This book really fell short for me. I know that Max needed to have a growth arc, but I had trouble getting past his commentary and attitude early on. It was too off-putting for me. I read that this book was translated from French to English, so that could be why aspects of it didn't always flow.

Was a pretty quick read. Cute and all that too. Not my favorite but not bad either. Characters and story were decent but lacking a little bit. Overall just okay.

I enjoyed reading The Bookshop of Forgotten Dreams by Emily Blaine. Treat yourself to a new author. Happy reading!
I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and the publisher ~ Thank you ~ !! This is my honest and personal review.

I had high expectations for this book as I love stories set in bookshops/libraries.
I was disappointed as the bookshop was just a sort of background and it seemed a sort of "I will save you" and "Love conquer all".
Max is the type of man that should make you run for the hills not boyfriend material.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This book is about a bad boy, A list actor named Max who beats up a guy in a bar and has to do community service. Sarah owns a struggling bookshop where Max is going to do his service. The two are as different as can be, but they’re very attracted to one another.

The book was translated from French, and I think the translation affects the entire book. The chapters alternate points of view, but at time it’s difficult to know who’s talking. Also, I’ve never seen more exclamation points in a book ever. They actually got distracting. I couldn’t relate much to the characters either. Maybe this book wasn’t for me. The writing was pretty good, and the premise was interesting but the execution wasn’t as good. 3 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own

This was an okay book. But it just wasn't for me. I think it was because I'm been reading such amazing books, that this one fell short. I barely made it to the end.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this EARC!

TheBookshop of Forgotten Dreams is a slow burn, enemy lovers, romance novel featuring a bad boy actor and shy bookstore owner with forced proximity. Literally, what more can I ask for? The romance in this novel was so much fun to read and I had such a hard time putting this read down! It was exciting and there was always a twist around the corner. However, the love interest is known to be a bad boy due to his temper and violent outbursts. While this added to the “bad boy” aspect of his character and furthered the plot, it did make his character quite unlikeable at times. It is also important to note that this book is translated from French to English. I found at times the translation was a bit off and messed with the flow of the book. Despite that, I did enjoy my time in this little French town with these characters and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a quick enemies to lovers romance read!

This book was an easy read and was light enough to pull me out of the gloom in the world right now. I felt like there could have been some more spoken development of the characters as the plot seemed to jump quickly from spot to spot without much explanation. This was overall an enjoyable book!

Disclaimer: I received a free digital ARC (Advanced Reading Copy) of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This book was somewhat of a slow burn for me and overall I wasn't into the story as I thought I would be.

Max is a rising movie star but his temper keeps getting him in trouble. After getting in a physical violent altercation in the city, he gets arrested and faces serious charges that could land him in prison for a long time. His best and oldest friend Damien testifies in his favor and gets the judge to sentence Max to house arrest which he can serve in his small hometown outside Paris. The conditions of his sentence include Max working at a small bookshop and help Sarah, the store owner, maintaining the building. Sarah is a shy town girl trying to keep her late grandmother's bookstore afloat but doesn't have the money to pay for the work the building needs. It's a win-win situation and Max moves into Sarah's small apartment above the bookshop.

As the week pass and Sarah and Mac get to know each other, they both realize their lives could be different. Max's bad-boy attitude and anger issues keep getting in trouble, and he doesn't want to admit that his life is not what he thought it would be as a rising star. Sarah realizes that while she loves being a bookworm, there is more to life than simply reading, and she could have her own love story if she opened her mind and heart to new experiences.

Overall, this story was something I'd choose to read based on the fact that the setting is in a bookstore. However, I wasn't into the story as I thought I would be.

