THE LITTLE FRENCH BRIDAL SHOP
BY JENNIFER DUPEE

At first I thought this debut novel was going to be about a Bridal Shop somewhere in France. It turned out to be altogether different but mostly about human connection. There was goodness to be found in every single character, which in and of itself is refreshing. In the beginning Larisa who is the main character is so lost that she can't seem to stop telling lies. She is in a seaport town on the North shore of Boston to fix up and sell her Great Aunt Ursula's large estate. It is a very small town where everybody knows everybody else's business. Larisa decides to duck into a smallish boutique that sells Bridal dresses and wedding gowns, bridesmaid's dresses etc. Larisa decides to try on wedding dresses even though she has just broken up with her boyfriend named Brent. Her old teacher Mrs. Muldoon has Larisa try on every single wedding dress under the impression that Larisa is getting married. The very last dress that Larisa tries on looks stunning on her and Larisa decides to buy it anyway even though she doesn't have a boyfriend.

Larisa before long is lying to the local florist who calls her up wanting to do the flower arrangement for Larisa's wedding. A third friend that owns a gas station offers Larisa to borrow his Rolls Royce. It is obvious that something is bothering Larisa with all of the lies she is telling everybody about getting married. Enter Jack Merrill into the picture whom was Larisa's Aunt Ursula's caretaker of the estate Larisa is fixing up. He soon moves in with Larisa as she has hired him to make renovations on her Aunt's estate so she can sell it and Jack happens to be separated from his wife Holly who he has three triplet sons with. Larissa and Jack fall into an easy routine together restoring the estate and there begins to be an attraction there and they both share one explosive kiss together.

The bigger picture of this novel is that Larisa needs to learn how to deal with her mother who is in the middle and end stages of Alzheimer's disease. She is able to retain her long term memory but has trouble with her short term memory. Larisa is an only child and the daughter of parent's that love each other deeply but also love Larisa very deeply. Larisa's father slowly teaches Larisa how to care for her mother by going along with her mother's illness instead of avoiding her pain by avoiding her parents. It is so touching how Larisa transforms into accepting her mother's illness and begins to spend more time caring for her mother in the most kindness and gentility of ways. This was quite a beautiful book about navigating the triumphs and the devastating losses that Alzheimer's bestows to the loved ones as they are the one's needing to gather the strength and fortitude to watch a beloved family member slip away into dementia gradually. There were so many lovely observations and quotes that I thought were stunning about how we relate to one another in relationships that are so true. This novel started out to be superficial but has just such brilliant depth to it. This novel is one that I could see myself re-reading for its erudite observations and is remarkably well written for a debut novel and one that I highly recommend to lovers of philosophy.

Publication Date: March 9, 2021

Thank you to Net Galley, Jennifer Dupee and St. Martin's Publishing for generously providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#TheLittleFrenchBridalShop #JenniferDupee #StMartin'sPublishing #NetGalley

TLFBS was just so much fun to read!
Dupee really knows how to write a book.
The book had so much life to it. Relationships, heart breaks, love, strong women.
Who wouldn't love this story?
I devoured this read so quickly!
The writing was fabulous, the plot I really enjoyed! And the characters! What's not to love?

Thank You NetGalley publishers and author for this copy!

It was great

I was drawn in by the title of the book. I thought it would be a fun, romantic read. Not so much! -A girl returns to her hometown, fixes up aunt's old house with the help of the house’s caretaker, falls in love with him- maybe... However, I could do without all the lies she tells and the fantasy she creates. It was all very unbelievable, and I felt like a 40 year old woman should know better than to concoct all those lies in a small town or anywhere!
The author is a better writer than this! The struggle of helping to care for her mother, the dilemma over which man to date or marry, the avoidance of caring for her mother created artificial tension The ending was predictable.

The Little French Bridal Shop is a story about a young woman running away from truths that she is not ready to face. While settling the estate of a eccentric maiden aunt. She finally comes to terms with the many things she has been avoiding. It is a sweet story and it is easy to see how we all avoid unpleasantness through Larissa's actions.

Larisa has come back home to settle her beloved aunts estate. While in town, she stops into a cute French Wedding Dress shop and buys a wedding dress: except she’s not engaged. This one purchase spurs a downward spiral of decisions that she ultimately must own up to. The cover of this books leads you to believe that you will be wrapped up in a charming romance. I found it to be untrue. I really found her characters unlikable with little to no redeeming qualities. I’m sure that this books is for someone, but it wasn’t for me.

This book was received as an ARC from St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I needed a good "chick" novel to enjoy at this time of year especially with COVID-19. This book was like eating a delicious dish that just "hit the spot." I absolutely enjoyed this book from beginning to end and it was exactly what I needed to keep me sane during these difficult times and even though the plotline was a little rocky at times, I loved how all the events got placed together and Jennifer Dupee does a brilliant job bringing the story to life with an ending that is happy and warmhearted. I know our community will love this book just as much as I did.

We will consider adding this title to our Fiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

This novel follows two main characters as they deal with major changes in key relationships: death, break ups, caring for parents living with dementia, helping children understand the world, and dealing with their own mid-life crises. For most of the book, I didn't really like the main character Larissa -- but as I learned more about her, I could understand her choices and her desire to flee her circumstances and return to a time of order and organization and "rightness".

