The Little Venice Bookshop: The perfect uplifting and heart-warming romantic comedy to escape with in 2024!

It’s clear from the opening paragraphs that Luna has a missing part of her life that she is innately bound to search for. Her belief in infinity and stability of her mother is testament to the bond they share, which silently follows this wonderful story through to a conclusion.Luna’s happiness in Thailand and her enjoyment of ‘living in the now’ make the discovery of her mum’s death a bolt that shifts the plot and focuses it on the physical and mental journey we join her on.Gigi, busting with energy and solidarity for her friend, is the perfect complement to Luna’s insecurities, which become clearer when she returns to the US to the community her mum finally settled in. The wanderlust connection between mother and daughter takes us around the world and three continents and Rebecca Raisin does not disappoint with her well documented ‘arm chair’ travel opportunities in this novel.I loved the fact that although romance is at the heart of this novel, there is so much more that surrounds falling in love and the impact that this has or had on the characters. It also explored the developing theme of love in the platonic sense, as the bonds between characters also deepen on this level.Luna’s experience with her own grief opens her memory bank where she can draw on moments in the past which allow her to embrace her present. I loved witnessing this transition. Out of something sad comes the gift of wanting to live, to find herself. Ruby, although we never meet her, is one of the most giving characters in the book. She had a good heart and a positive outlook on life. No matter what the situation. When Luna discovers the letters, they become part of her. It is this quest to discover answers about her mum’s past that allows Luna to embrace her own future.There is no way that Ruby’s funeral could be anything other than a celebration of her life and these scenes, including the ritualistic preparation of her body are heart-warming and, they liberate Luna to set off on her own adventure–carrying the memory of her mum with her.What unravels in Venice has all the ingredients of a romantic comedy, but it is also layered with a depth to the characters that I found easy to relate to. Of course, there’s a bookshop that features and the stories that ‘La Libereria sul Canale’ hides in the myriad of spaces are both inviting and charming.There is humour, romance, exotic and beautiful locations and background stories that link in a well-presented manner.I was championing Luna to find both love and her place in the world. I read the book in one day as my curiosity and interest were constantly being fed as the stories within unfolded.

I love taking a little walk with Rebecca in the little worlds that she creates. In this one we were exploring the gorgeous Venice. It was also nice to meet the characters find out their life stories and to discover their love stories too.

Thank you to HQ Digital for my copy of this book via Netgalley and to Rachel for letting me take part in this tour. I have been reading Rebecca's books for almost 10 years now! I first read Christmas at the Gingerbread Cafe back in December 2013 and fast forward a decade and I am still a big fan of Rebecca's writing.This story follows Luna as she tries to discover her place in this world. this story is about so many different things, love, grief and finding your people. This book is about so much more than just romance. It's about finding those people who would lay down their lives for you. Those that will be there when it really matters.Luna is a free spirit who loves to roam the world exploring but keeping everyone just a little at arm's length. I immediately liked Luna I just wanted to knock down those walls and give her a big hug. Her bestie Gigi sounds exactly like the sort of person Luna needed to make her break down those walls. To be honest we could all do with a Gigi in our lives.Alongside this, we have the beautiful backdrop of Venice. I visited Venice many years ago but it's always been one of those places that stuck in my mind. It's beautiful and full of so many nooks and crannies. Around every corner is another gorgeous little bridge. The bookshop is hidden down by the canal with such a beautiful setting and so many different well-loved books. It's a book lover's dream.This is the perfect book to while a way a few hours roaming the streets of Venice and falling in love.

This was my first experience of reading a Rebecca Raisin book, and it definitely will not be the last.The Little Venice Bookshop is a heart warming, sincere story about a young woman finding her place in the world after the loss of her Mother.In this romance story, with the main character Luna, we cover love, loss and connection in so many different ways.We follow Luna, and her best friend Gigi, as they travel to Venice. We get to meet so many fantastic characters, with Oscar and Giancarlo being amongst my favourites, and follow the story of finding lost relatives and restoring a beautiful bookshop back to its former glory. The plot line was sweet, adventurous and as a huge book worm I loved it.The twists and turns of the story kept me interested to the very end, and for a romance novel the ending was perfection for me personally.I gave this 4 stars as the continued theme of spiritual connections and practices that were spoken about in the story were not really my thing. I would have preferred less of this. However, I do appreciate this is important to many so I understand the authors choice to go into detail about the practices of spiritual healing.I highly recommend this book, it was easy to read and I loved so many of the descriptions on Venice, the Bookshop and Luna’s adventures!