I received an ARC from NetGalley and I'm willingly leaving a review
TRIGGERS: LGBT+, memories of WWII
From the beginning, I thought Edie didn't have a great tone and it didn't become her: sarcasm, hate words, wrong assumptions, spilling other people's business, doesn't let anyone explain themselves, no respect for her boss, elders, other people above her, etc.; she's downright insulting and I couldn't relate. Hugo, on the other hand, was the absolute gentleman, ready to appease everyone, make peace, and really needed to find himself and grieve his brother; I still don't understand how his parents made him responsible for Stéphane's death or why he had a sense of déjà vu when walking along Rue de Paris. I loved the mystery from the basement, Mme Moreau and Manu's history, Edie's multiple friends and their interactions, her father's support. I also loved the back-and-forth between present and past, which was easy to follow.

What if a single moment of spontaneity could change your life forever? That’s exactly what happens to Edith Lane when, in a moment of grief and boldness, she trades the familiar streets of home for the promise of a fresh start in France. But things don’t go quite as planned when she realizes that the job she accepted at a bakery is not actually in Paris like she thought, but in the quiet town of Compiègne, a small town with a rich historical past. The bakeries owner, Mme Moreau, is a tad bit frosty and it seems like she might have secrets she’s trying to keep.

Edith’s rocky start unfolds with side characters that are lovable including a hairstylist with a heart of gold, a swoon-worthy but mysterious love interest, and a baker’s assistant who might know more than he lets on.

Edith can’t shake the feeling that something isn’t right so she begins to snoop and to question not only the mystery surrounding the bakery but also herself – what she’s running from and how does she want her future to look.

✨ This book has a bit of romance, a magical mystery and self discovery that makes for a cozy read.

I have read both The Lost Bookshop & The Story Collector and loved them both. This one is a re-release of one of her earlier books originally published in 2014, and it definitely laid the foundations for her magical realism writing style which I love.

Thank you @netgalley & @harpercollinsca for my eARC in exchange for my honest review. This one is out March 27/25

The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris was a lovely read. It was do much more than a story about a bakery. I enjoyed all of the characters and the journey that they go on together surrounding the Bakery. It is a story of family, friends, love, loss, history and a little magic all coming together to tell a beautiful story that was just what I needed.

Thank you Net Galley, Evie Woods and HarperCollins Canada for the opportunity to preview this novel in exchange for my honest review.

The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris is expected to be released March 27, 2025.

This was a fantastic story that had magic, mystery, and adventure. I loved being through into a bakery in Paris, and loved Edie as a character, while pretty naive, she was fun and this book was a nice cozy read to tuck in with!

Thank you NetGalley for an eARC!

This book was the perfect mix of cozy escapism and magical storytelling. The well-written imagery brought the Paris vibes to life, making it feel as though I'm walking down the cobblestone streets or enjoying a delicious pastry in a hidden café. I am personally a huge lover of magicial realism in books and this one had the the perfect amount of it mixed with emotional depth and some mystery. I also enjoyed the romance and thought it was cute but nothing special. Although the pacing of the book was a bit slow at times, and a bit hard to get into at first it becomes worth it by the end. I would reccommend this book for a quick read on a rainy day.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins Canada, and of course Evie Woods for sharing this advance copy with me in exchange for my honest review. The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris will be available April 8th, 2025.

So, I think this genre is just... not for me? While I love a little bit of magic infused into everyday life, I found this story arc pretty predictable, and dare I say, boring? Girl meets boy, boy has a secret, girl wants to save the bakery, boy wants to buy the bakery, boy changes his mind helps girl save bakery. Happily every after! Would have loved more of the historical story line with the original baker, Pierre Moreau. I will stick to a different kind of historical fiction in the future. I will say I liked The Lost Bookshop much more.

This book is a nice treat for anybody who wants a quick and comforting read!! I enjoyed the way that the author presented the story and introduced aspects of history at the same time.
The different recipes introduced as well as the descriptions made me feel like I also was experiencing the bakery in Campiègne!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins Canada/One More Chapter for the advanced copy of The Mysterious Bakery on Rue De Paris by Evie Woods!

This a cozy book that made want to bake right away. This was my first Evie Woods book, although I have had in my TBR The lost Bookshop for a long time. I would love the live in that bakery and the town.

Thank you once again!

3.5 ⭐ (rounded down)

The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris is a sweet historical fiction and mystery novel with a strong emphasis on found family following loss.

The book moves back and forth through time, in the present we follow Edie Lane, a woman approaching her 30's who following the death of her mother is looking for a fresh start in Paris. She applies and is hired at La Boulangerie sur la Rue de Paris à Compiègne, when she arrives she receives a mixed reception and instructed not to go into the basement (mystery! Intrigue!).
During her time working at the bakery, Edie explores more of Compiègne and learns some of it's deep history, and while she is uncovering some of the past we are graced with chapters from Pierre Moureau, the previous bakery at La Boulangerie sur la Rue de Paris à Compiègne.

The story does predominantly remain in the present focusing on Edie, her romance, and her plans to save the bakery, but Pierre's chapters were definitely my favourites.

