3,5 stars

Aria’s Travelling Book Shop by Rebecca Raisin is an uplifting romance, a perfect read for when you’re feeling down and you just need a sweet and cute story that leaves you with a heartwarming, all’s-well-when-it-ends well feeling at the end of the book. You really can’t go wrong with this book: it’s a cozy reading, designed to make you feel good about the world and, by extension, about yourself. It’s intended to be a pick-me-up story and that’s exactly what it is.

Just look at that cover: it instantly makes me feel good about life, I absolutely love it. I have to say the publisher did a great work on the cover…I would definitely buy this book if I were to see it in a book store, just because of it. I fell in love with it: our protagonist being a person that loves books and a nomad that lives on the road, selling precious and wonderful books, I think this is the perfect cover for this story.

Before her husband died, Aria made him a promise that she’s keen to keep and that promise is that after him, she’ll never love another man. So, with her best-friend Rosie for company and her beautiful van full of precious books, they set out to France where they intend to make some money, get to know the country and basically, live life. What Aria doesn’t know is that her life is about to change and that, as hard as it can be moving on from the pain of losing a husband, life does go on and it should be our goal not to be left behind.

This book is a lovely story about moving on, learning to live with grief, and also a heartwarming story about the healing powers of books and how they can sustain you in the most difficult periods of your life. If I had to find a single word to describe the book, it would be sweet. That’s because it’s the word that comes to mind when I think about many different elements of this book: Aria is a sweet woman, who yearns for love even though her husband has passed away; Jonathan is a sweet, kind-heart author who’s been waiting for Aria to realize that she can love again without feeling guilty; Aria and Max are a sweet couple who can’t get enough of themselves; the vans, the way I imagine they’re decorated…the whole notion of living on the road bring to mind sweet feelings of freedom…you get the idea.

I enjoyed the writing very much and there were some funny moments between Aria and Rosie and Aria and Jonathan. It was a lovely story that kept me interested until the end. So, why didn’t I love this book? Well, although the story is sweet and heartwarming, I think I expected more emphasis on the romance side of things. I really wanted to get to know Aria and Jonathan more. I feel like their relationship was built on just a few chance encounters and aside from the first time they met, they didn’t really have the chance to meet each other, talk to each other and that was completely unrealistic to me. It kind of disappointed me actually because at 70% of the book, I still hadn’t read a lot about their relationship and I really thought that the last 30% would be more focused on them both. Well, that didn’t happen. It almost feels like their love story happened in the background – where readers can’t get to – while at the forefront, we all read about Aria’s grieving process. The book definitely fell short to me on the romance part of things.

Even so, I enjoyed reading this book and I really want to read about Rosie’s story – I think it will also be entertaining and funny, so I think I might give it a go one of these days. Not to mention that I love tea, so I’m already imagining Rosie’s vans and how much I would like to live in it.

Many thanks to netgalley and HQ Digital for providing this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Really good read. Would recommend to friends and family. I could sympathise with characters (important for any fiction novel!) and looked forward to picking it up and reading the next few chapters! Interesting plot line and a good ending. Will look out for more novels by the author. Thank you.

This is the first book that I've read from this author - this is a dream book for a book lover. It was so easy to read, heartlifiting, sad and happy in equal parts. I can;t wait to read more of Rebecca Raisin's work

I loved this. It took me ever so long to read it as during lockdown I have had no time to myself. But when I did get a chance, I adored this. Aria is the sweetest character, and it was great to catch up with Rosie and her Travelling Tea Shop. I would recommend this to anyone that wants to read a genuinely nice story, to feel moved and to be transported to the sunshine in the French Riviera.

I would rate this book a 1.5. 

A story about a book shop? How could I not. Aria's Travelling Book Shop is a second novel in a series about van lifers. Those who make money by living and running their business out of a van while travelling all around Europe. Aria runs a travelling book shop out of her van. Still grieving over her husband TJ, Aria travels through France with her best friend Rosie, and Rosie's boyfriend Max, selling books and attempting to deal with her emotions. Aria has sworn off love-a promise to her deceased husband, but she can't help but falling (literally) into the arms of Johnathan, a sweet, book loving man who always happens to be in the right place at the right time. 

I was very excited for the book and it did start out promising. I thought Aria and Rosie were great characters and friends, the book was written well and all that book talk, I mean come on, what's not to love? The book was light and easy to read.  Unfortunately, it fell flat for me. In the end, I thought the book was extremely cheesy, especially TJ's diary entries and Aria's inner monologue-they came off extremely cringey. I liked Rosie a lot, but I found everything about her, and the rest of the book so "G" rated. There wasn't any exciting romance going on. Rather than focusing on the romance, the majority of the book is Aria and Rosie talking, Rosie trying to convince Aria to move on and Aria refusing. It just got very repetitive. It almost felt like this was a YA book with the way it was written. I also thought the romance was too convenient and the supporting characters weren't explored enough or were just unnecessary to the story. I struggled to finish it. I hope others enjoy it more!

"Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!" 

This is my first introduction to Aria and Rosie. I hadn't read Rosie's Traveling Tea Shop, but thankfully, I didn't face any problem in reading this book.

This book was a mixed bag for me. There were quite a few instances where I was going to put this book down but I am glad I didn't.

This was a light story with some heavy emotional moments set in beautiful locations with tons of books. The lifestyle of VanLifers was very interesting to read about. The characters were decent although I didn't feel much attachment to the character of Aria. I was more intrigued by the character of Rosie than that of Aria.

“True love doesn’t always last forever. We have to be prepared to open our hearts again, no matter how damaged we might be.”

My fav character in the book was someone who wasn't present in the book at all, atleast actively- TJ. The way he was described and his personality was total goals. Poor soul had to depart so early :/

The parts of the book where Aria reminisces about him and reads his diary are honestly are the greatest highlight of the story. His words really tugged at my heartstrings.

I loved the friendship between Rosie and Aria; in fact, I lived for their interactions. It reminded me of my interactions with my friends. The author has beautifully captured it.

Now unto the greatest issue I had with the story. I felt zero chemistry between Jonathan and Aria and I simply couldn't buy their relationship. It won't have been much of a problem if this was a lesser important sub-plots but this was the MAIN CORE of the story. All of their interactions were plain awkward and I definitely didn't get the feeling that they were made for each other. Yes, I agree that  they had spent a day together before the story started and that they felt sparks for each other then. However, from what I saw in the story wasn't enough to convince me that they were in such deep love that Jonathan risked his career and wrote a book for her. I don't ship them!

This book is a good choice for readers looking to read something light-hearted and undemanding. Not a perfect book for the time when you want to get some serious reading done.

Arias Travelling Bookshop
by Rebecca Raisin

I would say this book was a pleasant story with a sad but meaningful , underlying story throughout. 


It is a love story, in more ways than one. 
I loved that Aria travelled around in her camper van full time. 
Also, that she loves books..... perfect!

I loved the descriptions of the scenery and the food throughout her travels. 

The bonds built with others nomads. 
Especially the one she had with her friends Rosie and Max. 

The way they made their living. 
The way everyone was on there own journey, for different reasons, but could all relate so much.  

I really liked the ending too. 

I would recommend.

I do love a feel good book that helps you escape for a couple of hours and this was one of those. Lovely story and characters that took you away from it all

This is a great read. Aria is a lovely character. Looking forward to more from this writer.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a story of loss and grief and working through it. The travelling bookshop is merely the backdrop for the in depth look at how Aria is getting over the loss of her husband. The characters are lovely, the setting is nice, there are no real conflicts apart from the one Aria is having with herself. Needed more plot and less grieving for me

Aria is a character that I was fascinated with straightaway. I loved her passion and wanted to jump in her van to travel with her, Rosie and Max to France. This was not the book that I expected but I ate it fast in a day, speeding along with her relationship and her travels (and itching to get to y

Let me first get it out of the way and say that I would like a travelling bookshop too, please!

Aria’s Travelling Bookshop is a standalone sequel to Rosie’s Travelling Tea Shop, in which Rosie found romance and Aria featured as a side character. Here they switch roles, with the main focus on Aria, and Rosie’s relationship forms a lovely sub-plot. I can confirm that you don’t need to have read Rosie’s story to fully appreciate and understand Aria’s story, but am sure it is an equally delightful read, so can’t think of a reason not to go ahead and get them both!

I found the ‘Van Lifer’ lifestyle completely fascinating and very appealing, and thoroughly enjoyed the travel aspect of the story, as Aria and Rosie and the gang tour France with their various mobile businesses. While Aria’s bookshop is right up my street, I did find myself salivating at Rosie and Max’s concoctions. Honestly, I just wanted to take to the road with them all and join in the fun.

There’s a sadder element to the story too though. I felt deeply sympathetic towards Aria’s grief over the loss of her husband and felt it completely understandable that she would feel guilt at moving on without him. To me, this felt like one of the most real and reasonable obstacles I have read in a romance novel, as there is no way to resolve the issue with the loved one who has died… you have to be ready to find the solution within yourself. Luckily, Aria has her friends, a certain journal, and a handsome fellow book-lover to help her address her feelings about TJ and find a path to her future.

This isn’t just a sob-fest either! Aria’s little ‘stories’ (about lost contact lenses etc) are pure ridiculous comedy, and her friendships with the other Van Lifers – especially Rosie – are full of warmth, camaraderie and entertaining banter.

The one relationship I wasn’t quite sold on at first was, unfortunately, the one with Aria’s potential love interest. Their initial meet-cute happens before the book starts, and it feels like the reader misses the chance to see that bond form, so when she falls into his arms (literally, from a stage) it feels like a bit of a shallow infatuation, rather than a meaningful relationship. This feeling faded as the book progressed and they eventually got to spend more time sharing interests and backstories, and by the end of the book I was with Aria all the way.

This story is lovely comfort reading for romance fans and book lovers, and I would definitely read more from Rebecca Raisin and her Van Lifers in future!



