Thirty year old Elle has always known that the woman who raised her was not her birth mother & that she was handed to her father at one week old by the unknown French woman, but after her father’s death she finds a baby shawl, a bracelet & a postcard that is just signed “M”. The postcard is of a café on the Île de Ré in France so Elle decides to head there to see if she can uncover the mystery surrounding her birth & who her birth mother was. With only the postcard, shawl & bracelet as clues Elle knows actually finding her birth mother is actually quite unlikely but feels that she must give it a go.
Elle finds herself with an unexpected job at the café and quickly becomes part of the community, however the hunt for her mother doesn’t go smoothly - for a start she perhaps underestimates how many women aged 50 ish with names starting with M live in a small place like Chamillon! (Maria, Matilda, Madeleine, Maud, …) Of course if she does manage to find her birth mother, she has no idea if she will be welcomed or shunned.
When I picked this book up, I wasn’t aware it was part of a series & it definitely works as a stand-alone. There is a mix of characters & whilst some are quite stereotypical, they are generally likeable. The setting is evocative and the storyline unfolds at a nice pace with some funny moments along the way. Whilst I appreciated that the romance elements were secondary to the hunt for Elle’s birth mother, I wasn’t very keen on them. The ending felt rushed whilst the middle felt … silly? (Why are 30 yr old women so often portrayed like 17yr old teenagers?)

Ultimately this is a summery, feel-good book that will appeal to people looking for a light summer/beach/holiday read. I listened to the audiobook read by Lucy Bromilow who brought it to life well.

I would give it 3 stars but also recognise that whilst the book isn't quite "my cup-of-tea" (to use a very British colloquialism!), it delivers exactly what it aims to, so I will go to 3.5 rounded up to 4!

This was a refreshing light and summery beach read and I listened to the whole thing in one go because I was enjoying it so much. This was my first book by this author but it won’t be my last!
After the death of her father, Eloise finds a postcard and a couple of items in his belongings that send Elle on a quest to find out who the mystery “M” is that sent the postcard, because she is her birth mother. Elle didn’t know much about her other than she met her dad for a brief fling and then turned up and gave him the baby when she was a week old because she couldn’t care for it. So Elle goes to Chamillion and the cafe in France that was shown on the postcard in hopes that someone will have some answers to all her many questions about her birth mom and maybe even be able to help find her.
While there, she meets some of the locals and becomes a part of them as they help to track down the mysterious “M” and of course, manages to find a few love interests, but only one truly captures her heart.
The narrator did a great job with the story, keeping it light and engaging. Really enjoyed the story and the audiobook narration.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for this audiobook arc in exchange for my review.

This was a lovely story, a mystery and romance with twists and turns. Very well narrated. Perfect for listening to on a sunny day in the garden.

This book hit me in all the right feels. It was lovely, heartwarming, cosy and happy with a gorgeous French vibe.

I immediately knew I’d love the book upon seconds of listening to it (the audiobook was great!) and as the story continued to develop, I found myself more and more invested! With El’s quest to find her birth mother, it takes her to a wonderful little pocket of France, where the community quickly get behind her and offered her a helping hand.

It has a romance element as well as some great plot and character development and it just hit all the right marks. A wonderful way to spend the afternoon, cosying up and getting lost in this book. I was left feeling thoroughly happy and fuzzy! Loved it.

A cute and cozy summer read.

Elle is a likable character, and her quest to find her birthmother is rather exciting. The little French place sound picturesque. And it doesn't hurt either that she is wooed by the dark, handsome Frenchman with the accent - don't forget the accent.

The book serves as a lovely romantic reminder of not to settle... even if it comes with a name and a lot of money. But really the romantic plot is only one side of this story - the search for your own history is the theme... And the two plots work well together.

All in all, a great novel.

I had the pleasure of listening to the audiobook version - the narrator does an amazing job!

Name of Book: Summer at the Little French Café
Series: Little French Café #2
Author: Karen Clarke
Audiobook Narrator: Lucy Bromilow
Publisher: Saga Egmont Audio
Genre: Chick Lit
Pub Date: July 5, 2022
My Rating: 3.7 rounded up!

Elie Matheson is now thirty years old and has always wanted to find her birth mother who left her wrapped in an ivory shawl with a postcard of the Café Belle Vie with a note to her father.
Her father welcomes the baby with open arms and so does his bride-to-be. Elie is raised by her father and step mother and no one knew she wasn’t their biological child.
Now thirty years later when her father died she decides it is time to start her search for her mother and travels to the beautiful village of Chamillon and the Café Belle Vie.

Story is a perfect summer reads. Likeable characters pleasant surroundings and a tad of drama and humor. Love the message that family comes in many forms.
As always, I enjoyed the author’s ‘Acknowledgments’ as well as in this case ~ “A Letter from Karen”!

Enjoyable light read!

Want to thank NetGalley and Saga Egmont Audio for this audioGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for an honest professional review.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for July 5, 2022.

2.5 stars

First things first, I really loved this audiobook. It was a lot of fun and definitely enhanced my reading experience. If I see another book by the same narrator, I'll definitely be tempted to pick it up.

I picked this book up because I was in the mood for a lighthearted romance, but that's not really what this book is. While it's definitely lighthearted, we follow Elle on her journey to find her birthmother in France.

The plot itself is very simple, and the search consist of little more than asking around until someone comes forward. While there is some character development, kinda, it's more Elle listening to the people around her, than her really deciding for herself.

The romance is... weird. There's this weird kind of love-triangle, except that one of the guys already has a girlfriend. Elle goes on two "not" dates in this book, once with a single guy and once with the guy with the girlfriend. The single guy, Henry, is very sleazy and doesn't take no for an answer, so he's kind of awful. He feels like a weird stereotype of the French too, in his overly flirty way, his (over)confidance and him abusing his "sexy" accent. But maybe that says more about me than the book. In my defense, I don't think the French act like that.
The second guy has a girlfriend throughout the whole book right until the last chapter. His interaction with Elle are pretty minimal and hardly more than friendly, seeing as he has a girlfriend and all.
The final wrap-up felt very cheap with the whole "and everyone will get together" because no one can stay single, of course.

There was a lot of premonitions in this book as well. Elle and her aunt instantly feel like they recognize each other despite having never met, the final guy's mother instantly felt like him and Elle would stay together etc. It was all very convenient.

For a book set in France, titled after a cafe, we learn very little of the actual setting and the actual cafe (and the characters too, now that I think about it). Everything is very surface level and I wish things had been given some more dept.

It's a lighthearted read, and it's not bad, but it's not great either.

A delightful and heartwarming story of Elle, who lived with her father after being given to him by her French birth mum at just a few days old.
This is her quest to find out who her mum was and why she gave her away. I don’t want to say anymore about the story other than you won’t be disappointed, if you like to read about family, love interests, cafes and solving a mystery, this is the book for you

A fun and light summer read!

After her father died, Elle found some items from her birth mother. Of course she goes to the little Cafe in France that was on the postcard she found.

I liked this story because it was really a needle in a haystack type search, I mean how many women have "M" names even in a little town. I liked that Elle also became part of the town and Cafe even during her short trip. I got home and like family vibes throughout. Of course a little romance added some fun, it is France after all.

This was a nice Audiobook to listen to, I think the narrator nailed all of the characters and helped bring out their charm and personalities.

Thank you to Saga Egmont Audio and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this Audiobook for my honest review.

I walked into this story not knowing what to expect but I found that I loved it. This gave me a whimsical feel of Mamma Mia while our main character looks for her birth mother in a small French village while discovering pieces of herself along the way.

After listening to the author's note at the end I see this is part of a series and I did not feel like I was missing pieces of the story (although it does make me want to read about the other characters - I plan to read more of the series for sure). I would definitely say this book balances between romance and self reflection which I really enjoyed. Often you want to read more about one storyline in the book than others but I did not feel this way at all.

