The Keeper of Happy Endings ⭐⭐⭐

The Keeper of Happy Endings by Barbara Davis 

G👀dreads

Soline Roussel is well schooled in the business of happy endings. For generations her family has kept an exclusive bridal salon in Paris, where magic is worked with needle and thread. It's said that the bride who wears a Roussel gown is guaranteed a lifetime of joy. But devastating losses during World War II leave Soline's world and heart in ruins and her faith in love shaken. She boxes up her memories, stowing them away, along with her broken dreams, determined to forget.

Decades later, while coping with her own tragic loss, aspiring gallery owner Rory Grant leases Soline's old property and discovers a box containing letters and a vintage wedding dress, never worn. When Rory returns the mementos, an unlikely friendship develops, and eerie parallels in Rory's and Soline's lives begin to surface. It's clear that they were destined to meet—and that Rory may hold the key to righting a forty-year wrong and opening the door to shared healing and, perhaps, a little magic.

Genre: Historical Fiction, WWII, France, Romance
Dual Timeline: 1940's WWII Paris, 1980's Boston

My friend Sherry loaned me her hard copy and said it's a "must read". I prefer audiobooks so I was happy to see it available on Hoopla.
People have mentioned they listen and follow along with the printed copy. I've not tried that yet but I might when listening at home.

Day 1 - I like both timelines but I'm having a hard time with the super thick French accent of Soline. Maybe listening while following the book would help! 

Day 2 - I have a feeling, due to the title, that everyone is going to have a happy ending and broken dreams will be brought back together. Let me know if you've read it am I'm wrong . I'm not wrong! 

⭐⭐⭐

🎉 Overall Enjoyment? 🎉 🎉 🎉

🎣 Did it grab and keep my attention?  🎣 🎣 🎣

🗣️ Would I recommend it to anyone? No ➖ 

🕮 Would I want a sequel? No ➖ 

📚 Would I want to read more books by this author? Probably not 🤷.

💣💥📢 Google says LOTS. Typical list for WWII plus Ȁbuşe, Mɇntal Hɇalth, Griɇf and Loss, Graṕhic Contɇnt, Social Issuɇs . 
I say I would scratch the last two. 

🌶 Spice? No

🌪 Plot Twist? Yes

👟 Pace? Way.Too.Slow.

💻 Tidbits ~ I started off enjoying the idea of ​​the stories of the two protagonists. Soline with the charm of the Dress Witch memories. Rory's struggling relationship with her Mother. It had potential. Then War is Hell kicked (typical of WWII stories). My enjoyment plummeted and I totally wanted to tune out when the would-be-future-FIL entered the scene. 
The coincidences building up were a little too convenient. I would have enjoyed it more if the author would have started with the end and then went back into the dual timeline to explain how their lives crossed paths. 

Audiobook - Robin Siegerman's exaggerated French accent (Soline) was so strong I could barely understand her most of the time. 

I deducted two stars. One for the super slow pace. Half for the way she connected their past. Half for the narration of Soline. 

🎧 Robin Siegerman (Soline), Hope Newhouse (Aurora "Rory")
Robin Siegerman's accent is really thick and most times difficult to follow. I looked at her up and it was exaggerated for the role. In real life she is Canadian and her accent is defined as "Neutral American" or "Standard Canadian". I don't know why they feel the need to do that! 

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