The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris - by Jenny Colgan: Book Review

Title: The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris
Author: Jenny Colgan
Pages: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Release Date: 06.08.2019
Genre: Women's Fiction, Food Novels
Format: Kindle

Although the novel promises to deliver a romantic story, it's flat; the romance comes as an afterthought. Once we get past the 50-60% mark in the novel, it seems the author remembered there was too little of the love aspect and hurriedly adds it. It reads artificial. Anna falls in love, presumably, with a man she suddenly finds attractive or handsome, but we're not buying it. It's not natural, it's too sudden, and... well... unromantic.

Not even Claire and Thierry's love story impresses. She fell in love with a selfish man and she basically pined after him her whole life. He did nothing to get her back. Now that I've finished reading the novel, I can clearly see how unlikeable Thierry is as a person. As a charismatic chocolate maker and seller, sure, he is the most charming. But I'm not fooled. I'm not buying his and Claire's love story either. However, comparing the two love stories, I found Anna and Laurent's worse.

Anna, the main character, has the aura of the perfect undercover woman. She knows not about her abilities, clearly. She can change Laurent, she is the trigger that leads to the two men's relationship mending. And how sudden that happens! We learn so much about it because it happened towards the end of the novel and we were too busy trying to wrap our minds around Anna and Laurent's new found passion for one another. Let us not forget, Laurent is attracted to Anna because she acts not interested in him and she likes to eat. That she finds herself physically attracted to him and jumps into impromptu kissing... well, this comes past the 85% mark. Of course she knows she loves him because he's good looking. Sound reason to jump into a... thing? relationship? We don't know.

Speaking of we don't know... Does Anna decide to stay in Paris for the foreseeable future? Is this her life? We're left guessing, just as she was doing before Paris and after the hospital stay. I guess it's enough if you find a love partner and you work in a chocolate shop, but just say this is what she decides. It was vague.

If it's not clear so far, the ending is rushed. Claire's preparations to visit Paris one last time were more interesting to read about than the actual visit and time spent there. Not to mention, they took longer to tell about than the visit.

Honestly, what I wanted to read more about was the chocolate shop in Paris. I was more interested in seeing where the shop will move forward and I like the path - Laurent becoming the governing force and giving Thierry a much needed slower pace.

I think this novel tried to present two Paris rose-colored love stories, but neither convinced me. It dawned on me that for Jenny Colgan the love stories come as an afterthought, a second priority. Her love of food is contagious and I am more interested in that aspect in this novel. Of course I can only base this opinion thinking of the other novels of hers I've read: Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe and The Cafe by the Sea. The Cafe was the one I liked best.

I can't recommend this one. I am sure there are other better Jenny Colgan novels, with more character development, as this one lacked in that department.

I received a free e-book copy of the novel from the publisher via Net Galley. All thoughts expressed here are my own.


Characters List (might contain spoilers!):

Kidinsborough, UK - Anna's hometown. her parents live there. Claire's hometown. She lived there with Richard and their boys

Anna Trent - chocolate taster at the Braders Family Chocolates factory

Cath - Anna's best friend

Darr - Anna's ex-boyfriend

Dr. Er - Anna's doctor after her work accident

Mrs. Claire Shawcourt - Anna's French teacher. the two become good friends. Claire sends Anna to Paris after her release from the hospital to work at a chocolate shop. Claire has cancer. she's divorced

Thierry Girard - Claire's lover when she was 17 and travelled to Paris to work as a nanny for the two children of her mother's pen pal. he's now sick and very fat

Le Chapeau Chocolat de Thierry Girard - Thierry's chocolate shop

Mme Marie-Noelle LeGuarde - Claire's mother's pen pal

Benoit - works for Thierry. a family job for generations

Laurent Girard - Thierry's son with an Algerian woman. she died. A fued between the two because they can't agree on the best flavour to add to chocolate

Alice - Thierry's wife. English

Rev. Marcus - Claire's father

Ricky and Patsy - Claire's son and daughter-in-law

Cadence and Codie - Ricky and Patsy's children

Richard Shawcourt - Claire's ex-husband

Sami - Ann'a flatmate in Paris

Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe - by Jenny Colgan: Book Review

Title: Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe
Author: Jenny Colgan
Pages: 456
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Release Date: 2nd July 2019
Genre: Women's Fiction, Baking Novels, Food Novels
Format: Kindle

I picked this up for an easy read, a summer novel, for a break. However, as I was reading I couldn't help but have my suspicions and point out all that was bothering me. So bullet points it is, with the bad and the good.

1. I may not be a business owner or know the first thing about opening a café, but things sure seem to have fallen into place for Issy. Sure, you're rooting for her, but I can't help but wonder what would have happened with the café had there been no bus accident and thus no newspaper article about her.
2. At about 40%, when the café is up and running, you know there's still a long way to go, so you're curious and want to read more.
3. It dragged a bit in some parts.
4. Why can't there be a balance between healthy and sugar-filled desserts? People eat a lot of cupcakes in this novel, obviously. What bothered me, however, was the lack of compromise. Caroline, one of the Cupcake Café employees is a health freak. Why not make something that appeals to this category as well, Issy? From the beginning, not as an afterthought.
and this leads me to...
5. So many references to women's body shape. I appreciated the main character not being a skinny woman who can eat all the sugar she wants and still look like a supermodel, but rather looking like a normal, healthy, food-loving woman. But the author seemed to defend women's shapes and to make excuses as if not looking like a star is not normal. For example, Pearl, a friend and employee of Issy's, lost a few pounds just because she had a job, didn't stay in all day, so she walked a lot, so she obviously now looked better. Why? Why do that? Maybe some people reading this novel can't so easily lose pounds by going to their job and walking.
6. The perspective, in the same chapter, shifted so often and quickly from one character to another that at first it was tricky to keep up. It didn't read smoothly, but more like an attempt at writing. But once you get into the novel it's fine.
7. Stop saying "yummy mummies" as refered to the women who look skinny/ posh and don't eat cupcakes all day, and stop talking about them driving 4x4s.
8. Why all the stabbing at Caroline and the very fit women? It's their choice. Sure, complexes inducing for some, but it's their choice, just as it is one's choice to eat another cupcake without thinking of the consequences.
9. Most married men are junk in this novel, as concluded by Caroline, and that is sad. It means that once the marriage novelty has worn off and the children are present, there is a life of gloom and doom to be had, where kids don't get to see their dad only rarely, fathers miss children's milestones and events.
10. Of course the one meant to be "the one" for Issy is top notch.
11. Desperate much, Issy? Once she had her business rolling all she seemed to think about and want was a husband and children, but it was nice to see Issy still hanging on those traditional roles. It gets me eye-rolling to see people determined to be carreer people and completely break with all that's old. Still, she's desperate.
12. I kept wanting to read, despite all the above mentioned. I was after a novel that didn't promise to be deep, and I got what I wanted. There's a time for this kind of novels.
13. For those who love romance this is a nice read. I was looking for a summer novel and this one spans from winter to summer, so it ticked the box. 

I received a free e-book copy of this novel from the publisher via Net Galley. All thoughts expressed here are my own.