3 stars

You can read all of my reviews on my blog Nerd Girl Loves Books.

This is a good epistolary fiction set in contemporary France. Esther runs a bookshop and when she loses her father to suicide, she runs an ad in the newspaper inviting people to join her letter writing workshop. Five people sign up - a disillusioned businessman, a husband and wife struggling with her postpartum depression, a lonely elderly widow, and an awkward teenager trying to deal with his brother's death from cancer. The group meet first in person to get to know each other, and are asked to answer one simple question: What Battles Are You Fighting?

After their first meeting, each person chooses two people to write to, and must follow the prompts that Esther provides each week. Initially cautious in their writing, the group eventually begin to open up to each other about their life and the battles they are fighting, and soon they are sharing hopes, dreams, fears and advice with each other.

I had high hopes for this book because I really enjoy reading epistolary books (a literary work in the form of letters), but this book left me wanting. The author did a fair job of developing the characters, however I felt like their growth throughout the book was more minimal than I wanted. I also felt that some of the letters exchanged between people were really disjointed and I couldn't really figure out the point the author was trying to make. Perhaps the meaning was just a bit too subtle for me to grasp - who knows.

I enjoyed the letters between Jean (the widow) and Samuel (the teenagers) and felt that Jean provided non-judgmental acceptance and guidance from an adult to Samuel that he was lacking in his strained relationship with his parents. Some of the letters left me upset and uncomfortable (which was perhaps the author's intention) and others didn't resonate with me, mainly because the subject matter didn't interest me.

The book is well-written and flows smoothly. I think a lot of people will enjoy this book, it just wasn't for me mainly because of some of the subject matter of the book just didn't interest me.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a free ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily.
This book meanders through developing friendships as letters are exchanged between people who started off as strangers (apart from one couple). Esther sets the group a task to include in each letter, such as a dialogue, which provokes thoughts within each group member, and then provides feedback on their efforts. This was meant to be an interest to develop skills, rather like a night school class, but it ended up being so much more to each member of the group. I enjoyed the stories provided as details about each character unfolded and it was delightful to discover how their self-knowledge grew as letters were exchanged.
This book is an interesting read, very enjoyable (albeit with sad moments) and reminds us all that true letter-writing is an art, providing a little piece of meaningful treasure to the recipient, so different to an email or social media post.

What a lovely book, so different. I throughly enjoyed this book it was a quick and easy read. I do hope this author writes more books. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

I love reading translated works and need to pick up more of them. So, getting the Netgalley eARC of The Little French Bookshop was super exciting.

The Little French Bookshop follows Esther, a bookshop owner, and five strangers as they participate in a letter writing workshop that Esther decides to run. These six people help each other through loss, illness, and loneliness.

The Little French Bookshop is written mostly in epistolary style, which I love! It is definitely a character driven story versus plot driven. You get these honest snapshots of these people's lives and how they got to this point. I loved hearing about each characters struggles, but at times it dragged or became a tad repetitive. I do find the title misleading. It really has nothing to do with a bookshop except that Esther owns one. This may be a translation issue. I looked at the titles in French (the original language) and none of them have bookshop in the title. Just be aware, if you think this is a bookish book, it is not.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, Cecile Pivot, and the publisher, Hodder & Stoughton for gifting me this eARC for review.

Rating: 3 Stars

One of the things I really liked about this book is the length. So many books these days can be far to long and drawn out but this is the perfect length to keep my concentration and interest.

Next on my list of likes about this book is that it revolves around a writing workshop and how it brings the characters together. This is a charming book, heartwarming and so easy to read. It is a book that can be shared and read by anyone. It brings people together, gives them hope and friendship through writing.

A sweet book, easy to read and a quick read too.

Unfortunately I just couldn’t get into this novel. I loved the concept but it just fell a little flat.

The concept of this book immediately drew me in, but sadly this book didn't meet my expectations. I struggled to invest in the characters and I couldn't connect with the story. The characters never seemed to develop or materialise enough for me and I struggled to follow their individual parts in the story as each chapter followed a different person.

After reading contemporary novels at a stretch, I needed to read a book from a different genre for a palate cleanser. That's why I decided to pick The Little French Bookshop, a Women's fiction novel. I am so glad I chose to do so because the book was so beautifully written! 🧡 The plot was unlike anything I have ever read before. I was hooked from the beginning and could not wait to see how it ended!

