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The Paris Bookshop Secret: An enchanting new historical mystery, the perfect gift for book lovers
How far will they go to find their story?
When Alexis meets Maeve – a reclusive woman in her eighties – they feel an unexpected and beautiful kinship. Alexis is embracing nomad life after burning out as a big-shot editor. And Maeve is mourning her glory days as a bestselling author.
Their friendship inspires Maeve to write again. Her last novel pours out of her - a story of love and heartbreak, centred around a bookshop in 1950s Paris.
But the line between fact and fiction is as fine as a whisper, and the novel unfurls a long-buried mystery, one that has haunted Maeve’s existence.
And will reverberate into the lives of both women, decades later…
PRAISE FOR IRIS COSTELLO
'A rich and tender story' Ruth Hogan, The Keeper of Lost Things
'The perfect winter read' Amanda Prowse, To Love and Be Loved
'Spellbinding, addictive, and beautifully written' Sophie Irwin, A Lady's Guide to Fortune Hunting
'Richly atmospheric, evocative and moving' Abbie Greaves, The Ends of the Earth
‘Makes for a spellbinding read' Rhiannon Ward, The Shadowing
'Beautifully written with a story that draws you in' Jane Corry, I Died on a Tuesday
When Alexis meets Maeve – a reclusive woman in her eighties – they feel an unexpected and beautiful kinship. Alexis is embracing nomad life after burning out as a big-shot editor. And Maeve is mourning her glory days as a bestselling author.
Their friendship inspires Maeve to write again. Her last novel pours out of her - a story of love and heartbreak, centred around a bookshop in 1950s Paris.
But the line between fact and fiction is as fine as a whisper, and the novel unfurls a long-buried mystery, one that has haunted Maeve’s existence.
And will reverberate into the lives of both women, decades later…
PRAISE FOR IRIS COSTELLO
'A rich and tender story' Ruth Hogan, The Keeper of Lost Things
'The perfect winter read' Amanda Prowse, To Love and Be Loved
'Spellbinding, addictive, and beautifully written' Sophie Irwin, A Lady's Guide to Fortune Hunting
'Richly atmospheric, evocative and moving' Abbie Greaves, The Ends of the Earth
‘Makes for a spellbinding read' Rhiannon Ward, The Shadowing
'Beautifully written with a story that draws you in' Jane Corry, I Died on a Tuesday
- GenresHistorical Fiction
361 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 31, 2025
7 people are currently reading
158 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
August 2, 2025
Thank you NetGalley and Penguin for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Where do I start?
This book explores two main characters: Alexis and Maeve. Alexis has been on the road for over a year trying to find her birth mother after a series of events occurs that makes her go on a search for her. Even though Alexis' editing days are over, she runs into bestselling author Maeve O'Malley who is mourning her glory days and wishes to write her last novel with Alexis' help.
I adored this book so much. I loved the writing, the plot, and the storyline. I specifically loved that the story flips between the main storyline, set in modern-day England, and Maeve's story, set in 1960s Paris. Both of the stories explore love, abandonment, loss, family, and discovery.
I read this book in three days. I couldn't stop turning the page. The characters were great and had real depth to them, and the mystery's left me on the edge of my seat right up until the end.
Definitely one of my top reads of the year. Thank you so much NetGalley and Penguin for this!
Where do I start?
This book explores two main characters: Alexis and Maeve. Alexis has been on the road for over a year trying to find her birth mother after a series of events occurs that makes her go on a search for her. Even though Alexis' editing days are over, she runs into bestselling author Maeve O'Malley who is mourning her glory days and wishes to write her last novel with Alexis' help.
I adored this book so much. I loved the writing, the plot, and the storyline. I specifically loved that the story flips between the main storyline, set in modern-day England, and Maeve's story, set in 1960s Paris. Both of the stories explore love, abandonment, loss, family, and discovery.
I read this book in three days. I couldn't stop turning the page. The characters were great and had real depth to them, and the mystery's left me on the edge of my seat right up until the end.
Definitely one of my top reads of the year. Thank you so much NetGalley and Penguin for this!
August 20, 2025
highkey best book i’ve ever read x
October 17, 2025
2.5/5. Was dit AI slop? We zullen er nooit achterkomen
October 15, 2025
A dual timeline story set in 1960s Paris and present day England
Paris 1960 - Blythe is a rich American teenager who’s life is all mapped out until she meets a man who changes her path
Nowadays London - Alexis is grieving after losing her dad, searching for answers about her birth mum, she goes to a big country house and meets Maeve, a reclusive author in her 80s. An unexpected friendship ensues, inspiring Maeve to write again.
A story of love and heartbreak featuring a bookshop in 1960s Paris
The perfect warm cosy historical fiction, ideal for an autumnal read
Thanks #iriscostello @penguinbooksuk and @netgalleyuk for the endearing nostalgic read
Paris 1960 - Blythe is a rich American teenager who’s life is all mapped out until she meets a man who changes her path
Nowadays London - Alexis is grieving after losing her dad, searching for answers about her birth mum, she goes to a big country house and meets Maeve, a reclusive author in her 80s. An unexpected friendship ensues, inspiring Maeve to write again.
A story of love and heartbreak featuring a bookshop in 1960s Paris
The perfect warm cosy historical fiction, ideal for an autumnal read
Thanks #iriscostello @penguinbooksuk and @netgalleyuk for the endearing nostalgic read
August 25, 2025
Beautifully written with wonderful characters, the story begins in Paris and takes the reader on a journey. A lovely, heartwarming read.
July 31, 2025
I really enjoyed this book. It has all the good stuff, family secrets, bookshops (hello, instant win), old letters, and two women from totally different timelines whose lives end up more connected than you would think.