The story does have a happy ending and a somewhat predictable storyline, but I would still recommend it as a cute quick read.

Thank you to Evie Gaughan, Little Bird Press, and NetGalley for the ARC.

Disclaimer: I received an advance copy of this book and I am leaving this honest review voluntarily.

Enjoyable quick read that had likeable characters and a great setting. I just felt the last half of the book was a bit predictable. Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Canada for the free e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

I must first start by thanking both NetGalley as well as the publisher for my eARC in exchange for my honest review.
Republished as the book originally was published in 2014. Connecting history with magic, this book weaves this with a romance into a story that is a delight to read.

Thank you to Harper Collins for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.

This charming story begins with our main character, Edith, departing Dublin to start a new job in Paris as a baking manager. Having confused the bakery to be in Paris, Edith finds herself an hour outside of Paris in the quaint town of Compiegne. The prickly owner, Mme Moreau and Manu, the young shop assistant are at first stand-offish and Edith struggles to find belonging both in her new job and community.

Compiegne is a town rich in history, culture, and lively inhabitants. Upon finding an old recipe book Edith starts a journey of unravelling the secrets of the bakery and its origins. Edith comes into her own and settles down roots in friendships and the town she starts to love. This is an enchanting, cozy tale of found family and the bonds of love.

It took me awhile to buy into the story as Edith comes across as a very naive, almost 30 year-old woman. The story shifts in POVs and across time just enough for the pieces to come together. Once I let my need for common sense go and just go with it, the story was quite enjoyable.

The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris is a heartwarming story about the magic of love, taking chances, and the power of desserts to warm and charm.

Edith Lane decides to risk it all and follow an obscure advertisement to Paris where she longs to reinvent herself. Once she arrives in France, she finds herself working in a quaint bakery in Compiegne where she discovers her heart and her power. The bakery holds many secrets and mysteries that Edith begins to unravel as she embarks on her new adventure working in the charming shop. The history of the mysterious bakery on rue de Paris comes alive and with it the special magic it holds for freedom, love, and memories.

This book was an enchanting read that transported me to France. It had love, heartbreak, a bit of magic, and mystery that was as delectable as its mouth watering desserts. I feel that it could be a Hallmark movie or the perfect read for fans of the book Chocolat. I wish there was more magic featured in the story because it captured my interest and I still have so many questions.

If you enjoy irresistible magical realism stories, I would recommend The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris.

The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris is my first Evie Woods book. I was drawn to the story from the beginning and thoroughly enjoyed this book.

TMBORDP is the story of Edith, a young Irish woman looking to take a risk and change things in her life. She applies for a job to help run a bakery in France and to her surprise, gets the job. She moves to Paris only to find out that the bakery is not in Paris proper. She finds the said bakery and has mixed feelings about taking the job. She soon makes friends in the small town, meets Hugo, a dreamy photographer from Paris, and begins to like her job. Many mysterious things happen that would make most people hit the road, but Edith decides to embrace all that happens at the bakery and live her life to the fullest.

The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris has some Hallmark movie vibes, but I really took them in.

I loved Woods' writing style, the characters, and the setting. The story is a feel-good story that kept me turning pages.

I highly recommend The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris. Now I can't wait to read Woods' other books!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cozy read that has some aspects of mystery and romance strewn in. I liked Edith & Hugo and felt that the chemistry was cute and it was nice to watch them mature and grow into themselves throughout the story.

The other characters were all fun and had such a good background, especially Genevieve. I wish we had a bit more of the history of Pierre & Genevieve to feel a bit more connected to them.

There were some punctuation issues and the story was extremely slow the first 25%, but it did get really interesting. The other issue I had was with Edith, I thought she was much older at the start because of how they spoke about her but she was only 29. That aspect might need reworked to make her not seem old... as 29 isn't old.

Overall if you're looking for a cozy, nice story that touches on growing into who you are, this is for you!

I really loved this book, Evie Woods is quickly becoming a go to author for me! No hesitation, if she wrote it I know it’ll be great! Love the mystery and romance of this one! I really enjoy books that transport me to beautiful places! I’ve never been to France but now I almost feel like I have!!

I wasn't impressed with this book, it was because of the way the main character was written. At first at first I thought she was much older as she was repeatedly called middle-aged and then I came to find out that she's only twenty-nine. If twenty-nine is middle age what does that make me at fifty-eight? Almost dead? After the whole age thing threw me off she started acting very immature…After two dates, she believes she's found her soulmate and is getting googly-eyed with him. Then she finds out he's not what she thought he was or who she thought he was, so typical.

This book was so slow and predictable. I got it from NetGalley thinking it was a new release and it isn't a new book it's a re-release of the author’s earlier work and you can tell from the writing style. I will say I like the new cover better. This has me second-guessing the author’s other book on my to-read pile, The Lost Bookshop.

I wish there was more in the earlier timeline with Monsieur Moreau. I loved the few recipes that we got and again I wish there were more of them. I found that there were just too many plotlines and overall I felt the book missed many opportunities and I found it very cliched.

I really loved this book, I read the original a while back amd I think this one really lives up and gives the same feel for it!