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rosie_morley's review
5.0
This book was flawless. The characters were lovable but infuriating. The plot was so thick with characters development I loved that there was a grumpy x sunshine trope but it wasn’t overdone. The text that the author published this in was very dyslexic friendly and I think this Is how I was able to read the book so fast. I can’t wait to see what this author has next
notsodailyloly's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
nataliem22's review against another edition
1.0
Despite being a very quick read, The Bookshop of Forgotten Dreams doesn't live up to its potential. Lackluster in both plotting and overall storytelling, this romance will be most appealing to readers looking for a very quick and neat read.
Author of debut phenomenon Dear You and other bestsellers, Emily Blaine has become, with over 600,000 copies sold to date, the queen of contemporary French romance. A Breton by birth and a Parisian by adoption, her greatest pleasure is writing, and hearing from her readers.
Sarah and Max should never have met. She's a shy bookworm who's barely ever left her little village; he's a bad boy actor with the world at his feet. But when Max crosses one line too many, he's faced with community service in Sarah's bookshop. With an unruly theatre group to run and a gorgeous, tattooed stranger under her roof, Sarah's about to discover that real life is more complicated than anything she's ever read in her beloved books.
I, like many others it seemed, was excited to fall in love with this book. It seemed like it was going to be very trope-y (grumpyxsunshine, force proximity, roommates, opposites attract, just to name a few) with a meta element to boot. Unfortunately, all of these tropes come falling down when it's just not enjoyable to read. The translation makes for a very stilted reading experience, and there were some instances where I felt like the text wasn't even copy edited (incorrect pronouns, persistent textual inconsistencies, etc.). I also felt like the translation was too literal, and didn't do a good job of trying to adjust the language to appeal to an American audience—awkward phrasing took me out of the story one too many times.
Looking past the story from a sentence level, I found that neither of the characters were very likable. Maxime is a jerk at the beginning, and I didn't believe in his ability to change in two months based on his initial interactions with Sarah. As a bookworm who also loves to hide behind the pages of a book, I found Sarah's innocence frustrating and unrealistic. Neither character was relatable, which did not make me invested in their stories. The fact that Sarah and Maxime weren't fully fleshed out, either—does anyone truly understand their history/trauma and how that makes them who they are today?—didn't help matters.
The pacing was also incredibly off. There was a lot of build up at the beginning, and by the end everything is happening too quickly to feel believable. Add in a storyline that's traumatic and then not explored deeply enough to do it justice, it makes for a book that's incredibly difficult to digest. I would have liked to be invested in the characters' journeys, but the myriad of issues with this book stops that from happening. Which is so unfortunate, because I was so excited to fall in love with it!
*This review can also be found on my blog, toreadornottoreadnm.blogspot.com*
Author of debut phenomenon Dear You and other bestsellers, Emily Blaine has become, with over 600,000 copies sold to date, the queen of contemporary French romance. A Breton by birth and a Parisian by adoption, her greatest pleasure is writing, and hearing from her readers.
Sarah and Max should never have met. She's a shy bookworm who's barely ever left her little village; he's a bad boy actor with the world at his feet. But when Max crosses one line too many, he's faced with community service in Sarah's bookshop. With an unruly theatre group to run and a gorgeous, tattooed stranger under her roof, Sarah's about to discover that real life is more complicated than anything she's ever read in her beloved books.
I, like many others it seemed, was excited to fall in love with this book. It seemed like it was going to be very trope-y (grumpyxsunshine, force proximity, roommates, opposites attract, just to name a few) with a meta element to boot. Unfortunately, all of these tropes come falling down when it's just not enjoyable to read. The translation makes for a very stilted reading experience, and there were some instances where I felt like the text wasn't even copy edited (incorrect pronouns, persistent textual inconsistencies, etc.). I also felt like the translation was too literal, and didn't do a good job of trying to adjust the language to appeal to an American audience—awkward phrasing took me out of the story one too many times.
