I thoroughly enjoyed this feel good novel about a group of ex-pat Brits who live in Bordeaux. All are trying to find their way, but find something slightly missing. You have the main character Leah, who has moved with her husband Nathan and teenage daughter to try their hand at self-sufficient living. Then there is Grace, who is a middle aged woman who lives alone after her divorce. Grace is the one who puts out the suggestion for a book club for English speakers and brings the group together. There is also Monica, a wealthy newborn mom, who lives mostly by herself as her husband travels a lot. And the final two characters are George, a friendly, quiet contractor, and Alfie, the youngest of the group at 19 with a mom who is afflicted with a late stage cancer. Throughout the book, you get to know the characters fairly well and see what their struggles and desires are. There was one point where I got so frustrated with Nathan, that I almost put the book down. I am very glad that I did not.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. I do highly recommend it, and will look for other books by this author. It's the right sort of realistic escapism for me.

I really wanted to like this book more than I did - it is set in beautiful Bordeaux and revolves around a book club set up by Grace. She is an ex-pat whose husband left her to go back to London despite the French idyll being his dream. All the characters are actually English and the group come together thanks to Grace. Initially I found the book slow to get going and some of the characters not particularly sympathetic. We hear about their lives in France, what brought them there and how they are all dealing with life's ups and downs in a different culture. The pace does pick up about half way through and it was an okay read. I had hoped there would be more descriptions of the city itself but sadly they weren't there. Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy to review.

It took me a while to get into this book for unknown reasons but I'm glad I didn't gave it up because it turned out to be a good read for me.

We have a mix of characters that is joining a book club named The Bordeaux Book Club which confused one of them.
While reading this you get to know the characters and the books they are reading plus their thoughts about them and genre.
I think I have read almost every single book the members in the book club reads which is fun.

If you are after a book with new found friends, books, wine and chats then this might be for you especially if you are in a book club.

The book club of the title is just a mechanism for gathering together a disparate group of people. It is set up as an English language organisation to help both ex-pats and French people looking to improve their language skills. As the group read / re-read mostly classic novels they (re)discover both the texts and themselves. They do not necessarily see the books in the same way as when they read them as teenagers. Despite their differences the group also finds friendship, which sees them through some difficult situations.

"The Bordeaux Book Club" is a heart warming story of friendship and love, and might make people consider more carefully the issues around relocating to a foreign country.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this book.

I'm so disappointed with this book. The prologue and outline instantly drew me in but sadly it didn't keep it although I managed to get to the end.

It's unusual as I normally love Gillian's books but sadly not this one.

A good mix of different characters from different backgrounds with a shared interest in books. Put the mix together and you get a good story. 4 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley, author and publisher for this ARC

Put the word book club in a novel’s title and I always want to take a look. That, plus the cover of this one, made me want to read The Bordeaux Book Club.

This is an easy and enjoyable read about a group of ex-pats. One of them, Grace, likes to keep busy and perhaps to feel important. She posts a notice for a book club for ex-pat English speakers and waits for people to sign up.

Among those who attend the first meeting is Leah. She is already a friend to Grace. Leah and her husband moved to France looking to have a better quality of life. It is not clear that they are finding this. Their daughter is cranky and it seems that Leah’s husband may have some secrets.

Several others come to the first meeting including Monica, George and Alfie. Alfie stands out for being the youngest in the group.

The first book selection is Great Expectations as this was Grace’s choice and she can be forceful. What will this book and others mean to the book club members as they read and get to know one another…oh, and drink some wine too. (Bordeaux is in the title for location but possibly also for the wine.)

Those looking for a quick, escapist read will, I think enjoy this title.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this title. All opinions are my own.

This book vascillated between engaging and annoyance. I found Leah to be exhausting. She is a 45 year old woman who spent most of the book with eyes filled with tears. When was she going to grow up and accept that life has challenges? I enjoyed the camaderie of the others with Grace, George, Monica and Alife and despite their loneliness found a family in each other. They truly helped each other when it came to Alfie's Mother and Leah's struggle with Nathan and Scarlett. I just can't recommend this book on Leah alone.

This is such a lovely heartwarming story that demonstrates how family can be made up of the most unlikely collection of individuals.. In Bordeaux, France expat Grace decides to start a book club for expats. The other members are Leah, Monica, George and Alfie. As the story progresses we find out why each of them has moved to France. Each book they read enables them to open up and really explore their own emotions. The connections, friendships and support that develops between the characters is beautifully written. I loved the descriptions of the locations in this and thought that each character had depth and became immersed in their individual stories and challenges wanting to know how things were going to turn out for them. Thanks to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for the ARC

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I enjoyed this book.

A group of people, a new mum, a student at university, as well as others, each with their own issues, and different ages set up a book club.

