This was soo cute, i love the writing style, the character had an amazing chemistry! This was my first book by the author and won't be the last!!

An author I have on automatic pre-order and once again she didn’t disappoint. A first class, beautifully written romantic comedy that captivates the reader from the first word. Tacking some heavier issues than her previous books this one in my opinion is her best so far. The characters, storyline and setting are all perfection and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.

I've read a few of Sophia Money-Coutts books but this one might be my favourite yet. A very fun beach read!

Firstly, a big thank you to HQ and Net Galley for the ARC.

This was a 4 star read for me. This book is a wonderful mix of grumpy x sunshine and forced proximity, set in a beautiful location in the south of France.

It was very very slow burn between Gray and Maggie. Whilst I was transfixed by the flashbacks, with the parties and described glamour giving me ‘The Great Gatsby’ vibes, the limited amount of romance was glaringly obvious. I know not much romance could happen as Maggie was married and Gray was in a complicated situation BUT I loathed Maggie’s husband and would have happily loved to have seen her see him off much earlier on.

I think I may have preferred this book to be told from first person perspective, simply because we are being told this beautiful story about Maggie finding a way to reconnect with her Aunt now she’s gone, and watching Maggie rediscover her happy place. I think we could have had a deeper emotional connection if it was told in first person rather than third. But it was a deeply meaningful, and also dramatic story with a nice sprinkling of romance and burning chemistry.

I really liked Maggie’s character growth - she went from being a people pleaser, conforming to societal standards and the expectations of those around her, to standing up for herself.

Ultimately, this is an easy read, with a few sensitive topics that I think are handled well, with wonderful imagery, great characters, and an emotional, moving plot.

This is a great fun read. It made me want to be in the south of France enjoying the sun and food and wine. I loved the characters and although the end was slightly predictable it didn't make it any the less enjoyable.

I do like the author's style of book and will read more.

This was very much cute and the perfect summer read. I loved the banter, the pacing and the characters were pretty decent. However the ending… kind of fell a little but flat for me

this was a very easy read! more of a women’s fiction novel than a romance i’d say - something i really like when it comes to money-coutts as it is done so well.

Thank you to the publisher for the free copy form NetGalley!

I really enjoy The Right Place and its characters. They are over 30 years old and still trying to work out what they want in life, so it was very relatable.
It was also a very easy reading for summer time with a lot of laughable moments through the book.
The main character Maggie, has difficulty in getting pregnant. She´s been through various failed IVF treatments. She´s stuck with her husband who wants to start treatment after treatment so they can have a baby. Of course that´s very draining for Maggie who travels to a hotel in France when she discovers that her beloved auntie has suddenly died and left her the hotel where she spent so much time in growing up.
When she is at the hotel she has to deal with a lot of economic problems, some old staff and some guests who couldn´t cancel but she starts enjoying her life there. You can notice her happiness. And then she meets a Hollywood star in problems and they form a bond that she would never expected.

I did connect with all the characters that pass through the hotel. The live of the deceased auntie was very interested too. All the characters and the life in that secret hotel that only a few people knew about.

The books treats a few difficult subjects like IVF treatments and Alcoholism. They are treated nicely but be aware if they can be triggering for you.

I enjoyed the writing quite a lot. This was a super easy read for summer time.

This was a cute and easy read. I think I have mixed feelings about the pacing and the slight element of their relationship, but I think it was great to see Maggie's journey from start to end. I do wish there was more to her character, but it's not a long book, so it did what it needed to do.

Maggie has the perfect excuse to escape from her husband and London life when her estranged Aunt Phil dies unexpectedly, leaving her much-prized chateau hotel. The hotel is not what it was when she last saw it but has an endearing charm. Despite the debt and the need for renovation, Maggie feels herself begin to breathe and decide what she wants in her life. I enjoyed this exploration of grief, self-realisation and second chances. I like the cast of characters who add to the story's humour, poignancy, and the old and new friendships that Maggie enjoys. The evocative setting has a Summery feel, and the gentle romance adds the necessary spice. It's a heartwarming and often humorous tale that lets you escape.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

This has become my favorite book from this author so far and a captivating story that I couldn't tear myself away from; I was hooked from beginning to end!

The story follows Maggie Lemon as she heads to Provence, where she inherits a dilapidated hotel after her aunt’s passing. Maggie knows she realistically has to sell it—despite the fond memories she has of the place. However, when guests start arriving, Maggie becomes increasingly drawn into the life she could live here, rediscovering her passion for cooking. Cue the unexpected arrival of Gray Hudson.

This story follows Maggie as she leaves her home and husband in London to head to France to take care of the hotel her deceased aunt Phil left her. It is told in two timelines - one is now and what Maggie is dealing with as she attempts to sell the hotel and pack up her aunt's belongings while the second is told from a past point of view about all the times Maggie spent at the hotel from the age of 9 to eight years previously when she fell out with her aunt.

It seems that Maggie has always been a people pleaser and done what she was told, first by her mum and then by her husband, Mungo. They both had very particular ideas on how someone from their level of society should act and behave and Maggie always went along with what they wanted. But while she's out in France and away from both of their influence and she begins to realise how unhappy and stressed out she's been and she wants to live her life in a way that makes her happy.

It helps that a hot, famous American actor, Gray, is currently staying at the hotel as a guest as he hides out from the press and insists on helping her out with the extensive DIY that is needed around the hotel. The two strike up a friendship, realising they have an instant connection and through the encouragement of her best friend Jamie, Maggie spends a night with Gray only to wake up and find him gone. It's this moment that cements it for Maggie - she needs to leave her husband, even if Gray is not in the picture, what would make her happy is leaving Mungo, staying in France and running her aunt's hotel.

This book isn't really about the romance, though it's there, it's more about finding yourself and being able to take a step away from your everyday life to take stock of what is actually important to you and what you want to do about that. I think a lot of us become stuck in a rut as we get older and life gets more and more chaotic, we lose ourselves and our values so Maggie's story is quite relatable. I think the author has also covered the topic of infertility and the IVF journey really well, she's been very sympathetic to what is involved and how it can make people feel.

Thanks to NetGalley and HQ for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

3.5 stars

It started off rather slowly but once it picked up, it's a really nice read. The present chapters were a lot more interesting than the past chapters to me, sometimes it felt as though the past chapters dragged on a little. The side characters brought the humor, Phil was a very unique character, Maggie absolutely deserved better to say the least. It's a shame Gray wasn't introduced slightly sooner, the tension and the build-up was there but we could have a tiny bit more time with them.

Overall, it's the perfect summer read, a good palette cleanser and I'll be going back and reading more from Money-Coutts.

Thank you Netgalley and HQ for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Tw: infertility and grief
This was an interesting and quick read following Maggie as she unexpectedly finds her life changing at a time where she thought it never would. Maggie is a character who I feel like a lot of people will be able to relate to and I liked how authentic she felt throughout this. I liked getting to know more about her and just watching as her friendship grew with Grey as they worked on fixing up the hotel.

Whilst I enjoyed it I did find myself struggling with the chapters set in the past. I understand that those were in the book so that we could see how Maggie had got to this stage in her life and to find out what had happened between her and her aunt, however to me a lot of it felt redundant as some felt like they actually weren't necessary to the plot. Also, and again this is totally a me problem, but I think this trope of acquiring land/buildings from an estranged relative has been done a bit too much recently for me and I think that just took away from my enjoyment.

Overall, this was a good read and is a story of Maggie remembering who she was, who she wants to be and what she wants out of life. I felt like the infertility parts of the book were done with such consideration and care and as I mentioned earlier I feel like a lot of people will be able to relate. I'm definitely interested in reading the authors previous books so will be hoping to pick them up soon!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Heartwarming, funny, poignant and entertaining, The Right Place is the perfect summer romcom to escape the disappointing British weather with. A compelling story of self-discovery and finding love in the most unexpected of places, it explores serious topics such as infertility and grief but never loses its humour. I became an instant fan of Sophia Money-Coutts when I read What Happens Now? back in 2019. I know that when I pick up one of her books I am guaranteed an uplifting read that is well-written, witty, and hard to put down.

The story centres around Maggie Lemon, a former chef whose sole focus for the last seven years was trying to conceive. Her life has become a constant cycle of doctors, IVF and heartache and she has given up everything she loves to try and make it happen, slowly losing herself in the process and becoming a woman she no longer recognises. When her aunt, Phil, suddenly passes away she leaves her Provincial hotel, Le Figuier, to Maggie. Once known as ‘the party palace’, Le Figiuer had a reputation as a private bolthote for the elite and famous, so Maggie is shocked to find a dilapidated mess in place of the grand chateau she remembers. With so much work to be done, Maggie is overwhelmed and knows she must sell. She begins to prepare the hotel for sale and finds she slowly comes alive, rediscovering her love of cooking, feeling lighter and feeling more herself than she has in years. Could she have finally found the right place for her?

No romcom would be complete without a dashing love interest, and Gray Hudson perfectly fits that bill. Gray is a hunky but disgraced Hollywood actor who is hiding out at the hotel following a scandal. He and Maggie get off to a rocky start but it is soon clear that Gray isn’t the stuck-up celebrity he first appeared to be and he gets stuck in helping to fix up Le Figiuer. I liked that Gray wasn’t who you expected him to be as it made the story more interesting. I enjoyed the banter and sizzling chemistry between him and Maggie and how they helped each other grow in ways they needed.

The book is filled with a varied and eccentric cast of background characters who help the story leap from the pages. And none of those does this more than Maggie’s aunt, Phil. Phil may have passed away but she is brought to life on these pages and a vital part of the story. We see her in flashbacks, the memories people share, and she is in every corner of Le Figiuer. And the hotel is more than bricks and mortar. It feels like a character in its own right; alive with people’s memories, some of whom we see returning to celebrate special anniversaries and life events. And it feels like the hotel is a metaphor for Maggie herself: broken and a shadow of its former self but reawakened and is shining once more.

