This is a charming tale set in a gorgeous setting that kept me reading well deep into the night, is my first book by Rebecca Raisin, and made me a fan of her writing after just one book.

I adored this light, funny, and sweet slow-burn romance. The story features a sweet female lead with a few bad dating experiences and a moody male lead, giving it grumpy-meets-sunshine vibes. The addition of other love interests adds to the fun exchanges.

Lilou's friend Genevieve stole the show with her sexy, fun, and confident personality. It's hard not to love an older female character who is so comfortable in her skin.

"A Love Letter to Paris" is perfect for lovers of Paris, letters, and happy-ever-afters, if you're looking for something light, fun, and positive. It's a real feel-good read and the perfect armchair travel story. I loved traveling around Paris with Lilou and enjoyed the inclusion of excerpts from old letters and diaries.

3.25 stars
Cute in parts; great side characters

Lilou started Paris Cupid to help her friend find love in the old-fashioned way, by exchanging letters and getting to know one another before meeting face-to-face. However, she didn’t expect it to become so popular and suddenly enter the limelight. The fame seems to be bringing more trouble too!
That aside, Lilou’s love life is non-existent. After the disaster of her previous relationship, she wants to get it right. When Lilou gets admiring messages as letters, she needs to find out who the sender is. It is the cheerful Felix, the nerdy and handsome Beniot, or the scowling and muscular Pascal? Can one of them be her happy-ever-after?
The story comes in Lilou’s first-person POV.

My Thoughts:
A cozy book set in Paris dealing with love letters – what’s not to like? It is categorized as General Fiction on NetGalley, an apt tag. Don’t look for romance though there’s a lot of about around it.
The good things first –
The setting is lovely! The market reminded me of the bazaars in my city with multiple shops bundled in one region. It is almost always buzzing with activity.
The side characters are very well crafted. In fact, I liked them more than the main character. They come in different types – flirty, old school, gossipy, friendly, nerdy, etc.
The cats, Minou and Marmalade, are a treat (even if Minou’s antics can give you grey hair!). They elevated the book when I was losing interest.
Lilou’s character is decent too. I like how she was great at giving relationship advice to others but too afraid to try it herself (relatable, lol). It is easy to see the bigger picture when we are a few steps away from the situation. Of course, her concerns about public opinions and SM outrage are more than valid!
If only –
Based on the cute cover and the premise (it mentions three men!), I expected it to have a lot more romance. While there is some love, most of it occurs off-page and mainly for other characters.
The first-person POV means we see only what Lilou sees. Though this didn’t affect my opinion of some characters, it definitely distanced me from the MMC.
Moreover, in an attempt to keep the suspense going for as long as possible, we don’t get Lilou’s ‘real’ feelings. So I found zero chemistry between her and the main guy even though we are supposed to guess it. Enemies-to-lovers is not an easy trope, and without good banter, it feels flatter than a crepe.
The ending is rushed and wrapped up too quickly. There’s no surprise since that’s the only way it would go. But that doesn’t mean the characters cannot at least have a decent connection. I still don’t know why the MMC fell in love with her.
At least, there’s a short epilogue which is good.

To summarize, A Love Letter to Paris is more of a story about a woman realizing she needs to follow the relationship advice she gives others through the matchmaking website. Would have enjoyed it more if I saw the FMC fall in love.
I’m an outliner here, so check other reviews before you decide.
Thank you, NetGalley and Boldwood Books, for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
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Links will be updated after the tour.

The thing I always love about Rebecca’s books are how they draw you in immediately, the way she portrays all characters and the setting in which they’re based, I always feel as if I’m there, experiencing it all with the characters. I’ve been to Paris twice before and since reading this book I need to go again! I want to wander the stalls at St. Ouen market and go to the Bouquinistes of Paris along the banks of the Seine and visit all the other places mentioned. I want to find a stall selling old journals and letters and read the history of another. It’s such a shame that this form of communication, of letter writing has become a thing of the past and I love that this is the basis that Lilou sets her dating site on, that people fall in love through words and getting to know one another slowly and anonymously, and who wouldn't love to receive a love letter to cherish forever

If you’re wanting a slow burn romance, with fabulous friendships and also mischievous cats, all based in a stunning setting with swoon worthy characters then this is definitely the summer read for you!

I had read a book by this author before and didn't love it. However this was quicky and enjoyable about a woman who lives in Paris and runs a dating site.

This was about Lilou, a lady in Paris whose side hustle was being Paris Cupid, owner of a dating site in which users wrote letters to those they were matched with before they decided to meet in person.

She had been unlucky in love and therefore did not want anyone to know her identity because they probably wouldn't be able to trust her to match them with their potential loves.

At some point she began to receive letters from a secret admirer and was baffled as to who it could be. There was Pascale who treated her like she was the bane of his existence. Benoit was a quiet contemplative soul and Felix was an incorrigible flirt.

It was all a mystery until the end and I loved how it was revealed. Thank you to Netgalley and Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A Love Letter to Paris by Rebecca Raisin was a beautifully written book that just book my breath away and wanting to go back to Paris to relive this book especially as it was a fun read romantic read.
This is the first book I have read by Rebecca and not my usual read but it wont be my last. This book had a feel good about it and made me smile a great book for your holiday or a book just to make you smile. I loved it.

Have you ever written a love letter? One where you have to sit down and try to convey who you are, what you feel and what it is that you hope for?

Lilou loves reading love letters and old journals, so much so that she sells them at her market stall in the St Ouen market in Paris. Whilst Lilou tells herself that she isn't interested in love for herself, she still believes in love, and if she can help her friends find it then she will. And so Paris Cupid is born, but this isn't any ordinary dating website. Lilou carefully matches each couple who have agreed that they will only communicate via letter until they both agree that it is time to meet. Lilou is determined to remain anonymous though. Who would trust someone with as many dating disasters as she has had to help them find love?

It isn't long before Paris Cupid is making news headlines when a famous actor announces that he has found love through the website. Suddenly everyone is speculating who could the mastermind behind the website could be.

When Lilou starts receiving love notes, letters and gifts, she isn't really sure who could be sending them to her. It could be any one of the three men who have recently been allocated stall spaces next to her in the market. Scratch that. It could be two of the three men. It couldn't possibly be the third one.

Soon Lilou has her hands full trying to work out who her mysterious admirer might by, running her market stall and trying to keep her Paris Cupid business going, as well as keep her identity secret.

I have read quite a few Rebecca Raisin books now. I love the way that she writes about food, books and the locations, especially Paris! And this book is no exception. The reader is very cleverly taken to a number of sites around Paris in the course of Lilou's activities. Some of the sites are well known, but others not quite so famous. I now need to visit Paris again to visit some of the places mentioned. I mean, I needed to go already, but even more so now. I am already looking forward to her next book

This most definitely is a love letter to Paris, but it is also a love letter to love letters, to the lost art of letter writing, and to falling in love slowly.

I was contemplating when I last wrote a love letter. When I first started seeing my now husband, I wrote him a letter almost like a performance appraisal where I gave him a promotion from dating to being a boyfriend, and again to partner, and then again when we got married. I don't think I can promote him any higher than husband? Maybe I need to write him another one soon.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and Rachel's Random Resources for the review copy. I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog and as part of Paris in July, hosted by Emma and Words And Peace.

Lilou is unlucky in love and has some pretty disastrous relationships. But seeing 

But seeing her best friend's heartbroken makes her want to help other people mend their broken heart the old-fashioned way; through a love letter. 

But soon Lilou will be receiving her own curious love letters and she will have to find her admirer and her secret of being Paris Cupid will leave her torn when a celebrity falls in love. 

This is a light and quick read about finding love and healing. 

I loved so many of these characters, that it was nice to see them all come together at the end. It also made me change my opinion of Coraline and understand her better.

The two main characters, Pascal and Lilou, were perfect for one another and I smiled every time there was a small bit of interaction between them as Raisin lets the reader in on their secret and makes you feel like part of this narrative.

A lovely Romantic read.

A Love Letter to Paris by Rebecca Raisin

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

Late at night when I wander the streets of Paris, my thoughts turn to her… How do I tell her how I feel? Perhaps, I need to show her…

The pretty little streets of Montmartre are abuzz with a rumour. Apparently a mystery matchmaker, known only as ‘Paris Cupid’, has somehow helped the city’s most famous bachelor find love.

But old-fashioned romantic Lilou is staying very quiet. She’d just wanted to set up her best friend, and to get on with her life selling whimsical old love letters, in Paris’s famous St. Ouen market.

She hadn’t imagined her little Paris Cupid project could ever have attracted so many people looking for true, heartfelt romance. Though the truth is that Lilou adores helping people find the right person. Even if her own love life is nothing short of disastrous.

My Opinion

Such a heart-warming read. Rebecca Raisin writes such comforting books that I always jump at the opportunity to read a new release. A Love Letter to Paris was such a refreshing read with a slow burn romance. If you are looking for a fun read that will whisk you off to Paris then this is the book for you.

Lilou hasn't had the best luck when it comes to dating but is she the best person to be a matchmaker?

Rating 4/5

Lilou has a market stall in Paris selling whimsical old love letters, but as a sideline she anonymously set up a dating agency with a difference where the initial contacts between prospective parties is by letter only. If only her own love life was not as disastrous as it was. She then becomes involved in a love square - one up from a triangle.
This book snuck up and grew on me, it is slow paced but with a wonderful cast of characters, not forgetting the cats who live in the cemetery. Trying to decide who was sending her mystery gifts did keep me wondering, whilst hearing about those who found love through her agency was heart warming. Definitely recommended if you want to read something different.

Lilou Babineaux is a lover of letters and the written word. She collects old love letters and diaries that are unearthed in estate sales and sells them at her market stall.

Worried that the art of hand written letters of love are becoming obsolete now that we use email Lilou starts a dating site, Paris Cupid, that states that the matched couples must first get to know each other by exchanging letters.

A Love Letter to Paris is such a fun read. I'm new to Rebecca Raisin's writing and after just one book she is firmly on my must read list.

I loved this light, funny and sweet slow burn romance. A sweet female lead who has had a few bad dating experiences and a moody male lead. A Love Letter to Paris has grumpy meets sunshine vibes. A couple of other love interests are thrown into the mix which makes for some fun exchanges.

Lilou's friend Genevieve stole the show. How can you not love an older female character who is sexy, fun and confident in her own skin.

A Love Letter to Paris is perfect if you are after something light, fun and positive. It's a real feel-good read. The perfect armchair travel story. I loved travelling around Paris with Lilou.

I enjoyed the the inclusion of excerpts from old letters and diaries.

I'm reviewing this via NetGalley, as part of a tour with Rachel's Random Resources.

This was a fun, feel-good read. When I first started reading, I felt the writing had a warm, cosy kind of quality that I really liked, and I felt myself escaping to Paris. Love was a big theme throughout the story, and I felt that Paris was a lovely choice of setting for a book like this.

I enjoyed the concept of Paris Cupid, and the protagonist, Lilou, was a lovely character. Some of the other characters were fun and likeable too, and I found that in general, the story was humorous and gave me a few giggles.

This was an easy, lighthearted read that sparked joy for me. I think I might choose something like this to read around Valentine's Day, though it would be an enjoyable read at any time of the year.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rachel's Random Resources, Boldwood Books, and to the author, for the opportunity to read and review this.

Great read for this summer! I loved this story and that it was set in Paris, it really was incredible. Highly recommended.

This is a beautiful ode to the lost art of writing love letters. We’re all too quick to text, scroll and tweet nowadays so maybe we all need to take a leaf out of Lilou’s book and ‘preserve what’s left behind.’
Her heart is in the right place with Paris Cupid - despite her history in love all she wants is to find romance for her friends, and I loved how her matches really looked at the individuals concerned.
I loved the descriptions of Paris - the unseen, untouristy markets and side streets with those little unknown cafes and hidden gems.
This is a real hug in a book and a wonderful trip to a romantic city.

Such a cute little book!

Following the very general description, we also have many characters that are just as lovely as the main, like Genevieve, Benoit, Emmeline, a little cheeky celebrity in there, and in this little quest we also have a side plot of Cupid helping her friends and the people around her. All Lilou wants in life is for love to bloom!

Now, Lilou’s priority is to match perfect couples when she receives a secret letter of her own, and these letters are just the cutest little things I’ve ever read. So cute.

I was blushing, I was smiling, and I was kicking my feet. It was so, so damn cute, and I’m not going to give it away, but I’m pretty sure just by looking at the characters, you know who the secret admirer is. The reason why the love interest hides behind secret letters is just so cute as well, and I wouldn’t call this an enemy to lovers at all because, well, you just have to read the book, don’t ya? But it is just so cute.
However, I did feel like the ending was very abrupt; it felt a little bit like a fever dream. The cast assembled, and then it was over. It was a little bit weird, I’m not gonna lie. I also found a bit off the use of “alpha males” in an unironic way. This is my first time, I think, seeing those words being used unironically.

The characterization was perfect, as was the love story, and I loved the best friend’s romance on the sidelines. This book is just as cute as its cover.

Rebecca Raisin is one of my favorite romance authors and so I am glad when I got a chance to read this book as an ARC.

Lilou helps people find their matches--she has a website called Paris Cupid where she matches people with their soulmates. Lilou also is a seller, selling antique letters and others. However, her website gets famous when a famous French actor announces that he had found his soulmate from Paris Cupid. Not only that, Lilou seem to be having a secret admirer who sends her letters. Lilou starts investigating to see who her secret admirer was.

This is a warm, romance cozy tale. I like the setting as well--France, or rather Paris is a city of romance and so you are destined to find your love. I liked how the author manages to make the reader a part of the story, as we find Lilou helping her friends to find their soulmates through her website. I particularly love the descriptions of the city overall because as a reader and someone who never been to France, I feel like I am in France right now, enjoying reading the book. Rebecca Raisin is a brilliant author and so I really enjoyed reading all her novels. Worth 4.5 stars in my opinion!

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

Absolutely loved this book!

Lilou has had a disastrous dating life, anything and everything that can go wrong has, so she decides to do her bit to help the people of Paris find love and friendship with a new internet site.
Not the way things are with other dating apps, but the old ways of years gone by. Pen & Ink, love letters.

Set in Paris, and Paris was described so well I felt as if I were there, experiencing the settings and scenery. I mustn’t forget the patisserie delights, scrumptious!
It was a lovely read, I loved the idea of the story and the characters in it. An uplifting feel good romance book at its very best.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Publisher for an advanced e-book copy. Opinions about the book are entirely my own.

I love books set in Paris and this one ticks all the boxes for me. It has a good storyline, excellent characters and is well written.

I have read and loved many of Rebeccas books. She has a real way of making you feel like you are right there where the story takes place, in this case Paris. I could practically smell Paris and the antiques market when I closed my eyes.

This is definitely a love story! I really liked Lilou and the 3 men, one of whom might her secret admirer and the other characters at the market were also sweet and with touching stories. Unfortunately the story moved to slowly at the start for my liking, meaning it took me longer to read then normal, but that's down to a personal preference. I struggled a little and wondered if I could do this book justice with a review at the end, but the story really picked up in the second half and then I sped through it and loved it. I think this story is perfect for those that love a slowburn love story with lots of romance and a long build up.

There’s a mystery abuzz in the streets of Monmarte. A mysterious matchmaker, Paris Cupid, helped the most famous bachelor find love. Lilou, who sells old love letters in the St Quen market, created Paris Cupid to help her best friend find love again. Unlucky in love herself, she finds joy in assisting others to find love through the old style of writing letters as a way of getting to know each other. While her identity as a matchmaker remains a mystery, she soon starts getting anonymous love letters.


I thought it was a beautiful, magical story with wonderful characters. It reminds us of the magic and romance of writing letters. While I loved the story, I would’ve loved to learn what happened next. I hope there's a sequel to this story.


Thanks to @boldwoodbooks, @rachelsrandomresources, @netgally, and the author for this ARC.