There are some twists to keep you turning the pages.

I recommend this book.

This is exactly what I needed. Teenage malaise, relationship fragmentations, book chat and wine. It was very relatable! Books aren’t just about entertainment and learning, but connections too. The Bordeaux book club combined how we can connect through books and start subjective discussions around classics and contemporary work while also offering a space to understand each other more, share a passion for understanding each other.
Sometimes the family we have is what we choose or what presents itself.

The tender tale of a group of expats who have found themselves starting a new life in Bordeaux. While their personalities, ages and reasons for landing in Bordeaux are dramatically different, they all long to build community, connection and camaraderie....hence the Bordeaux Book Club is born.

So fill your wine glass, then sip and savor this wonderfully touching journey.

A bookclub of expats in France trying to make a go at life in Bordeaux.

A book about friendship and learning the importance of communication in relationships and opening up and discussing things together .

There was something I could relate to with each character in the novel which helped maintain my interest in how everything would work out for the bookclub members . The wiring is skillful and the many characters and their subplots are well balanced .

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood books for this ARC. This is my honest review !

Thank you Boldwood Books and Gillian Harvey for a copy of The Bordeaux Book Club in exchange for my honest review!

Books and wine… What more could you need?! 📖 🍷

The Bordeaux Book Club follows six non-natives living in Bordeaux. Each drawn to an advertisement for a book club, these strangers connect over classic literature, wine, and eventually… life.

The Bordeaux Book Club is warm, heartfelt, and captures the reality of life… from birth to friendship, heartache, and death. Gillian’s writing is raw, uplifting, and keeps the reader intrigued throughout the story. The shifting third person POVs help the storyline move quickly!

You might like this book if:
+ You like women’s fiction / fiction. There’s a hint of romance but it is not the most prominent plot line.
+ You like books with larger messages or themes that make you think.
+ You like books that capture what it means to be human.

Genre: Women’s fiction, contemporary fiction
Tropes: Strangers to Friends, Strangers to Lovers, Growing
⭐️: 4/5

The Bordeaux Book Club is a delightful and heartwarming novel that follows the members of a book club. Leah moved to Bordeaux with her husband and daughter, seeking a fresh start. She starts a book club with Grace, Monica, George and Alfie, each of whom are dealing with their own personal challenges and seeking change in their lives.
A wonderful and captivating read that will leave you feeling uplifted and inspired!

The Bordeaux Book Club
by Gillian Harvey
Pub Date: March 15, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
This is my first Harvey book and I found it delightful. I love books about books!~
Wonderfully warm and enchanting, THE BORDEAUX WINE CLUB immerses the reader in two tantalizing worlds: the book-club that turns into something much more, and the dream of "let's-buy-a-farmhouse-in-France." Through such engaging and relatable characters as the suspicious wife who follows that dream and her gregarious older divorcee friend, to an unlucky-in-love builder, heartbroken young man, and desperate new mum, Harvey skillfully balances a multitude of subplots and surprises while treating the reader to a thoroughly satisfying conclusion. With empathy, insight, and humor, THE BORDEAUX WINE CLUB will delight readers seeking their own escape and meaningful camaraderie over the joys of literature, laughter, and love.
4 stars

Thank you for sending me an advanced copy of this book to read. It was my first time reading a book by the author Gillian Harvey. I enjoyed finding out about the characters, the way they had found each other in France and as a book lover that it was based around a book club! However, it was a tad slow for me and seemed to take a while for the plot to get going. It did give you a bit of a feel good factor as you read which would possibly be suited to a holiday read.

Thank you @netgalley and @boldwoodbooks for the ARC of The Bordeaux Book Club by Gillian Harvey. The was a charming read. I always love books about books and how books bring people together. My only wish was that there was more setting in it since the book takes place in France. I enjoyed the books they read and the stories of the characters.

Leah and her husband move to France essentially to become homesteaders. It is tough and their relationship along with their relationship with their teen daughter starts to fracture. Leah and her friend Grace decide to form a book club. Through their love of books they form a bond and help each other through tough times. Leah is trying to find out why her husband keeps disappearing for hours at a time, Monica is struggling with motherhood, Alfie is taking care of a sick mother. This is a lovely story of books and friendship.

Gillian Harvey is one of my go to authors when I want a book filled with a lovely sense of place and believable characters that I will care about. In the Bordeaux Book Club I really felt I was right there in a small town in France with people that seemed like my real life book club friends. Like real life we are often going through trying times but in these books there are always a happier ending.

This is the second book I’ve read by this author and it certainly didn’t disappoint.
Books, France, wine… what’s not to love?
The main characters are all so different and likeable. I read this in just over a day, had to keep turning the pages as the story unfolded. It’s a 5 star review from me.