THE LITTLE FRENCH BRIDAL SHOP is a story about Larisa, a woman in her mid-thirties who is dealing with the death of her great-aunt, a break-up, and her mother’s progressing Alzheimer’s disease. Larisa does not deal well with this pressure and as she tries to cope, she starts to compulsively lie about all sorts of things… like the fact that she’s getting married.

I have to admit, the plot device of a little lie turning into a big misunderstanding is not one I usually enjoy, and in this case Larisa just. kept. digging. the. hole. As far as 50% in to the book, she’s dropping massive lies about what is going on in her life and trying to start a relationship with a married man (another plot device I never find fun — HE’S MARRIED, LARISA! And Jack, GO HOME.).

The whole time, I wanted to be on Team Larisa here, but she definitely made it hard. Nevertheless, I liked Larisa and felt empathy for her. In the end, she does grow and clean up her act. There are some beautiful and heart-wrenching moments with her mother, and a lovely and satisfying ending.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I think this is a solid, medium tier, contemporary romance novel. I have to start by saying I think some of my qualms with this one is more about me and less about the writing, characters, or overall story. I don’t particularly connect with older characters and I think that did hold me up some in this book.

The way Larisa’s mother’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis and life were written was wonderfully done. It is an awful disease that effects the caretaker, family, friends, and loved ones as much as it does the patient. The strengthening familial bonds between Larisa and her father were heartfelt and real and provided hidden depth to this cute book. I do think the hidden highlights of this book were the tender-hearted men that ended up surrounding Larisa’s life (whether she really wanted them at first or not). Overall, I can definitely see the audience for this book, unfortunately, it wasn’t me, an easy 3 stars.

This book was a bit of a challenge to read. First, the title has little to do with the storyline, and then I struggled to connect with the lead characters as their human flaws were really over-the-top for me. The ending, however, somewhat redeemed my opinion of them so I'm glad I finished it.

Oh What A Tangled Web We Weave...
I really wanted to like this book: the cover art was gorgeous, and the synopsis was promising... after all who doesn't love a good friends to lovers tale that ends in a wedding? Unfortunately, my expectations for fun and romance were not met, and I even considered marking the book DNF a few times. The Little French Bridal Shop features two main characters who could not be more unlikable, and my old fashioned soul cringed away from them for the majority of the story. Call me crazy, but a guy who cheats on his wife (and the mother of his children) with a waitress from the local bar, leading him to get kicked out, landing him in the home of his childhood friend who he then proceeds to woo and kiss, is not at all romantic. Nor is a female lead who buys into the classic "oh but my marriage has been on the rocks for a long time and I'm so unhappy" sob story; who can root for a woman who knowingly kisses the husband of someone else? Not I! Larissa and Jack were just not a match I could swoon over. 

So why did I finish the book, and give it three stars if I loathed the main characters and disliked the central plot? For one, it is well written with solid character development and good supporting characters and story lines. The romance that Larissa discovered her great-aunt had enjoyed despite being the town spinster, was truly heart warming in its simplicity, and the love her parents share is equally moving. Dupee writes about Alzheimer's with compassion and accuracy, making Larissa's father my favorite character in the story as he cares for his wife as she declines, while also trying to help his daughter be a descent human being. In the end, the importance of the dress Larissa bought as part of her web of lies, brings her redemption and a special moment with her family, that is more priceless than any wedding could ever be.

I love the concept of the story and chose it because I was hooked by the idea of someone getting so caught up in their lie and not being able to stop the situation that they plan a wedding without a groom. That was 1/4 to 1/3 of the story. The rest was unexpected. You get a story where characters discover lies and hidden truths and have to decide for themselves what to bring to light. You also get to see how the main character deals with her mother's Alzheimer's and works through all the complications that come with that diagnosis. That part of the story was handled well. I liked the story. I would read more from this author.

The Little French Bridal Shop by Jennifer Dupee is an excellent debut novel. Despite the title, this book does not take place in
France but a small town in Massachusetts. The heroine Larissa is quite flawed and her excellent character development helps you fell better about your own failings. Larissa has a slight problem with honesty and the troubles she gets into because of this habit are amusing and at the same time worrisome.

The true heart of Larissa is pure, we are given insight into her quirky personality and fall in love with her flaws and all! Poignant scenes are shared between Larissa and her parents as they struggle with her mother’s dementia. Other quirky characters are also introduced who help lend to the excellent storytelling. The last scene of the book will have you cheering and crying all at once. Happiness and sorrow are intertwined with grace,

I was provided a free advance reader copy from St. Martin’s Press in exchange for my honest review on Net Galley. The opinions shared in this review are my own.

I was really looking forward to reading The Little French Bridal Shop as the premise sounded very intriguing. However, I think the story fell a bit flat for me. I found that the writing did not flow easily and it was hard to get engaged in the story and stay engaged. I think there was a lot of potential, but it was missing humor or something to tie it together. I appreciate how the author handled challenging topics, including grief and dementia. Perhaps I was just expecting a different type of book.

What a wonderful book! It is beautifully written and is full of emotions. It holds your attention from the first page until the last. This is a story that will will stay with you long after you turn the last page, a perfect book to escape with. Thank you St. Martin's Press via NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book. All opinions expressed re my own.

Linda’s Book Obsession Reviews “The Little French Bridal Shop” by Jennifer Dupee, St. Martin’s Press, March, 2021

Jennifer Dupee, the author of “The Little French Bridal Shop” has written a thought-provoking, intriguing and memorable story. The genres for this story are Women’s Domestic Life Fiction, Women’s Fiction and Fiction. The story is set in the present and goes to the past when it pertains to the characters or events. The author describes her characters as complex, complicated, flawed, and searching for the truth within themselves.

When Larisa Pearl comes back to the house her late Aunt Ursala lived to manage it, she never dreams how one little lie can change the event and course of other people’s lives. The first thing that Larisa does is walk into a Bridal shop. She starts trying on dresses and finds herself looking for the one, overlooking the fact that she isn’t getting married. Of course, the owner of the store asks Larisa questions in this small town, and you can only guess what happens.

Larisa has lost her job, her aunt, and now her mother is starting to show signs of dementia. Larisa fears that she will lose her mother. Larisa’s father treats his wife with dignified respect at any stage that she is mentally at. I appreciate that the author brings up important topics such as dementia, and the importance of family support.

Aunt Ursala has left an amazing legacy in her house and from her personality that affects other people. It is almost like the house has a personality of its own. There are also other characters that seem to be at a loss like Laris’s mom and have to find themselves.

Are you wondering about the wedding dress from the Bridal store? I suggest and recommend that you read the story to find out, but please note that it is extremely symbolic of the truth within.

The Little French Bridal Shop by Jennifer Dupee is an OK read. I love the cover art. Larisa Pearl returns home to oversee her great aunt's estate. She is also dealing with her mother's illness and her own emotional troubles. She pretends she is getting married to the point of actually buying a dress and setting a date. I found it hard to keep with this book myself. A lot of issues to be dealt with from Larisa and friends. Thanks to author Jennifer Dupee, publisher St Martin's Press, and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.

When you life is in disarray what do you do? Larissa lied about getting engaged.

After some life altering decisions, Larissa ends up at her recently deceased Aunt's house where she relives found memories of her childhood and reconnects with Jack who is going through some troubles of his own.

As Larissa and Jack work together to restore a house, lies are found out and choices are made. But are they the right ones?

This was a nice book of how someone deals with things that are out of their control and where they end up.

I recieved The Little French Bridal shop as an Arc from Netgalley and the punlisher for my honest opinion thank you so much. This novel is about family, friends, love and forgiveness. Larisa is in a crisis. She has been since she started building her life on her fantasies and lies. Larisa is a jaded character but real. She acts spoiled and refuses to accept her mothers debilitating disease. She eventually grows and acknowledges the lies and the illness. There is no set wrong or right character in this book. The author has left an open ending to this story. I enjoyed this novel. Jennifer Dupee was a new to me author.

In The Little French Bridal Shop, we follow Larisa, a young woman who stumbles upon a dress in the window of the Little French Bridal Shop. Although she's not that keen on getting married, she finds herself trying on dresses, and eventually, after getting caught up in made up in fabrications of her own making, she ends up buying one of the dresses. There's a catch - she doesn't have a groom, and with a date planned, time is running out for her to either find herself a man, or come clean about the whole thing.

The idea of this story really appealed to me, it sounded like a lot of fun. However, this took up probably only one third of the actual plot. I was left feeling a tad disappointed by this, as I expected to read a fun and hilarious story about a woman hunting for a groom in order to get married on the date of her choosing, so as to keep up appearances, and behold a lovely little romance would ensue.

However, instead, that part of the plot was neatly nipped in the bud pretty early on, and much of what happened wasn't romance in the slightest. Don't get me wrong, I loved the exploration of Larisa's mothers Alzheimers - it was done so sensitively and added emotional weight to the story. I also really liked the chemistry Larisa and the character of Jack appeared to have in the beginning. But, unfortunately, that chemistry fizzled out and I was left hanging. Seriously. I'm annoyed at the way this book ended. I was expecting a proposal. I was expecting a big realisation of true love and big wedding at the end. And we didn't even get that.

I don't know how I feel about this book. Personally, it's not for me, but I won't deny that it is well written and has some lovely moments that will still stick with me. I just thought this book was going to be something else.

Perfect if you're looking for something light-hearted and centred around families. Not so perfect if you're looking for a juicy love story.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this novel. This novel is about family, friends, love and forgiveness. Larisa is in crisis since she is building her life on her fantasies and lies. To cover up one lie she lies again and again. Larisa is a jaded character but real. She acts spoiled and refuses to accept her mother's debilitating disease. How Larisa grows once she acknowledges and accepts her lies is the premise of this novel. There's no right or wrong character in this novel. The author has left an open ending to this story. I enjoyed reading this novel.
3 stars

I really loved the magic and intrigue of the bridal shop in this book. The characters were well developed and it was nice to take a break from psychological thrillers and murder books. Just the book I needed and it was a believable story too, Loved the cover, Some romance but not in the usual way and definitely more of literary fiction type book.

Highly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley, Jennifer Dupee, and St Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 3/9/21

I was super excited to read The Little French Bridal Shop! The cover was screaming chick lit and I was down for that. I was surprised how this book was so serious at times. I should of know when dealing with dementia but I was expecting more of a light heart funny book. I’m not saying I didn’t enjoy it I’m just letting my followers now incase this triggers anyone.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC. Very enjoyable read. Very thought provoking and so many emotions. The author did a great job with the character development. The author had me from the first chapter.

This is a hard review to write, because I had some issues with the book, but I knew I finally had to do it. The characters were... interesting. The first chapter was riveting, and I understood why the heroine would go to the trouble (she just wants to try on a dress but discovers the shop is owned by an old teacher. She gets involved because she doesn't want to hurt this teacher's feelings after all!) But both the characters became not very likeable. The writing was good, the story engaging, and the setting like a character itself. A lot of realism in the story, about how chaotic life and personalities can be.

After the death of her Aunt, Larisa returns to her small hometown to handle her aunt’s estate. Larisa’s life is kind of a mess. She was fired from her job, her relationship with her boyfriend basically fell apart and she’s having a hard time coming to terms with her mother having dementia. When she comes to town and passes The Little French Bridal Shop and she decides to go in. I mean what harm can come from trying on a wedding dress just for fun.

Oh how I wish I had enjoyed this book but sadly I did not. The whole fake wedding thing was kind of interesting in the beginning but it got old fast. I was not a fan of the main character Larisa at all. She lied to the people around her even though she was given multiple opportunities to just tell the truth. She was just using her lies to hide behind what she was feeling and yes I know that it was kinda the whole plot of the book but it just felt so drawn out. Larisa did have some character growth towards the end of the book. I just wish that it had happened sooner.

I also felt like Jack’s story was kind of an after thought. I know he was an important part of Larisa’s past and he was the caretaker of the her aunt’s house for year but I wish his story was integrated a little better.

Overall the book was just ok which makes me so sad because I so badly wanted to love this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance digital copy of this book!

*I received a advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

This book has all the ingredients for a cozy chick lit story, but it never seems to comes together for me. I think it's a question of writer's craft to make the storytelling and the story compelling, not just the later. There are missed opportunities for humor that would have gone a long way toward making this story more engaging.