Name: Lila R E's review of The Girl Who Reads on the Métro by Christine Féret-Fleury
Item: The Girl Who Reads on the Métro
Rating: 3
Author: Lila R E

Christine Féret-Fleury

In the vein of Amélie and The Little Paris Bookshop, a modern fairytale about a French woman whose life is turned upside down when she meets a reclusive bookseller and his young daughter. Juliette leads a perfectly ordinary life in Paris, working a slow office job, dating a string of not-quite-right men, and fighting off melancholy. The only bright spots in her day are her métro rides across the city and the stories she dreams up about the strangers reading books across from her: the old lady, the math student, the amateur ornithologist, the woman in love, the girl who always tears up at page 247. One morning, avoiding the office for as long as she can, Juliette finds herself on a new block, in front of a rusty gate wedged open with a book. Unable to resist, Juliette walks through, into the bizarre and enchanting lives of Soliman and his young daughter, Zaide. Before she realizes entirely what is happening, Juliette agrees to become a passeur, Soliman’s name for the booksellers he hires to take stacks of used books out of his store and into the world, using their imagination and intuition to match books with readers. Suddenly, Juliette’s daydreaming becomes her reality, and when Soliman asks her to move in to their store to take care of Zaide while he goes away, she has to decide if she is ready to throw herself headfirst into this new life. Big-hearted, funny, and gloriously zany, The Girl Who Reads on the Métro is a delayed coming-of-age story about a young woman who dares to change her life, and a celebration of the power of books to unite us all.

A Novel

The Girl Who Reads on the Métro

Kathleen Mullins

Lila R E

do i love this book or do i like romanticising paris through this book? we’ll never know.

in all seriousness, this is a perfectly nice, slightly pointless, “nothing really happens” book about books and it’s pretty enjoyable. would recommend.

Etel Yamilette Conde Gonzalez

It was definitely a different style of reading. Even though it was translated from French it was an incredible story. I think Juliette our Main Character grows within herself and finds her passion. I do rate it 3 stars because like I mentioned it was a different style of reading. Im not use to it so it definitely threw me off and it confused me a bit.

Gabriella LePage

If you’re looking for a little whimsy or perhaps a poetic book about books, this is it. It’s not your standard girl in a bookshop type story, but rather a short story about how the right book may just be what one needs.

Elizabeth Garza

I felt... that this book was trying too hard to be whimsy and clever and moody and quirky. And the characters weren't well developed so I hard time imagining them and feeling for them. It did have its moments where it really captured my attention (and I think it was these moments that helped me make it to the end), but overall, I was very confused and just flabbergasted by this book. And I feel like I fell victim to false advertising ... again.

Alyssa Jacunski

I honestly don't remember how I came across this book. Probably a combination of BookTube and Bookstagram, but I truly don't remember. The synopsis made this sound like everything I love about books featuring books. Woman reads on the metro and judges people based on the books they're reading. 

Objectively, this is well-written, but didn't always make sense as to why the author took it where she did. However, I enjoyed her writing and that saved my rating because this wasn't for me. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE books about books. I loved that our main character, Juliette, and watching her grow as a human being. And I truly adored the ending of her story. However, it felt like Feret-Fleury tried to fit absolutely everything under the sun in this book to keep it exciting and move the story. Instead of being solely character driven or plot driven, it felt like this book was trying to be both. 

Again, this wasn't bad by any means! The story was initially intriguing and I really enjoyed the main character. This, unfortunately, wasn't for me at the time that I read it.

Trigger warnings: loss of a loved one (parent / spouse)

Joanna Rosenwink 

I love Paris and I love books so I wanted to love this book more than I did. I don’t know whether it’s a cultural difference since it’s translated from French but I couldn’t really identify with the protagonist, Juliette. It was an interesting read but not one I think I’ll pick up again.

