Review: 'Return to the Little French Guesthouse' by Helen Pollard (2016)

When Emmy Jamieson leaves her life behind and moves to La Cour des Roses, a gorgeous guesthouse amidst vineyards in France, everything is resting on her success as the new guesthouse manager. 
Looming in the calendar is the biggest booking ever, when the entire eccentric, demanding Thomson family will descend for a golden wedding anniversary. With airbeds on the floor and caravans in the garden, La Cour des Roses will be bursting at the seams. 
Emmy knows she’s up to the challenge, especially with the support of the gorgeous Alain, the half-French, half-English, caramel-eyed accountant. But she hadn’t counted on a naked, sleepwalking travel blogger, or the return of owner Rupert’s venomous ex-wife Gloria. 
Gloria has a few things to say about Emmy’s new role, Rupert’s finances, and the unsuspecting Alain, which send everybody reeling. Just when Emmy can see a future for herself of endless sunshine, true love and laughter, are her dreams about to be ripped at the seams?
I love it when you've read a novel you really enjoyed and you discover the author has actually planned to write a sequel, which means there's even more of the story to come...! This was the case with Helen Pollard's 'The Little French Guesthouse' which I read and reviewed earlier this year (click here to read my review) and loved, and a few months ago I managed to get a review copy of the sequel, 'Return to the Little French Guesthouse'. I was incredibly excited to once again have another read by author Helen Pollard to dive into, because I remembered really enjoying her writing style and was looking forward to giving another one of her works a go, hoping I'd end up enjoying it just as much as the first one!
It doesn't happen every day that you decide to leave your whole life behind to start afresh somewhere else, but that's exactly what Emmy Jamieson finds herself doing. Switching the UK for sunny France, she's taken on a job as the manager at guesthouse La Cour des Roses, where she will be working together with the owner, Rupert. Emmy is determined to make a success out of the guesthouse, but things are quite a mess and it only gets more challenging as surprise after surprise arrives on the doorstep... Will France and La Coer des Roses really bring Emmy what she has been looking for, including love in the form of accountant Alain, or would it be better for everyone if she just admits defeat and makes the trip back to the UK?
Oh, I loved this book! I already really enjoyed the first part of this series, 'The Little French Guesthouse', and was wondering whether the sequel would manage to live up to that one, but it definitely did. It was simply lovely to be with Emmy, Rupert and all the other characters again, and to be back at the stunning La Coer des Roses. I have to say, I am really not a fan of France; it's just not a country that has ever really ticked all the boxes for me, but author Helen Pollard has managed to make me fall in love with this little piece of French heaven that I really wouldn't mind visiting in real life, if it existed. Helen's writing makes the story even better; her style is effortless, warm and incredibly easy to get lost in, perfect for an escapist chick lit read like this one, and I'm already at the point where I dare to say I'll pick up any novel with her name on it, because I have a good feeling I'll end up enjoying it.
While the book can certainly be read as a stand-alone (enough background information is given), I recommend starting with the first book, because they're both great reads. Emmy is a fantastic main characters; I love how determined she is and was really rooting for her from the very beginning. Next to Emmy, there's a great collection of secondary characters who all have their own important part in the storyline, such as the owner of the guesthouse, Rupert; his horrible ex-wife Gloria; their accountant Alain, and the new friends Emmy has made in the village. There's more than enough going on to keep your attention at all times, which is something I love in a novel. All in all, 'Return to the Little French Guesthouse' is a warm, gorgeously well-written, feel-good read that I didn't want to put down; a book that comes highly recommend to any chick lit fans out there!

Rating:9,5/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Upcoming Release: 'Return to the Little French Guesthouse' by Helen Pollard

When Emmy Jamieson leaves her life behind and moves to La Cour des Roses, a gorgeous guesthouse amidst vineyards in France, everything is resting on her success as the new guesthouse manager. 

Looming in the calendar is the biggest booking ever, when the entire eccentric, demanding Thomson family will descend for a golden wedding anniversary. With airbeds on the floor and caravans in the garden, La Cour des Roses will be bursting at the seams. 

Emmy knows she’s up to the challenge, especially with the support of the gorgeous Alain, the half-French, half-English, caramel-eyed accountant. But she hadn’t counted on a naked, sleepwalking travel blogger, or the return of owner Rupert’s venomous ex-wife Gloria. 

Gloria has a few things to say about Emmy’s new role, Rupert’s finances, and the unsuspecting Alain, which send everybody reeling. Just when Emmy can see a future for herself of endless sunshine, true love and laughter, are her dreams about to be ripped at the seams? 

I'm probably not the only one who has already gone on holiday and now has to face everyday life again...! Luckily we've got some great summer reads to keep us distracted and I think Helen Pollard's new novel 'Return to the Little French Guesthouse' will do just that. The book will be released on August 26th and is the sequel to 'The Little French Guesthouse', which was a great read. I can't wait to join Emmy once again in the French countryside and be transported to a lovely holiday destination, even if it's just in my mind...!

Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads

Review: 'The Little French Guesthouse' by Helen Pollard (2016)

When Emmy Jamieson arrives at La Cour des Roses, a beautiful guesthouse in the French countryside, she can’t wait to spend two weeks relaxing with boyfriend Nathan. Their relationship needs a little TLC and Emmy is certain this holiday will do the trick. But they’ve barely unpacked before he scarpers with Gloria, the guesthouse owner’s cougar wife. 

Rupert, the ailing guesthouse owner, is shell-shocked. Feeling somewhat responsible, and rather generous after a bottle (or so) of wine, heartbroken Emmy offers to help. Changing sheets in the gîtes will help keep her mind off her misery. 

Thrust into the heart of the local community, Emmy suddenly finds herself surrounded by new friends. And with sizzling hot gardener Ryan and the infuriating (if gorgeous) accountant Alain providing welcome distractions, Nathan is fast becoming a distant memory. 

Fresh coffee and croissants for breakfast, feeding the hens in the warm evening light; Emmy starts to feel quite at home. But it would be madness to walk away from her friends, family, and everything she’s ever worked for, to take a chance on a place she fell for on holiday – wouldn’t it?

Whenever I need a pick-me-up, a book that I'm sure I will enjoy and that will make me smile, I know I can trust on publisher Bookouture to have something on offer that fits my wishes. Last week I was really looking for a feel-good, summer read and I stumbled upon my review copy of Helen Pollard's 'The Little French Guesthouse', which I got via NetGalley. I immediately loved the colourful cover of the book and the summary promised just the kind of story I was longing to dive into. I was excited to join main character Emmy on her holiday to France and hoped I would end up enjoying the book as much as I expected!

Twenty-something Emmy Jamieson can't wait to spend two blissful weeks at La Cour des Roses, a beautiful French guesthouse in the countryside, with her boyfriend of five years, Nathan. However, what is supposed to be a relaxing break to fall in love with each other again turns out to be quite the disaster when Emmy catches Nathan in bed with their hostess Gloria. After the two of them leave the guesthouse, Emmy is left behind to take care of the owner, Rupert, and the guesthouse itself. But what initially seems as a disaster soon turns out to be a blessing in disguise as Emmy meets some great new people and starts to feel quite at home in the French countryside. Question is: what does she really want to do with her life at this moment and is she really ready to make some life-altering decisions while she's far away from home and everyone she loves?

'The Little French Guesthouse' is my first Helen Pollard novel and I have to say I enjoyed it a lot! The book is promoted as a great read for fans of authors such as Lucy Diamond and Jenny Colgan and I definitely agree with that; it's a novel I can recommend to all chick lit fans. I really liked Helen's writing; she even made me fall in love with the setting of the book, particularly the guesthouse, and I'm really not a fan of France usually! The descriptions of the lovely house, the scenery and Emmy's adventures really made me long for summer (and a holiday!) and resulted in a lovely and wonderful read which I really enjoyed.

Emmy was a great main character that I easily warmed to and felt for. Part of the warmth of the novel comes from the wonderful secondary characters, though, which really created that lovely small town feeling where everyone knows and helps each other. I did feel that at times the book could have been a bit more fast-paced, or perhaps another small storyline could have been added to keep the reader entertained at all times, but I do understand this smaller pace of life fits the holiday/summer/French lifestyle. I actually read somewhere that this is the first part of a series and I am really excited to see what the next instalment is going to bring us and I'm sure I will be picking it up. Overall, 'The Little French Guesthouse' is the ideal chick lit read to pick up when you're longing for your summer holiday; a warm, well-written, fun read which I enjoyed from start to finish!
Rating:9,5/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.