I enjoyed this, not as much as I liked the last book by Bohnet that I read, but it's fun. It follows three women (of varying ages) over the course of a few months on the south coast of France.

I liked the three stranded story, but I didn't think we always had enough background about each of the women. And there are a fair few incredible coincidences in this, which just stretched things a little to far for me to give it a higher grade. Still a fun beach read though.

Firstly lets start by saying how cute is the cover! I just loved Rosie's Little Cafe on the Riviera.
The story follows Rosie who after working as a cook on a luxury yacht, has saved up enough money to to buy and start her own cafe on the French Riviera.
Open buying the cafe Rosie realises that Sebastian Groc famous Chef with 2 Michelin stars under his belt has set up a new refurbished hotel right next to her cafe. Rosie is faced with the sudden realisation that she has competition and questions if she can make a success of her little cafe.

This book is the perfect little Summer read. A lighthearted read full of fun, lovable characters.

A big thankyou to Netgalley and HQ Digital for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review which I have been more then happy to give.

Rosie’s Cafe on the Riviera is a pure chick-lit novel. Told from various perspectives, including, Rosie, Gee Gee the local estate agent and Erica, who is the owner of ‘The Cupboard Under the Stairs’ shop. These three women all have various problems in their lives which they are trying to deal with as best they can.

The book brings together such wonderful, likeable characters, and I loved that they each had their own unique story to share, and how there were there for one another in times of need. We also have the hottest male of the story, Seb, who has a few surprises up his sleeve.

Although I really did like the story and was avidly engrossed there were a couple of little niggles, such as Rosie forever telling us that she didn’t want a relationship, once, possibly twice is enough. There was also the fact that this book is set in France, yet all the characters are English.

If you like chick-lit novels, then I can guarantee you will love this book. I mean with its beautiful sunny location, characters that you get to know inside and out, and were a pleasure to meet, plus a wonderful story line, what’s not to like!

Loved this book, I have holidayed in the south of France the last two years and I was transported back and could imagine the buildings and surroundings as if I was there. I enjoyed the romance and it was a feel good book that was hard to put down.

Rosie's Little Cafe On The Riviera by Jennifer Bohnet is a delightful light hearted and fun contemporary read. Set on the Riviera in the summer, there is a wonderful blend of sea, sun, sand and romance and I loved it.
There are the themes of roots and belonging. Sometimes the past is a scary place to visit but it needs to be laid to rest in order to pursue the rest of one's life.
Families are made up of all sorts of different members. Sometimes they fall out but ultimately blood ties bind.
There is the topic of grief. Losses are uniquely felt but the empty space at the table always equals pain in one's heart.
New business ventures are the order of the day. Hard work and a will to succeed are great motivators.
The novel with its delicious descriptions brings the Riviera to life for the reader who can almost 'feel' the sun's rays.
It was a wonderful read and perfect for the lead up to the summer season.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

There are so many books around with a café/restaurant/teashop at their centre – so many that the mere inclusion of one of the words in the title can be enough to put me off. But the author’s name on the cover was more than enough to draw me in. She’s always wonderful at creating a sense of place: within a few pages I knew that Rosie’s beach-side venture was a place I’d enjoy spending some time, as I settled myself into the table in the corner with Lucky-dog at my feet – you know, the one with the umbrella for some afternoon shade.

She’s also excellent at creating quite a large cast of characters, then unspooling their lives and stories, keeping the threads untangled, making you feel you know them all so well. I really liked Rosie, and the way she builds her business on a shoestring, fighting to overcome every threat, while wrestling unwelcome relationships from her previous life alongside trying some exciting new opportunities. The other main story threads really worked for me too – Sebastian and his responsibilities, Erica and her young daughter Cammie trying to move on from their grief (I’d so love to browse in Erica’s shop…), GeeGee struggling to make ends meet until she makes a big decision of her own.

The reading was easy and so enjoyable – the author has a nice, simple, flowing style that just effortlessly carries you along with the story. If I say this would be the ideal read for a sunny day on the beach, I’m not being rude – just that the setting, the story, the warmth from its pages would make it absolutely right. Another great book from an author with a perfect light touch and a real flair for telling a story. Now, did someone mention another glass of rosé…or maybe a dish of ice-cream with Chantilly cream?

The rhythm of this book didn't work for me. Normally I appreciate books that switch narrators, but this one left me with a difficulty placing where I was in the story and how these folks connected. It just didn't hang.

Rosie has had this dream of running her own cafe and she gets the chance to make that a reality when she decides she has had enough of being a slave for someone else to earn the credit and the money and sets out on her own to revamp and relaunch Cafe Fleur on the French Riviera. However a famous chef has taken over the hotel next door and is relaunching that, it seems that Rosie's dreams are dashed before they even become a reality.

Despite Rosie being the main protagonist in this novel, as the title suggests. There are in fact other women struggling with their own dreams. Erika dreamt of love ever after with Pascal and their daughter, running her own small business to appeal to an eclectic sort of shopper. However, it seems fate had other ideas and now Erika has to make some decisions about how she is going to spend her life and how it is going to affect her daughter.

GeGe is struggling to make ends meet. As an estate agent, she never knows when the next sale is going to be and with the rent on her desk going up, she needs to break out on her own. With some part-time work offered through a friend, GeGe hits upon an idea.

If these three women did not have enough to contend with, there is the added complication of old love wanting another chance and new love being rather circumspect in their actions. Add in a mother with a toy boy and a mother in law who thinks she should have more say and you have a novel that is full of character and a story which keeps you reading. My only criticism of the novel, is that I did not know how all these English people happened to be in the Riviera, more because I am nosy and want to know how they ended up there. It does not in any way detract from the plot.

The escapism of this novel is simple in its idea. The blue sky and sea of the Riviera, the walking along the shore line as the waves gently move in and out. The warmth of the sun that lasts well into the evening as it sets creating a backdrop for anyone with a view to envy. The descriptions of the food as the cafe makes it mark as tourists and locals, sit,sip coffee, eat croque monsieur and watch the world go by,

A perfect read when on holiday or a read when you want to escape from the dull greyness and want some bright sunshine and good story.

A lovely tale evocative of the south of France. A little more than I expected with a wide range of characters from dastardly dads to impoverished estate agents and boat crew.

A solid 4* read, very enjoyable with some ooohs and aaahs!

I was provided with an ARC copy of this novel by the publisher through NetGalley and voluntarily decided to review it.
The French Riviera is the setting of this story that follows a few months in the lives of several British women who’ve adopted France as their home. Rosie, a chef who had worked in yachts for a few years, finally takes the plunge and opens her own café. She dreams of making a go of the business although people tell her she’s going to fail (trying to convince French people they should eat British food is not going to be easy). She has quite a few difficulties to conquer (the hotel next door opening soon, and owned by a chef with not one but two Michelin stars, Seb, a complaint of food poisoning, an ex-boyfriend who never gives up, her mother and her younger boyfriend, and other family issues). Erica, a widow with a young daughter, finds it difficult to move on and make sense of life without her husband. GeeGee, an estate agent whose boyfriend upped and left cannot make ends meet and has to get inventive.
Most of the characters in the novel face personal losses and changes in circumstances they have to deal with as best they can. They are very different and face their problems in different ways, some by taking time and reflecting, going slowly, others by asking for advice and help and others still by jumping into action and never stopping to think. Apart from two very minor characters (both exes, a male and a female), all the rest are sympathetic (or eventually they become so) and are people most of us wouldn’t mind meeting and spending time with. There are family secrets revealed, happy moments and sad ones, dogs, wonderful food and scenery, a beautiful setting, amazing properties we’d all like to live in, and of course, romance, plenty of it.
All of the characters learn that you must let go (of your preconceived ideas, of the past, of the fear of having to be independent, and also of the fear of being in a relationship…) and that sometimes you have to reinvent yourself and re-evaluate what’s really important. We all make mistakes but it’s important to try and learn from them and make amends when the opportunity presents itself.
The book is written in the third person, from the alternating points of view of the three women, and it flows well, moving with ease from one character to another, with engaging descriptions of locations, objects and food. There are no psychological depths to explore and although there are obstacles to be overcome, there is no excess of drama and the characters’ emotions and reactions feel natural, credible and not forced.
The story is a feel-good read, with some sad and darker moments and with many stories intertwined (that means not all the characters are fully developed but it’s easy to find somebody to root and care for). A light-hearted story, recommended for the icy days of winter (meteorological or emotional) and a good substitute for chocolate and/or a holiday. (Also a good holiday read.)

This was a nice read, that I imagine would be particularly good on a sunny holiday, as you sit by the pool (rather than a winter holiday in the alps : ). )
Rosie finally manages to leave behind her job cooking on expensive yachts, having saved up enough to open her own little restaurant. The only problem is that a Michelin starred chef has opened a hotel next door. While she navigates this new world of living on land, owning her own business, and dealing with an attractive hotel owner, she also has to deal with a reunion she never expected, or wanted.
This book is a mixture of a couple of different lives and story threads of a number of expats living on the French Riviera near Antibes. They are all charmingly woven together, although as it isn't a very long book I did feel we could have benefitted from a little more of story development from each of them.
As some one who is very familiar with the expat scene down on the Cote d 'Zure I very much enjoyed reading about it.
I would recommend this book to people who enjoy the occasional fun, light read. This book does add to the collection of books about women opening cafes/shops somewhere lovely.

This was a fun read. From the descriptions to the characters. I was engrossed from page one.
Rosie has always dreamed of running her own beach side cafe, as we meet her she is at the start of her dream coming true. Rosie is far too busy making a success of her cafe to have the time to deal with men in her life. As fate would have it, this wasn't going to be an option for her. First her ex is back on the scene and he wants her back. Her new neighbour is the handsome Sebastian Groc, and to top it all off her estranged father is back .I really loved reading about all the characters in this book and would love to see what happens to Erica and GeeGee. Rosie and Sebastian made such a cute couple.
If your looking for a engrossing read then i suggest you pick up a copy, you wont regret it.

If you're needing an escape but can't quite afford a summer holiday just yet, have no fear because Jennifer Bohnet is here!

I have to admit that I was on the fence with this book to begin with, purely because it is yet another book which has a café as it's setting and I assumed it was going to 'just another cafe' book. By golly, Rosie's café served me my own words alongside a coffee, as I could not have been more wrong about Jennifer Bohnet's book.

Why?

Because, even though the café is an important part of the storyline, Rosie's life veers off from the café which means that the story wasn't completely centred around chequered table cloths and afternoon tea. Also, whilst Rosie is determined to get her café up and running (and highly popular), her personality is able to shine through and I didn't just see her as Rosie, owner of the Café on the Riviera. I saw her as Rosie.

Yes, okay, the storyline featured other businesses' trying to steal Rosie's thunder, getting her all geared up for competition, BUT, it wasn't samey like others. Jennifer Bohnet has her own distinctive way of writing and regardless of who or what she writes about, Jennifer owns her storyline and characters with such passion and poise. Admirable.

I don't want to say too much about the main characters as their lives are an important part of the storyline, however, all three 'main women' as it were, were such fun to read about. It was as though I was unwrapping their personalities every time the storyline veered back to them because of their depth and complexity. Despite that, the characters complexity didn't make the storyline too intense which my brain was very thankful for!

I must admit, Jennifer Bohnet's book caught me off guard on more than one occasion as I wasn't expecting the routes the storyline took. I loved how we were able to dabble in the sights of Monaco, mingle with people who were deemed 'richer than rich', as well as being able to relax by the sea in France. I was in awe at being able to delve into another culture and having every sight, smell and taste, described to me in such an enchanting way.

Rosie's Little Café on the Riviera is a very busy book, there is a lot going on and there are a lot of characters who are linked in one way or another to everyone local. For me though, that busyness wasn't a bad thing at all, in fact, it was exciting as there was so much to see and do and learn, I felt like I had just been given a big slice of cake. Yes, I was THAT giddy. I actually do think, believe it or not, that some things with certain characters could have been delved into further, especially as it seemed as though there was a little bit of unfinished business...

Jennifer Bohnet has written a truly enchanting tale which will either leave you absolutely starving, or have you booking a holiday to the south of France before you have even finished reading. This book was the escape I needed, even if it was for a short time, and you really cannot argue with the greatness of that, can you?

Thank you HQDigital!

This is a really busy rom-com with a good cast of characters and plenty going on. I was in need of a lighthearted feel-good read and this certainly did the job.
Author Jennifer Bohnet has set up some great dynamics with this one. In a beautiful setting with wonderful storylines it was enjoyable from start to finish. My only gripe - and this isn't even down to the author - is that, like so many reads these days, it finished before 100% which I always find annoying.
If you are looking for a good uplifting read then this certainly fits the bill and I definitely recommend it!

I received an arc via Net Galley in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

An enjoyable easy read. Rosie has opened a café on the Riviera. As we spend the season with her we meet her mother and friends. She also finds love and is introduced to her estranged father.

I didn't feel that this book went anywhere. I liked the characters, although I felt it pointless for some of therm to be in the book. The story didn't have any meaning behind it and it just stayed at the same pace throughout.

Some unexpected moments and beautiful descriptions of the French Riviera endeared this book to me. I love it when I don't see something coming, and that happened a couple of times in this story. False trails, red herrings - all good stuff!

A typical feel good, beachy type read, it had all the elements I expect from a chick lit.

If you like the 2009 movie He's Just Not That Into You, with a brilliant ensemble cast playing multiple characters with individual story lines, you might like this book. I say "might," because I actually happened to somewhat like that film, but unfortunately, this book does not work so well for me. I feel like this would have worked a lot better were it actually 3 books at least, one obviously for Rosie, the other Erica, and then GeeGee.

This book is crammed with drama, drama, and MORE DRAMA. Erica's and GeeGee's predicaments were shaping nicely and thoroughly intrigued me, but ultimately their stories were overshadowed by what was happening to Rosie and the immediate people around her (who all had overdramatic situations as if competing which one would be more shocking.) I feel like this book could have been more developed.

https://jennyobrienwriter.wordpress.com/2017/02/25/lanzarote-book-by-book/

I thoroughly enjoyed my stay on the Riviera with this book!