I enjoyed so much about this book.
It was very much a love letter to old books. The stories that intertwined were interesting. My only complaint is how abrupt the ending was. There were all these detailed moments throughout the book and then it just ended like slapping a bow on a box.
It just felt very rushed. I'd say 3.5 stars overall

The Little Venice Bookshop by Rebecca Raisin has world traveler Luna dealing with the death of her free-spirited mother. She discovers letters her mom had saved, letters that appear to be from Luna's father, a man she has never known. Luna heads to Venice and finds a job in what she hopes is her father's bookstore. Giancarlo's store is lacking in customers and profit so he hires both Luna and a young writer-to-be Oscar to compete for the job and to find ways to save the bookstore. In doing so, Luna also hopes to discover if Giancarlo is her father.

The best word to describe The Little Venice Bookshop is sumptuous as it offers the rich flavors of Venice and, better still, the hope of love in Venice. The readers get to experience everything from the grumbles of a socially distant bookseller, the smells of slightly sodden vintage books, the fragrance of freshly made pasta, the happiness of book lovers and the charms of Venetians in love.

Thanks to Harper 360, Rebecca Raisin and NetGalley for this delightful ARC.

Venice is absolutely my favorite place on earth. Second hand bookshops on their last leg in desperate need of something/anything to keep them afloat always grabs my attention right away. Throw in a little romance and you have an irresistibly winning combination every time. THE LITTLE VENICE BOOKSHOP by Rebecca Raisin is just that book.

As Luna is going through her mother’s thing after her death, she finds a pack of letters that just may hold the answers she has been searching for all her life. Luna and her best friend Gigi thus begin the journey that change their lives forever.

This is the first book by this author I have read. It was charming and heartwarming and altogether delightful. This enjoyable fast, easy read was one I didn’t want to put down. I will be looking for more from the author.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I love Rebecca Raisin and she has done it again. This is such a cute story about a book shop. Read this.

#TheLittleVeniceBookshop #NetGalley is the first book I've read by this author, but it won't be my last.
Luna is in Thailand when she suddenly feels the pull to go see her mother. Born under unusual circumstances, Luna has the ability to feel things, very deeply, and her urge to see her mother brings devastating news, her mother has passed away.
Returning to her mother's home opens a door to secrets and most if the answers will be found in Venice.
Travel with Luna, her bestie Gigi, and Aunt Loui, as Luna learns the truth, which opens up the possibility for so much more love in her life.
I read this book Friday night, after a long work week.
It was just what I needed, and I enjoyed every aspect of this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of the book.

The Little Venice Bookshop is a heartwarming novel to add to your list if you enjoy armchair travels! Primarily set in Venice as well as Thailand and Montana, Rebecca Raisin draws you into the beauty of the location. With quirky, lovable and relatable characters this novel is an enjoyable read that will stay with you. Luna who grew up on communes with her free spirited mother is on a mission. After her mothers death she discovers letters which make her question not only her mother but herself. She travels to Venice to find answers and discovers so much more.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Harper360 for my copy of The Little Venice Bookshop by Rebecca Raisin in exchange for an honest review. It publishes October 3, 2023.
Once again, (as always), Rebecca Raisin knocks it out of the park. I just love the detail and care put into all of her books, and this book raises the bar. Goodness, I felt like I was in Venice every time I picked up this book, and now I feel like I need to do a deep dive into researching it! I loved the character development, I loved all the book talk, I loved the mystery, basically, I loved it all!
The only thing I personally didn't like was the tarot card stuff, but that didn't detract from the book as a whole.

This one was a bittersweet read. But it was still a sweet read. Though it did make me cry as someone who also lost their mom before a planned trip to Europe.

When Luna's mother dies unexpectedly, her life suddenly feels anchorless. While going through her mother's effects, she comes across a bunch of letters from a man in Venice who has a book shop...and might possibly be the father Luna never knew, and about whom her mother had always refused to speak. She decides to go with her best buddy to Venice to see if she can discover the truth. The majority of the book takes place in Venice, where she gets a job in the bookstore and tries to get to know the taciturn store owner. I've never read Raisin before but will definitely be looking for her other books after reading this. A warm, caring book about finding family, whether biological or not.

After her mother’s death Luna travels to Venice in hopes of learning if the man who wrote to her mom could possibly be the father she’s never known.

Took me awhile to get vested in the story—a little too much silliness. But glad I stuck with it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for making an early release of this book available in exchange for an honest review.

The Little Venice Bookshop by Rebecca Raisin

I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley for review. My opinions are my own.

4/5 stars

This is SUCH a fun read. I thought it would be a bit more heavy, considering the protagonist, Luna, Is grieving her mother’s death. But she’s also finding her LIFE in Venice.

At its heart, this book delves into female friendship and family. The love story is secondary.

I will definitely be reading more of Rebecca’s books.

After global nomad Luna loses her mother, she finds a collection of love letters among her mom's things, and the letters send her on a journey to Venice, to the owner of a second-hand bookshop on the canal.

