Huset på rivieran by Natasha Lester

4.27 AVERAGE

lynnreadsmanybooks's review against another edition

4.25
emotional hopeful mysterious tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
The Riviera House is a historical fiction novel that takes place in France. Élaine Dufort works at the Louvre, but when the Nazis take over Paris, Éliane secretly works to preserve the art. What will happen if she gets caught by the Germans? The story also follows Remy, a grief stricken fashion influencer in modern times. How will time in The French Riviera change her?

Things I liked:

  • The well thought out characters
  • The writing style was luscious and beautiful
  • The descriptions of the settings in France
  • The POV switch between war time and modern time

Things I thought could have been different:

  • I found certain parts were a bit jargonny when it came to the art history.
    • I might have enjoyed it more if I knew more about the art being referenced and didn’t have to look it up all the time
  • The romance moved a bit too fast for my liking, which made it seem a bit unrealistic
  • I found the first half of the book was quite slow paced so it did drag a bit

There were some pretty heavy topics explored in the book so you may want read the content warnings before you read the book. If you like art history or want an emotional, well written historical fiction, I recommend The Riviera House. The story is also loosely based on an actual woman who did catalogue and save French art, so it’s neat to learn a bit about that history.

Thanks to Forever publishing and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
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prncss1204's review against another edition

5.0
emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
“Art is all we have when words fail us, when mankind fails us and when we each fail each other. If we don’t save these works, we can’t save ourselves.” 

“The world still has its masterpieces. But how many people know what it cost to save them?“

When a book has you crying by the second chapter, you know it’s going to be a good one. As an art lover, I cannot imagine walking through The Louvre and not seeing Venus de Milo, Winged Victory of Samothrace, La Joconde (Mona Lisa), and so many others. I’m so very thankful that there were people who thought far enough ahead and risked their lives to hide them from the Nazis. It took all acts, big and small, to fight evil.

This book absolutely broke my heart. I don’t know how Natasha Lester does it, but she gets better with every book. The Riviera House deserves ALL THE STARS!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Do yourself a favor, read all of her books and then be sure to get The Riviera House when it’s released on August 31. 

Thank you to Natasha Lester, Bryn Turnbull, Read Forever Publishing, and Hachette Book Group for the advanced copy of this book. It is phenomenal. 

valb's review against another edition

4.0
adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated