This is a pleasant but rather lightweight read, ideal for the trying times we are currently going through. For someone who has stayed on French campsites there are aspects of the story which do not ring true. The relationship aspects of the book are more believable. Feel-good chick-lit.

Last year I read and reviewed about the hilarious and often perilous adventures of Rosie in Rosie's Travelling Tea Shop where we first were introduced to Rosie and Aria so, naturally, I was anxious to continue on the journey with these van-lifers. I'm thrilled that I did!

Unlike Rosie, whose unspeakably awful husband walked out on her, which led to her joining the life of the van-lifers, Aria's husband and the love of her life died three years old. Aria was devastated by the loss and swore that she never would love another soul again - outside of those found in her beloved books. But then she met Jonathan last year at the final festival of the season. Now he has shown up on the tour circuit again and, despite their attraction, Aria is determined to stay true to her oath. As the travelling vans wind their way through Paris, the city of love, will she be able to keep her feelings in the check or will Paris take over her heart and allow her a second chance at love?

There are very few romance authors who I truly love and enjoy reading and, let me tell you, Rebecca Raisin is right there at the top of my list of favorites! Her characters are realistically funny, heart-breaking and lovable, their humor is very much like my own and the story lines always are interesting and FUN! I find myself reading these books in one sitting because, once started, I cannot stop until I know how they end. This series is particularly interesting because I find the travelling vans so intriguing. I think this would be a lifestyle that I would enjoy and so reading about their triumphs as well as their pitfalls is very compelling. Obviously, I recommend Aria's Travelling Book Shop to all, as well as the first in the series, Rosies Travelling Tea Shop. Read them both and enjoy!!

Aria’s Travelling Bookshop by Rebecca Raisin is a 2020 HQ Digital publication.

A lovely story about overcoming grief, the healing power of books, and a wonderful homage to romance novels and authors!

After losing her husband, TJ, to cancer three years ago, Aria had been living a nomadic life as a ‘Van Lifer’ and selling books is her trade. Now, she and her best friend, Rosie, are heading to France!

The last person Aria expected to run into was Jonathan- the man that has awakened feelings she thought had died with TJ.

But. despite her attraction to Jonathan, she prefers to enjoy romance vicariously, via her beloved romance novels, because she has promised TJ, she would never fall in love again. He was her once in a lifetime true love and no one will ever be able to take his place in her heart.

However, when Aria’s estranged mother-in-law forwards her TJ’s diary, it is both a blessing and an emotional drain. While reading TJ’s words, Aria feels his presence,as though he is sending Aria a clear message-one she can’t bring herself to accept.

With the help of Rosie’s gentle urgings, TJ’s diary, and Jonathan’s easy charm, Aria begins to entertain the possibility of giving love another chance. Can she make peace with her in laws and open her heart up to love a second time?

While the story is not heavy, be assured there is plenty of depth and emotion to it. I pulled out one of my precious, rationed tissues on at least one occasion. I also loved how prominently romance novels were featured- reminding me of how healing and cathartic love stories are, especially when one’s mind and heart are troubled. Aria has pretty good taste in books, giving a shoutout to a few great authors along the way. (Maeve Binchey is an author everyone should read at least once.)

For those who read the first book in this series, Rosie and Max are very involved in this second installment and have a few surprises coming their way too.

Anytime I pick up a book by Rebecca Raisin it’s a real treat. I’ve been a fan for a good while now and it has been a pleasure to see how well this author has blossomed as a writer and storyteller. This story is a wonderful, cathartic tale that will appeal to book lovers in general, but it will especially touch those who are romantics at heart. Aria’s journey is poignant and bittersweet as she searches her soul, fighting her way through grief and loneliness.

This is a touching story, which ultimately leads Aria to consider a future full of promise, hope and new beginnings. Raisin’s stories are good, healthy, uplifting stories that are good for the soul. But, this past week, this book has been a soothing balm for me. This is just the type of gentle, heart lifting story we could all use right now.

4.5 stars

An easy to read book, which takes the reader on travels through some great sounding places.

The story is easy to keep up with, and the characters all likeable.

I haven't read the first book in the series but I don't think that mattered too much.

I was fortunate to receive a copy of this book to read from NetGalley.

It's a lovely story with each character owning a van that is relevant to their passions. In Aria's case this is books. The simplicity of their lives reminded me of Enid Blyton tales in a way!

I thought the author dealt with the aspects of Aria's grief really well and as a similar age to Aria and married, the feelings really touched me.

I have now discovered one of the characters, Rosie, also has a book about her "van life" so I'm looking forward to reading that!

This is a very easy read and a cute story. A good summer read.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my review.

This is a lighthearted read about Aria and her bookshop. 

The storyline drew me in from the first chapter and it kept me reading until the very end.

Rebecca Raisin is amazing, I absolutely love her books, she is the master of emotional reads, you will be crying and then laughing before you know it. I loved being back in this world as I was lucky enough to read Rosie’s Travelling Tea Shop and this is just as fabulous, returning here was like a hug from a good friend. You feel like you know the characters, everything is warm and inviting. The story pulls you along for the ride from the very first page and you want to both hug Aria and cheer her on. This is the perfect read for this situation as it heartwarming and you know you will leave with a smile. This is a bear hug in a book, just what we all need at the moment.

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

An enchanting book about books and love.

I loved this book, pure and simple.
It has everything I need from a story, love, laughter and ugly cries.
You will experience friendship, romance, grief, guilt, and forgiveness when you join Aria on her journey to find her new normal, along with her best friend and a motley crew of new friends they meet on their life on the road.
The perfect 5 star read to lose yourself in during lockdown.

As always by thanks to #Netgalley #HQDigital and the author for the chance to review this wonderful book.
Purchase Links:

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Arias-Travelling-Book-Shop-uplifting-ebook/dp/B07XNNW1PW/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=aria%27s+travelling+bookshop&qid=1586350461&sr=8-1

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Arias-Travelling-Book-Shop-uplifting-ebook/dp/B07XNNW1PW/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=aria%27s+travelling+bookshop&qid=1586350461&sr=8-1

Rebecca Raisin has the remarkable ability to pull on your heartstrings one minute and make you laugh out loud two paragraphs later!
I invariably laughed and cried all the way through.
Aria and Rosie's trip around France is filled with laughter, gastronomic delights, and a few surprises along the way.
Aria's grief is palpable, but there's a glimmer of hope for her after she bumps into Jonathan again. The karaoke scene is one of my favourites and, I confess I looked up her song on YouTube, which made the whole thing even funnier.
The author talk in the book shop is another standout scene for its hilarity.
The poignancy of reading her husband's journal made the inevitable happy ever after that bit sweeter.
Wonderfully funny and romantic, Aria's Travelling Book Shop is a delight to read.

This delightful book made me want to tour France and revisit so many places from my childhood holiday! A real Book Escape.
Rebecca Raisin introduces the reader to the nomadic experiences of the ‘Van lifers’; traders who follow the festival season, setting up shop with a cornucopia of wares from books and jewellery to food and drink.
Aria, our protagonist has been bereaved and can’t get past the oath that she swore to her husband, she would never fall in love again. It’s been 3 years and she is feeling lonely but, she meant what she said.
The story opens with Aria and her best friend, fellow van lifer Rosie, planning their next trip and France is selected from a spinning globe. At the farewell party, Aria lands in the arms of the gorgeous Jonathan. Aria met Jonathan the previous year at a music festival and there’s no denying their connection but, an oath is an oath.
I really enjoyed this story and following Aria’s adventures with Rosie and the van lifers. In particular, learning about this lifestyle and willing for a happy ending.

I loved Rosie's Traveling Tea Shop and I was really hoping that I would love this one, especially since I can relate to Aria's love of books so much. I can relate to her wanting to escape into the world of books and the fact that her van/living space was completely covered in books sounded like a dream. The problem was that I was a bit bored with the story. Rosie and Aria spent way more time than necessary talking about Aria's vow to never love again. That topic seriously came up ALL THE TIME. It was frustrating because these two grown women couldn't seem to talk about anything but men. Oy. I still don't understand why Aria was so determined to never love again. I can understand her thinking that she couldn't possibly find another man to love as much as she loved her husband. That I get. But it just felt contrived to have her say over and over and over again that it would be disrespectful of TJ to fall in love with someone else, especially since he had told her the complete opposite. Another problem was that I felt zero chemistry between Jonathan and Aria and there was no relationship development. Apparently, they spent a day together off the pages of the book (basically before the story started) and they only spent a handful of scenes with him and those scenes were always just awkward. Aria spent more time discussing Jonathan with Rosie than she did with Jonathan himself. Sorry, but I was not a fan of this one.

Life on the open road with your best friend and her partner by your side. Adventures at festivals and fetes in France. Whilst untangling your feelings about a sexy author who path you keep crossing. Dealing with anguish from your past to be able to have a future.
Enjoyable book, have read others by the author and will look out for more by her.

I eagerly awaited this book after reading Rosie’s story, and this didn’t disappoint. It’s a lovely cosy read about the further adventure of the van lifers, but this time focusing on Aria. Rosie and Max play major parts in the story- but are not the main focus this time. It did take me a few chapters to switch the narrative to Aria rather than Rosie, but that’s because I loved the other book so much. This is well worth a read, and I’m looking forward to more in the series.

Aria’s Travelling Book Shop by Rebecca Raisin - publishing

A sincere thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for providing me an ebook copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. This is not my usual genre, I’m more of a crime reader therefore am extremely pleased and grateful for opening up my mind to something totally different.

This book is just so lovely! Yes it’s about love and heartbreak and adventure which usually means I steer clear but Aria and her love of books sucked me in. I loved everything about this book!! 5 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

This was exactly what I needed during this time of anxiety and low concentration – a lovely romance with a book shop involved! I always love Rebecca Raisin's stories and this was no exception, even better that I got to revisit Rosie and Max from Rosie's Travelling Tea Shop. Lovely, uncomplicated romance with lots of book talk and plenty of French food to make your mouth water. Looking forward to the next one!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

Oh, I simply loved this book, last year Rebecca Raisin released Rosie's Travelling Tea Shop which I absolutely loved too and it made me want to up and travel in my own van. In Rosie's Travelling Tea Shop we met Aria who became Rosie's best friend and who has a travelling book shop called the Little Bookshop of Happy Ever After, which I absolutely love, isn't that a fabulous name! Aria's bookshop van is one of my dreams. We also met Max who has a green food van and is in love with Rosie (the feeling is quite mutual).

This time Aria, Rosie and Max are off to France to travel to the many different fairs and events. I absolutely adored my time travelling with these three and even though I haven't been to the places they visit, Rebecca Raisin does such a good job of describing them, I could see myself there. 

Aria is a widow and has sworn off love, she promised her husband TJ that she would never fall in love again. Aria has a connection with a man she met briefly the summer before, Jonathan, who pops back into her life just as she is leaving the UK. This sets Aria off on an emotional journey of discovering what it is she wants and needs in her life and is a promise she made to her dying husband one she should keep or does she need to move on to be happy. I could really feel how torn Aria was about her feelings towards TJ and towards Jonathan, add to that unresolved issues with her mother-in-law and Aria's confusion is palpable. 

I loved the character of Jonathan who keeps popping up in Aria's life on her travels through France and I was so hoping Aria could come to terms with her situation and allow herself to fall in love again. There are several scenes between Jonathan and Aria that provided me with a good giggle, Aria's character can be hilarious at times.  

I kept saying I was going to put this book down as the clock ticked closer to 11pm, but in the end, I had to keep reading and discover how it all turned out.  

There was, of course, the unlikeable character, Tori, who I don't remember from the first book, but I'm pretty sure if I did I would have disliked her just as much as I did in this book. She's one of those people out to cause trouble for anyone who might have something she doesn't.  

It was wonderful to reconnect with Rosie and Max again, I simply love their characters and I love the friendship they both have with Aria, they are each other's family as well as best friends. The support they give each other throughout the story is completely real and their friendship provided me with lots of laughs, they are all such different kinds of characters but they work so well together. 

I absolutely invite you to take a journey with Aria and her friends and I really hope there is more to come from this group of van-lifers.

Thanks to NetGalley and HQ Digital for a digital copy of this novel in return for an honest review.

I really liked the idea of this book. I liked the thought of travelling around France in a campervan. I do not normally read romantic books like this and I am still not a fan of them. However I thought that this book was an easy read and good escapism.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

This was a lovely read, a heartfelt, touching story of love, friendship and new beginnings with beautiful descriptions of France and the solace which can be found in the pages of a book during the darkest time in someone’s life. The character of Aria and her love of books I found very relatable like staying up reading into the early hours. The excitement of discovering a new bookshop and getting so lost in a book all your troubles fade away for a while. I loved the references to other authors throughout the book. What I loved the most was the authors love of books which shone bright. This is just the read I needed during this strange and difficult time we are currently experiencing. ThankYou to HQ for the approval in return for an honest review and to netgalley.

Beautifully written with brilliant characters. I enjoyed travelling around with the little bookshop and it’s little convoy! Bring on a sequel!