It is quick paced and lighthearted. The characters are likable and you find yourself rooting for them each step of the way. I enjoyed the storyline and look forward to reading the rest of the series. Overall, I would recommend to anyone looking for a lighthearted book with a side of romance. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this story!

This was such a cute and quick read, the perfect book to grab when you are having a lazy summer day.

The humor that was injected into the story was really a selling point for me, so many times Romance books leave out humor, and we all know that at times love is humourous.

I really liked the setting of the story, to me, it became a secondary character in the book. When an author can describe a place to me and I can mentally put myself into the scene from that description it is wonderful writing. This was how I felt while reading Summer at the Little French Cafe.

A very delightful little read with well-written characters that added depth to the story. Can't wait to see what Karen Clarke offers up next

Summer at the Little French Cafe by Karen Clarke

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and Saga Egmont Audio and I am leaving this review voluntarily

In the beautiful village of Chamillon lies the Café Belle Vie, where you’ll always find croissants and friends when you need them the most – and where Elle is hoping to uncover the truth about her past…

Thirty-year-old Elle Matheson has decided it’s finally time to find the mother who gave her up as a baby. With a faded postcard from the Café Belle Vie in hand – one of the very few things she has from her mother – she heads straight to the Île de Ré to begin her search.

With only the postcard and the ivory shawl she was wrapped in as clues, finding her mum is like trying to find a needle in a haystack, even with the help of friendly – and gorgeous – café-owner Charlie. And since Elle hasn’t exactly told her younger sister what she’s up to, the little white lies about where she is are starting to add up…

This is such a sweet and satisfying read. This is my first book by Karen Clarke and it was such a lovely story that I will definitely be looking out for future releases. I didn't feel like I was missing anything by not having read the first book in the series. I was hooked on the mystery from the beginning, and I found myself needing to listen on to find out if Elle managed to find her birth mother.

Rating 4/5

To say this book is a delight to listen to doesn’t fully express how wonderful it is. The narrator is just perfect and carries the stories emotions in her tone and inflection seemingly without any effort, she is a real joy to listen to. The story centres around El who has gone in search of her birth mother and the people she meets along her journey. She travels to France and its here that the search fully begins. The story is gentle but captivating and i was sad when it ended. I would recommend this book wholeheartedly

Narrator 5
Greta voice

Story 4 stars
This book was beautiful!! I absolutely loved this story and how it unfolded. I was absolutely absorbed in it.

Hadn't realised this was an audiobook so won't be listening to it as I thought it was a written book

I had no clue this was book two in a series…which to me means it works great as a stand-alone and I’m excited to go back and listen to the first one as well as the holiday one. This is the perfect summer day read…. Which can easily be read/listened to quickly. The imagery takes you to the setting and was the perfect escape. The characters were fun and memorable and the touch of mystery was perfect. I’m really excited to check out Karen’s other two in the series.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC of The Little French Cafè. This book is a sequel but can be read as a stand alone as well. This is the perfect book to listen to on a casual beach day, it’s funny, charming, and is an easy read. This novel follows a young 30 year old who visits the town her birth mother is from and begins to search for her. There’s also some romance which I loved!

Elle Matheson is off on a quest to find her birth mother. All she has is an old postcard from a small French village, so she begins her search there. Enlisting the help of a local (and rather handsome) cafe owner, Elle find herself falling in love with the little village and its inhabitants. Still, it’s a potentially painful rift between Elle and her sister, who has had no idea what Elle was up to. Is where you come from as important as where you are? a sweet story, that was only tarnished a bit by Elle’s immaturity

I just loved this laid back read. Its funny, charming and such a sweet story about Elle who is trying to find her birth mother. Armed with a postcard, signed M, a bracelet and a shawl she heads to France to find her. An incident at the local cafe lands her a job and a confidante to help her.

Lots of loveable characters, a bit of romance and a few 'are you my mum' conversations without directly asking. Totally enjoyed this and ended up listening to it in one sitting. Although this is the second book in the series it is totally fine as a standalone read but I do need to read the first one now.

Loved the narrator she did a great job bringing the characters to life. I enjoyed listening to her and I would definitely listen to other audiobooks voiced by her