Member Reviews

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in return for an honest review.

Any book about books automatically moves up in my ratings because I just imagine getting lost in these bookshops and the proprietors are people I think I could be friends with in real life. I enjoyed the dual timelines of Jacques and Juliette and the book kept me guessing about how the characters would end up being connected. I also really enjoy World War 2 historical fiction and enjoyed the historical backdrop of the half of the book set in the 1940s.

4.5 stars for this historical fiction.

Was this review helpful?

Amazing! I becomes so wrapped up in the story and characters, I just couldn’t put it down. The story is a dual timeline, the story of Mathilde and Jacques set in Paris 1940 during the German occupation. A story of love and survival during a terrible time in history. Mathilde is passionate in her fight for freedom and Jacques is the quiet type running his little bookshop. But when Mathilde must escape Paris due to her involvement of the Resistance, Jacques stays behind. Slowly he gets involved with the Resistance and lives in constant fear of getting caught and if his beloved wife is still alive.
The second timeline is in 2022 and Juliette story. Finding out during their vacation in Paris that her husband is cheating on her. She sends him packing and is drawn to a area in Paris that is the place of her grandmother favorite picture. The same cafe, the unusual lamppost. What is the story in this little part of Paris and there must be a reason it calls to Juliette. So she extends her stay and finds answers to her family past.
Very moving story, have tissues ready. Not the ending I expected, but in real life probably happened more often then any of us could ever imagine. A definite must read! Thank you NetGalley for this eARC. I am voluntarily posting an honest review after reading an Advance Reader Copy of this story. #NetGalley #TheForgottenBookshopinParis #HarperCollinsPublishers

Was this review helpful?

What an incredible novel. I loved the duel timelines and was instantly drawn in to Jacques world and couldn't wait to see how Juliette's story would tie in. An absolutely outstanding story of love, loss, resistance and hope. I'm looking forward to Daisy Woods next novel.

Was this review helpful?

Dual-timeline, this story, set in occupied Paris during the 1940s and contemporary 2020 Paris, has a great sense of time and place that is immersive. It's a story of courage, heartbreak, loss and love and the atrocities of WW2. Full of historical and locational details, it's easy to visualise the settings, and with believably layered characterisation, it keeps you turning the pages.

There is a mystery to solve for Juliette in 2020 and an adventurous and emotional journey for Jacques and Mathilde. Both stories are compelling, but the evocative 1940s Paris resonates with the reader.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

Was this review helpful?

In 1939 a couple meets and falls in love. Jacques has just opened a bookshop in Paris. Mathilde works in the museum. Their lives are changed drastically by the German occupation of the city.

In 2022 Juliette and her husband take a holiday in Paris during which she realises how much they have grown apart. He returns to the U.S. alone after she decides to stay. She discovers an empty shop for sale. Then she discovers that the forgotten bookshop hides many secrets.

There are two stories here all playing out in Paris. This is a beautifully written book, sad one minute happy the next. The wonderful description draws you into the book and is quite captivating. This is a book for anyone interested in Paris and its history during the Second World War. It’s a book filled with human emotion and a terrific read I found difficult to put down.

My thanks to #NetGalley and #AvonBooks for this free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

This was a first read of this author for me. I was really drawn from the book description and thoroughly enjoyed the dual t8me line stories. Would really recommend this beautifully written story. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me access to an early copy of this book.

Was this review helpful?

A Tragic Story of Resistance

This is a bit of a dual storyline with part in 1940's Paris during WWII and part in 2022 Paris. It centers around a bookshop in a Paris square.

Juliette goes to Paris with her husband and finds the bookstore in her grandmother's picture. The store is for sale and she decides to buy it not knowing the story she will uncover dating back to 1940.

In 1940 a young married couple is running a bookshop during the Nazi occupation of WWII. How they helped the resistance help Jewish people and resistance workers even children during the war. Their story, their separation and the price they paid for their part in the resistance movement. How in a time of such tension you could trust no one and on trusted patron sold them out to the Nazi's.

It is a story of Love and of compassion for those unfortunate enough to be hunted by the Nazi's and needing their help.

This story will keep you reading, it is engaging and full of suspense and close calls. Secret meetings, and fatal consequences. I recommend this book, you will want to read it.

Thanks to Daisy Wood for writing a great story, to Avon Books, UK for publishing it and to NetGalley for providing me with a copy to read and review.

Was this review helpful?

Give me all the books with a back drop in Paris! The end is the best part but to fully appreciate it you have to go through the historical trauma of WWII. I thought most of the characters were well developed, but I kept wondering how all the American characters were able to post up in France for long enough to become so well integrated into the storyline. Dual POV seem to be where historical fiction is right now and this one went back and forth between the 1940s and 2000s.

Was this review helpful?