Whenever I’m conflicted, I picture myself the heroine in a love story to make sense of it all. That’s the problem with being obsessed with romance novels, you see everything play out as one, including your very own life.
Hopeless romantic Aria vowed never to love again after losing her husband, TJ, but fate seems to have other ideas and keeps throwing mysterious Jonathan in her path. Is this a test of her commitment to her husband, or is it a sign she should open her heart and her mind to the possibility of falling in love once more? Nomadic by nature, Aria can’t see the point when home is always at the end of a new patch of road…

– Rebecca Raisin, Aria’s Travelling Book Shop


Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog

I loved "Rosie's Traveling Tea Shop" and was excited to continue reading about Rosie, Aria and Max. I liked the book, but it didn't have the same spark as the first book. This book was all about Aria and her refusal to fall in love again. She promised her dying husband that she would never love again. So for three years she has only found romance through the books that she read. This is all Aria talked about, it's all Rosie talked about and it's all Aria and Rosie talked about together. The whole book was all about Aria being lonely and staying faithful to her dead husband. There was a little bit of distraction from Aria's lack of a love life with Rosie being "sick", Aria's former mother -in law who hates her and blames her for TJ's death and Tori, the pot stirrer who everyone hates. Tori's complete change didn't see believable, either did her reasons for being an obnoxious witch to Aria and Rosie. I would have enjoyed reading more scenes at the festivals and camper van life. t just felt like something was missing. How many books in English would Aria have sold in France? How does her camper-van hold so many books? Where does she store them all?

I recommend the book, especially if you read the first book in the series. I'm excited to read the next book in the series (there definitely needs to be one). I expect there will be many changes for Max and Rosie. How will they continue on their nomadic life? Rosie doesn't cope well with change or stuff that she can't control. Her lists and worries do get a little ridiculous. I look forward to reading more books by the author. Love the cover of the book. 

I received a complimentary copy of this book from HQ Digital through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Loved this! I finished this in a single sitting.
Would be perfect holiday reading, much of the book set in France as the travellers make their way to various country fairs to sell their wares.
Loved the characters, so well written, even the mean girl had some redeeming features. Ending was predictable but didn’t take away from the storyline in any way.

This was a little slow to start with and to be honest I did struggle a little. I persevered and was pleased I did. Great to see previous characters and get back to that lifestyle again

Great book! I’ve read the first book in this series and the second one is just as good! Same great characters as before but this time it’s based on Aria instead of Rosie. The writing is so easy to read, try chapters are relatively short and it’s just a nice all rounder. It’s definitely made me decide to take a look at this authors other books!

Travelling bookseller Aria is off to France in her campervan for a summer of festivals and fun - that's the plan anyway! But Aria is conflicted by her attraction to author Jonathan, whom she keeps bumping into on her journey through Normandy, the Loire Valley and down to Nice.  She's encouraged by her fellow travellers Rosie and Max to give love a second chance - but how can she betray the memory of her beloved late husband? After his death, Aria had sworn to find solace only in books - can she resist the pull of a real-life romance? Pathos blends beautifully with humour in this warm, fun and witty read.

Hoped this would be an interesting book about a travelling bookshop.Some parts were interesting, but a lot of time was spent on conversations between Aria and Rosie.
Kept getting bored with this book but  did persevere to the end.
Thanks to Netgalley for an Arc.

If only I had put 2 and 2 together sooner, I would have read this months ago when it first landed on my kindle.  I can't believe I didn't twig that this although not necessarily a sequel is set with the same characters, although different lead, that were in Rebecca Raisin's previous book Rosie's Travelling Tea Shop! 

Thankfully I twigged within a few pages, and I was ecstatic to be amongst my favourite group of nomads, and that this book featured so much more of Rosie and Max's story, in addition to us getting to know Aria even better. 

And Aria really is a character you want to get to know, she is the ultimate bookworm, especially loves romances, and I think any book lover would love to visit her campervan shop, given it is filled to the rafters with books, and barely has any room for her to sleep in it! 

She is a widow and has been on the van circuit of festivals travelling for 3 years now, but while knowing that TJ was her one true love, she meets Jonathan and starts to wonder all sorts of things about romance and whether you can in fact fall in love again. 

All of this is set to a backdrop of a summer travelling around France, taking in Rouen, Bordeaux and the French Riviera to name a few of the spots, and they sound idyllic. 

There is plenty of french food to make your mouth water, and there are some surprises along the way too, as well as a beautiful way of Aria discovering she may just be ready to allow a new special person into her life. 

I spent a wonderfully sunny afternoon in my garden, completely entranced by this story, loving every word of it, and at the same time I'm really hoping this isn't the last we have seen of the van lifers - we need more, I need to know how their stories continue!!   

Another gem of a book from the always pleasurable to read Rebecca Raisin. 

Thank you to HQ Digital and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

A ride around France - just what I needed being stuck at home during Lockdown!
It felt like I was riding in Aria's van with the travelling crew and was part of their gang for the time that I was reading this book. 
I identified with Aria as a fellow lover of books, although I'm not sure I'd have QUITE as many as her stacked up in teetering piles!
Having visited the south of France, I could imagine the scenes that took place in Nice and surrounding areas - happy memories.
Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC for review.