This book is both heart wrenching and heartwarming. Luna has to deal with her grief and come to terms that she has no family left. The little quest her mother sent her on by leaving the letters for her to find begins a new journey of discovery, about her mom's past, but also about the future of her place in the world.

This was a lovely read. I loved the bookshop vibe. All of the characters in this book were amazing - Luna's friend Gigi, her mom's bff Loui, the bookshop owner Giancarlo. I feel they are my friends now too. ❤️ 🙂

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This story was heartbreakng and sweet at the same time. Luna and her BFF Gigi were traveling around the world when she heard that her mother had died. She finds some letters from a man named Giancarlo from Venice and decides she is going there. Gigi falls in love and stays. What Luna finds out from Giancarlo breaks her heart and then helps to heal it. The Luna, in the end, really doesn't understand how her mother left and never told her, but she knew her mother had some issues. The had traveled around the world and never really settled anywhere until the last 10 years of her mother's life. So Luna was just doing what she had always done traveling around. Being in Venice was wonderful, she loved book and working in the bookstore and the treasures she found there. I've been to Venice and it was like a sweet visit for me. I liked the story and the ending. It was uplifting and full of hope

I got this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

I picked up this book because saw it was set in Venice and I’m visiting the city later this year. I loved the idea of a quaint bookshop on one of the canals. Unfortunately, the book didn’t quite deliver. The bookshop was there and I loved that part of the story, but the rest didn’t fully work for me. Luna was a different from the average romance heroine in that she had had an unusual upbringing (women’s communes in Thailand and other countries, and lots and lots of travel). She was definitely a bit of a spiritual hippy, and while I liked that, it was also a bit too much in places. Her best friend was a little annoying at times and not a very consistent character.
The author had clearly done a lot of research because the attention to detail when it came to travelling, communes and Venice was fabulous.
My main issues with the book concern plot and pacing. A lot of plot centres around Luna thinking someone could be her father, but rather than her talking to the guy about it, she observes him and thinks about it a lot in long, internal monologues. The romance develops similarly: very slow (and no burn whatsoever). In the final few pages of the book everything is resolved very quickly, even complex issues that had been festering for years.
It's a pity, because I feel the characters and the setting had a lot of potential.

Cozy PG rated romance read of searching for family/meaning of your life. The book is mostly based in a used bookstore in Venice with tons of shop cats that also demand themselves to be main characters (if you have a cat, you understand).

I loved the vibes of this book. The beginning starts out with Luna losing her mom, a hippie soul whom Luna was deeply connected to. While I don’t personally connect with some of the ideas and beliefs told in the book, I was intrigued reading about it and their lifestyle.

I really enjoyed the character personalities in the book - the boho vibes, the traveler, the food connoisseur, the book lover

If you’re looking for a cozy, warm, easy beach read, this one is for you. Get lost in the Venice bookstore and enjoy this story of found family.

Thank you NetGalley, Rebecca Raisin, and HarperCollins Publishers - Harper360 for an advanced copy of this book!

A charming book set in one of my favorite places! After losing her mother, Luna discovers a pile of letters written by her mother’s long ago love from Venice. Since Luna had never heard of this man, she hops a plane to Venice to try and find out who this Giancarlo might be and why her mother had never mentioned him. Once there, she finagles her way into Giancarlos’ bookstore as a summer employee. What you expect might happen does happen, and Luna’s Venice visit turns into much more than she expected.

For me, this was literally a beach read (waves lapping the shore as I speak), so I didn’t expect much depth in this book, and that’s what I got. There was essentially no conflict here; even sticky matters resolved themselves positively. That’s okay. I would, however, liked to have had a bit more description of Venice itself and life there. It’s a fascinating place and could have been more of a presence.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Absolutely fantastic plot! Could not put the book down once I began reading it. Cannot wait for it to be released. I will recommend it to everyone I know!

This was an adorable little read. I went into this book with no information other than what was on the cover, but based on my love of Venice and stories that take place in bookstores, I jumped into this. It was a great palette cleanser after reading a tough slavery era historical fiction. It was just what I needed. A little over halfway through I thought I had the ending sorted out. I ended up being half right, but I like to think that over time the rest of my prediction would have come true. I love the character growth that Luna and Giancarlo had. I can't say much more without touching spoilers, but if you're in need of a light read, I would highly recommend this one. I do wish there had been better/more descriptions of Venice, but I did enjoy the descriptions of the bookstore. I'm not one of those people that sees the "movie" in my head, but I was still able to picture the bookstore clearly with the descriptions given. This was my first book by Raisin, but I'd be open to reading more of her works!

A wonderful summer read from a favorite author of mine. Plenty of heart and light drama to keep the pages turning. I will definitely be able to recommend this to a wide variety of readers.

A bittersweet book of lost and found... Luna loses her mother, her best friend, after years of traveling the world with her, and sets off on a quest to find her father. Along the way she meets a few boys, picks up a job, reinvents a bookshop, and finds family in the most unexpected places.