Summary: After a horrific accident while working as a supervisor in a chocolate factory, Annie is left feeling confused about her next step. But when she’s offered an opportunity to live in Paris and work in an elite chocolate shop, she leaves her small English town, fearful that she won’t fit in Paris either. Plus the fact that the factory-made chocolate she’s always worked around is nothing like the gourmet treats her boss creates. Anna soon finds herself growing to love Paris, chocolate, and life more than she could have ever expected.

 My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

My Thoughts:

My British contemporary kick continues with The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris, and I seem to also be starting a trend with books about Paris—my previous read, Last Christmas in Paris, also had an emphasis on the city. Maybe this Paris kick is hinting at what my 2018 travel plans could have in store! And after reading The Loveliest Chocolate Shop, my wanderlust for France has grown even more.

I really enjoyed The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris for a multitude of reasons—Paris, Annie’s relationship with Claire, our cast of characters, and of course, the chocolate. I found it so interesting to learn about chocolate-making, and I loved flipping through Jenny Colgan’s chocolate recipes in the back of the book. I’ve luckily had plenty of chocolate in my house for the Christmas season that all of my chocolate cravings caused by this book were quite satisfied. I really love books about baking and food, so it was fun to see Annie not only embrace life in Paris, but also life working in the chocolate shop.

The beginning of the novel flips between Annie and Claire’s perspective, with Claire’s POV flashing back to her own time in Paris with Thierry. I don’t want to spoil anyone too much, but it was really cool to see how Claire, Annie’s schoolteacher and newly found friend, and Thierry, Annie’s boss at the shop, interact and how their story interwove with Annie’s life. I really enjoyed reading about Thierry and Claire’s romance, and I of course found myself rooting for Annie’s own romantic endeavors along with Sami. Referencing back to our cast of characters, I loved our main characters and side characters. Benoit, Alice, and Frederic provided the perfect cast in the shop, Sami is the best possible roommate to have in Paris, and I especially loved Claire’s relationship with Madame LeGuarde.

As much as I loved The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris, there are few reasons why I didn’t gave the book a full 5 stars. I sometimes couldn’t tell what the characters were talking about, especially in the scenes where Claire and Thierry reveal their past to Annie and Laurent. I don’t know if Jenny Colgan did this on purpose to have readers glue pieces of the puzzle on their own. However, I found myself having to reread and backtrack through conversations. AND THE ENDING!! I SUPPOSE IT WAS MEANT TO BEAUTIFUL, BUT TO ME IT WAS JUST SAD AND HEART-BREAKING. Yes, Jenny Colgan made up for it a bit with the epilogue, but unfortunately I am the type of reader who does not want to use her imagination, JUST GIVE ME THE ANSWERS NOW JENNY!

The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris is my second Jenny Colgan book and I feel that now I can officially say that I love her books—frankly, Meet Me at the Cupcake Café was enough for me to say so!

Do you like books that feature food? Have you read The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris? Share in the comments!