Looking past the story from a sentence level, I found that neither of the characters were very likable. Maxime is a jerk at the beginning, and I didn't believe in his ability to change in two months based on his initial interactions with Sarah. As a bookworm who also loves to hide behind the pages of a book, I found Sarah's innocence frustrating and unrealistic. Neither character was relatable, which did not make me invested in their stories. The fact that Sarah and Maxime weren't fully fleshed out, either—does anyone truly understand their history/trauma and how that makes them who they are today?—didn't help matters.
The pacing was also incredibly off. There was a lot of build up at the beginning, and by the end everything is happening too quickly to feel believable. Add in a storyline that's traumatic and then not explored deeply enough to do it justice, it makes for a book that's incredibly difficult to digest. I would have liked to be invested in the characters' journeys, but the myriad of issues with this book stops that from happening. Which is so unfortunate, because I was so excited to fall in love with it!
*This review can also be found on my blog, toreadornottoreadnm.blogspot.com*
onbeesbookshelf's review against another edition
3.0
Genre: Romance | Romantic Comedy | Adult Fiction
Release Date: Expected 18th June 2021
Publisher: One More Chapter | Harper Collins
Translated from French
Content Warning: Explicit Sexual Imagery, References to suicide, physical violence.
Sarah and Max live different lives in different worlds. She's hardly ever left her village and the quiet bookshop she spends all her time running - so there's no way she should ever have met Max. An actor with the whole world in front of him and adoring fans desperate to just look at him would never have even looked at the little book shop until he got into just a bit too much trouble and got stuck with community service helping Sarah repair the struggling store.
Pretty soon, Sarah realises that nothing she could've read would help her prepare for this. As her peace and quiet is shattered and Max becomes more abrasive by the second, she's starting to think they're never going to be on the same page about anything unless he can learn to think about someone for just one moment.
The Bookshop of Forgotten Dreams was a light summer read full of cuteness and fun. It was a classic retelling of the favourite troubled bad boy meets plain quiet girl but with plenty of books thrown in for good measure. Told from both their perspectives in an easily readable way, I found myself drawn to Sarah but at first hating reading any of the chapters told from Maximes point of view, and while I warmed to him I was always slightly unsure if I was ever on his side. Their relationship was very predictable and appeared almost out of nowhere so I found it very hard to get invested in their stories.
However, I loved hearing Sarah talk about books - her passion and her love for saving and rehoming stories was beautiful and I am a sucker for books about books. This was very much an easy summer, light read with some steamy romance thrown in for good measure.
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐
Thank you to Emily Blaine, One More Chapter and Netgalley for this ARC in return for an honest review.
Release Date: Expected 18th June 2021
Publisher: One More Chapter | Harper Collins
Translated from French
Content Warning: Explicit Sexual Imagery, References to suicide, physical violence.
Sarah and Max live different lives in different worlds. She's hardly ever left her village and the quiet bookshop she spends all her time running - so there's no way she should ever have met Max. An actor with the whole world in front of him and adoring fans desperate to just look at him would never have even looked at the little book shop until he got into just a bit too much trouble and got stuck with community service helping Sarah repair the struggling store.
Pretty soon, Sarah realises that nothing she could've read would help her prepare for this. As her peace and quiet is shattered and Max becomes more abrasive by the second, she's starting to think they're never going to be on the same page about anything unless he can learn to think about someone for just one moment.
The Bookshop of Forgotten Dreams was a light summer read full of cuteness and fun. It was a classic retelling of the favourite troubled bad boy meets plain quiet girl but with plenty of books thrown in for good measure. Told from both their perspectives in an easily readable way, I found myself drawn to Sarah but at first hating reading any of the chapters told from Maximes point of view, and while I warmed to him I was always slightly unsure if I was ever on his side. Their relationship was very predictable and appeared almost out of nowhere so I found it very hard to get invested in their stories.
However, I loved hearing Sarah talk about books - her passion and her love for saving and rehoming stories was beautiful and I am a sucker for books about books. This was very much an easy summer, light read with some steamy romance thrown in for good measure.
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐
Thank you to Emily Blaine, One More Chapter and Netgalley for this ARC in return for an honest review.
kudragrace's review against another edition
1.5
Until about 70% I thought there might be some reception but it just got worse. Too much of the trope that a “bad boy” just needed the right women; and that the quiet mousy girl is really a sex pot.
isabellm's review against another edition
3.0
I liked Sarah, her love of books, the bookshop and the supporting characters but I did not warm to Max very much. I also felt the relationship was a little bit rushed and they seemed to go from 0 to 60 with not enough buildup especially from his end. Worth a look if you’re after a quick and easy read. (3 ⭐️)
readwithnat's review against another edition
4.0
Disclaimer: I received a free digital ARC (Advanced Reading Copy) of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
This book was somewhat of a slow burn for me and overall I wasn't into the story as I thought I would be.
Max is a rising movie star but his temper keeps getting him in trouble. After getting in a physical violent altercation in the city, he gets arrested and faces serious charges that could land him in prison for a long time. His best and oldest friend Damien testifies in his favor and gets the judge to sentence Max to house arrest which he can serve in his small hometown outside Paris. The conditions of his sentence include Max working at a small bookshop and help Sarah, the store owner, maintaining the building. Sarah is a shy town girl trying to keep her late grandmother's bookstore afloat but doesn't have the money to pay for the work the building needs. It's a win-win situation and Max moves into Sarah's small apartment above the bookshop.
As the week pass and Sarah and Mac get to know each other, they both realize their lives could be different. Max's bad-boy attitude and anger issues keep getting in trouble, and he doesn't want to admit that his life is not what he thought it would be as a rising star. Sarah realizes that while she loves being a bookworm, there is more to life than simply reading, and she could have her own love story if she opened her mind and heart to new experiences.
Overall, this story was something I'd choose to read based on the fact that the setting is in a bookstore. However, I wasn't into the story as I thought I would be.
This book is translated from French to English, so I think there were some issues with the translation that made the story hard to follow at times. The pace of the book is incredibly inconsistent. While the first few chapters lay the foundation for the love story between Max and Sarah, the middle part of the book is incredibly boring. I found myself skimming so much of the story and I can't even remember how it got to the end. The characters are written in very stereotypical ways. Max is described as a "bad boy" with tattoos and having anger issues. Sarah is a shy bookworm who has never even left her hometown and does not understand the world outside her bookstore. The worst part is that they don't go through meaningful character development, so while it happens, we don't get to read how they get there. I also had a hard time believing the love story because the characters were very incompatible with each other, and I'm not the biggest fan of this type of troop when a woman becomes the savior to an angry man.
The plot is also inconsistent and it throws some twists that came out of nowhere. TW for suicide talk and spoiler ahead. I usually enjoy twists that are not foreshadowed in any way, but when it comes to sensitive topics, I sheer away from this type of writing. It might have been because of the translation issues, but the scene when Max finds out about the person's suicide was hard to read, and I wish it had been handled differently. I'd say that it did help to shape the final part of the book, so the reading pace got better for me after this scene. I did appreciate the subplot about the play Sarah was working on, and I really liked some of the other characters. While the pace and plot stay inconsistent throughout the book, I did like the ending.
Overall, the story was a slow burn for me. I'd like to point out that I do find that the translation from French to English might have been one of the main reasons the book felt so off. Unfortunately, I don't read French but I've read great reviews from people who have read the original novel so it might be worth exploring for people who speak the language.
This book was somewhat of a slow burn for me and overall I wasn't into the story as I thought I would be.
Max is a rising movie star but his temper keeps getting him in trouble. After getting in a physical violent altercation in the city, he gets arrested and faces serious charges that could land him in prison for a long time. His best and oldest friend Damien testifies in his favor and gets the judge to sentence Max to house arrest which he can serve in his small hometown outside Paris. The conditions of his sentence include Max working at a small bookshop and help Sarah, the store owner, maintaining the building. Sarah is a shy town girl trying to keep her late grandmother's bookstore afloat but doesn't have the money to pay for the work the building needs. It's a win-win situation and Max moves into Sarah's small apartment above the bookshop.
As the week pass and Sarah and Mac get to know each other, they both realize their lives could be different. Max's bad-boy attitude and anger issues keep getting in trouble, and he doesn't want to admit that his life is not what he thought it would be as a rising star. Sarah realizes that while she loves being a bookworm, there is more to life than simply reading, and she could have her own love story if she opened her mind and heart to new experiences.
Overall, this story was something I'd choose to read based on the fact that the setting is in a bookstore. However, I wasn't into the story as I thought I would be.
This book is translated from French to English, so I think there were some issues with the translation that made the story hard to follow at times. The pace of the book is incredibly inconsistent. While the first few chapters lay the foundation for the love story between Max and Sarah, the middle part of the book is incredibly boring. I found myself skimming so much of the story and I can't even remember how it got to the end. The characters are written in very stereotypical ways. Max is described as a "bad boy" with tattoos and having anger issues. Sarah is a shy bookworm who has never even left her hometown and does not understand the world outside her bookstore. The worst part is that they don't go through meaningful character development, so while it happens, we don't get to read how they get there. I also had a hard time believing the love story because the characters were very incompatible with each other, and I'm not the biggest fan of this type of troop when a woman becomes the savior to an angry man.
The plot is also inconsistent and it throws some twists that came out of nowhere. TW for suicide talk and spoiler ahead. I usually enjoy twists that are not foreshadowed in any way, but when it comes to sensitive topics, I sheer away from this type of writing. It might have been because of the translation issues, but the scene when Max finds out about the person's suicide was hard to read, and I wish it had been handled differently. I'd say that it did help to shape the final part of the book, so the reading pace got better for me after this scene. I did appreciate the subplot about the play Sarah was working on, and I really liked some of the other characters. While the pace and plot stay inconsistent throughout the book, I did like the ending.
Overall, the story was a slow burn for me. I'd like to point out that I do find that the translation from French to English might have been one of the main reasons the book felt so off. Unfortunately, I don't read French but I've read great reviews from people who have read the original novel so it might be worth exploring for people who speak the language.
clxy_45's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
rute_cuca's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
4.25
Boxes of my irresistible romance cravings this book ticked:
Sunshine meets the grump troupe ✅
Enemies to lovers ✅
Opposite attract ✅
Undeniable blasting chemistry ✅
Burning desire flames around the couple drag them into like magnets ✅
Dysfunctional families and traumatic pasts of MCs are the common thing which help them understand each other✅
This book was a quiet surprise. It's a redemption story, it's a love story, it's an homage to books and booksellers and was a lovely way to spend the day. The author is French, but the translation was done very well.
Sarah is the owner of a used book shop in a small town a few hours from Paris. She’s in financial straits and things are only getting worse as the building needs some major repairs. She is very sweet and innocent and the townsfolk love her.
Maxime is a movie star, but he is a bad boy. His latest mishap has landed him in jail with the possibility of prison. His agent, his attorney and one of his oldest friends come up with a potential solution. He will be under house arrest for 2 months in Sarah's bookshop. He will pay her a huge fee for this inconvenience and he will help her with repairs.
Both reluctant to be in the situation, the meeting between Sarah and Maxime doesn't go well. Living together forces them closer than expected. They both learn that their pasts have more in common than originally thought. And once the two characters come together, their romance is achingly sweet.
But will their worlds merge or set them in different paths?
Sunshine meets the grump troupe ✅
Enemies to lovers ✅
Opposite attract ✅
Undeniable blasting chemistry ✅
Burning desire flames around the couple drag them into like magnets ✅
Dysfunctional families and traumatic pasts of MCs are the common thing which help them understand each other✅
This book was a quiet surprise. It's a redemption story, it's a love story, it's an homage to books and booksellers and was a lovely way to spend the day. The author is French, but the translation was done very well.
Sarah is the owner of a used book shop in a small town a few hours from Paris. She’s in financial straits and things are only getting worse as the building needs some major repairs. She is very sweet and innocent and the townsfolk love her.
Maxime is a movie star, but he is a bad boy. His latest mishap has landed him in jail with the possibility of prison. His agent, his attorney and one of his oldest friends come up with a potential solution. He will be under house arrest for 2 months in Sarah's bookshop. He will pay her a huge fee for this inconvenience and he will help her with repairs.
Both reluctant to be in the situation, the meeting between Sarah and Maxime doesn't go well. Living together forces them closer than expected. They both learn that their pasts have more in common than originally thought. And once the two characters come together, their romance is achingly sweet.
But will their worlds merge or set them in different paths?