This book is translated from French to English, so I think there were some issues with the translation that made the story hard to follow at times. The pace of the book is incredibly inconsistent. While the first few chapters lay the foundation for the love story between Max and Sarah, the middle part of the book is incredibly boring. I found myself skimming so much of the story and I can't even remember how it got to the end. The characters are written in very stereotypical ways.  Max is described as a "bad boy" with tattoos and having anger issues. Sarah is a shy bookworm who has never even left her hometown and does not understand the world outside her bookstore. The worst part is that they don't go through meaningful character development, so while it happens, we don't get to read how they get there. I also had a hard time believing the love story because the characters were very incompatible with each other, and I'm not the biggest fan of this type of troop when a woman becomes the savior to an angry man.

The plot is also inconsistent and it throws some twists that came out of nowhere. TW for suicide talk and spoiler ahead. I usually enjoy twists that are not foreshadowed in any way, but when it comes to sensitive topics, I sheer away from this type of writing. It might have been because of the translation issues, but the scene when Max finds out about the person's suicide was hard to read, and I wish it had been handled differently. I'd say that it did help to shape the final part of the book, so the reading pace got better for me after this scene.  I did appreciate the subplot about the play Sarah was working on, and I really liked some of the other characters. While the pace and plot stay inconsistent throughout the book, I did like the ending.

Overall, the story was a slow burn for me. I'd like to point out that I do find that the translation from French to English might have been one of the main reasons the book felt so off. Unfortunately, I don't read French but I've read great reviews from people who have read the original novel so it might be worth exploring for people who speak the language.

A Parisian actor and a provincial bookshop owner fall in love in this romance. It's a feel good book that checks all the right romantic boxes.

This is a great read!
I just couldn’t put it down!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for my honest review.

The book starts with the separate stories of Sarah and Max. Sarah running a bookshop in a little town, and Max a bad boy actor living in Paris. After a bust up in Paris, to save himself from prison his friend organises community service at Sarahs bookshop. I enjoyed the characters and storyline, and the romance that followed. Overall I would recommend.

This book was gripping. I was sucked in and could not put it down! The concept was so unique, I loved this book.

Cute story but one that left me a little blah. The best character was the city and the others -much to be desired.
thank you to netgalley and the publisher!

The book starts by describing two people, Sarah and Max, who live very different lives indeed. As a result of Max's bad behaviour he has to spend two months restricted to a bookshop owned by Sarah hundreds of miles away from his home. The rest of the story details the intertwining of their lives and a romance that is surprising yet heartfelt..

This book was really easy to fly through and it was thoroughly enjoyable and I will definitely keep my eye out for more of Emily Blaine's work in the future.

In a way I kind of ended up having mixed feelings about this book. I loved the premise but maybe I went in with high hopes and too many expectations?! Who knows? For the most part I did enjoy the story and it was definitely an entertaining read. In fact I read it very quickly as there was always something to keep my interest. So a definite plus point there.

The romance was fun and on the whole I was rooting for them but I have to admit I did have some reservations. Mainly about the Maxime’s anger issues. Sarah was a likeable character and I completely understood her love of books! It was great to see her character develop and gain in confidence as the book progressed. I do have to mention if you aren’t a fan of steamy, sizzling scenes then this book might not be for you. This aspect never bothers me but yes, it’s safe to say that Maxime and Sarah have a sizzling chemistry. It’s a real case of opposites attracting! Overall The Bookshop of Forgotten Dreams is a fun, sizzling and romantic read!

Maxime is a really bad boy, he’s a young actor with anger management problems. He’s misogynistic and he doesn’t endear himself to the reader during the very first chapter. Sarah is the shy (and innocent) owner of a second hand bookshop in a rural area. Maxime, after beating someone up, has to do community service in Sarah’s bookshop. She changes him.

Nope! Not my kind of romantic story.

I'd give it 0 stars if I could.

This book had potential but unfortunately the translation wasn't effective and the characters were too unlikable to cheer on.

Great book with interesting and unique characters enjoyed the book. However, this was kind of slow read for me.

A sweet story with the added bonus of being about a bookshop. Sarah and Max were engaging and interesting main characters and although the story was a little predictable, it was a fun and easy read. The supporting characters were good fun and I especially liked Anita. Some of the translation were mixed up though which made it a bit confusing.