Isabelle Broom is one of my go to Authors and always delivers in taking you to magical destinations.

Fliss gets the news her estranged mother has passed away and has to go to the house, I immediately felt transported to France, beautiful descriptions.

A wonderful story which I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to the guesthouse full of interesting characters.

If you need a perfect escapism read then this is for you!

A pleasure to read and review thank you for giving me the opportunity.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review

I enjoyed this book and I really liked the story and the author us very good at describing in this book as I can imagine myself in the scenes in this book and who doesn’t like a French hunk called Benoit without giving any spoilers away i was a bit disappointed with some of the story and would of loved for more revenge for Fliss

There is some sad bits in this book and it deals with addiction and death

I would recommend this book and wish the author all the best with this book

Isabelle Broom’s The French Guesthouse is a profoundly moving and richly layered contemporary romance that expertly balances emotional depth with escapist charm. The novel opens with Fliss in the wake of personal catastrophe: her hotel destroyed by fire, her fiancé revealed as a deceitful partner, and the sudden death of her estranged mother. From the outset, Broom immerses readers in a world of loss and upheaval, immediately establishing a compelling emotional resonance that carries throughout the book.

Broom excels at crafting multi-dimensional characters whose pasts shape their present in intricate and believable ways. Fliss is both vulnerable and resilient, a woman forced to confront not only external circumstances but also the unresolved pain of family estrangement and betrayal. Benoit, her mother’s nephew, provides both tension and chemistry, his guarded nature and underlying vulnerability adding layers of complexity to their evolving relationship. The dynamic between Fliss and the guesthouse’s other residents—especially Etienne, the grief-stricken partner—offers moments of conflict, introspection, and subtle humor that enhance the novel’s emotional texture.

The French setting is vividly evoked, with the guesthouse, vineyards, and rustic village life serving not merely as backdrop but as integral components of the story. Broom’s descriptive prose evokes the sights, sounds, and scents of the French countryside with warmth and authenticity, creating an immersive reading experience that feels both romantic and tangible.

Narratively, the novel moves with a deliberate, reflective pace, allowing readers to fully engage with Fliss’s journey of self-discovery, forgiveness, and healing. Themes of generational trauma, familial bonds, and the cost of avoidance are interwoven seamlessly with romance, giving the story a resonance that elevates it beyond a simple holiday or escapist romance. The unfolding mystery of Fliss’s inheritance, along with the secrets she uncovers about her mother and their shared past, adds tension and intrigue, keeping readers emotionally invested until the final page.

Broom’s signature ability to combine heartfelt emotion with relatable, flawed characters shines throughout The French Guesthouse. Moments of tenderness and romance are balanced with deeper explorations of grief, regret, and reconciliation, making this novel both an emotional journey and an uplifting narrative about the human capacity to forgive and rebuild.

Overall, The French Guesthouse is a beautifully written, immersive story that captures the complexities of love, loss, and family while offering a transportive escape to the sun-drenched French countryside. It is perfect for readers who enjoy emotionally rich contemporary romance with strong character development and poignant themes.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – A deeply compelling and emotionally resonant read, full of romance, intrigue, and the transformative power of forgiveness.

I really wanted to like this book as I am a big fan of Broom's but sadly for me there was something missing from this that meant I did not enjoy it as much. As the title suggests this is set in France and Broom, as always, paints a glorious picture of French rural life. I could imagine myself there but did I wish I was in Greece where Broom's books usually are? Well yes I did.
The plot is okay, there are some different elements to it, although some plot points are very obvious. For me, the biggest issue was Fliss. I really could not warm to her. I found her to be an unsympathetic character and there was something about her that I could not gel with. Other characters were good but as Fliss is the main character she set the tone for me.
Broom writes about some very sensitive, difficult topics throughout this and does so sensitively.
I only wish I enjoyed this more than I did.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an advance copy.

Another fantastic destination book from Isabelle Broom.

As always Isabelle captures the essence of the town in France where her story is set. We follow the story of Fliss as she struggles to come to terms with major upheaval in her life and to grapple the grief she didn’t expect to feel over the loss of her estranged mother.

The story tackles some quite hard hitting issues and deals with them very sensitively. There are issues around family relationships, grief and loss, and alcohol abuse and addiction as well as childhood trauma.

A fantastic, must read book.

Fliss moves to France after her mum's death. Can she forgive her mum for her alcoholism and forgive herself too? A lovely emotional romance. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

This was a very thoughtful and sometimes poignant read centred around Fliss who at the almost exact moment her life feels like it’s collapsing around her finds herself summoned to France after discovering her long estranged mother has died and she has to deal with her estate. Fliss is a fabulously multilayered character who is very strong and capable but at core struggled with the effects of her difficult childhood and her mother’s alcoholism. This looks at addiction from several perspectives and offers quite a balanced viewpoint all round, it doesn’t shy from the issue but doesn’t go painfully deep either. Alongside this theme there’s also a lot of moving forward both with the reconstruction of her mothers guesthouse and on a personal level too as Fliss discovers the source of her mothers pain, on this issue I did feel Fliss had been treated unfairly as understanding that all along would have altered her view of her mother and potentially salvaged their relationship before it became too late. This has a lovely setting and some wonderful characters and whilst it has some challenging themes it’s not a difficult read.