This was my first time reading a novel by Rebecca Raisin and it won’t be the last! Initially, the title and cover is what grabbed my attention, but I am equally impressed with her writing style too. While slow paced (compared to other styles I typically read), it was still steady as she has a way of captivating the reader with vivid descriptions, especially of the landmarks and culture throughout Paris.

Going in, I was only expecting a romance, but this was more than that. Yes, it is about motherhood, heartbreak and resilience, but it is also about friendships and self-discovery with some mystical elements. Thus, easily relatable (especially for millennial mothers, like myself, who do not understand the slang words from Gen-Z and who wear skinny jeans). I also loved the character development and how they complimented one another at the bookstore: more specifically CoCo who is very type A and organized, whereas Valérie is more laidback and free spirited. And who doesn’t love books including books, with the added bonus of getting insight into publishing/editorial worlds, and also the banter among the book club members! Overall, this is a super cute and cozy read, with powerful messages too. It would be a great read for springtime or even winter if you’re looking for something that isn’t so straightforward or your typical romance pick.

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

*Book publication date: February 3, 2025*
*Reviewed January 15, 2025*

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood for the e-ARC of this gem! Readers, mark your calendars for February 3rd because this is the Paris book you’ve been waiting for.

There’s something about Paris that’s pure magic to me, and while I’ve always searched for a story that captures it, so many have fallen short—until now. The Paris Bookshop for the Broken Hearted is a story of redemption, second chances at love, and a group of misfits who somehow fit together perfectly. It’s tender, heartwarming, and so beautifully written that the characters feel like old friends you can’t wait to visit again.

If you love stories of friendship, love, and Paris in all its bookish glory, this is one you won’t want to miss.

Also, it’s looking like Paris is bumped up on my list of cities to visit 🤩

I love a good second chance trope! A soft romance set in Paris, Coco has lost everything. She has a chance encounter with a stranger, Henry, and she swears off men for good. She wanders into a bookstore and runs into Henry for the second time! I love any bookshop romance where you can feel how cozy and warm all of the bookshop customers must be through the pages. I also like how many of the characters had a backstory and added something to the book.

The Paris Bookshop for the Broken Hearted is an expertly written contemporary romance with a lot of depth, heart and humour. I was very impressed with the level of wisdom, charm and problem-solving skills seen in this novel. Many think romance stories are light and fluffy with little thought-provoking content but this is far from the truth. Rebecca’s books, and this one in particular, covers a number of heavy topics like bullying, partnership deception (business and romantically), emotional trauma caused by abrupt location moves, loss of support friends, abandonment, betrayal, long standing grief from the death of loved ones. Drastic changes can be detrimental to a person’s emotional health, no matter the age. This novel explores both the obvious and less expected effects when lives are up-ended, routines are interrupted and home and school locations are changed. A person’s sense of security can be lost and one can feel all at sea in their environment. This can result in bad or unusual behaviour as seen in Eloise, Coco’s daughter. Although Coco’s escape to Paris from London, provided the familiar support of her parents, it meant a loss for her daughter. Although she gained the presence of her grandparents, she lost everyone and everything else she had known and loved—including her closest friends.

When Coco is betrayed by her romantic and business partner, she is put in a bad position with her publishing company. After trying to make amends with her authors, she leaves London with her daughter and returns to her former home in Paris to stay temporarily with her parents until she can find a job and another place to live. In the meantime, she ends up in a tussle under the Eiffel Tower when a thief tries to steal from her. And a handsome stranger comes to her rescue only to accuse her of acting like a tourist when he discovers she has Parisian roots. When she stumbles across the Paris Bookshop for the Broken Hearted, she is taken with this unique shop and its unusual owner. On top of this, much to her dislike, she discovers the rude stranger Henri that she met at the Eiffel Tower is a frequent visitor to the shop.

After a few visits to this special bookshop, owner Valerie offers Coco a job. Coco is thrilled as she thinks it might be fun to work in a bookstore. She is an editor and loves books so how hard can it be! She learns quickly this shop is run in a very different way than she is accustomed. But it is an intriguing magical social place where booklovers with broken hearts hang out and receive words of guidance and wisdom from Valerie. There’s a cocktail bar, book tunnel, special reading room and a book club with fiery members. This work experience proves to be a good distraction and a means to save money for a new home. The job helps restore her confidence and gets her back on her feet. While she gets to know many of the regular customers, there are numerous humorous moments and some uncomfortable ones, too. Especially when she is forced to get to know the grumpy stranger, Henri, that Valerie is determined to match her up with. Coco has sworn off relationships after her last fiasco, but can she keep up the wall of resistance against this handsome Henri who is quite different from what she expected? There are surprises along the way as they get to know each other, amid the challenges Coco faces with her daughter, too. There are disturbing social issues at Eloise’s school that keep Coco teetering on the edge. What she eventually learns will shock and upset her and make her take a second look at how she sees the world and those closest to her.

There are a number of excellent supporting characters that keep the story lively. Problems are identified and solutions found and a second chance at happiness is definitely on the cards or in the books for not only Coco but others in the cast! I truly enjoyed The Paris Bookshop for the Broken Hearted with its witty dialogue, likeable characters, wonderful bookish atmosphere and romantic Parisian setting—all delivered with utmost skill and maturity. For me, this was a delightful surprise that reminded me of Emily Henry’s books and even a bit of Rebecca F. Kuang’s Yellowface ( in its style of wit and publishing world happenings). I highly recommend Rebecca Raisin’s new novel as I am sure readers will love what it has to offer. 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for a review copy.

I received a free copy of, The Paris Bookshop for the Broken-Hearted, by Rebecca Raisin, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Coco has moved back home with her parents and daughter, in Paris, after losing her man and her job. Coco has got a new job in a bookstore, but her daughter Eloise is not happy in Paris. This was a good read.

Hooked by the title, with Paris and bookshop in the same sentence! I enjoyed this story about a woman with a teenage daughter who has had her life turned upside down in London. They return to Paris to live with her parents and start over. Friendship, love, hope, second chances.

This is a charming romance novel with some loveable characters. And a bookshop is an important part of the story!

Coco has to windup her job and home in London and move to Paris (as she will have the support of her parents there). She has been cheated by her boyfriend and colleague Alexander. Coco has a 13-year-old daughter Eloise from a previous relationship. In Paris, she is saved by a man from her purse and phone being stolen. He berates her for not paying attention. Irritated, she offers him no thanks. Coco’s friend Valerie owns a bookshop – ‘The Paris Bookshop for the Broken Hearted’. Valerie explains that many who want to rediscover the way forward in their lives frequent the bookshop. Coco starts working at the bookshop, and she is asked to run the book club which meets weekly. It turns out that Henri, her rescuer, is a frequent visitor. Eloise is having a tough time adjusting to school in Paris, and complains of being bullied.

The story is simple & very predictable – relying mostly on the characters. The characters are all good – Coco, Henri, Valeria, and others who frequent the bookshop. The pain of moving comes across strongly, even more for Eloise as she misses her friends in London. The place for much of the conversations among the characters is the bookshop – well, no book lover can complain about that! I would have liked a little more novelty in the story – but this is a nice relaxing read.

My rating: 3.5 / 5.

It took me a while to get into the writing style. The main character did a lot of explaining. The characters were well drawn and the idea of The Paris Bookshop for the Broken-Hearted is lovely. However, the romance wasn't very romantic. I was hoping for more. The relationship between the mother and daughter was more emotional and real.

Its like NetGalley just knew I was planning a trip to Paris! I loved this book. Such a different style romance that I am used to reading. Thanks Netgalley and Boldwood Books

The perfect vacation read. This author never disappoints with fantastic settings, quirky characters, love and hopefulness. Coco has to leave London with her daughter Eloise after her business and romantic partner defrauds her, leaving her without a job. Coco and Eloise move in with her parents in Montparnasse, Paris. Coco happens onto an unusual bookshop where she finds a job and friendship. There is a touch of magical realism, as well as an ode to editors, readers and writers. Recommended. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

The description on this book doesn't feel like it does the overall story justice. I expected a pretty straightforward enemies to lovers or grumpy x sunshine romance set in a bookshop. This was really much more than that. It felt like the romance was secondary to the main character's development, growth and other non-romantic relationship. I loved the setting. You can't really ask for more than a bookshop in Paris. The bookish elements within this story are done really well and feel true to life. The supporting cast of characters - like those in the book club are so much fun and provide a really nice comedic element. I love to see the relationship between Coco and Valerie grow. I didn't love the daughter - but I think it was just because she is a teenager. I loved watching Coco grow and find her independence while also experiencing early stage sparks for Henri.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was so much fun to read. The characters were relatable and had me rooting for them. This story also had some twists and turns in it that added to the overall story. Loved all of the descriptions of the places in Paris as well as the food. I want this bookshop to exist in really life! Also, the ending makes me definitely want more.

I found this to be a cute, funny and easy read.
After a broken heart Coco decides to move to Paris with her daughter and stumbled upon a bookshop where she gets a job. I loved the plot of the book which any book lover will enjoy. The characters are colourful and entertaining to read about. The relationship between coco and her daughter is lovely to read about and the use of slang language is a fun twist.
Overall an enjoyable read and one that I’d recommend especially if you love books.
Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book, all opinions expressed are my own.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t really get into this book. I started it, put it down, started it again, even jumped around a little, but just couldn’t get into it. It possibly was just not a good read for me right now, Really didn’t care for the Eloise character (the daughter). Sadly I just didn’t enjoy it.
But enjoyed the chance to read the advance copy. Always fun to see whats new!.

Rebecca Raisin is a really good author & I really enjoyed this one.
Thanks for the opportunity to read & review it.

Just a delightful and surprising story. Full of hope with some magical and wistful moments. Amazing concept of those with love lost who.will find themselves at the bookshop of broken-hearted and the wonderful Valerie who has just the right cure. I enjoyed the interplay of the book club ladies (and Henri) which was tender and fun. I loved the connection to Raisin’s other book, Christmas at the Bookshop Hotel too. Sometimes predictable, like the daughters Lei and Eloise being frenemies, but still enjoyable. It leaves you with hope that there are second chances and good will win out over evil. Many thanks to #netgalley #rebeccaraisin #theparisbookshopforthebrokenhearted for the opportunity to read nd review this book.

This story is about Coco, our mfc, who is a single mom of a 13 year old daughter. After her shared business with her boyfriend went down the drain she and her boyfriend break it off and she moves back home from London to Paris. She starts to work at the bookstore for the brokenhearted where there’s a secret tunnel made out of books, a cafe, and a charismatic owner who is always ready with a potion and a passage to help cure your broken heart.

I love that the broken hearted concept doesn’t just cover romantic relationships but other aspects of life as well that can cause heartbreak. I enjoyed all the subplots surrounding the side characters especially the mother daughter relationship. I did predict a lot of the twists unfortunately but I do think the teenager Eloise was very realistic and well written. Loved the use of modern teenager terms and actually I learned what a few of them were from this book. I think the use of so many French words was a little much and not really necessary. Sometimes there was an immediate definition which was great but other times there was not and I just had to continue reading without having a clue what was said. I also wish there was more chapters about Coco and Henry and I also wish we had some closure about what became of Coco’s ex.

Overall it's a cute read, it had it all: a bookshop set in Paris, a French man, intersecting side characters but a lot of things repelled me, making the book hard to read and not as enjoyable as I wished it would be.

The first thing is the use of French words and idioms. It's nice at first and help build the setting but it quickly bogged down the narrative and became unnecessary (I don't know if I had this impression because I'm French...), plus, and I hope it's because it's only an ARC, there were a lot of spelling mistakes: added or missing letters (maybe typing errors?).

Then we have characters' interactions. The daughter language and attitude is a bit off putting and irritating. The principal of the school Eloïse is going to is far too familiar with the mother.

The last one is the Romance part of the book. It's not the main genre, and I wished we had much more scenes with only Coco and Henry. Everything happens way too fast and they don't even have any clear explanations regarding the bullying scene.

Sadly, the ending was rushed and we had no more details about her ex's fate. I wished it could have been a few pages longer so we had all the answers we were looking for.

Step one: Suspend all cynicism. Step two: Snuggle up and enjoy this utterly charming book.
It is the perfect antidote to a dull winter's day; it's full of friendship, hope, finding joy around you and of course, a little bit of love! All of the characters, not just the main character of Coco, are facing some of the cruelties that life can throw at us, yet find hope for the future through the kind of bookshop that I would adore, through its charismatic owner and the rather unique support of its regular book club. The issues that they face are wide and heart wrenching and I am sure there is something that we can all relate to.
I devoured this book over one day and loved it - it really captured me with its humour, its cast of endearing characters and ability to put me right into a truly gorgeous setting. It even made me want to explore Paris more which is not somewhere that I warmed to on a previous visit
Aside from the book itself, as a mum to teenagers and as a teacher, the dedication at the start of the book had me crying with laughter - it was sick!

Enjoyable read - fun characters and I loved the bookshop!

After her ex ruined their business and dirtied her name, Coco heads back to her parents in Paris, with her daughter. She's a little aimless and wanders into a bookstore and it's like fate brought her there. She starts working there and takes over hosting their book club. We get to meet a fun bunch of characters at the bookstore and learn their reasons for hanging out there. It's an entertaining book - wonderful characters full of depth - a fun romance that kept me guessing if there would be a HEA.

T
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.