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lynnreadsmanybooks 's review for:

The Riviera House by Natasha Lester
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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