The story flips between 1960s Paris (which felt super dreamy) and modern-day England. In the past, we meet Blythe, a rich American teenager, basically being told what to do with her life. She’s meant to go home and get married, but then she meets a mysterious guy in Paris and everything shifts. Flash forward to Alexis, who’s dealing with grief, burnout, and a lot of questions about her mum. Her search leads her to a big country house... and things get very interesting from there.
The pacing was great, slow enough to enjoy the atmosphere, but with enough mystery to keep me flipping pages. I read it in two days. The characters felt real, especially Alexis. I liked her messiness and how determined she was to find out the truth.
If you love dual timelines, emotional family drama, and a good bit of uncovering the past, you’ll probably fly through this like I did. Perfect for fans of The Paris Library, The Paris Novel, and The Lost Bookshop.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
The story flips between 1960s Paris (which felt super dreamy) and modern-day England. In the past, we meet Blythe, a rich American teenager, basically being told what to do with her life. She’s meant to go home and get married, but then she meets a mysterious guy in Paris and everything shifts. Flash forward to Alexis, who’s dealing with grief, burnout, and a lot of questions about her mum. Her search leads her to a big country house... and things get very interesting from there.
The pacing was great, slow enough to enjoy the atmosphere, but with enough mystery to keep me flipping pages. I read it in two days. The characters felt real, especially Alexis. I liked her messiness and how determined she was to find out the truth.
If you love dual timelines, emotional family drama, and a good bit of uncovering the past, you’ll probably fly through this like I did. Perfect for fans of The Paris Library, The Paris Novel, and The Lost Bookshop.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
August 27, 2025
This is a tale told over dual timeslines and locations of 1960's Paris and present day England.
In Paris, we are introduced to Blythe, a rich American teenager whose life is not her own. It's all mapped out for her. She is due to return home to marry a man decided for her by her parents, not for love but more a business arrangement, when she meets a man who makes her heart stop and change the path of her life.
In modern day England, Alexis is struggling with grief after losing her dad, exhaustion, and a head full of questions about her birth mum. Searching for answers, she ends up at a big country home where she meets Maeve, a best-selling author who is missing the glory days and enlists Alexis to help her write her last novel.
The characters are really well written and all have their own secrets and stories, and I particularly liked Alexis. She felt real with her messiness and determination to find the truth.
This was a lovely warm and cosy historical fiction about love and loss but was rather predictable (in my opinion)
Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin General UK for the ARC.
In Paris, we are introduced to Blythe, a rich American teenager whose life is not her own. It's all mapped out for her. She is due to return home to marry a man decided for her by her parents, not for love but more a business arrangement, when she meets a man who makes her heart stop and change the path of her life.
In modern day England, Alexis is struggling with grief after losing her dad, exhaustion, and a head full of questions about her birth mum. Searching for answers, she ends up at a big country home where she meets Maeve, a best-selling author who is missing the glory days and enlists Alexis to help her write her last novel.
The characters are really well written and all have their own secrets and stories, and I particularly liked Alexis. She felt real with her messiness and determination to find the truth.
This was a lovely warm and cosy historical fiction about love and loss but was rather predictable (in my opinion)
Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin General UK for the ARC.
July 28, 2025
The story begins in 1960s Paris. Blythe, a rich American 18 year old is holidaying with her parents before returning to home to her wedding to Amoy, a young man she has grown up with. This is not a love match but rather a a business arrangement. Then Blythe sees a young man that she would like to see agin and again.
When her parents announce the holiday is curtailed she manages to spin a story to stay. But careful plans don’t always work out.
Years later Alexis, following her father’s death and a breakdown at work, is searching for her mother, her search leads her to a large house in the country where she gets some work, but something strange is going on.
A wonderful story of love and loss and of rediscovery, a joy to read. My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc.
When her parents announce the holiday is curtailed she manages to spin a story to stay. But careful plans don’t always work out.
Years later Alexis, following her father’s death and a breakdown at work, is searching for her mother, her search leads her to a large house in the country where she gets some work, but something strange is going on.
A wonderful story of love and loss and of rediscovery, a joy to read. My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc.
July 30, 2025
A beautiful story of love, loss, family and discovery.
Alexis has adopted a nomad style of life, desperately searching for her mother. When one leads results in her meeting Maeve, their lives change. Can Maeve's story help Alexis find her own answers?
I simply couldn't put this book down. It is well -written, with fabulous characters with their own stories and secrets to tell. The snippets of information the author fed in throughout made it a complete page turner, I was desperate to finish and to know how the story ended. Very emotional, a wonderful read.
Alexis has adopted a nomad style of life, desperately searching for her mother. When one leads results in her meeting Maeve, their lives change. Can Maeve's story help Alexis find her own answers?
I simply couldn't put this book down. It is well -written, with fabulous characters with their own stories and secrets to tell. The snippets of information the author fed in throughout made it a complete page turner, I was desperate to finish and to know how the story ended. Very emotional, a wonderful read.
August 14, 2025
From the blurb I should have loved this book but the plot is entirely predictable. It's obvious who Mrs Hardy is, you can guess the connection between characters. There are no surprises. There is a lack of substance to the writing.
October 12, 2025
Oh what a coincidence... so predictable. The author refers to the 2021 census twice, finding information about a person's mother's whereabouts. Such information from that census is not available until the year 2121.
August 4, 2025
Hands down one of the best books I have read
August 28, 2025
Well written and suspenseful despite some dreadful coincidences and predictable outcomes I started the book on a long flight and could not put it down. A good holiday read.
August 29, 2025
Enjoyable
Read
September 30, 2025An enjoyable book with a few twists and turns
November 2, 2025
Not dreadful but a bit predictable. Quick and easy read.
August 14, 2025
I absolutely loved this book , it takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions with many twists and turns
October 20, 2025
Brilliant love it so much
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews