ShortBookandScribes #BookReview – Summer at the French Bakery by Jo Thomas

Posted on 5th June 2026 By Nicola

Summer at the French Bakery by Jo Thomas was published in paperback by Pan Macmillan yesterday. My thanks to the publishers for the proof copy.

Set in the beautiful south of France, Summer at the French Bakery is a story of one woman’s determination to revive the heart of her new home from Jo Thomas, much-loved author of Love in Provence.

A new adventure is on the menu . . .

Juliet has learnt that life is too short not to chase your dreams. But when she buys an old watermill in France, her tranquil new start is quickly kneaded into something far more ambitious when the local mayor offers her a deal she can’t refuse: reopen the village’s derelict boulangerie.

With a formidable rival – the owner of the local bread vending machine – determined to crush her, Juliet faces disgruntled villagers, her own lack of baking skills, and hidden secrets within the mill itself.

But with help from her outspoken neighbour and the charming Tabac owner, Juliet battles to bring back the aroma of freshly baked bread – and with it, the heart of the community.

Can she prove that even the biggest dreams start with just a little pinch of courage?

Juliet has enjoyed her life as a wife and mother, but after recovering from serious illness she realises that she doesn’t want to carry on living the same kind of life. Having been captivated by a rundown watermill whilst on holiday in France, she makes a break from her old life and decides to try and run it as a tearoom. To get through the bureaucracy, she finds herself talked into breathing new life into the village by reopening the boulangerie. But Juliet doesn’t know anything about bread-making. Will she succeed?

Having read so many Jo Thomas books before, I knew that Juliet most likely would succeed because this is an author who writes the most uplifting stories. Although Juliet comes up against many obstacles, she makes some good friends and slowly but surely she begins to find her way in France.

Thomas has a winning formula, a tantalising combination of food and place which never fails to draw me in and make me feel kind of wistful for the enticing way of life she sells in the pages of her books, not to mention extremely hungry. I loved the descriptions of the baguettes that Juliet learns to make, the rural beauty of the mill, the villagers who slowly begin to warm to Juliet, and of course Laurent, the handsome, strong French hero who runs the tabac opposite the boulangerie. The less said about Claude, the rival baker, the better (pantomime boos galore!). Apart from him, I really liked all the characters and I think there could be mileage in a sequel someday. I’d love to see how things progress for Juliet and Laurent, and find out what happens with the mill.

Summer at the French Bakery is an absolute joy to read, an atmospheric and beguiling romance novel. I now want to visit France and eat baguettes! One thing is for sure: Jo Thomas never lets me down.

Jo Thomas is the author of bestselling romantic fiction novels including The Oyster Catcher – which won both the RNA Joan Hessayon Award and the Festival of Romance Best eBook Award – and Escape to the French Farmhouse, which was a #1 Kindle bestseller.

Jo worked for many years as a BBC radio reporter and producer before turning her hand to writing novels.

Her kitchen in Pembrokeshire is her happy place and she can often be found at the kitchen table enjoying meals she has cooked for family and friends, or writing about food, love, laughter and community in places you’ll want to call home.