The Forgotten Bookshop in Paris: from an exciting new voice in historical fiction comes a gripping and emotional novel

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I have to say that I was very disappointed in this book. I've heard so many good things about it and maybe it's just me, but I was getting confused with all the characters & names mainly in the present timeline of 2022. I usually really enjoy duel timeline stories but this one fell short and honestly I couldn't wait to get done. Juliette needed a place to stay and found an apartment above a bookstore and decided to restore the bookstore even though a friend’s grandmother ZiZi who is 97 told her to not dig up the past.

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If this book is on your reading list, please read it and I really hope that you'll find things that I possibly missed! I hope that you'll enjoy it more than I did 😊 As for me, on to better books: The Lindberg Nanny & The Book Spy!!!!I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Many thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for this opportunity. In the present timeline, you get to follow strong people too. But it felt more like a romance and or women fiction. It was 2022 when Juliette and Andrew arrived in Paris for a holiday from the US. Juliette's grandmother had been born in the city of love and lived through the war years, although she wouldn't talk about it before she died. The painting which had been such a big part of her life was now Juliette's and she was determined to find the little square depicted. After Juliette discovered a hidden secret, Andrew returned to the US, leaving Juliette to search for her roots - that history was to be a big part of her life, especially when she found a derelict old store for sale, in the square she'd been drawn to. Juliette decided to renovate and re-open the old store, calling it The Forgotten Bookshop

It is a story of Love and of compassion for those unfortunate enough to be hunted by the Nazi's and needing their help. Kevin flies home. Juliette stays. Her grandmother Meme had a picture in her bedroom of an old bookshop in Paris. Juliette is overjoyed to discover the little shop. It is now vacant and she wants to open a bookshop there again. All my life, I’ve been making decisions based on what other people wanted.This adventure is just for me. Is that selfish? Maybe, but I don’t want to wake up in thirty years’ time and realise I’ve wasted my life. We only get one shot–might as well make the most of it.’ Juliette and her husband Kevin are visiting Paris in 2020. She loves everything about the city and being fluent in French, she gets by admirably. Kevin is bored and wants to go home. She discovers quite by chance that he is not being faithful. The reader can take it from there as the story morphs into Juliette’s “Forgotten Bookshop” and Jacques and Mathilde’s story unfolds.This story will keep you reading, it is engaging and full of suspense and close calls. Secret meetings, and fatal consequences. I recommend this book, you will want to read it. This is a wonderful novel. I especially liked the descriptions about Mathilde and Jacques. Their story is filled with hope and is heartbreaking at the same time. The book is brilliantly written. The reader is transported in time to wartime Paris. The fear of the citizens, the “disappearing” Jewish people and the strength of the human spirit to hope and resist in the face of terrible odds. After discovering her husband’s affair while on vacation in Paris, Juliette finds herself unable to leave the city. Drawn to an abandoned bookstore, Juliette discovers its secrets and how they entwine with her family history. It was as if she was meant to be there. This book moves from 1940-1945 to 2020. The reader learns about Jacques and Mathilde’s lives. In 2020, we learn about Juliette’s struggle to open the bookshop and the discoveries she makes. Thank you Net Galley and HarperCollins for a complimentary copy of this novel! This novel has dual timelines, switching between 2022 and WW2 (1940s). In 2022, Juliette and Andrew are in holiday in Paris. Juliette’s grandmother was from Paris and had been there at the time of WW2. Her grandmother had left behind a painting and Juliette was determined to find its significance. While visiting in Paris, Juliette discovers her husband Andrew was having an affair, so he ends up returning to the states. Juliette remains in Paris to explore her family’s past.