The Little Provence Book Shop by Gillian Harvey

 

The Little Provence Book Shop by Gillian Harvey.

Published 9th October 2024 by Boldwood Books.

From the cover of the book:

As the sun rises over the little Provence village where single mother Adeline has escaped with her little girl Lili, she breathes deeply. This is their new beginning. Here, she can forget the lies her family told her. Here, she can start her story again.

Later she opens the door to the town’s tiny bookstore, where she is to work, ready to meet the mysterious owner Monique for the first time.

She expected an ordinary bookshop. But this bookstore feels somehow different… magical. Breathing in the smell of books, she feels a jolt of something. It feels like a new chapter beginning.

As she gets to know the villagers – including the handsome Andre and friendly Michel – she starts to believe in the magic of this new start. But can a runaway like Adeline ever find what she’s looking for? Or is a happy-ever-after just another fiction?

***********

When the death of her mother brings a shocking revelation, single-mum Adeline makes a spur of the moment decision to up-sticks, head to rural France with her five-year-old daughter Lili, and take a job in a little bookshop in Provence. Sleepy St Vianne is a big change from the London buzz they are used to, and Adeline is nervous about meeting Monique, the stranger she will be working for. However, as soon as she steps through the doors of the bookshop, her worries vanish. She senses something magical about the place, and the curious Monique, who she rapidly learns has a rare talent for matching her customers with just the right books.

Adeline soon settles into life in St Vianne, making friends among the villagers (such as Michel, Monique's 'nephew', and the handsome Andre, who makes her heart flutter), and Lili begins to thrive. Adeline feels in her bones this the new start they needed, but she still has questions about who she is and what she really wants. Can she find the answers here in Provence?

I always know I am in for a heart-tugging read when I settle down with a Gillian Harvey book, and The Little Provence Book Shop was no exception. Harvey has a real talent for stories about new beginnings in France, and with each book her ability to introduce some really interesting themes just gets better.

Adeline discovers a secret about her past, when her mother dies, which creates a breach between her and her brother. She needs a new start for herself and her daughter, so when a job advert catches her eye at just the right time, and curiously in just the right place where some answers might be found, she and Lili embark on village life in Provence.

The secret is pretty easy to spot from the outset, and it allows Harvey to connect the two lovely strands of the story. The first is Adeline's search for the truth of her origins, that sensitively explores adoption and how this links to questions about your own sense of self, especially when the knowledge you are adopted comes as a complete shock. The second is the quite magical environment of the bookshop, Monique's acute sense of intuition, and the ability of books to connect with your soul. 

The two storylines weave together, touching through the experiences of Adeline, and in a clever twist Monique, as they each search for answers in their own adoption stories. Harvey maintains just the right level of mystery to keep you guessing about where their searches will take them, and hits the perfect emotional soft spot when they reach the end of their quests. The bookshop element enriches the themes of searching for answers, and healing journeys, with a sprinkling of intuitive magic that may or may not be supernatural. I adored this part of the story, which thrums with the love of books and the restorative power of their contents - absolute balm for the bibliophile soul. 

Along the way, Harvey does her usual excellent job of bringing France alive, and St Vianne and its community are an atmospheric delight. I enjoyed the light romantic suspense she injects into the tale through Adeline's friendships with Michel and Andre, for the will-they-won't-they vibes; and Adeline's relationship with her brother Kevin is so sweet. But for me, this one is all about the relationship between Adeline and Monique, and the themes that tie them together - mothers and daughters; recognising the true value of found family; connection to blood family; and trusting your gut instincts to steer your right.

Escapist loveliness, with a pinch of fairy-dust, and a warm-hearted ending - that gently explores big themes. 

The Little Provence Book Shop is available to buy now in paperback, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Boldwood Books for providing an ecopy of this book in return for an honest review, and to Rachel's Random Resources for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the author:

Gillian Harvey is a freelance writer and bestselling author who lives in France. She writes escapist fiction set in France, including bestsellers A Year at the French Farmhouse and A Month in Provence.