The French Chateau Dream by Julie Caplin

Narrated by Sophie Roberts

This was a simple story that explored a French town and the experience of living in the French countryside. The romance is expected to be straightforward, with fewer miscommunications than is usual for the genre.

Hattie is a wedding planner, or at least an assistant to one until her cousin gives her a big break. This may not be as simple as she anticipates, however, when she arrives on location early to find that the people are not ready to have a wedding on site (at least not the one she is planning).

The romance is almost an aside. I enjoyed the planning aspect and the other hurdles that Hattie faces. The mundane parts of organizing and getting things ready were fun to explore. The way the people are won over happens gradually. There is an extra twist, which does not fit the rest of the tone, but adds an extra mystery part to the plot.

I have read a few other books by the author, and this one is well-written and equally well-narrated. Hattie’s ex-situation closely mirrors one of a friend of mine who mentioned having a similar situation, and I think it is the more serious of the side plots in the book.

I think fans of the genre will enjoy this book. I would have rated this book even higher if I had been more interested in the central romance. I liked all the other aspects a lot more!

I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience