Book was ok. I feel like the story has no real beginning and no real end. The middle was meh. The writing was good but the story .. the mom and dad part was nice. I thought the story was about Larisa but it was more of a mash up of her and Jack. There was no real chemistry between any of the characters and the store was not developed for anyone.


Thanks NetGalley and St. Martin's Press.

I was surprised by the modern tale of the life of the heroine, and truly agrees with the descriptions of the different states she is going through. A courageous story telling about a topic, dementia caused by illness, that is , to my knowledge, almost taboo. So many people want to ignore the consequences for the family and how it hurts. This book should help everyone to understand what is really happening.
i got a copy from Net Galley in exchange for a fair review.

I adored this novel. I loved this story of a young woman, Larisa, trying to navigate a series of sticky relationships with family, lovers, and friends, and not always doing so with grace or aplomb. She is impulsive, she isn't sure what she wants, she makes terrible decisions, and she ends up lying to everyone she loves. But, she has pluck and heart, and how she manages to dig her way out of the mess she's made of her life is what makes this book really shine.

Thanks, NetGalley and St. Martin's for the early, wonderful, read.

I really struggled with this book because the main character was so awful. She kept telling so many lies and she was so terrible that I couldn't connect to the book at all, and I ended up not even being able to finish the book.

The Little French Bridal Shop by Jennifer Dupee was a fun read set in beautiful New England. Larisa Pearl moves to her aunt’s house Elmhearst to get it ready to sell. She’s smarting after breaking up with her boyfriend Brent and getting fired from her job. On a whim she purchases a wedding gown at the town’s bridal shop and people begin asking her about the wedding. The story kind of gets away from Larisa and she goes along. I really wanted to like her but she just behaves like a child and ignores problems. She’s selfish and spoiled, though I appreciated her later character growth she’s not someone I want to see more of.

I loved the men in this book. Jack the caretaker of Elmhearst was a sweetheart as was the town florist, owner of the town gas station and Larisa’s dad Clark. There was a sweet tie to Prince Charles and Diana’s wedding in the book that the royal enthusiast in me loved.

It was difficult to understand and get into the main character, Larisa, due to the annoying lies she seemed to involve herself in continually. Granted this sets up the perimeter for her to learn to be a better person in the end, more true to herself and others, but it felt harsh.

This is a sweet, easy read. Larisa returns to her deceased Aunt's home after being fired from her job hoping to find some closure in her life.

On her first day back in the town she walks into the Little French Bridal shop and buys a wedding gown, even though she has no fiance. One small lie snowballs into another, into another and before she knows whats happening she is busy planning a wedding for June.

This was not at all for me. The main character was just awful. I found her to be immature to the point of ridiculous. Trying to put that aside and give the story a chance, things didn't get any better. I got as far as 50% and just couldn't continue. I found nothing redeeming in the characters or their story.

I must admit to having very strong resentment towards Larisa as she tangled herself in a web of lies, whether it be the status of her relationship, her parent's health or what she wanted to do with Elmhurst. Brent was correct when he said she could look.in a hall of mirrors and not know who she was. Larisa forgot how to be kind. When she rediscovered that, her life changed for the better. She learned to be present and compassionate to Kittie. She let Jack know how she felt. Unlike the startled pheasant, she had her feet firmly on the ground.

I received a free ARC of this from netgalley.

The cover and title of this book really made me want to read it. Unfortunately, the title has very little to do, IMO, with the main focus of the book. It comes across as a completely different story to me so I think it was misnamed. The story seems to rush quickly through months and months, but then leaves an ambiguous ending so why were we rushing so much. The main characters weren't very likable either. Larisa annoyed me with her lying ways. I wanted to like this book, but it's not for me.

For the most part, I enjoyed the overall story and a few of the characters. However, I felt like I was reading while stuck in molasses. So much "text" and not nearly enough dialogue for my liking. I found myself completely skipping over chunks of words just to get on with the story as I didn't find that it added anything extra to hold my attention. And I just could not relate to Larisa. Super self-absorbed, but not elitist (which would've helped me understand her more had she been that way). And the ending was a let-down.

"The Little French Bridal Shop" by Jennifer Dupee is a novel about Larisa who is a woman that returns to an older styled family home after the death of her great Aunt. She plans to fix up the estate and then sell it, but when she stops into the small town's local French Bridal Shop, it sets her off on a path that she never would have predicted.

The author does a fabulous job at setting the scene. As an expert with details and imagery, Jennifer Dupee is able to illustrate Elmhurst (the family estate) and really transport the reader into the story. Unfortunately, the main character Larisa is not very likable. Her shifty attitude and lies left me feeling disconnected from her and her story. Although I didn't enjoy the main character though, the storyline with Larisa's mother did pull on those heart strings and I found the plot to be slow moving but meaningful accordingly.

“Such was the cycle of life. Unpredictable, indiscriminate, yet quietly forgiving at times.”
Larisa’s impromptu walk into a local bridal shop mushrooms into a series of lies that set the core of this novel. The old family home, Elmhurst, sits overlooking the ocean in a small town, Kent Crossing, in Massachusetts. This is an enjoyable piece of women’s fiction. Jennifer Dupee beautifully develops her characters. If you’re looking for a story that makes you smile one moment and then get upset the next, this book is for you.
I want to thank NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for allowing me to read and review The Little French Bridal Shop. It is due to be published March 23rd 2021.

The Little French Bridal Shop by Jennifer Dupee is a heart warming, small town romance, low on drama, nice and clean.

The writing is good and the storyline is enjoyable.

Meet Larisa. She lost her job and moved back in the small town where she spent parts of her childhood. Now she's there to sort out a inheritance she made.
The male main character is Jack, the caretaker for the houe she's sorting.
And then there's the Bridal Shop where everything starts and comes to a conclusion.

I started reading and let me just say, I'm not a huge fan of the heroine. I think of her as weak and her lies didn't make her sympatic either. And like most times in life, you get cought up in the lies you told - pls stay up and carry the consequences.
All in all, a slow burn, low on drama, 3,5 star read.

Thank you to Net Galley for providing an e-copy of this book for review. The Little French Bridal Shop has a fairly common premise. Woman loses her job, heads back to site of happy childhood memories and runs into an old flame. The book was well written, the descriptions vivid and the plot fine. My problem with the book was the central character, Larisa. I did not find her to be a particularly good person. I was expecting more of a cozy, rom-com book but just never got that feel.

DNF

Tried really hard to read on but I'm not a fan of the writing style. That's okay, not every book is for every reader so I'm sure others will love this.

I really loved this book – it’s an enthralling story, haunting in its every detail, so beautifully written. The character development is quite exceptional – and the whole book had an unforgettable impact. Highly, highly recommended.'

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately, this book lacked so much. The characters had no personality, the story never took off and the book didn’t hold my attention. I never just don’t finish a book, so I preserved to the end which I found unsatisfying. I will not be recommending it.