Sweet summer read!
Perfect beach read that takes you on a delightful journey. The idea of going to a foreign country and becoming a local for a week sounds so fun to me. Ending up working a job on my "vacation" (even though yes, I know it wasn't a holiday or vacation) is exactly something I could do.
Could've done without the potential romance subplots because they felt clunky and unnecessary to me. Her relationship with her parents is so sweet, even as she tries to find her birth mom. Stories like these can feel awkward depending on how the author approaches the "parenting" aspect, but I think Clarke does a fabulous job. Such a fun cast of characters, I felt transported every time I pressed play on the audio book.

Thank you Net Galley and Saga Egmont Audio for access to this book in exchange for an honest review!

This is a cute little story about a woman approaching her 30s and decides to go search for her biological mother knowing only that she is French and her name starts with an M. Leaving London behind she goes to a little French town and her quest starts. At the same time , she starts making friendships, working, and maybe even she will find the love she always hoped for.
The story was good but it developed slowly which made me bored at times and the narrator voice didn't help me to get connected to the story, I would have preferred if I have read it than heard it.

Charming story for young adults and up. I enjoyed that it was easy to read, keeping my interest as I walked the journey with Elle. I was right along with her, wondering what all will she (we?!) discover? A fun, lighthearted book perfect for a summer escape.

I want to start by saying thank you to NetGalley and Saga Egmont Audio for this audio-arc. I thought the story had really good bones but I just felt like it was a little bland. Nothing really made me feel attached to or want to root for the characters. I found myself a little bored with the descriptions, and the setting seemed like it could've had so much life that just wasn't there. While the story was realistic it fell short when it failed to entice the reader/listener in the mundane life being described. I would give this author another shot but this was not my favorite.

We are at the height of summer and I was looking for a light, summery audiobook so that I pretend I'm on vacation while I work. The cover of Summer at the Little French Cafe caught my attention with its waterfront landscape and little red, white, and blue flags. And of course, with summer in the title, I figured it was just what I was looking for.

The first thing I noticed about this book was how fast the audiobook went. Usually, I will listen for 30 minutes to an hour and then take a break. When I thought about taking a break from this book I realized I had been listening for more than 3 hours. It was just so soothing that it was easy to listen to.

If a book can be a lazy listen, this is definitely that kind of book. There wasn't a lot of intricate details to keep up with or complicated twists. It is mostly about the characters with most of the action being of the everyday variety. Lucy Bromilow does an excellent job and her voice was so easy to listen to.

And the characters are so enjoyable. I was ready to jump on a plane for Chamillon (though it is a fictitious village I could go to Champillon) just so I could meet these people.

Elle Matheson has never known her birth mother. She was a vacation fling and her father isn't even sure of her name. All he knows is that nine months after their triste, a woman shows up in England with a 1-week-old baby and says she can't raise her. Elle had a good life with her dad who was engaged at the time and his fiancee readily accept Elle as her own. Shortly after her father dies she finds a postcard of a cafe in the French village where her father had met her birth mother - it's just signed M. With her sister being her only remaining living relative she decides to go look for her birth mother.

With a 30-year-old protagonist, I did wonder if this would be a romantic comedy but it leaned much more towards women's fiction. The risk she takes to search for her birth mother also takes her on a bit of a journey into self-discovery. There is a little bit of romance but it is very much in the background and the novel is a clean read.

If are looking for an enjoyable, but easy listen, then I highly recommend this book. I didn't realize that this is book 2 in the Little French Cafe series until I got to the back matter. I think it is a series that is about different characters and the common denominator is the cafe so you don't have to have read book 1 to enjoy this one. But I liked the characters so much I will be looking for Escape to the Little French Cafe just so I can visit with them more.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Tuesday - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2022/07/summer-at-little-french-cafe-by-karen.html

The perfect summer read! A little mystery, romance and the perfect setting! This was light hearted and I loved the characters! Add it to your beach reads.

I enjoyed this story. Elle’s adopted mother died several years ago, and recently she’s also lost her father. While cleaning out his personal items, she discovers a shawl and postcard with a photo of the Cafe Belle Vie (aka The Little French Cafe). The initial M is found in the script on the card which Elle assumes is the initial of her birth mother. Determined to find out all she can in hopes of being reunited with this woman, she journeys to Chamillon to start her search.

Elle is given a warm welcome and ends up working at Cafe Belle Vie which provides her with lots of opportunities to meet the people of the village who assist her in solving the mystery of her birth mother’s identity. Elle also meets Charlie the cafe owner’s son and Henri a local fisherman who adds a bit of romance to Elle’s life and to the story.

I enjoyed this book. It has an interesting storyline, a well-developed protagonist, and lots of food references. The reader cannot help but feel they are on vacation in France. The elements of humour added to my enjoyment of the book and I found the conclusion of the book to be satisfying.

I listened to the audiobook version of Summer at the Little French Cafe which was narrated by Lucy Bromilow. I appreciated the tone of her voice which made this an easy book to listen to. Those that enjoy audiobooks may wish to choose this format.

This book would be a great summer beach read. It's about a young woman who travels to France to find her birth mother in a small town (based on a postcard that her father kept). The first people she meets are an English woman and her son who run the local cafe. As she becomes more familiar with the people in this town, she tries to deduce the name of her birth mother, and finds it's not easy. At the same time, she is adjusting to the different environment she finds in this country, as opposed to her native England. It's a light-hearted novel with some interesting characters and touches of humor along the way. Good beach read!

