The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris by Evie WoodsMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Edith Lane (Edie) leaves her father and life in Dublin on a whim to accept a position as the assistant manager of a bakery that she thinks is in Paris. Once she arrives, she discovers that it's actually in a very small town outside of Paris -- Compiègne. This family-run bakery turns out to be a magical place with an incredible history dating back to World War II. Chapters alternate between Edie in present day and the historical back story about the bakery. There's even magical chocolate which is a secret ingredient in the long-lost hot chocolate recipe.
I was initially drawn to this book because of the title - who doesn't love a story about bakeries and Paris? It has so much more to offer the reader though -- historical fiction (WWII France), romance, discovering a new country and a new beginning, recovering from grief, travel, French music, magical realism, French scenery, plus the bakery, baking and French food -- all rolled into one delightful novel! Grab a cup of hot chocolate, a French pastry and dig into this delightfully charming book. The only thing that would have improved this book is the inclusion of some of the bakery recipes.
Thank you very much to Harper Collins and NetGalley for an advance reader copy of this book. It was recently published on April 8, 2025. FULL DISCLOSURE -- After reading several other Goodreads reviews of this book, I discovered that it is not a new book; it was originally published ten years ago in 2014! Apparently, Harper Collins is republishing it with a new cover and under a new pseudonym (Evie Woods).
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