3.75 ⭐️ rounded up to 4⭐️

When I started reading this story, it felt like it was part of a series as the main character has already begun her adventure of opening her café on the Riviera. It appears this is a stand-alone novel. I also thought this story was going to be an enemies to lovers trope with Rosie facing some heavy-duty competition from Sebastian, but that was never the case. I definitely felt that the back cover blurb was misleading, but thankfully it did not take away from the story.

I liked watching the friendship between Rosie and Sebastian begin to blossom into something more. I was surprised to discover that there were no bedroom scenes between these pages. It was kind of refreshing to see a couple discover their feelings for one another over time instead of jumping into bed. Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy spice in my stories, but something sweet once in a while is a nice change.

The supporting characters and their backstories add to the charm of this book and I would be highly negligent if I don’t mention the best character of all, the locale of this story, the French Riviera. The author does a fantastic job of illustrating this region so beautifully, the reader can easily transport themselves there and find themselves sitting at Rosie’s café enjoying an iced coffee while people watching.

This story was a fun read. The characters were easy to relate to and the plot flowed seamlessly. There were some moments in the story that got me misty eyed as well as laughing out loud. This was my first book by this author and I look forward to discovering more of her work.

My Final Verdict: Readers who enjoy stories with interesting characters and situations that make you laugh and cry will enjoy this book. I recommend this story to fans of contemporary romance. Take this book to your nearest café and enjoy an iced coffee and croissant while reading, be it on the Riviera or somewhere closer to your neighborhood.

Thank you to the publisher, Harper Collins UK / HQ Digital, who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

This was a brilliant read. As soon as I started reading this book I just knew I was going to love it. Highly recommended

I had a very lovely time reading this book by Jennifer Bohnet! I wasn't sure what to expect but what a nice surprise! This book is well balanced, there is a bit of everything, a bit of suspens, a bit of romance, a bit of drama, some nice friendship and good food! And the settings on the french Riviera is the perfect one for this story! I have never found me bored while reading this book and this is very important for me! I warmly recommend you this book! It's really good and well written! 4 stars out of 5 for me!

Wow hooked love it fab characters story pull me in a lovely read I read in a day I warm to the characters they become my friends the story so nice I recommend to everyone a nice easy read well written

Rosie's Little Cafe on the Riviera is pure escapism. I loved it. I felt like I was there in the south of France, watching the Mediterranean sea glistening and gently lapping against the beach, while eating something delicious and naughty from the local patisserie.

Rosie opens a cafe in France and hopes to have a big success, but she didn’t know about the Michelin star chef, whose restaurant is next door. Rosise is worried that the restaurant might be killing her business. Rosie isn’t looking for love, but most wonderful things happen when you’re not looking for it.

I enjoyed the story set in France and how family and romance were entwined into the story. It was a great feel-good book.

I have had this one for some time, but I never got to it. It ticks all the right boxes for me, beachside, start up cafe, sweet romance so I cant believe it has taken nearly a year to read and review this. That aside, i have now read it. So on with the review.



Rosie decided it is never too late to follow your dream and whilst a few doors have closed recently she is creating her own future and following her dream to open a little French cafe on the Riviera. I mean she doesn't need love when she can create her own happy ending. Throw in an award-winning chef who happens to be working next door and tensions are going to fly.



Aside from meeting Rosie, we meet a few other locals along the way battling their own challenges who happen to stop by the cafe for a coffee or two. First, we meet "GeeGee" who is living commission to commission and waiting for an update on her living arrangements. Life isnt has been all too kind to her.



Lastly, we meet Erica who is adjusting to her life as a single mum to her little girl Cammie and whilst her finances are all in order with her husband's insurance money and her own business. Its the day to day challenges she is facing as she tries to move forward alone.



Rosie's cafe offers solace and a meeting point for a lot of the characters and the narrative often revolves around the day to day of it. I found this was a sweet light summer read. Nothing was too heavy and the few issues faced by Rosie didn't seem all too serious because I think the characters supported her through it making it all less daunting.



I liked this read and it was nice to spend time with a wider range of characters however sometimes I feel like it was a bit too fast-paced for me, and things seemed to be resolved easily. I felt the pace moved too quickly for the narrative sometimes but other times it worked well. I know there was a fair few characters that we needed to spend time with, maybe a slower pace and more time with each would have helped me enjoy it that little more?



That being said, it wasn't a bad book at all - in fact, it was really good, it was what I was seeking, I just had them few slight issues. It wouldn't deter me from reading more from the author either. So if you want something not too heavy set in a beautiful place with a friendly bunch of characters - this could be the one for you.

The perfect read for a rainy afternoon, the setting is vividly described, and you can imagine you are sitting on the terrace of the Riviera cafe. There is an interesting mix of characters all of whom have suffered some degree of tragedy in their lives. Their stories are separate, but they connect through the cafe, which is a good focal point.
The story's pacing is good, with just enough detail and conflict to make the plot interesting. The focus is on the female characters, all of which are strong women, who manage to rebuild their lives out of adversity.
A lovely, holiday story with well-written characters in a feel-good setting.
I received a copy of this book from HQ Harper Collins via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I enjoyed this wonderful summer read about Rosie and her friends on the French Riviera. We have romance some sorrow and plenty of sunshine! There are three stories intertwined. Rosie who has opened her own café. Gee Gee an estate agent who is struggling to make ends meet and Erica, recently widowed with a teenage daughter. A brilliant holiday read!

I loved it!!!! My kind of read. I have always had a thing about food outlets in books and this was a star turn xx

Rosie has a dream of settting up a cafe on the Rivera after crewing on a boat, so this novel takes us through her trials and tribulations as she establishes herself. Add in a celebratory chef who owns the next door hotel and one knows that things are not straight forward. Rosie learns confidence but a cast of family and friends play their part in this happening including the return of an errant father. This is a book that you cannot put down!

