Book Review - Christmas at the French Repair Shop by Sophie Claire

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Title: Christmas at the French Repair Shop

Author: Sophie Claire

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Publication Date: 9th October 2025

Rating: 5 Stars

❄️ Can they patch up their broken hearts this Christmas?❄️

Christmas in the picturesque village of Willowbrook should be dreamy - twinkling fairylights, snow in the air, and a busy time for Amélie in the repair workshop she owns, restoring furniture and mending treasured objects for locals to give as Christmas gifts. But in the tiny community, Amélie keeps bumping into her ex, Jack - and it's killing her festive feeling.

Jack and Amélie were perfect for each other... until one day they weren't. And when Jack's attempt at reconciliation goes wrong, he finds himself locked in Amélie's van.

Driving to her aunt's house in the South of France, Amélie thinks she's finally going to get some peace over the festive period, but like it or not, she'll now be spending Christmas trapped on holiday with Jack. Could it help unwrap the secret to why they split up? Or will it be a gift they'd rather exchange?

Curl up with your perfect Christmas read from Sophie Claire. A wonderfully cosy, second-chance enemies-to-lovers festive romance, perfect for fans of Phillipa Ashley, Jo Thomas and Sarah Morgan.

Oh I really really enjoyed this story, from start to finish. 

I loved that Jack and Amelie's love language is clearly practical jokes, so even though they are broken up as we start the book, they keep pranking each other, and are thus still in each other's lives.  

They are both struggling to move on, and Amelie is convinced that Jack betrayed her in the summer, and she is rather private when it comes to her childhood and family. Whereas Jack is far more open and always happy to talk about things. Even their attempts at dating others go awry when they discover the nature of the constant one upmanship of practical jokes.   Some of which are really funny. 

I also loved hearing all about Amelie's repair shop and the stories behind some of the items brought in.  Amelie specialises in carpentry, but her aunt Josie's shop in the South of France is even closer to the one many will be familiar with from the BBC programme. 

Once the action moved to France, I was beyond hooked, I was enjoying this book so much, and was loving seeing how things would change between Amelie and Jack.  As well as seeing things like the Christmas markets, as well as accompanying them broccanting.  

This was just a a highly enjoyable book that I immensely enjoyed.  I definitely felt transported to France and got a real feel for the area, as well as real fear for Amelie at a B&B they stopped in to break up the journey.   

I love Sophie Claire's writing style and found this was a nice and quick book to read, where the pages just turned effortlessly, and the next thing I knew I was a lot further on than I thought I was, oblivious to the world around me. 

This is a joy to read this festive season.  Just hope the wait for the author's next book isn't as long as it was for this one. 

Thank you to Hoddder & Stoughton and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.