This was a lively story about a game show contestant with an ulterior motive, a romance and a happy ending, perfect for a leisurely afternoon read.

This is a fast paced amusing tale by the wonderful Carol Wyer. 

The main characters are intelligent, charismatic and humorous and as we meet and get to know the other contestants they all have their own comedy value. What Happens in France held my attention although I am not generally a fan of comedy books this one is a good variation of romantic comedy with mystery and travel all mixed up together to keep you going one chapter to the next. Having read and very much enjoyed Carol Wyer's crime fiction novels I knew it was worth having a go at reading her lighter comedy - I am so glad I did - its great!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Canelo and Carol Wyer for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

To be honest, I struggled to get to grips with the storyline initially, but stuck with it & was soon hooked & intrigued to discover if Bryony would be reunited with her sister Hannah. It's definitely an interesting journey to get to the outcome, which is literally right on the last few pages & does end rather abruptly, but with the outcome the reader will want.
Also enjoyed the authors notes about her research for the storyline

This book was easy to read. The characters were warm, each with their own story. I was unsure how this story would end, although I wasn’t really surprised. I think I went through multiple emotions whilst reading this. In parts I wondered about the ‘deep’ descriptions, although their need was explained as I read. I have never read anything else by Carol Wyer, but it’s name I’ll now look out for.

The description first drew me to request this book - it sounded interesting and I thought the cover was super cute with the dog in his little outfit. Once I started reading I couldn't stop - literally couldn't put it down. I was so exciting to read all about the game show and find out more about Bryony's missing sister. I could tell that the book would have a happy ending and Hannah would be found, but I loved hearing about her life since she ran away. The only thing that I didn't like about this book was I felt Bryony and Lewis' relationship was a little rushed for them getting together - it seemed to go from 0-100 in that one night. Otherwise I enjoyed this immensely and would definitely read something else by Carol Wyer.

A new author to me but I loved the book from beginning to end. The style was easy to read and characters quick to pick up on and easy to follow. The story is based on a competition with the main characters travelling to France and a region that I know so it was good to read about reality even within this genre. So if you love great characters, a bit of France, some crazy competition then you will love this book.

Bryony has been haunted by the loss of her sister, Hannah, who left home when she was aged 6 after feeling responsible for her getting injured. She’s been trying to find her for the last 30 years but feels even more driven as their father has suffered a stroke and constantly is looking for her. Her last resort is to enter a reality contest in the hope all the publicity will help her locate her once and for all. She teams up with Lewis who supports her throughout the competition and makes her realise there are more benefits to taking part than she realised. I really enjoyed this trip through France, it was a really good idea and carried you along enjoying their adventures and the characters they met up with. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved this book. Being a fan of Treasure Hunt way backwhen it was on the TV it was a pleasure to have the author's spin on the game show and the description of the chateau scenese came to life in my mind.  I thought the ideaof the cars "dressed up" was novel and made me smile.  I cannot decide on which character I liked the best or amused me but I must say the outfits for Biggy smalls made me smile as I could picture him in his french outfit.  It was a sad story in some ways.  Jim's story was one which made you feel heartsore but like all things you can relate to it and all comes out well in the end. What a sweet soul Bryony is and Lewis comes across as my hero.  I have read this whilst travelling around New Zealand and when I get home I will read it again - that is how much I enjoyed the story.

What a great book this was to read.  An overall storyline that had you captivated from the off but some nice other ones too keeping you reading on until you reached a conclusion.

I liked the premise of this book as reality TV is so much part of the zeitgeist, and I did enjoy the French setting, however, I was most intrigued to find out what happened to Hannah and got quite frustrated by the story of the TV show over the mystery. I also didn't feel that all of the dialogue was at all convincing.

If you are looking for a light-hearted, fun read with quite an intriguing mystery then you will probably enjoy this book but I wouldn't go so far as to describe it as 'laugh out loud'.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It was a brilliant, easy read and is definitely a book I’d pick up again and again. Thank you for giving me the chance to read this gem!

Really enjoyed the premise of the book. The game show aspect kept the action moving along.  What Happens in France... could be the start of an interesting series. In this case, the book could also have been called "Searching for Hannah."   The dog, Biggie Small, was an enduring character in his own right. However, there were some editing errors that interrupted the flow of my reading.  For example, Biggie Small was described as notorious, and I don't think that was the author's intention.

I requested and was given a copy of this book, via NetGalley. This is my honest review of the book after choosing to read it.

There are some authors whose books you just know you're going to love and Carol Wyer is one of them as far as I'm concerned. I love her sense of humour which really does have me laughing out loud but there's always more than just the humour in her stories. In this story it is the desperate desire of Bryony Master to discover and reconnect with her older sister, Hannah, who ran away from home when sixteen years old. Now their father has had a stroke and is always asking for Hannah. In her endeavour to gain more publicity to help find her sister, Bryony answers a call for new contestants on a game show which is being aired amongst much hype and is successful. So begins her journey to France, an eclectic mix of fellow contestants, the chance to meet and chat to one of her favourite stars and maybe the chance to finally discover her sister before time runs out for their father.

The mix of contestants in the show is brilliant and they're a great bunch together. It is a behind the scenes look at game shows and has some fantastic fun escapades in it. As well as the mystery of her disappearing sister, there's also misunderstandings, a developing romance and surprises galore in this fabulous French adventure. It is a heartwarming story and I really do hope there will be a series of further books developing from this in future that I get to read! I have absolutely no hesitation in very highly recommending this amazing story to anyone looking for an engrossing fun read that'll definitely leave you with a smile on your face and some happy memories of just what happens in France!

Bryony Masters is desperate to find her older sister Hannah, who ran away at the age of sixteen as her dad is seriously ill and doesn’t know how long he has left.

In a last ditch attempt to find her she auditions for a mysterious new game show What happens in... 
Getting on the show is just the first step, she must try and win as many challenges as she can talk about the search for her sister. Can she do it with the help of her gorgeous teammate Lewis? Will she find her sister?

So this is actually my first Carol Wyer book. She’s been on my radar for a while now, I’ve been dying to read one of her books but like with a lot of authors I just haven’t had the time until now.

What happens in France is one of those stories that can make you laugh one minute, then tear up the next.

Bryony has had a tough old time of it. Bullied for a rare condition that made her lose control of her body, then almost dying in a car accident leaving her scarred and to top that off her beloved sister ran away which she blames herself for. I felt very sorry for her but she hasn’t let those hardships hold her back and has managed to go university, then has had a successful career as an English teacher.

There’s also some fabulous secondary characters, each one unique and memorable.  There’s the dashing Lewis, her level headed best friend Melinda who encourages Bryony to come out of her shell and the pompous and frankly annoying Professor Potts. 

There were a couple of issues, I felt like it took a little long to actually get to the game show part, which was my favourite bit of the novel. Also some of the conversations felt a little like info dumps and seemed a bit stilted and unnatural but of course that’s just my opinion.

Overall What happens in France is an uplifting and fun read that will take you on an emotional rollercoaster right until the very end.

This was a pretty good contemporary romance to pass the time during a super cold day. It was adorable and hilarious. It was definitely predictable, but then again so are all the other contemporary romances.

This is the first book I’ve read from Carol Wyer and was looking forward to reading this after reading the summary.

We are following Bryony Masters who has been desperately looking for her sister for 30 years after Hannah at the age of 16 ran away from home.  Bryony who was only 6 at the time idolised Hannah and thought that Hannah must have left because of her.

Bryony is a bright young woman who has had many challenges in her life and she is determined to find Hannah.  Her friend Melanie encourages her to apply for a new Gameshow ‘What Happens in....’. Bryonys main motivation is the exposure being on a gameshow could offer.

So we have Bryony, a quizzer gameshow set in France and great characters as her fellow contestants.  Bryonys partner in the gameshow is Lewis...a neighbour of Melanie and they meet at the auditions.

We have a daily show, hilarious games, great scienary and Bryony searching for Hannah.

Great read.

I'll admit the premise of this had me early on (the gameshow!) and with all the gushing that was coming off the screen at me from other bloggers I was excited to read this. Coincidentally it came at the same time as I started to read The Birthday by the same author which is a thriller. I had cut my Kindle Unlimited connection just a few days before and so lost this and was beyond bereft (I honestly mean this and it reminds me to go buy it now!) as I was only a little into the book and was hooked beyond belief!

Anyhoo back to this, with Bryony Masters deciding she has absolutely explored all other avenues of finding her long lost sister and so she heads off to France to take part in a game show she hopes her sister will see. I enjoyed the game show and the characters that came with it but for me the star of the show was really the diary extracts that gave us pieces of the puzzle.

All in all I enjoyed although I wasn't sure of my agreement of the reason of Hannah's disappearance but every person is different so what fits one won't fit the other. Funnily enough, with the epic descriptiveness throughout that puts you right there and somehow has the slightest tinge of darkness to them, this is a book that will send me running back to get to all of Ms. Wyer's thrillers, which I can only assume will continue to be epic!! Thanks so much to Canelo and Netgalley for the book in return for an honest review. 

Rating: 4/5

Carol Wyer: What Happens In France. 

My only experience of Carol Wyer's writing are her police service featuring Robyn Carter and Natalie Ward, so I was interested to see how she handles the lighter side of fiction, and I'm mightily impressed. The premise of a game show is incredibly inventive, and I loved reading about Bryony and Lewis’ adventures as they tackled the weird and wonderful challenges demanded of them. There is lots of humour in these situations which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Bryony and Lewis are joined by a great bunch of characters on the game show, and I really enjoyed finding out more about their lives too. There's Oscar, a dancer who goes everywhere with his dog, and Jim who spends a lot of time with his family and caring for his disabled wife. There's the presenter,  Professor Potts, whose public persona is very different to his personality,  and the producers who try to keep everything running smoothly. They all have their own stories and provide humour and things to think about in equal measure. 
As with most chick lit novels, there are some more serious subjects in What Happens In France underneath the comedy. I was fascinated by Bryony's search for her sister and the reasons why she may have left. I have also never come across Sydenham's Chorea before, and so was Interested in the symptoms and how they affected Bryony and the people around her.

I found this to be an endearing and heart-warming story. There are some serious issues lurking below the surface through Hannah's disappearance and the guilt her family still feel for this. I loved the format for the book which was provided through the quiz show and was delighted to read the author's account, at the end of the story, of how she researched the question of entering quiz programmes by actually entering them herself. This certainly accounts for the authentic feel that these sections had. 

    There are some humorous parts to the story and I loved following Bryony through France. It was a lovely interlude in a snowy winters day back in the UK. I found that Carol's writing style flowed easily and the pages flew by. It is an enjoyable read with some genuine laugh out loud moments and a great cast of characters.

In short:  A wonderful mix of romance, mayhem and laugh out loud moments.

Thanks to the author for a copy of the book.

A fun and touching rom-com. I loved this book and couldn't wait to find out the end. Highly recommend. 

Many thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.