The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris
by Evie Woods
read by Breffni Holahan
One More Chapter, 2025. 8 hours, 30 minutes.
Review written December 1, 2025, from a library eaudiobook.
Starred Review
Here’s a lovely feel-good romance – with the special touch that it’s set in Paris! Except, wait a minute, it’s not set in Paris. I made the same mistake the protagonist Edie made when she answered an ad to work in a Boulangerie on Rue de Paris and thought of course it’s in Paris – but no, it’s on Paris Street (the “Rue de Paris” – of course!) in Compiègne, a town an hour away from Paris. Okay, but it is true that Edie is from Ireland, and the narrator reads with an Irish accent.
Edie’s mother recently died, and she spent her first decade as a young adult mostly caring for her mother during her long illness, so now in her thirties, Edie is at loose ends, and couldn’t resist the chance to go to Paris – or so she thought.
The owner of the bakery where she’s working is secretive and gruff, and Evie’s not sure she can do the job. But over time, and with a bit of a magic ingredient, Evie makes some friends, including a handsome man who’s a bit mysterious himself.
The story feels a little bit predictable, but the journey there is delightful. Yes, the small business is in danger of going under. Yes, there’s conflict with the handsome young man. No, they don’t tell each other everything when they first meet.
There’s also a small paranormal element to the book, plus rich historical detail – I didn’t realize that Compiègne was an important historical site in both World War I and World War II. We learn this via one of the bakery customers who speaks English and leads tours, and we’re as interested as Evie. But the bakery itself also has an important history during World War II.
And that’s all I should say, to give you a little bit of surprise. Yes, it’s predictable, but the story is sweet, and can fulfill a vicarious dream of running off not to Paris, but at least to France and finding love and purpose and joy.
Find this review on Sonderbooks at: www.sonderbooks.com/Fiction/mysterious_bakery_on_rue_de_paris.html
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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.
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