Looking for a contemporary romance novel that pulls at your heart string and has a pinch of mystery? One Evening In Paris by Nicholas Barreau fits the bill!

Alain Bonnard owns a small, art cinema in Paris. He inherited it from his Uncle, and it's a hidden gem in Paris. It's an old school cinema - no popcorn, no soda pop, no big Hollywood movies - just art films. It's a nostalgia, dreamy place, and for him it becomes a real life dream. A woman in a red coat keeps attending, and Alain finally builds up the courage to ask her up. They go on a wonderful date, but then suddenly she's gone. While he's looking for his true love, he meets a famous film doctor and his leading lady. They want to borrow his cinema for a shoot, and how could he turn that down? But is this movie coming to town and his mystery girl a coincidence? Alain will find out as he works to find his true love.

This book was incredibly sweet. It's an artsy book with lots of heart and shows the love of cinema. This book is marketed as a romance, but I find the romance is a bit of a side plot to the contemporary fiction side of this story. Despite this issue, I think Nicolas Barreau wrote romance beautifully. I find romances written by men don't always have the female gaze in mind, but Nicolas did. This hopeless romantic ideal felt like reading an old 40s film (but the polite, cute ones).

Overall, this is a magical contemporary fiction book with just enough romance. I highly recommend picking this book up to spice up your reading list in 2023 and onwards.

Four out of five stars. ( )

Un libro dolce e molto romantico, che si dipana tra film d’essai e le strade di una meravigliosa Parigi.
Alain Bonnard gestisce nella capitale francese un piccolo cinema d’essai, il Paradis, dove ogni mercoledì si tiene una rassegna di film d’amore. Tra i consueti spettatori una ragazza bellissima che indossa sempre un cappotto rosso attira la sua attenzione, e quando finalmente troverà il coraggio di invitarla a cena i due si scopriranno innamorati come non mai. Quasi contemporaneamente un famoso regista vuole girare alcune scene del suo nuovo film proprio in questo cinema con protagonista una famosa e bellissima attrice, Solène Avril. Ma se da una parte le cose sembrano andare nel migliore dei modi c’è qualcosa che tormenta Alain: che fine ha fatto Melanie, la ragazza dal cappotto rosso, che sembra improvvisamente scomparsa nel nulla?
Una storia semplice e quasi scontata vivacizzata da un piccolo mistero che si scioglierà sul finire del libro ricollegando i fili spezzati dal tempo e dagli eventi.
Personaggi semplici e quasi in contrapposizione tra loro a cominciare da Alain, un sognatore, molto tenero e onesto e il suo amico Robert, vivace, energico, molto sicuro di sé, così come Mèlanie, la ragazza dal cappotto rosso, molto dolce, timida e schiva e Solène, la bellissima attrice, volitiva, brillante e seducente.
Una storia d’amore gradevole, leggera e molto sentimentale adatta per passare qualche ora in pieno relax.
Quattro stelline un po' stiracchiate. ( )

Una novela deliciosa sobre la maravillosa locura que es el amor, sobre todo, el amor en París,algo tan mágico que sólo puede ser cierto. Cinéma Paradis es uno de los poquísimos cines de barrio que aún resisten en el corazón de París, gracias a la pasión de su dueño, enamorado de la chica del abrigo rojo que siempre se sienta en la fila 17. En esa pequeña sala se pondrá en marcha el azar para que los sueños se hagan realidad... no sin algún malentendido, pues detrás de las mejores historias de amor siempre hay un gran secreto.

After ''Ingredients of love'', I thought there couldn't be a better love book in Paris. I was so much wrong. This book... This book.. is the most amazing thing I've read in maybe years. Melanie reminds me of myself. Every single part of her. Her character has made me want to read the book one more time and another and another. And Alain,oh my God.. His will to find her left me breathless. His resistance to Solene, his love for Melanie and his strong faith, even when sometimes even he lost faith.. At the end, I realized that everything remains in the hands of Destiny. That little chance we all get in life, and our choice whether we'll make it right or wrong. Amazing.. ( )

Perfect for a rainy weekend. ( )