Maggie Finds Her Muse is a super cute romance fiction story about Maggie, a writer, who is consumed with major writers block on her third book of an extremely popular trilogy. She headed to Paris to try to find her muse so she could get her mojo back, but discovers that her love life was sparked just like the premises of her novels. She discovered things about herself, her family, and friends as her looming deadline and personal life collide.

An author seeking inspiration and recovering from a broken relationship was perfectly placed in Paris. The details of the food, wine, and scenery made me want to jump on a plane to experience it for myself. Maggie's relationship with her daughter was very relatable and created a spotlight on their challenging, but accepting love for each other even when it wasn't easy. Real characters engaged in true life issues made this even better. I will look forward to reading more Dee Ernst books.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this book for an honest review.

I really liked this romance book. This would make a perfect beach read for vacation! The characters are very likable and the setting in Paris is perfect. I like that it's a romance novel about a romance novelist.

Maggie is having a horrible time writing her next book and then she also breaks up with her boyfriend. Her editor needs her to finish her book before she loses her advance and possibly her contract. He suggests that she join him on his trip to his flat in Paris while he stays at his country home.

Just the setting alone drew me in, but then Dee Ernst added an intriguing French man and an ex-husband! This novel is the perfect escape.

I enjoyed this laugh out loud book. I don’t usually read a lot of Rom-coms but this was well worth it. Maggie is very funny and you don’t want to put the book down. She makes you want to visit Paris, become a writer and sometimes just say to hell with it :-). Looking forward to author’s other books!!

Mid-Life Goddess adventurers! What a fabulous romantic travel and recipe guide across France! Beautiful Paris locales and a hot Frenchman – Yum! And chocolate, cheese and wine and did I mention the sexy Frenchman! Maggie Bliss is a writer with a major case of writer’s block as she deals with the perils of midlife as well. She dumps the dead weight of her current aloof alpha boyfriend and is off to Paris to find her inspiration ala’ a gorgeous French “roommate” soaking in her bathtub one evening. She is convinced that she will find enlightenment for her book by basking in all that is Paris. Then her muse shows up in the adorable and intellectually stimulating Max.

Her agent Lee and his husband Martin invite her to their fabulous apartment in Paris for a few months to focus on her writing. She is fretting the looming deadline for her third book in a series that promises to let her achieve financial freedom in the shape of the beach house of her dreams. She just needs to write the damned book! Her only daughter Nicole is also living in France with her live-in beau Louis. Oh yeah – her ex-husband Alan also is in town, so it is somewhat of a family vacation. Alan has his eyes set on rekindling their romance, but Max is just too much to resist.

As a reader we are treated to all that is marvelous about Paris – the sights, the food, the WINE! I am actually cataloging all of the fabulous foods and gardens and museums for when I can check Paris off of my bucket list. This book is genuinely a scenic tour guide for what to see in this legendary city. The characters are all so sophisticated – as I assume Parisians are naturally. The romance takes center stage once a lot of the secondary characters head back to the states. And the sparks and “the great misunderstanding” take over the story. Don’t forget the fun friends from home who are constantly swooning for updates on the Parisian Man situation.

This is my first read from our lovely author Dee Ernst and I will definitely be picking up some of her other works. Her writing style is funny, witty, and well-written with a midlife view that doesn’t bemoan all the angst of our medical aging drama. Maggie Finds her Muse is a festive romp thru Paris with an adorable tour guide that will warm your soul.

I was given this ARC in exchange for an honest review from the author, publisher and NetGalley for an honest review.

I loved it! It was the perfect beach read. I loved that these were middle aged adults finding their true love for the first time. Maggie, a romance writer, has writers block....BAD! What better way to find her muse than an extended trip to Paris. While staying in her agents Paris flat, she meets the dashing and romantic Max. Max seems to fit into Maggie’s writing life well, quickly becoming her muse, unbeknownst to him.
They have The Great Misunderstanding (because what romance doesn’t) but find their way back to each other. I enjoyed all the characters in the book. I loved that Ernst wrote the daughter as having Asbergers. The dialogue between characters was fun. I think the book really did a great hobby making you think these could be real people with real flaws. They didn’t have perfect bodies, they made mistakes, but in the end, they still were good people. Definitely put this book on your summer reading list!

“No matter what you do, you should always want more. Not bigger or better or richer, just... more. Otherwise you stop growing as a person...”
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Maggie is a successful writer whom is struggling with writers block. She ventures to Paris for inspiration for her third book and winds up finding much more than that.
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Let me just say that I loved this book! It was so cute and fun and took me just two sittings to read. There wasn’t a single character that I didn’t love, even Jules with his tushy trumpet issues was funny. 😆The pacing was wonderful and I felt like we got a small glimpse at what Paris is like and am now planning a trip to visit there one day. What I loved most about this book was Maggie. She wasn’t the most confident woman which made her so much more relatable.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Griffin, and the author, Dee Ernst, for the eARC in return for an honest review. I cannot wait for the release next month!!
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Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5)/5

This book was so entertaining. I was drawn into the story from the beginning and was involved until the end. The characters were complex and interesting. I found the story to be well paced and engrossing throughout the whole book. I was invested in the couple throughout the book and felt all the emotions through both the highs and lows of the story. If you want an entertaining and well written book this is it for you.

I had really high hopes for Maggie Finds Her Muse: an older heroine who’s a romance writer travels to Paris to find her muse? Sign me up. I love books set in Paris, but many of them feel like they’re lacking in some way, leaving me wanting more. I’m thrilled to say Maggie Finds Her Muse didn’t disappoint - it was funny, compelling, and I really felt like I was there in Paris with Maggie.

Maggie Bliss, 48, has a horrible case of writer’s block. The third book of her bestselling trilogy is due soon, but she hasn’t even started writing it. Between feeling completely stuck and breaking up with her boyfriend, something’s gotta give. When her agent invites Maggie to join him and his partner at their home in Paris for the next several weeks, she agrees, hoping the change of scenery will unblock her creative flow.

This book was such a light, fun, feel-good read. Maggie had realistic struggles, but they weren’t drawn out or overdramatized for the sake of it, which I appreciated. I loved her explorations and observations of Paris, felt like I was vicariously consuming tons of delicious food and wine, and I enjoyed the variety of characters from Solange, Maggie’s agent’s wise and wily housekeeper, to Solange’s son Max, a sexy Frenchman who instantly piques Maggie’s interest, to Maggie’s adult daughter, Nicole, who had Asperger’s. Oh, and Solange’s snorty, farty bulldog, Jules, won a special place in my heart too.

I’m used to reading about characters in their twenties and thirties, so I really appreciated that Maggie was forty-eight, had been married and divorced, and had a long career. Despite the fact Maggie is eleven years older than I am, I connected with her easily and found her relatable. I enjoyed the romantic elements in the story, from Maggie’s break-up with her self-centred boyfriend to reuniting with her ex-husband to meeting Max. She didn’t come to Paris to look for romance, and she felt strange about the romantic stirrings she was feeling because she’d just ended a relationship. Still, those feelings were there, and it would have been easy for her to go back to comfort and familiarity with her ex-husband - who had changed and seemed like a better match for her now than he was way back when - or pursue something with Max, who was very French, seemed like a lady’s man, and represented the new and unfamiliar. I loved watching Maggie grow and learn, figure out what she wanted at this stage of her life, and go for it.

Maggie Finds Her Muse left me with a big smile on my face. Between great characters, a fun premise, and a beautiful and vivid setting, this book was a definite winner for me, and I know I’ll be recommending it to many fellow romance lovers.

This charming story about an author getting her groove back after changing her setting to France is a cultural delight. The setting makes the novel desirable and exciting. I received this novel as an ARC from NetGalley.

This book was wonderful - it had books, love, food, France, writers and more food! This book follows Maggie who, after coming up against writers block, goes to Paris with her agent to find her muse and hopefully write the third book in her trilogy. I loved this book - I especially loved the characters and their intricacies and complexities - especially Nicole. I really enjoyed the plot of the book and all the food references (drool) and all the French references (I obviously need to take a car and visit all the places in the book!). This was a really sweet read and I definitely recommend it for something lovely and easy to read!

I read this in a day and fell in love! This romantic comedy follows Maggie, a best-selling author with writer's block, who heads to Paris to finish the third book in her trilogy.

Maggie was so much fun to read! I really enjoyed reading an older main character (she's in her forties, with an adult daughter) because she has perspective and confidence that you don't always get when you read 20-something, trying to figure out the world protagonists.

A heads up though, you will crave plenty of food and wine because the descriptions throughout are drool-worthy. It was really enjoyable to see the writing process as well, with Maggie's book coming together alongside the romance.

Bonus points to Dee Ernst for the Jersey references! It was fun to see them pop up--a reference to the crazy people who actually drive in NYC had me laughing!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and @netgalley for a copy of this book. I love reading about an older MC that is struggling with her writing and also at a crossroad with her life. The Paris setting was perfect and I love how her daughter and ex-husband was there to be part of the story. The love triangle kept me intrigue though I would have love to see more interaction between Maggie and Max.

This book was a delightful escape to Paris with Maggie, a popular bestselling author to find her inspiration to finish her next book. Maggie is joined by a marvelous cast of other characters who I wish would guide me through Paris and France in real life. I also wish I would taste all the food and drinks described in this book. Thanks to this book escape, France is somewhere I hope to see in the next five years. You will enjoy this book if you are looking for a great story about self-discovery, travel, food, culture, love, and relationships with friends/family.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Griffin, and Mcmillian Audio for my gifted copies in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book! The characters were wonderful and the setting had me wanting to visit France myself. Thank you so much for the Advanced Copy of this book. What a joy to read.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the arc of this title.

Maggie Finds Her Muse by Dee Ernst is a fun exploration into the mind of romance writer. And for me that is what really made this book enjoyable. Maggie Bliss is a 48 year old writer who suddenly finds herself single again. She is also dreadfully behind in delivering the third book in her best selling romance series. She decided to travel to France with her agent in an attempt to find her muse.

What I loved about the book was how Maggie finds inspiration for her books from her everyday activities and how these stories transform in her mind. I loved Maggie and loved learning about her writing process.

If this book had a weak link for me it was in the romance portion of the book. The relationship felt a little bit like instalove and I wasn't 100% convinced. If that was all this book was about it would have bugged me. But really more than anything I think this book is very accurately named. It is about a writer and the joy that comes when everything aligns correctly in her brain and the stories fall out. Reading about this process was fascinating to me.

Lovely, quick read about Maggie, an author who has hit a bad patch of writer's block, and the trip she takes to Paris to try to finish her successful novel series. Maggie was very likeable, and I enjoyed watching her writing process and how she doesn't immediately catch on to how to behave in Paris. The secondary characters in the book are well written and interesting. Reading this felt like a vacation to Paris and Rennes, France. Lots of food, wine, walks, sightseeing, and French culture (she ventures out as a reward to herself when she's gotten a lot written or when she needs to escape the apartment and recharge). Maggie does find her muse, although she struggles through feelings for a couple of different love interests. The book had a fulfilling ending.

This was a really cute book. I really liked Maggie and spent the book rooting for her to find inspiration for her book, and to figure out what she really wants out of life. I loved the setting of Paris, and all the descriptions of the food and places made me feel like I was there. Some books where the heroine have feelings for more than one guy really annoy me, but I thought this book found a nice balance with this issue. This was my first book by this author, but it won’t be my last. I received an ARC of this book from netgalley, and this is my honest review.

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin and Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for a honest review.

"Courage and bravery are not the same. Don't settle."

Facing a recent breakup and staring down a quickly approaching deadline, Maggie heads off to Paris to combat the massive writers block she's currently facing. Tired of feeling like she's not valuable or good enough, Maggie needs to find her muse fast. Look no further than the housekeeper's son who she finds in the bathtub night one, who's gorgeous and loves love.. Soon the words start to flow, but the love triangle with her ex-husband, who is also in Paris, threatens to complicate her life.

Maggie Finds Her Muse is a light and fast-paced read. I found myself laughing out loud at several parts, including Maggie's comedy of errors trying to navigate Paris on her first day there. The love triangle between Max and her ex-husband had me guessing until the very last moment of who she might choose. I was so conflicted about who I wanted her to end up with!

The book was made by all the French landmarks and scenery. You get a tour through Paris and brought me back to my travels there over 18 years ago. It made me want to go back and eat all the food and see all the sights again! This books feels like an older version of Netflix's Emily in Paris and I enjoyed it a great deal.

Maggie Finds Her Muse
A Novel
by Dee Ernst
St. Martin's Press
St. Martin's Griffin
Romance | Women's Fiction
Pub Date 20 Apr 2021 | Archive Date 20 Apr 2021

Perfect book for this sad state of affairs we are living in. Paris, romance, friendship who could ask for more.
Thanks to St. martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC. It made my day brighter.

4 star

In Maggie Finds Her Muse by Dee Ernst, Maggie is a middle aged romance author who who is on the verge of achieving her dreams with her writing career, she just needs to write the third installment in her popular Delania series. The only problem for Maggie is that she is having trouble getting started on her book. She decides to travel to Paris to see if she can find her muse, finish her book, and reconnect with her daughter.

I adored this book. I read it in nearly a single sitting. I loved the characters and their development through the course of the story, and that the characters were older and more experienced. I also really enjoyed the vivid descriptions of France and the French food that Maggie enjoyed. The book was sweet and relatively low on drama and angst. It made me feel all of the happy, warm, fuzzy feelings and I wanted to continue to live in their world. I would recommend this one to fan's of romance and women's fiction, or anyone looking for a feel-good read.

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher via NetGalley, which did not affect the contents of my review. All opinions are voluntary, honest, and my own.