There are several quotes from this book that really strike a chord with me -- that the person we really are is connected to others and what they remember about us and reflect back to us. That we define who we are, in many ways, by what those we love see and value in us: "It occurred to her that no one could ever actually see onseself. It took another person to really see you." As I get older, I am also aware of the fact that my relationship with someone is never the same as the relationship that person has with others. We each see a given person in a different way: "We think we know the people in our lives, but no one person can ever be privy to all the knowledge. In the asymptote of knowing someone, different people become curators of different information, each of them experiencing the same person. Knowing someone, then, becomes a collective experience and, in this deep complexity, lies both the joy and the heartache." Truly some beauty and insight in Ms. Dupee's words.

This book really reached my heart -- and I think others sharing these relationship shifts in life will feel it too. Recommended read.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions above are my own.

This book was super good. It was super original and I flew through it. It didn't feel like anything I've read in the past. Can't wait to read more from the author!!

Larissa goes back to the town where she grew up after her aunt dies. Ahe walks into a bridal shop and tries on dresses even though she is not going to get married. Larisa tells so many lies, it annoys me. For me this was a frustrating read.

I really enjoyed The Little French Bridal Shop. The story wasn't anything I was expecting based off of the title, and yet I found myself immersed into a world of faliable people who are all guilty of making mistakes and all trying their hardest to right them. Larisa is a character that can be a little hard to like in the beginning, but as you learn more you start to understand her choices a little better.

This story is about family dynamics in a small town. Aunt Ursula passes away and leaves her old house to her niece Larissa who moves in after losing her job and leaving her boyfriend.and starts making renovations to the house with the help of her good friend Jack. Jack is married with son triplets but the marriage is on shaky grounds. Larissa's mother is suffering with dementia and under the care of her husband. How can Larissa deal?

The Little French Bridal Shop is a well written book about relationships and family. Do not read the title and think that is what the book is about because it is not. This book explores a mother daughter relationship with the mother having alzheimers, A father and daughter relationship. Friendships , forgiveness and love. It is about listening to your heart. You will love it.

I loved the premise of the book - girl returns to hometown, fixes up aunt's old house, meets caretaker, falls in love. However, I could do without all the lies. It was distracting to me and I felt like a 40 year old woman should know better than to concoct all those lies in a small town, where everyone knows each other and the truth will one day be known.
Otherwise, I love the author's writing style, the easy reading, and like I said, the premise of the book. The struggle of helping to care for her mother, the dilemma over which man to date, etc made me keep on reading the book. I would try another book by this author.

In The Little French Bridal Shop, the protagonist, Larisa, enters a bridal shop on a whim and ends up buying the wedding dress of her dreams. The only problem is, she isn't engaged. Nor is she in a relationship. In fact, her whole life is in shambles. She recently broke up with her boyfriend, lost her job, her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, and her great aunt passed away, leaving her an estate home.

This novel intrigued me from the outset but unfortunately fell short of expectations. This was an easy read and the writing flowed well. However, I didn't find any of the characters particularly likable. And while I appreciated Larisa's character growth, it felt too fast to be believable. One minute she's terrified of being left alone with her mother and the next she's doling out sage advice to her father on how to properly deal with her. The repetition of referring to the triplets as "the boys" was noticeable. Also, the book title is misleading. I thought the book would be centred more around the bridal shop but it's really only present in a couple of scenes, and it only pertained to one of the story lines.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Larisa has declared that's she's never getting married. She has recently turned forty but marriage is not on her mind. Larisa randoy trys on some wedding dresses. I really liked Larisa. I was interested in where Larisas relationship with Brent would go

A story of Larissa who has no idea what to do when her life starts to fall apart or even how she is. A wedding dress has her telling lies to everyone including herself. Will she ever tell the truth and figure out who she is and what she really wants?

Cute, and checks all the boxes of a story about a woman at a crossroads who tries a little something to feel better, gets caught up in a story, it affects all of her relationships and she somehow has to find her way out of the mess while learning and evolving. A satisfying read and moments of great fun. We like this character and her decisions sometimes make us cringe, but they're hers, authentically and realistically, so we hang on and watch how she's going to play this all out...because the author has written a splendidly likeable and relatable character we care about.

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 3.5 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!

A very cute and easy read, this one would be a perfect read if you want to fit one more book in before the summer is out! The writing was just okay, but the characters were really endearing, and I loved the New England setting! Overall, found this one easy and light, and a great escape.

Pros: Tackles grief, dementia, how well we know ourselves and how well we know others. I also appreciate the way the book ended (no spoilers). I enjoyed the hard-won catharsis that occurred for many of the characters.

It's always nice for me to see a "messy' book, and what I mean by that is -- realistic characters, flaws and all, and the strange, messy situations they find themselves in (or in some cases, the situations they create!)

Pro/con? I like when books don't have super hot and heavy physically intimate scenes. That's not to say I don't enjoy it at all because I do! But not every romantic book has to have ooh-aah moments described in detail, in my humble opinion. It doesn't always fit the mood of a book, know what I mean? I said "pro/con" because that might not be to people's liking if they're expecting ooh-aah moments.

This is a book about finding yourself, learning about family and facing hard truths about one's self, where you stumbled and how to get back up again.