Seeing how five strangers connected through letters was so delightful! I love books written in the form of letters anyway, so I knew I would love reading it the moment I read the blurb. The book followed the themes of grief, loneliness, relationship, and love but maintained an uplifting tone through and through. I loved how the members of the writing group helped solve each other's problems. It was just so wholesome!

Many thanks to the publisher for the digital review copy! <3

Not for me, I really tried. But somehow it was hard for me to get into this book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.

I felt drawn to this book and intrigued by the thought of a letter writing workshop. The style of writing made it easy to pick up and put down however, I couldn’t really get into it and didn’t enjoy it as much as expected to.

This book was such a pleasant and comfy read. This is the type of book you cuddle up with on a rainy day and just read to feel like a human being. My favorite part about this book was that it was so humanizing - it took problems that you hear about every day, in passing or from people suffering from them, and it portrayed them in such a way that you could feel every human emotion tied to each problem. It was a wonderful feeling to be able to read about each character’s struggles and subsequent growth throughout the book. This book talks about some heavy topics, things that the world normally tries to ignore or move past quickly - postpartum depression, grief, greed, loss of identity, relationship problems, and so much more. Yet, with such heavy topics, this book wasn’t depressing - instead, reading the stories of each particular person made you root for each of them as they struggled through their problems and eventually emerged on the other side, better for the journey. The idea that such changes can happen all because you wrote letters to a complete stranger is fascinating - there is always a certain anonymity that lends itself to confidence (whether that confidence is true or false, you’ll have to decide) when you’re writing a message rather than speaking it. The fact that writing letters is lost today makes me wonder what would happen if we were to bring it back into our busy and chaotic 21st century lives. Would the same things happen, where we bare our souls and then grow together, eventually making lifelong positive relationships at the end. I love that idea - this book made me want to start writing letters to people. Maybe I’ll take up Esther’s idea and start a writing workshop of my own! Love this book - it was an excellent reminder of the best and worst parts of being a human being, told in a completely unique, romantic, and beautiful way.

I received an advanced review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Esther, who owns a French bookshop, loved writing letters to her father. After his death, Esther decides to start a letter-writing workshop and places an ad in the newspaper. A total of 5 people, who are all strangers to each other, apply to the workshop. For the most part, the book is just letters sent back and forth between these strangers. It's through these letters we find out their fears and secrets, their wishes, hope, and dreams. This is a book about baring all and forging new friendships. The title of the book is misleading and at the first of the book I wasn't sure I would want to finish reading it, but I kept to it and I'm glad I did. Thanks to author Cecile Pivot, publisher Hodder & Stoughton, and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book for an honest review.

3.5 stars
*SPOILERS*

Sweetly breezy, despite heavy themes. 

When bookseller Esther announces a letter writing workshop she’s leading (inspired by those she exchanged with her father, who has now passed on), she’s eager for a big turnout. Instead, she gets a handful of responses from a “motley crew” who are not aspiring writers as she expected. She tasks  with developing relationships solely via handwritten letters, with lessons/assignments to guide them. 

While it took some warming into, I became moved by many of the characters' relationships and interactions. The tone of each character's letter is specific and well defined, which helps navigate many of the jumps between pairings who are writing to each other. The personal growth each finds with the development of their writing partnerships is lovely and feels appropriate for a medium that allows (or forces, even) someone to measure their words and have something to offer amidst the pages they send. 

Samuel hit a soft spot for me, muddling through life after his brother succumbs to lifelong illness. The Japanese windphone he eventually determines as a family destination is one I've heard about from multiple sources over the years  (including the 2021 book The Phonebooth at the Edge of the World, which I've been eager to read). The payoff for that storyline was touchingly satisfying.

The head-to-head honesty between Nicholas and John was refreshing. Not everyone had to be seen as "likable" along the way but all formed bonds that fed each other. 

Esther and John's romantic pairing is one I didn't see coming naturally. While there were references dropped by midway through the book that something between them may be stirring, those felt forced instead of watching it blossom on its own. .

As many have expressed for the English version of this book, I’d like to understand why the book was given this title when translated. Aside from a few quick mentions, Esther's Bookshop isn’t featured. While I’d read the description and understood the premise of the book to be about letter correspondence, the title lead me to believe some significance laid in the shop, which was far from the case. 

* Was gifted this ARC from Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton and am posting an honest review. *

Esther is a bookseller in Lille and dreams of bringing the art of writing letters back. So, she puts an ad into the paper looking for participants for a letter-writing-workshop. 5 people from different walks of life attend, a businessman, a couple, an older lady, a teenager and Esther herself. The assignment is to choose two people from the group and to exchange letters on a regular basis. Through the letters we get to know each of them, their journeys, secrets, and revelations.

