The Mysterious Bakery on Rue De Paris - Evie Gaughan (2014)

Edith Lane has had it with her life in England and decides to take a leap into the unknown by moving to France. Even though this means leaving her father behind, Edith knows she needs a new challenge, one she might be able to find in the vintage French bakery she managed to get a job at. Yet, when Edith arrives at the small bakery on Rue De Paris in the antique town of Compiegne, she isn't exactly welcomed with open arms by the owner. But Edith is determined to give it her best shot and before she knows it, she is learning all about the mysterious ins and outs of the bakery while trying to figure out her own life and wishes at the same time. I loved the basic storyline and straight away admired Edith for her bravery. I loved the sound of the small vintage bakery with its amazing smells and the setting of the pretty French village. Edith is a great heroine, and I really enjoyed joining her on her journey to building up a new life for herself in a strange place, which also includes a collection of lovely secondary characters (I particularly warmed to Madame Moreau, Edith's boss at the bakery, and Nicole, the woman she meets at the local bar). I don't want to give too much of the story away, but there's a reason why the bakery is named 'mysterious' in the title of the book. I totally did not see this aspect of the story coming and I thoroughly enjoyed the uniqueness of it and how Evie Gaughan managed to use this element to really turn her story into something special. Next to that, her writing style is warm, well-paced and just really comfortable to read. The Mysterious Bakery on Rue De Paris is an engaging, warm-hearted and thoroughly enjoyable short novel which I can definitely recommend to readers who are looking for chick lit with a twist. (JoH)

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