met them. Olivia is desperate to be able to prove herself in the world of business. She wants to be able to run a restaurant in her father's chain of restaurants and she wants to make it a success, which will help to give her the independence that she so wants. Olivia's father sends her to revamp a failing restaurant. Olivia is confident that she will be successful. Finn is the owner of a failing bistro that is about to go to the wall and he is desperate to keep hold of it. The help comes in the form of Olivia's father, who offers him a deal, which Finn feels obliged to accept if he wants to get his bistro back. This is what leads to the first meeting of Finn and Olivia. There's no denying that sparks fly between them and they certainly have a lot of chemistry going on there. I had a feeling that they would soon find themselves in a relationship. A small spanner is thrown into the works when it looks as if the bistro may be sold off. Finn and Olivia unite in the battle to prevent the sale of the bistro and the fight brings them closer together. Will Finn and Olivia find the happiness they so deserve? Will they go skipping off into the sunset together? Will the bistro be saved? Well for the answers to those questions and more you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out as I am not going to tell you.
It didn't take me long at all to get into this book. It sounded as just the kind of read I was after. A fun, light hearted, escapist, summer, romantic read. This book certainly ticked all of those boxes. As soon as I began to read, I had a distinct feeling that this book would prove to be addictive and I was right again. I couldn't get enough of this beautifully told story and I binge read it over the course of a day. If I had to put the book to one side for any reason, then I would find any excuse that I could to be able to get back to the book again. The pages of the book turned increasingly quickly as my desperation to find out how the story panned out grew and grew.
'The Bistro By Watersmeet Bridge' is beautifully written. The author drew me into the story from the first word and once she had my attention, she didn't let it go until I had finished the last word on the last page. The author has created some really loveable and believable characters that you will be drawn to and you will only want the best of them. I liked the characters so much that I began to think of them as friends of mine. The author writes so descriptively and realistically that I began to feel as though I was part of the story myself. I found that I was so convinced by the author's writing that I began to 'live' the story as if it were real.
I absolutely loved this adorable book set in an adorable place with adorable characters. I would definitely recommend this book to other readers. I can't wait to read more of Julie's work. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

What an excellent little story, absolutely loved it.
Based in Devon, my most favourite place in the world.
I know Watersmeet very well and next time I go I will be feeling that the Bistro should be there.
Love it that two people who are really opposites come together and although try to fight their attraction to one and other find out they have so much in common.
You could not help but fall in love with this story.
You will feel you are actually there.

Thank you to NetGalley and Clued Up Publishing for providing me with the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I gravitated towards this book due to the colorful cover and Hallmark-inspired description. I’ve been reading quite a few of these sweet, romantic stories this summer, often a good way to pass the time on a rainy day. While I enjoyed the story overall, I felt that the relationship between Olivia and Finn came out of nowhere. There just wasn’t enough build-up between them, and although I was rooting for them in the end, I wasn’t entirely convinced about their relationship either. Frankly, my favorite character interactions and dialogue were the more contentious ones: Olivia and her father, Olivia and Rupert, Finn and Olivia’s father, Olivia and Damien, and even Olivia and Finn in the very beginning.
For a poolside read, it wasn’t too shabby and I’m happy to give it a 3-to-3.5 rating. Otherwise, I feel the story sort of dragged by the midway point. I don’t know if the story itself needed further development, or the characters, or the relationships, but something of substance was missing.

Once in a while it is lovely to escape the stresses and strains of life and head off to a place where one can simply relax and enjoy the scenery. This is how I felt about The Bistro at Watersmeet Bridge, by Julie Stock. I wanted to read it as soon as I saw the title of the book. I also knew what the storyline would be. I quickly slipped into everyday life in Lynford and the struggle to make the Bistro succed against overwhelming odds.
Olivia Fuller and Finn Anderson are pitched together after his French restaurant fails and both he and Olivia are keen to show everyone that they can succeed in turning the business around. Olivia is trying to impress her father and Finn is trying to impress Olivia. Along the way, Olivia is forced to show that she can make it in a man’s world and prove her worth to those who would like nothing more than to see her fail, her father included.
A nice feel good story showing how difficult business life can be and how small communities can offer redemption to those who seek it.
It was also nice for me to put down my favourite genre, Psychological Thrillers and read at a more relaxed pace.
I gave the book 3.5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and Weapenry Co-Op for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.