From the very first page I knew this is an absolute gem of a book. Each character is relatable and the story/letters are easy to follow. They will make you smile, giggle but also grab you by the heartstrings and may make you cry. I absolutely loved the book and give it 5 stars easily.

It’s almost as if letterwriting is a dying art and one of the aims of this novel is a homage to the art of letterwriting.

I love writing letters, and still send postcards to my family when I am on holiday. A love that my daughter has embraced as she sends me postcards from her travels (as well as texts/whatsapps and emails).

What this novel does through the means of a letter writing workshop is bring together an unusual group of people who simply must write to two others in the group. There is the lonely widow, the young man who has lost his way in life, the man in the suit who has no care or regard for anything but money, the married couple having issues and Esther who put the group together and contributes with her own letters.

This is a wonderful homage to letter writing and why as a skill we should be continuing to write to each other (or even to ourselves).

I thought this would be more Face to Face in the bookshop, but the bookshop seems to be a background figure which is a pity as I love bookshops. But that does not detract from the novel which is a wonderful epistolary, glimpsing into peoples lives and heads through what the thoughts that they write down on paper.
A very much deserved five stars read for me.

I absolutely loved this book. I read it on the bus on my way to work the short chapters made it easy to pick up and put down. Definitely, 5 stars I loved the way the characters were worked together. a must-read, thank you Cecile Pivot for this stunning book and to Netgalley for allowing me to review it.

I thought this book was boring, to be honest. I seriously do not want to trash it for being a quiet book. Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest opinion

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

3.5/5 ⭐
Plot:
Esther is a French bookseller who's grieving her father's death decides to conduct a 'Letter Writing Workshop' and places an ad in a newspaper. She gets an average response and a good 5 of them follow through. She gives them all excercises in writing and each of them have to write letters accordingly to 2 other people. So, through their letter conversations we see how they share their the ups and downs with each other and how writing allows them to form new relationships and make peace with their situations.
My thoughts:
I really liked the idea of writing letters in this modern with too many social media apps to count. Every character has a story including Esther who also participates in the workshop. Each character brought in either medical or societal or global issues that they face and fight against. I loved how the pen pal relationship few into very good friendships later on. This book is complete with the stories of characters from who they were to what they become to where they are now.
My likes:
- Writing letters to strangers and posting them from wherever they are.
- Including sensitive topics like postpartum depression, loneliness, survivor's guilt, social activism etc. was perfect.
- I loved the different books that were recommended throughout the book.
- A happy ending for all the characters in a way rather than something tragic.
My disappointments:
- The book has nothing to do with 'the little French bookshop'. Except that it's Esther's, it is noway involved in the story. So, maybe title could've been different coz the title gives different expectations to the readers.
- All the characters had similar voice and except for a certain couple and a youngster, I was unable to distinguish them based on their voice/writing style. Of course they all had their own story but, the letters failed to bring an impression on the characters.
- One characters writes to only one person instead of two like everyone else. I would've loved to know more about them.
- The connecting letters between 2 people felt disconnected at times. Of course, there is a chance of misinterpretation when the conversation is between 2 strangers but for some reason there were some contextual drifts.
- All the characters get a happy ending which is good but also not probable.
Overall it was a good breezy slow burn that would be best appreciated by readers who love literature or writers.

*2.25*

I have to say that I had a lot of expectations for this book that sadly were not satisfied, at least in my case. This book follows Esther, a French bookseller that decides to start a letter writing workshop, and the people who decide to take part in it.
We have young Samuel, an elderly woman who's very fond of her town, a couple who has to communicate, and a businessman.

I think the title is a bit misleading, we see next to nothing to a bookshop, I think the original title (not translated) is way better, in this case I found myself to be a bit misled. But nothing important, just a little remark that I noticed.

What did not really get me about this book were the characters. I get that we can't see much about them in a novel written in an epistolary way but, even though I could see their growth, I still felt like I didn't know much about them. I felt disattached to anyone of them, and that is something I really don't like, since I'm a very character-led person in order to enjoy a novel.
I liked on the other hand how serious topics were dealt, and I liked to read certain feelings that I think could not have come out in other ways but in a letter.
Sadly, though, this was not enough for me to enjoy completely this novel, it just remained quite an okay read.
If you like epistolary novels with a wide cast of character, I still suggest you give this a chance!

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a beautifully written book. I really enjoyed it.