Book review of The Parisian Christmas Bake Off by Jenny Oliver

Welcome to day 17 of my #FrenchVillageBookworm advent calendar where I am sharing a book set in France everyday between now and Christmas.

French Village Bookworm advent calendar day 17

Today it is another Christmas themed book, The Parisian Christmas Bake Off by Jenny Oliver. Newly single Rachel gets a surprise from her friends, a trip to Paris, with a catch; she has been entered into the competition to find Paris’s next patisserie apprentice. She has one week to prove she’s got what it takes to bake patisseries, in Paris.

When she first arrives the loneliness of her small Paris apartment, the competitiveness of the others she finds herself thrown in with and the arrogance of the French chef all make for dark times when the rest of Paris is high on Christmas. Full of self-doubt she wants to run, but to run away would disappoint those who have arranged this special treat for her. With determination she buries herself in flour, crème-patissière and beaten egg whites and begins to create her dreams. Paris in all her winter glory comes to life, the food descriptions are tantalisingly delicious and there is light at the end of the tunnel for Rachel.

This is a good fun read, packed full of French patisserie delights, Paris Christmas sparkle and even a sprinkling of romance. After all we can’t have the single heroine of a chick-lit set in Paris at Christmas time without a little Paris love and magic, can we. If you want a winter break in Paris, this book is the perfect get away.

The Parisian Christmas Bake Off is available in ebook and paperback format and links to Amazon can be found below. I can also recommend Jenny Oliver’s The Vintage Ice Cream Van Road Trip , a steamy romance set on a road trip through France.