I normally don't read books set in WWII because I just couldn't bear the situation in which people had to suffer and survive. But I already read a book written by Daisy Wood and it was incredibly fascinating and I loved reading it.
This book was also amazing, and informative and although it was set in that time, it wasn´t overflowing with too many bad things that happened then.
It was more to reach people to show what was possible at that time and how it helped so many people in destitute. What I loved the most was that the 2 stories, one from the past and the other from the present were entwined to one end.
Juliette has known that her grandmother came from France but she has never spoken of that time. When Juliette finds a picture of a small square in Paris she wants to visit the places her grandmother might have grown up.
She is fascinated by Paris and due to her husband's indiscretion, she decides to stay and search for her ancestors. What she wouldn't count on was to find more than just her roots, but to find herself, someone she could love again, and open her very own bookshop to start anew.

Jacques married Mathilde on the first day of the war and wanted nothing more than to be happy. What he has never counted on was having to send his beloved Mathilde to the countryside and never hear from her again. Although he has never lost his hope to hear from her or hope for a reunion. His bookshop was only meant for entertaining, but when he finally saw all the injustice that happened, he created a backroom in his bookshop firstly for forbidden books and later on for hiding refugees. His actions saved many lives or at least he hoped they did

I was truly fascinated by both stories and couldn't put the book down. This book just supplied every wish I could have while reading a book - love story, thrill, and happy end.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review. This was a great book with 2 stories within of past during WW2 and the present day, centered on a bookstore in Paris.

I enjoyed reading about Juliette and her trip to Paris and the way she found herself.

I don’t want to ruin the plot for anyone so I won’t go any further. I’ve enjoyed this author’s other novels and was happy with this one too.

Was this review helpful?

"Death is coming for all of us sooner or later. It's how we live that matters."

I enjoyed Daisy Wood's previous novel so I was excited to read The Forgotten Bookshop in Paris.

"His bookshop will be a treasure trove; warm and safe in the winter, when the rain lashes down; airy in the summer, when breezes will waft the smell of baking from the boulangerie across the square and through the open windows. The quiet, welcoming atmosphere will soothehis customers' troubled minds. He'll be a discreet prescence at their elbow, ready to offer advice if required but content to let them browse for as long as they choose. Jacques wants to share the joy of discovering an author who speaks to one's soul, the thrill of being oneself in a story more vivid and exciting than real life."

When the Nazi's occupy Paris it causes tensions between Jacques and his wife Mathilde. She believes they should be doing something to fight against them but Jacques just wants to survive and keep his beloved wife safe. For Jacque it is the banning of his beloved books that initially causes him to rebel against the Nazi regime by hiding banned books in a hidden compartment at his shop. Then his beloved wife is forced into hiding and Jacques comes to realise he needs to do something more to fight back.

Many years later Juliette is in Paris with her husband of 25 years when she discovers a square exactly like one her grandmother had an oil painting of in her bedroom. Whilst on the trip Juliette realises she and her husband has grown apart and she decides that maybe Paris is where she needs to be right now.

I loved the feel of The Forgotten Bookshop In Paris and would definitely recommend it.

Was this review helpful?

I can honestly say I liked this book waaay more than I thought. I was worried it was going to be another book about a bookstore serving as a resistance message exchange. Nothing against those books, but it's a little overdone right now. This bookshop is not a letter exchange, and even better, it's dual timeline. I tended to like the present day better. I was really drawn to Juliette and, when we were in the past, I just wanted to get back to her. I really like that we didn't know who Zizi or Meme was in the past. It added in an extra bit of mystery and trying to catch the clues to figure out how everyone was related to the past. And I liked that it was specifically explained by the end. I got to the point where I was like ooh, I bet so-and-so is this person, but at that point it's just a guess, but it was all explained in the end.

Was this review helpful?

A fabulous book from Daisy. Going between 1940+ and the modern day this storyline is set in a small bookstore. At the heart of the book is love and romance. Love that pushes Jacques into hiding people in his bookshop from the German soldiers and love that sees Juliette visiting Paris for a holiday but then staying as she discovers her Grandmothers link to the bookshop. Not wanting to give too much away but to say that it’s an amazing book, well written and easy to follow.
Thanks to a Daisy and her publisher. Also thanks to NetGalley.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to Net Galley for the advanced copy of this book. I have never read this author before however, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The way the author tied in present day to the days of Nazi occupied France during World War II was incredible. The main character was such a multi faceted man with a very large heart. The way he cared for people in this book was heroic. I am sure there were many people during the war that were similar and as usual received no recognition for their efforts. I love the way the main character Juliette in present time finds her own voice and her own way after receiving somewhat of a premonition of where she was meant to be. Her fortitude and perserverance make her a very strong character within the book. Like her Jacques has the same kind of fortitude and perserverance in the war time. This was a truly amazing story and well worth the read.

Was this review helpful?

This was a really good, easy read. Dual timelines, both set in Paris, in the present with the main protagonist, Juliette, and in 1940’s as the Germans are approaching. Very well written with a good storyline and at time quite heartbreaking. I enjoyed the characters, particularly Jacques who was such a loving man with a true heart of gold. Told from the POVs of Jacques and Juliette both storylines are good and come together seamlessly at the end. Personally, I enjoyed the 1940’s story a lot more than the present, which was a bit of a cliché, but it was important to the final reveals.

Briefly, whilst on holiday in Paris with her husband, Juliette discovers he has been having an affair. She stays in Paris when he goes home and soon discovers a square that seems to be the one shown in a painting her Grandmother took with her when she left Paris. An abandoned old shop on the square catches her imagination and she decides to open a bookshop. The same building where Jacques and his wife Matilde lived and ran their bookshop La Page Cachée during the occupation of France.

The romance element of the present day was pretty easy to foresee but the information Juliette uncovers about her family and events during the war were a total shock. A number of actual events that took place during the occupation are included in the story and it doesn’t bear thinking about about the cruel and heartless treatment meted out by the Nazis, particularly to the Jewish community. A good historical fiction novel and a very enjoyable read.

Was this review helpful?

Over night The Forgotten Bookshop in Paris has become one of my favorite dual timeline stories. There were so many different emotions within the story, that I couldn't help but become fully invested. Even after turning off my kindle, I could not turn off my brain. The Characters have burrowed into my heart. The historical and the fiction have melded into a beautiful story.

Juliette and her Husband are on holiday in Paris. Circumstances have her staying behind and creating a new life for herself guided by a painting once owned by her grandmother. Juliette takes the reader on an adventure as she searches for the area in the painting. She meets some lovely characters that will make a huge difference in her life and beginning of her new store, The Forgotten Bookshop.

Juliette is trying to find herself as she discovers her grandmother's past, a past she never spoke of. The search has the book traveling to Paris in World War 2. The story concentrates on the people and the bookshop that were in the square in the painting. It is the same bookshop she is now making her own.

The dual timeline flows so well. The author weaves a story that just fits. The reader is given a peek into the dangers of standing up against the Nazis as Jacque runs his bookstore at the beginning the war. Jacque begins as a man that doesn't want to get involved, to a man that will do anything to save others. The reader is given great insight into their struggles, both physical and mental.

The unexpected happens connecting the two timelines. Juliette's hard work in cleaning up the store, once owned by Jacque, exposes her grandmother's past and how it is connected to the present. Juliette shares what is discovered, reminding the world of the horrors of war and uniting the families that played such an important part in the past of her grandmother.

Was this review helpful?

The Forgotten Bookshop in Paris by Daisy Wood is beautiful and heartbreaking. The horrors of War are ever present, but love and sacrifice brings hope. Secret rooms and mamas letting go of the babies for life. Daisy Wood is a gifted storyteller!

Was this review helpful?

Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to get an advanced copy of this book. Wow what a well written story. Liking the past to the now. The plot and characters were well thought out and written. I couldn’t put this book down. I would thoroughly recommend this book

Was this review helpful?

WARNING: is that you, unpopular opinion review? I surely didn't expect to see you again so soon!

It's no secret that I have a weak spot for WWII fiction and I love stories with a bookish element, so I truly thought that I had hit the jackpot with The Forgotten Bookshop In Paris. I loved the idea of the bookshop and the Paris setting, and I fully expected to have a fantastic time reading this story. But alas! I guess it wasn't ment to be after all... And I ended up struggling considerably with it instead. I guess it's time for another unpopular opinion review!

I do have to say that I still love the premise of this story, or at least the historical timeline of it. I'm not sure how I missed that The Forgotten Bookshop In Paris was actually a dual timeline story, because it's clearly in the blurb, but the fact is that I somehow did and it wasn't the most pleasant of surprises. Dual timelines are a bit tricky for me, because I tend to much prefer one timeline over the other. This is exactly what happened to me here as well, and the present timeline basically ruined the whole story for me. I went in expecting a WWII fiction read with a bookish angle, and we did get some of that, but the present timeline is basically an extremely cringeworthy and cliche romance read and a total turn off for me.

Why did the present timeline bother me this much? Well, it's not only that I hadn't mentally prepared myself for the contemporary romance part, but it was also the content of this storyline itself. I'm sorry, but I didn't sign up for a story about an extremely irritating woman whining about her husband being a cheat and a bastard, and then disrespecting the history and people of 'her square' just because she thinks its her destiny to reopen the bookshop. To make things worse, after she is being cheated on (something the story doesn't let us forget), she actually oggles a man who she KNOWS has a girlfriend?!?! Double standards indeed. It's safe to say that I STRONGLY disliked Juliette's character, and she was one of the reasons I came close to DNFing this story.

There was also something about the historical timeline that didn't work as well for me. I never fully warmed up to its characters, although I did love the bookish elements and the description of the bookshop itself. The storyline was a tad too bland for me and lacked that je ne sais quoi to help me stay invested in what happens... In the end the story somehow failed to move me, although I confess I started skimreading before reaching the halfway mark.

I know that I'm in the minority though, because most people do seem to enjoy their time with The Forgotten Bookshop In Paris. It might just be my fickle reading mood acting up again, but the fact is that this story and me REALLY didn't get along. It's a shame, because I usually love bookish WWII fiction!

Was this review helpful?

A dual timeline novel set in occupied Paris and modern day. In the WWII timeline a bookstore owner helps Jewish people by buying their books and hiding them in his bookstore. In the present day, a woman visits Paris with her husband to look into her family ties and discovers her husband is having an affair. She decides to stay in Paris and happens upon the abandoned bookstore. A delightful example of this genre.

Was this review helpful?