The French Guesthouse: be swept away by epic romance and drama, from the acclaimed author of The Orange House

by Isabelle Broom

'Isabelle Broom has created an unforgettable cast of characters, all of whom somehow bring their fears and strengths together after years of uncertainty and distrust to create a new, positive future.' MADDIE PLEASE

'A sweeping, evocative story of loss, betrayal and forging a new life in a fabulous location' FIONA GIBSON

'A touching, escapist read. Isabelle Broom always delivers wonderful, atmospheric stories' PHAEDRA PATRICK

' an emotional journey through love, loss, past pain and future hope' GILLIAN HARVEY

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Sometimes the only way to rebuild is to face the past you tried to escape...

On the night Fliss loses everything - her beloved hotel ravaged by fire and fiancé exposed as a cheat - she receives devastating her estranged mother has died. They hadn't spoken in fifteen years and Fliss has stayed away for her own self-preservation.

Summoned to a dilapidated guesthouse in France for the reading of the will, Fliss is stunned to discover she has been left all her mother's possessions. But the inheritance comes at a price - both literal and emotional. Sharing the house is Etienne, her mother's grief-stricken, wine-soaked partner, and his guarded yet magnetic nephew, Benoit.

As Fliss begins restoring the guesthouse, she unearths long-buried secrets about her mother, their past and the true cost of her long absence. But to move forward, cure her guilt and claim the love and happiness she's never thought she deserves, Fliss must first reckon with the hardest question of can she forgive?

A deeply poignant, richly compelling novel of complex relationships, generational trauma and our capacity to forgive, from the acclaimed author of The Summer Trip.

READERS ARE RAVING ABOUT THEIR STAY AT THE FRENCH GUESTHOUSE

'Isabelle Broom always delivers in taking you to magical destinations . . . if you need a perfect escapist read then this is for you' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'A deeply compelling and emotionally resonant read, full of romance, intrigue, and the transformative power of forgiveness' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'I truly loved The French Guesthouse - it felt like a cosy, emotional retreat, much like my evenings spent watching Escape to the Château . . . a blend of emotional complexity and atmospheric restoration' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Another fantastic destination novel from Isabelle Broom. As always she captures the essence of the town in France where her story is set' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'A lovely setting and some wonderful characters - Fliss is fabulously multilayered' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

363 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 6, 2025

About the author

Isabelle Broom also writes as Izzy Broom. She is the award-winning author of 13 novels and is published in 14 overseas territories. Having left heat magazine in 2018, where she’d spent over five years as book reviews editor, she began writing full-time alongside continued freelance work. She lives in Suffolk, surrounded by books, family, unruly dogs, and a rooster from the farm next door, which has inexplicably fallen in love with her. Her upcoming novel, The House Of Hidden Letters, is arriving on 12 November in ebook and audio and 26 March in paperback (UK). The book will arrive in the US on March 17.

You can follow Izzy on Instagram/Threads @Isabelle_Broom or find her on Facebook under Isabelle Broom Author.

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my most favourite things about Isabelle's books are that she whisks her readers away to a wonderful new setting in every single novel. And, every single time, I find myself on Google looking for trips to the places that I'm reading about. The French Guesthouse was no exception, whilst I read this on holiday in Gran Canaria, my phone history shows just how many times I've looked up guesthouses in France!
The French Guesthouse is another of her novels with a such a strong sense of place, exploring themes of loss, reconciliation, and forgiveness. Fliss (Felicity), is forced to rebuild her life after a traumatic night: her hotel goes up in flames, her fiancé’s betrayal is exposed, and she learns of her estranged mother’s death.

Fliss travels to France, to a dilapidated country guesthouse for the will reading. To her surprise, she inherits her mother’s possessions, but not the life she expected. The house is shared with Etienne, her late mother’s grief-stricken partner, and Benoît, his quiet and quite reserved nephew. As Fliss begins restoring the guesthouse, she uncovers secrets about her mother’s past, grappling with guilt, estrangement, and many questions.

Alongside the wonderful sense of place, the novel deals with serious emotional issues: grief, abandonment, and generational trauma. Fliss’s journey is not just about restoring a house, but healing her own internal wounds. There is an interesting relationship described between Fliss and her late mother, with Fliss's feelings of abandonment at the front.

The author layers the relationships really beautifully, a mix of Etienne’s grief and Benoît’s guardedness adding a depth to the story, with a gentle touch of romance

The French Guesthouse is a warm, atmospheric, emotionally moving novel. It captures the beauty and slow rhythms of rural France, making it ideal for readers who enjoy romantic contemporary fiction with depth, and stories about families, secrets, and grief

Wonderful, highly recommended by me.