In this book, we follow 29-year-old Edie as she moves from Ireland to France to work in a bakery.

This is a light read with some magic realism, romance and cookery. I gather it is an expanded version of a story the author wrote several years ago. It provides some escapism although readers should be aware that there are many grammatical issues with the French used in the ARC (hopefully this will have been corrected at proof stage!).

A recommended read for fans of The Lost Bookshop, Joanne Harris's Chocolat, and stories set in France.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Mysterious Bakery on the Rue de Paris by Evie Woods is a mystery novel.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Harper Collins/One More Chapter, and the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Edie Lane left Ireland for a dream job in a Paris bakery.  Landing in Paris, she quickly realizes not everything is as it seems.  Her job is not in Paris, but an hour north in Compiègne.  Her French is also not as good as she thought.

The bakery's owner doesn't seem to like her, and she isn't allowed in the basement - which is where the ovens are located. Apparently her job is to sell the product, and keep the bakery clean.  She thought the job was for an Assistant Manager.  Oh well, her pride will not allow her to return home.  She is going to enjoy the sort-of Paris life, and she soon discovers she may be exactly where she needs to be.

But she is still determined to find out what is in the basement.

 

My Opinions:
Rather disappointed, as this turned up more to be a romance novel than a mystery.  Also a little too historical for my taste, and parts read a little too much like a cookbook.  I was expecting more of a "ghost" story than I was given.  Then there was this 29-year old woman, whose lack of confidence and feelings of being "old" were very disheartening.

It was slow moving, but basically nothing much happened throughout the book.  It was very predictable.

So, I have a lot of complaints about the book, but perhaps that was just me.

This was not like the last couple of books I have read by this author, and I just realized she originally published this 10 years ago, so perhaps that is the reason I like her newer stuff, but not this.  I hate when authors try to re-published their old stuff.  Anyway, this one was just not for me.  If you like historical romance, this is definitely for you.

Edie decides to have a fresh start after the death of her mother and accepts a job in a bakery in Paris as assistant manager. When she arrives she finds that the job isn't actually in Paris, rather in a suburb outside the city. She arrives to a very cool reception, but gradually finds herself settling in an enjoying the job. She does find that there is a secret centred around the shop basement, which she is not allowed to go into. In the meantime she meets Hugo and starts a relationship, however finds that all is not what it seems there either.
I must admit that I found this book a frustrating read, it's very slow and didn't really grab my attention - but found that I couldn't just leave it and kept going back to it to find out about the mystery in the basement. There are flashbacks to the German occupation during the second World War and how badly people were treated, plus corporate greed and its affect on small businesses. Well worth reading with its touch of the supernatural, but not for those who prefer faster paced books.

What a fantastic, magical story, truly enjoyable. I will return soon with a more detailed review.
Four and a half stars.
Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the chance to read in exchange for an honest review.

A romantic historical novel set over two timelines. Unfortunately, the narrative pace and the characters were inconsistent and I failed to finish

History, magic, mystery interspersed with some aspects of cookery. An easily read book taking you on a trip to France to place that’s not all it first appears to be

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I tried so hard to really like this book, but overall it just fell flat for me. I really love a good magical realism read, but this felt like a mixed up book that did know what genre to belong in. Is it magical realism? Historical fiction? Cozy mystery? Romance? Realistic fiction? It doesn't really fully belong in any of those categories.

Additionally, the characters are inconsistent. For example, the main character is a 29 yo struggling to find her place in the world who can't even manage to Google the bakery she has been hired at. The next thing you know she is baking gourmet cupcakes and singing with a jazz band.

The writing style is also quite disjointed. I struggled with the author's sentence structure quite often just trying to figure out what was going on!

I really enjoyed this book, it was a sweet story with the usual elements of magic from Evie. I enjoyed the history in this one and I loved all the characters.
There are only a couple of downsides - after reading her 3 books now, they all follow the same sort of pattern and you can pretty much predict what is going to happen. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that they are enjoyable. The second downside with this book is that you should probably know some French. You get the general gist of the meaning and some of the phrases are directly translated but as someone who likes to know and understand it all, not being able to know the translation without googling it was frustrating. Again, it’s not like you don’t know what’s going on but it would be nice to have all the phrases translated rather than just getting the feeling of the words.
All in all, another enjoyable, easy read!

I had high hopes for this novel but unfortunately they fell flat. I enjoyed it as first but struggled through the predictability of the plot. The characters are well written but I do believe calling the 29 year old middle aged will not go down well. I did think it was a new book but it is her old work re published which is disheartening. It has potential but needs a good edit and the plot lines became too predictable. Unfortunately a let down for me.

📚I was able to read an advanced copy of title thanks to NetGalley, Evie Woods and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter📚
📚All reviews and opinions are entirely my own📚

A mistaken location, mystery, meet cute and baked goods, what else could you want.
This story was fun because the main character thought she was going to Paris to start over but ended up at this Mysterious Bakery. She isn't sure why she ended up here and we get to go on the journey with her of figuring it out. It's a Mystery to her who does the baking for the bakery she is working at and she is intrigued. As she starts to get comfortable with the noises in her attic apartment above the bakery she finds some mysterious things that lead her to cook and bake. These things lead her to make friends, meet a mystery man and explore her new home that she is beginning to love.
I really enjoyed this book and wish that is was part of a series because I'd love to see how the future is.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

2.5
This is a republished version of this book which to my knowledge has corrected a lot of the grammar problems that were in the original version. Although I do enjoy a cozy story once in a while, I just couldn't get into this one. I didn't care for the FMC so that is probably what made it less enjoyable for me. Author has created some great atmosphere though and I cannot wait to travel to France and experience it for myself! All in all, I will read another book by this author however it's not high on my TBR list.

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks Netgalley for the chance to read this! 2.5 /5 stars
This story follows Evie, an Irish woman in Paris who is given a job at a small bakery on the brink of bankruptcy. She helps them figure out the best way to save the shop, and in a way herself, while uncovering some long lost history about the shop owner, its previous patrons, and its rich history in French culture.
This was ok. I enjoyed it. But some of the themes really seem all over the place. This is slightly a romance (there's a romance plot line really early on that drives a portion of the story but also gets derailed by the bankruptcy), a past-storyline that's steeped in world war II but doesn't fully get fleshed out, a ghost story (that seems kinda pointless, to be honest), and a story about a musician and gypsy culture.
This was light reading but it really felt a bit befuddled in the middle.

I fell in love with The Lost Bookshop and The Story Collector, so I was hoping for more of that. This book didn’t feel the same. The set up took a very long time and it was slow moving to actually get to the point. Then the conclusion was not as on the page as I would have liked it to be. I would have loved more flashbacks to the bakery in the 40s and 50s. It would have been great to see Hugo talk out his inner battles with his mother. There was just more that could have made the characters feel like real people instead of focusing on the setting in the city for so long.



Thank you One More Chapter and HarperCollins for the arc.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me a free e-arc. This was such a nice surprise. Historical fiction with just a little mystery and little magic. There’s new friends and new beginnings, lots of grief to get through and found family. There is also France, bakery, food, wine, and romance. Enjoyed this one very much.

I absolutely loved Evie Woods' book 'The Lost Bookstore'. When I was invited by publisher One More Chapter to grab a digital review copy for this book from Netgalley I therefore didn't hesitate. Since the release date is coming close, it was finally time to dive in.

This book was emotional in a perfect way. That's firstly because the heroine of the story is really relatable. Within a few chapters I already felt a connection with her and started rooting for her. It's amazing to see her grow throughout this book. She starts the book as rather insecure and with very low self esteem, but she ends the book with a completely different mindset and in a far better place and I couldn't be happier for her.

This book was also emotional because of the romance. I'm usually not much of a fan of books where the romance completely changes people. And although it might seem like these characters want each other to change, it never felt like that. These characters simply want the other to be the truest and happiest version of themselves. They don't want them to be something they're not. They want them to be something they're afraid to be right now.

I also loved the setting, the historical background of the story and all the side characters. The focus is clearly on the heroine and yet there are so many moments where the side characters get depth or a chance to shine and grow. When reading the last chapter I realised that while reading this book I wasn't just reading a story. I became part of it. I was there. With those people. Dancing. Crying. Hoping. Fighting and longing for some delicious pastries!

I already can't wait for Woods' next novel!

This was an enjoyable read.
Edith moves to France to manage a bakery.
We get to know a number of characters in both the present day and the past.
The descriptions of the food and pastries sounded delicious.
I hadn’t read a book by this author before and so wasn’t expecting a magic / ghostly element which did impact my opinion as I generally prefer realistic novels, but it wasn’t a large part of the plot and it wouldn’t put me off reading other books by her.

The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris was a delightful read that captured my attention from beginning to end.
The story combines tasty baked goods , drama, magic which allows the read to escape into a happy place. Full marks!

This is a cosy, magical read that follows Edith Lane, who moves to France for a bakery job—only to find it’s in a small town and not in Paris as she initially thought. As she settles in, she finds a hidden book and a long-held mystery about the bakery and its past.

Although this is not my favourite book by this author, it’s still a heartwarming read about friendship, self-discovery, and second chances.

Evie Woods' books are full of magic and mystery and The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris does not fail in either of those categories.
Edith Lane has answered an ad for a job and after a quick interview finds herself travelling to Paris from Dublin to be the assistant manager at a bakery in the City of Dreams. Upon arrival she determines that her new employment is not in Paris but in Compiegne. Once there she starts her new job and moves into her little apartment above the bakery where she finds a book hidden in the floorboards.
The history of Compiegne and it surrounding areas gets intertwined with the history of the bakery and Edith gets mixed up in trying to right a wrong that has occurred in this town. Along the way she makes friends with a variety of characters in the village that helps her solve the mystery as well as getting over the grief of her mother passing away and finding purpose and belonging in her own life.
Everything may end up just a little too perfect in the end but I am a sucker for happy endings and this surely was one! I am looking forward to her story.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for this ARC in return for an honest review.

A sweet little story that was pleasant enough to read but I can’t say it completely grabbed my attention. I’m sure others will adore this book but even though it was set in gorgeous France, it was just too slow paced for me. Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter and the author for the chance to review.