I can definitely see what This Christmas in Paris was trying to do and honestly, it was very well written, but the main characters were completely insufferable. Carys could have been a really great character with complex issues, but she just wasn’t likeable. 

Anyway, let's start with a positive because I have quite a few negatives to talk about. There’s a particularly funny moment near the beginning where Mat’s dad talks about staying with a friend. The exact quote is: “We’re staying at Roddie's place. You know Roddie Williams, the singer?” I’m going to assume this is a parody of Robbie Williams because it’s funnier that way, I literally laughed out loud when reading this.  

I found it kind of funny that Carys talks about firing Aurélie like she has the authority to do so. It’s not actually your business, you’re just looking after it for a few months. Imagine being the owner and coming back to different staff because your stand-in didn’t like who you hired. 

After having this thought, Carys seems to think she can make changes to the café. She calls a team meeting to discuss it and then acts surprised when the staff get defensive. I have a feeling the author wants you to feel sorry for Carys in this situation, but I really don’t. She’s been there barely two weeks, she has no right to ask the chef to completely change his dessert menu. The absolute cheek of it. 

Just as I thought she’d hit the ceiling of “What’s the biggest change I can make to this business I don’t own?” Carys decides to redecorate the place and I’m not just talking about adding a couple of throws and cushions, oh no, she completely repaints the interior and exterior and from the sounds of it, it’s garish and hard to look at.

I actually really didn’t like either of the main characters. Carys tried to take over a business she doesn’t own, making changes without the owner's permission. I liked Mat right up until he was rude to the restaurant worker and was then surprised when he had a bad experience. He then had the nerve to write about it on his blog like the whole situation was done with malice. Mistakes happen, I’m sure restaurants mess up reservations all the time, there’s no need to be so entitled about it. 

It took 269 pages (over halfway through) for the word Christmas to be said. I’m not entirely sure why this is called This Christmas in Paris, the majority of the book takes place in September and October. When you finally get to December, it’s over in less than 30 pages, which is a shame. Christmas had no real effect on what was happening in the story so I really don’t think this should have been categorised as a festive romance. 

It was very obvious that the one-star cafe reviews were a metaphor for book reviews. You could tell the author felt passionate/hurt by the one-stars, from Carys’s perspective and I do get it. I only leave one-star reviews if the book is problematic, or I didn’t finish it. 

Despite my issues with the main characters, this is a very well-written book. The plot was a bit all over the place, but it was an interesting concept. I’m just being nitpicky because it has Christmas in the title and it was hardly festive at all.

We meet Carys, a school teacher in a little close nit village living with her best friend a year after she is involved in a car accident which left her in a coma.

She wakes up to news her best friend is in a serious relationship and everyone around her seems to have their life in order where she can't help suffering from PTSD following the accident and she isn't really truely that happy.

She decides she needs to make a change, and what better way than to run a cosy cafe in Paris from Sept-Dec.

Mat is a journalist working for a local free newspaper with the boss from hell due to deadlines and literally no budget.

Mat used to want to write songs, but after his highly successful father destroys his confidence as a teenager, he puts a stop to writing music, but he does write anonymous food reviews for local eateries in Paris.

He and Carys meet each other in a park and instantly hit it off and agree just like the film you've got mail they will keep work and personal life separate, of course Mat is recommended the cafe Carys is running and he ends up trying a sandwich from a  college and absolutely loving it and needs to see this cafe for himself.

After a national newspaper wants Mat to use his hidden identity to cover the usual food critic, he used the cafe as his review piece and rated it 1 star.

I adore these 2 as the main characters, and the side characters are just as great. 

If you want, you've got mail vibes set in Paris at Christmas. This is the cosy book for you.