Irin 

The Girl Who Reads On The Metro was such a delightful read! 💜It is a beautiful love letter to books. The book centers around Juliette, a Parisian, and how her life changes when she meets a bookshop owner and his daughter.
I loved every second of being in Juliette's world. I have always loved reading "books about books" and this was no different. The storyline was really magical. Books have the ability to transport people to happy places and it was described perfectly in the book. I really liked how the author's love for books got expressed perfectly in the poetic lines that she wrote to describe the bond between people and books. I adored the main character, Juliette and got really attached to her throughout the story.The way she felt about the uncertainty of life poking her at all possible angles was realistic and relatable. The other characters added their own charm to the plot. I wanted to know more about them but the book was kept really short unfortunately. 😭 
Definitely recommend reading this book as it is perfect for us bookworms! The book is really short as well ~ it has only 175 pages. If you're looking for a short, heart-warming book that will stay with you forever, definitely pick this up!

Heather M

Beth Benbow

For fans of The Little Paris Bookshop and The Elegance of the Hedgehog, The Girl Who Reads on the Métro is the French phenomenon by Christine Féret-Fleury ready to charm book-lovers everywhere . . . When Juliette takes the métro to her loathed office job each morning, her only escape is in books – she avidly reads on her journey and imagines what her fellow commuters’ choices might say about them. But when, one day, she decides to alight the train a few stops early and meets Soliman – the mysterious owner of the most enchanting bookshop Juliette has ever seen – she is sure her life will never be the same again . . . For Soliman also believes in the power of books to change the course of a life – entrusting his passeurs with the task of giving each book to the person who needs it most – and he thinks Juliette is perfect for the job. And so, leaving her old life behind, Juliette will discover the true power a book can have . . .

Lemarnie Tizzard

Steph

Rochelle Butcher

The Girl Who Reads on the Métro is the French phenomenon by Christine Féret-Fleury ready to charm book-lovers everywhere, for fans of The Little Paris Bookshop and The Elegance of the Hedgehog. When Juliette takes the métro to her loathed office job each morning, her only escape is in books - she avidly reads on her journey and imagines what her fellow commuters' choices might say about them. But when, one day, she decides to alight the train a few stops early and meets Soliman - the mysterious owner of the most enchanting bookshop Juliette has ever seen - she is sure her life will never be the same again . . . For Soliman also believes in the power of books to change the course of a life - entrusting his passeurs with the task of giving each book to the person who needs it most - and he thinks Juliette is perfect for the job. And so, leaving her old life behind, Juliette will discover the true power a book can have . . .

Izyan Suhaila

For fans of The Little Paris Bookshop and The Elegance of the Hedgehog, The Girl Who Reads on the Métro is the French phenomenon by Christine Féret-Fleury ready to charm book-lovers everywhere . . . When Juliette takes the métro to her loathed office job each morning, her only escape is in books - she avidly reads on her journey and imagines what her fellow commuters' choices might say about them. Then she meets Soliman - the mysterious owner of the most enchanting bookshop Juliette has ever seen - and things will never be the same again. For Soliman believes in the power of books to change the course of a life, and he's about to change Juliette's forever . . .

Eugenia G

Reiko Fu

Lauren hughes 

Bronwen Lloyd

Amanda Shameem

Kate B-L

For fans of The Little Paris Bookshop and The Elegance of the Hedgehog, The Girl Who Reads on the Métro is the French phenomenon by Christine Féret-Fleury ready to charm book-lovers everywhere . . . When Juliette takes the métro to her loathed office job each morning, her only escape is in books – she avidly reads on her journey and imagines what her fellow commuters’ choices might say about them. Then she meets Soliman – the mysterious owner of the most enchanting bookshop Juliette has ever seen – and things will never be the same again. For Soliman believes in the power of books to change the course of a life, and he’s about to change Juliette’s forever . . .

Kathleen Mullins &
The Girl Who Reads on the Métro by Christine Féret-Fleury

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Kathleen Mullins &The Girl Who Reads on the Métro by Christine Féret-Fleury

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Kathleen Mullins &
The Girl Who Reads on the Métro by Christine Féret-Fleury