This is what |I think of as a feel-good novel. Charming characters, with a back story, and a good plot. Rosie has had many set-backs but is determined to succeed, even though a well-known chef, with a successful hotel nearby, she manages to catch the tourists and passing trade, with lots of help from her friends.
Even the interference of her mother, and former boyfriend, Rosie still conquers everything life throws at her, and eventually falls for the "boy" next door, and everything turns out rosy for Rosie.
Thanks to the publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.

Wonderful summery story set on the French Riviera. This was a delight to read, and I was completely caught up with Rosie and her new cafe on the coast. I loved seeing whether she was going to develop a big rivalry with Sebastian Groc, the Michelin starred chef who has taken over the hotel next door to the cafe, or whether since he is so good looking, start up a relationship with Rosie.

It's not just Rosie whose life though is changing this summer, we are also introduced to Erica with daughter Cammie. Erica was widowed last year and she and Cammie are still just coming to terms with it and thinking about perhaps moving on with their lives. I loved seeing how their story developed over time, especially their relationship with Erica's mother in law.

And then there is Gee-Gee who is one of the cafe's best customers, but equally seems to be having no luck in her work or personal lives. She isn't the sort of person to take things lying down and I really enjoyed some of her solutions to her problems, as well as her great friendship with Erica.

When a blast from Rosie's past shows up on the coast wanting to make amends, she is thrown into emotional turmoil. It was a story line that intrigued me as I'm not sure how I would have reacted in the same situation.

From fledgling friendships, to divine French cuisine, to various exes, to gorgeous French men this book really has it all, and I found it to be a very fast and easy story to follow that was really enjoyable. This is definitely the sort of book I would love to read while out soaking up some sun.

It may be wishful thinking on my behalf but I really hope there will be a sequel as I would love to know what happens next to Rosie, Gee Gee and Erica.

Thank you so much to HQ Digital and Netgalley for this copy of the book which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

osie Hewitt has finally saved the money she needs to open a cafe on the Riveria. This book opens as she is signing the paperwork and starting on this new life adventure. It isn't going to be easy but Rosie isn't afraid of a little hard work. Little does she know that an award winning chef, Sebastian Groc, is about to open his own restaurant in a newly renovated hotel that is right next door to her little cafe. Will there be room enough for both of them?

Rosie soon discovers this is only one of the many problems she is about to face this summer. Her mother has become a cougar and is moving with her new man. Her father who has been absent for years suddenly wants to reconcile. Charlie, an old love, is sure that Rosie wants him back in her life. Rosie is not quite sure what to deal with first or whether she wants to deal with any of it at all.

This book is not only Rosie's story as there are other characters who become quite central to the story - GeeGee is a local realtor who is trying to make a living on the Riveria while putting her life back together after being dumped by her boyfriend and Erica, a young widow, who is working to build a new existence for her daughter, Cammie who has not nearly recovered from the loss of her father, Pascal. These women all intersect in each other's lives making it quite a complex and rich story.

My only problem, at times, with this book was I felt like I should know more about these characters then I did. I almost felt like I had missed a chapter here and there or a previous story which would have introduced me to their world as there were moments such as Rosie's interactions with Charlie where you weren't sure if you needed to know something more. Despite this, it was an excellent story with lots of colour and energy. There was certainly a need to find out what was going to happen next for these three women and if a happy ending could be found. I really liked some of the supporting characters and became quite protective of Rosie by the time the story reached its conclusion.

At the end of the book there's a sample for another of Jennifer's books, described as a 'sparklingly brilliant romance'. Sparkling fits Rosie's story perfectly. It has all the elements of the kind of read like this that I enjoy. There's an issue with two sweet little girls, unrelated but each with their own issues which makes their moments of joy precious. So much seems to go wrong for Rosie around the same time, but slowly life detangles and for a while it can be said she is happy. The next disruption is huge and one I didn't see coming, but has me hoping wistfully for a sequel.

There's just so much more to be explored, because whereas most of the easy romances involving a shop focus on one character, Rosie's tale focuses on several. For once I didn't find this confusing! Even though I ended up taking a few weeks break part way through the novel (not intentionally, life happened) I remembered what was going on when I picked it up. I loved how empowering GeeGee's story plot is, like Rosie she faces enormous life hurdles which test her to the limits. Thankfully she too pulls through and gets a happy ending.

There is a good mix of parts that made me smile and teary. A big pull of the book was the fact Rosie has her own cafe - I love stories like because it sounds like a rewarding occupation, various aspects of owning a cafe crop up (including disgruntled customers) which made me content. The romance itself was sweet, not too heavy, and accurately portrayed the different types of relationships people have these days, such as those with a child from a previous relationship. not with the person they end up with. I can't think of anything I'd want to change which is why this gets a perfect grade. Grief, loss, unexpected events, friendship, family, and much more are in this wonderful read!

This is a pleasant holiday read.
Although a predictable romance novel it is well written with several stories blended in.

This book was a pleasant beach read, but nothing special. I didn't find myself overly interested in the characters and the storyline seemed a bit slow. Still the characters and scenery were enjoyable.

It was just the ideal time for me to read a story like this. A well written book about normal people, living normal lives on the French Riviera. The setting was excellent, I felt I was there, great characters and an enchanting storyline. Escapism at its best, loved it

I just couldn't get into this one and didn't finish it.

A delightful summer story. The characters were easy to empathise with and although the storyline was quite predictable this didn't stop me from enjoying the book. All the characters turned out to be 'nice' people which gives a cosy feeling to a light summer read.