Elle’s journey to Chamillon, a beautiful village in an island in France, is not only to solve the mystery of her birth mother, but also to fins herself again. Will her new friends Dolly and her charming son Charlie be able to help her in her quest? Will Elle’s find more than she was looking for? New family, new friends, a perhaps, the love of her life? Great story and great audiobook

Summer at the Little French Cafe was exactly what I needed while having the post-vacation blues after my own trip to France. Karen Clarke tells a story about Elle, a girl who goes to a small French village called Chamilon to find her birth mother. This sweet story gave me my French fix and pushed me to start planning my next trip!

Elle's character has to go through many hard things in this book, leading to her going to France to find her birth mother. This story is about finding yourself, traveling, and meeting new people. Elle meets so many great people along her journey that will forever shape her future path. Anyone looking for a light-hearted read that takes place abroad will definitely enjoy this one.

I listened to this story through NetGalley as an audiobook. The narrator Lucy Bromilow was a great choice for the audiobook. She was very expressive and I was easily able to differentiate the characters' dialogues.

I wasn't aware this was the 2nd book in the series, however i feel it is fine as a standalone.
The story of Ells (Elouise), who is in France to try and find her birth mother, with the only lead being a postcard featuring the Café Belle Vie. Along the way she meets locals keen to help her and locals keen to date her.
The book didn't wow me, but a lovely book to listen too. Narrator Lucy Bromilow was brilliant 🙂

A beautiful story of Elle on a getaway to Chamillion, France in search of her birth mother. She doesn’t have many clues, a postcard from someone with the letter M, a charm bracelet and a baby wrap. She bumps into Cafe Belle Vie to start her search and winds up with a job and a friend to help in her search. Not realizing how many woman there are on the island with names starting with M. she eliminates one after another. Making new friends along the way.
There is a nice balance of humor throughout, well written and loved the narration. Nice summer read. Thank you NetGalley for this eARC. I am voluntarily posting an honest review after reading an Advance Reader Copy of this story. #NetGalley #SummerattheLittleCafe #KarenClarke

Photographer Elle discovers three vital clues about her birth mother and sets off on a quest to find

her. She arrives in Chamillon, is offered a job at Cafe Belle Vie, and begins her delicate enquiries. Elle finds

love, help, and friendship from the villagers in this gem of a story. It is uplifting and a joy to read.

I was so happy reading this tale. of personal discovery and hope.

A glorious Summer read! Fantastic location, lovely locals and a mystery to solve. Beautifully narrated, the perfect romantic escape.

I had the opportunity to review the audio book for Summer at the Little French Cafe. This is a charming story that I did not want to end. I loved escaping to this small town in France. The characters were fun and love able. The narrator did a splendid job with the voices and keeping the characters upbeat and fun. I looked forward to listening to this book daily. A favorite of my summer reads so far.

The plot in this book is not too complex, it’s an easy read if you fancy it. The main character, who is searching for her birth mother, is quite sweet, you want the best for her. The French setting is endearing and it really made me miss my holidays abroad. I listened to this as an audio book. It was entertaining, but the narrator could have been a bit more creative when swapping character voices.

Elle Matheson is on a journey to find her birth mother. It is at the Cafe Belle Vie in the Chamillion Village that she finds a new set of friends really trying to help her.

This book has all the romance and humor feels. I really liked how we get another look into the characters from the first book (wish we had a bigger glimpse of Natalie and Marty too). I really like Charlie, he is so honest and humble, and really rooted for him in the love category.

A really fast paced book with loads to look forward to! Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher for this ARC.

A great, entertaining summer read. I enjoyed the story and I liked all of the characters. I didn’t find it very funny, as a rom-com, but definitely just a good rom.

The audiobook was done really well. The narrator did an excellent job - well spoken and good at changing voices for characters.

Thanks Netgalley and Saga Egmont Audio for this ARC. This might be a good consideration for book club.

Oh... it is a series, I need to go read Natalie's story! Would love to read another novel.

A light summer read with engaging characters and a beautiful setting. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the audio version of this book--the narrator did an excellent job. I quickly became immersed in Elle's search for her birth mother and loved how it dovetailed with her finding herself along the way. Her antics and sense of humor occasionally made me laugh out loud and the romantic possibilities were fun and sweet.

Thirty year old Elle has always known that the woman who raised her was not her birth mother & that she was handed to her father at one week old by the unknown French woman, but after her father’s death she finds a baby shawl, a bracelet & a postcard that is just signed “M”. The postcard is of a café on the Île de Ré in France so Elle decides to head there to see if she can uncover the mystery surrounding her birth & who her birth mother was. With only the postcard, shawl & bracelet as clues Elle knows actually finding her birth mother is actually quite unlikely but feels that she must give it a go.
Elle finds herself with an unexpected job at the café and quickly becomes part of the community, however the hunt for her mother doesn’t go smoothly - for a start she perhaps underestimates how many women aged 50 ish with names starting with M live in a small place like Chamillon! (Maria, Matilda, Madeleine, Maud, …) Of course if she does manage to find her birth mother, she has no idea if she will be welcomed or shunned.
When I picked this book up, I wasn’t aware it was part of a series & it definitely works as a stand-alone. There is a mix of characters & whilst some are quite stereotypical, they are generally likeable. The setting is evocative and the storyline unfolds at a nice pace with some funny moments along the way. Whilst I appreciated that the romance elements were secondary to the hunt for Elle’s birth mother, I wasn’t very keen on them. The ending felt rushed whilst the middle felt … silly? (Why are 30 yr old women so often portrayed like 17yr old teenagers?)

Ultimately this is a summery, feel-good book that will appeal to people looking for a light summer/beach/holiday read. I listened to the audiobook read by Lucy Bromilow who brought it to life well.

I would give it 3 stars but also recognise that whilst the book isn't quite "my cup-of-tea" (to use a very British colloquialism!), it delivers exactly what it aims to, so I will go to 3.5 rounded up to 4!