Warm, hilarious and with a dash of spice, this grumpy/sunshine romcom is feel-good fiction at its finest. An ideal summer read.

This was a brilliant story that I could not put down; I loved it from start to finish! It is perfect escapism and I thoroughly enjoyed being in the French countryside, surrounded by views, a chateau and a pair of donkeys. What more could you want from a summer read?!

My most favourite read from this author to date, I warmed to the characters, plot and setting very quickly. Readers follow Maggie Lemon to Provence, where she has been left a rundown hotel after her aunt’s death. It’s a mammoth task and with mountains of debt, Maggie knows that realistically, she must sell this property – despite having such wonderful memories of the place. However, guests start to turn up and Maggie finds herself absorbed into Le Figuier’s walls as she returns to her love of cooking. As Maggie works harder at the chateau, she realises her life perhaps was not as fulfilling as she had realised, and this is not helped by the unexpected arrival of handsome Gray Hudson…

There were so many layers to this story but it didn’t make it a complicated read. In fact, I think this is perfect for the beach – and when the weather is a bit dreary! The writer’s depiction of the setting – both the chateau and the surrounding area – was fantastic and I could vividly imagine accompanying Maggie to the French markets. Whilst Le Figuier is so rundown, it still seemed incredibly idyllic and, with so many stories told about Maggie’s aunt, Phil, I could easily picture how much love, warmth and fun used to take place within the walls of the chateau. It needs a bit of love and I was forever hoping that Maggie would change her mind about selling Le Figuier.

With a bit of spark between Gray and Maggie, readers are left questioning whether a relationship will develop, especially as both characters are married. In this story, Money-Coutts explores the pressures of fame and pursuing a career that you love. On the other hand, the sensitive issue of fertility is presented with Maggie and I really admired the way this was shown in her character. I really sympathised with Maggie and thought it was an accurate and sobering portrayal of what so many couples experience. However, the way that Maggie handles this made her an even more admirable character and I think Le Figuier helped with the healing process that Maggie so definitely needs.

A great summer read with a equally great cast of characters, I was quickly absorbed into life at Le Figuier. I loved how the story switched back to Maggie’s life, charting the rise of her career as a chef and how much of an influence her aunt had in her life. This became an unputdownable read and I found I was swept away to the charming countryside of Provence.

With thanks to HQ and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is outside of my usual experience in that it’s a romance, something I tend not to read. But I was seduced by the idea of a dual timeline story and an aunt leaving Maggie a Provençal hotel in her will. It was a set up that promised lots of personal growth and big life changes so that drew me on board. I’ve never read any of the author’s books so had no preconceptions and I really did enjoy it. Maggie is at a turning point, she’s been married to Mungo for a number of years and they’ve been struggling with infertility issues. I could understand Maggie’s feelings around doing IVF for the last seven years, unsuccessfully. She feels like she’s lost something of who she is in the process, having become more of a problem to fix than a person with other dreams and ideas for her life. So, the hotel comes at just the right time.

Le Figuer is definitely a challenge, with varied eccentric guests and a film star in hiding (who ends up doing renovations). There are interesting staff too and it’s lovely to see Maggie meeting new people and starting to sparkle again. A challenge really brings out the best in some people and it definitely does with Maggie. Even though she’s working the setting is so beautiful and it has some of that summer holiday feel that’s perfect for reading right now. She has a lot of thinking to do; does she want to stay and save this incredible hotel or does she want to return to London and continue to try and build a family with Mungo. Maybe she can choose a combination of both? Of course there are daily challenges with both options; a hotel never runs smoothly and there’s always something to repair. A long relationship and it’s future deserve serious consideration, but I so wanted her to stay in Provence. I did get an inkling that a different romance might be on the cards. Could she possibly return to London with some of the spirit and sparkle her adventure has given her? This was a lovely story and am easy summer read.

This was a simple, fun, easy and quick read. The perfect type of book for your holiday, beach, pool kind of read. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

2.75*

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

This book does include mentions of fertility struggles throughout, this may be a trigger for some readers.

Normally I love a Sophia Money-Coutts book but this one just missed the mark for me.

I just wasn't really invested in the characters, I didn't hate them but I just didn't really grow to care about them. I think my fabourite parts were when we flashbacked to Phil running the hotel.

I wouldn't call the book a romance, which may be where I was disappointed. It defintely felt more contemporary to me. All glimpses of romance involved having to watch the main character flirt while married to another man. These narratives just make me uncomfortable.

This book wasn't for me but Money-Coutts books have been in the past so this book will definitely be loved by others!

I read this book in one sitting, a perfect sunny afternoon read to loose yourself in for a couple of hours.