1.5⭐️

Holiday Read unfortunately did not hit the way I was hoping it would.

I did not connect to the characters or the storyline. I can see why people DNF this by 30-50% in; it was extremely difficult to see where the book was going and why the reader should continue with it.

SLIGHT SPOILER: I read the book till the end, and the main character, Candice, does not actually end up with Alexis (the first man introduced whom all the reviews are rightfully shitting on).

I remained confused as to who the romance was supposed to be about, and was shocked that at 75% in, I was still with my doubts as to who Candice would end up with. This also didn't work for me, as this clearly meant that the chemistry and emotional connection between the couple did not shine through at all (or even exist).

Also, this is such an irrelevant point, but the most unrealistic part of this was when Candice called soccer/football 'soccer', and NEITHER of the two English men she was speaking to corrected her to football.

Looking back, there was also an issue with dubious consent in the beginning surrounding drinking, and Alexis was overall an ass in general for attempting to make money writing a romance book while simultaneously being condescending toward the genre.

I rounded this up to the two stars due to Candice not ending up with who I originally thought she would, and for the strong female friendships and bonds she had throughout the book. Her friends were very sweet!

Thank you to NetGalley and Aria and Aries for the eARC, in exchange for an honest review of the book!

This book really did drag until at least 60% through, just because the characters felt under developed, and to be honest, they didn't actually do anything. A Cornish surfing school, which is what grabbed my attention, wasn't really a surfing school. The love interest (spoiler) wasn't really a love interest and he was just an absolute idiot. Which, given the last 40%, made sense but still. You could really just read the first few pages and then skip to the last three-quarters of the book.
That was the interesting part, the part that actually grabbed my attention and made me want to carry on- action, tension, confusion, all of which was lacking before. The fmc's friends became a lot less stereotypical best friends and started developing their own personalities! This was really the saving grace.

If you're an extremely patient person, I would absolutely suggest this book and if you're like me, I'd still suggest it, just ignore the middle, for your own sanity.

Couldn’t even get past 15%… it’s a no from me. Main characters were so unlikeable, it was hard to read and honestly seemed very similar to a lot of other books I’ve read.

It did start promising and giving off Emily Henry’s “Beach Read” vibe, which I loved very much. But then you read and read and read and nothing happens. It is just talk and not really much of action or romance or plot. And when the “plot twist” comes and a family mystery gets solved, you already forgot there was one.

Very underwhelming.

This was....bad. It was super bad. The cover and blurb seems like they're trying to recreate Beach Read, but they definitely didn't get there.
Hopefully some major edits can happen here.

2.5 stars rounded up. Thanks to Netgalley for the advance review copy. I requested it because of the obvious Beach Read parallels/piggy backing, and… well. It’s not quite what I expected. Sexy and escapist? Nope.
Things I liked: the setting, very well described and an integral part of the book. The author has a definite knack for dialogue, and has created some strong side characters, Makayla in particular. However, the narrative is entirely in first person from Candice: her style is prosaic, bordering on detached, and it didn’t work for me. I don’t need excessive drama and angst and third-act breakups from every romance novel I read, but I do want to feel invested in the main characters and their progression into love. Even when Candice describes her emotions, it’s just that: a description. I didn’t feel anything for her or her relationships. I was annoyed by Alexis, which I assume was the aim, but even then he felt like too much of a caricature. I came away feeling that I’d read something that could easily occur in real life - which is fine, but in a lot of cases, the way relationships develop in the real world doesn’t translate into a book I’d want to read. Some good ideas, but rather like Alexis’s novel, it needs more.

Alexis or Daniel? Candice moved to Cornwall to find her father, to escape her marriage, and to start her surf school. But it's not going well so she's also waitressing. She meets Alexis, who, as it turns out, has been using her stories to write his novel, She's not happy about that but then she meets Daniel, his agent,. Less visibly dynamic but a really good guy, Daniel moves into her heart as well. This is light and entertaining with an ending that felt a little rushed, Thanks to netgalley for the ARC, A beach story for a beach read.

dnf'd at 20%.

this book had an interesting premise but fell flat for me. i thought i would like it as it's marketed towards emily henry fans but i couldn't get into it at all. the start was fairly slow & the writing felt like it was dragging on a bit which made it harder to keep reading.

thank you to netgalley and the author for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

did not finish.. i agree with most of the other reviews on this book. could not stand the male main character

The only commendable aspect of this entire book was the descriptive writing. 10/10 for imagery.

The only likable character was Candice. The characters that were supposed to be "good" really missed the mark for me. We saw her stand up to the bad characters but it would've been nice to see that done with everybody else as well.

Some aspects were underdeveloped while others were overdeveloped.

This may be a great read for others but it just wasn't for me.

I’m sorry to say I really tried with this book. It had so much promise. A very interesting premise, but I found it slow to get into and I couldn’t connect with the characters. I’m giving this three stars though because I don’t think the hard work of the author should be penalised because I didn’t connect with it. This book will have fans, just not me. I would read another of the author though as they have a fab imagination for a premise so I will try again next time. I do wish this book every success though.

Honestly this felt like someone read Emily Henry and then tried to replicate it. I couldn't honestly recommend this one.

I loved so much about this book.
Even before I opened the book I was in love with the cover, the premise and so excited to see where it went.
It did not disappoint I read it in one sitting as the characters and story pulled me in. In love with this book.

Candice is a romance fanatic. So when she meets romance writer Alexis, she thinks her HEA is finally here. Along with Alexis' agent, Daniel, they join forces to write is future best-seller.
I was attracted to this book because it was marketed for readers who love Emily Henry (can't not thing about Beach Read with such a title and cover) and Josie Silver, who I both adore. However, sadly, it did not hit the mark for me. The story and writing felt discombobulated and choppy, with no cohesion. I hated Alexis and Candice was annoying, so I didn't care at all about what was happening/would happen, so I have to admit after the first third, I skimmed most of it. I read some great reviews about it, so maybe it just wasn't for me. I'm disappointed because this book had great potential.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

After reading the blurb I was eager to read this book. It sounded like fun, a perfect beach read to put me into a summer state of mind. Unfortunately, this book failed to deliver.

Candice has come half way around the world in an effort to start over. Stories from her mother have brought her to Cornwall where she hopes to learn about the father she never knew while starting a new business as a surf instructor. Unfortunately, things aren't going as well as she'd planned. Candice finds herself living out of an old van in the backyard of owner of the coffee shop where she's been working.

Alexis is an author struggling to write his first commercial success. He's come to Cornwall because he believes that's the setting for all the best romances and he's determined his next book is going to be a romance. His efforts to do research for the story lead him to surf instructor Candice. Despite his odd behavior, Candice and Alexis hit it off quickly, slipping into a casual relationship. Until Candice discovers he's been using the relationship as more research.

Enter Daniel, Alexis's agent. It's up to him to play peach maker. Realizing Alexis can't finish the book on his own, Daniel offers a Candice a collaboration with Alexis. When Candice reluctantly agrees she finds herself caught between two men who have no clue what real romance is all about -- and it falls to her to teach them.

Like others who have had the opportunity to read this book, I was unable to really finish this book and stopped reading at about 54% and skimmed through the remainder of the book. I just couldn't connect with this story. The characters were two dimensional and stereotypical. I couldn't relate to them as they were barely relating to each other. I couldn't feel the romance between the characters because it never developed beyond the surface level. Their interactions had no spark.

And Alexis was jut plain creepy. I assume some of the comments he made were meant to be amusing and express his lack of understanding of romance, but they all fell flat and left me feeling uncomfortable. The author could have given him the chance to grow. Instead, he seemed to spend the entire book apologizing for his inappropriate comments and never learning anything. He was just as offensive and unlikeable at the end as he was at the beginning.

The dialogue was monotonous throughout the story.. The author kept throwing in terms and colloquialisms meant to reflect the characters knowledge and background. I assume it was supposed to provide a knowledge of comfort between the characters but instead it felt forced and awkward.

I never did gain that summer state of mind. Instead, I just felt disappointed.

Candice moves to get away from her husband who is having a baby with her best friend.
She meets a writer who is there studying for his next book.
There was a love triangle that doesn't really make any sense. She doesn't really have much chemistry with the guy she ends up with.
Just kind of a mess

Firstly, a big thank you to Aria and Aries and NetGalley for the ARC.

I had high hopes for this books as it sounded like the perfect book for me. I’m a massive fan of Emily Henry and from the description, I assumed this book would give off the same vibe. And it did, to some extent, but something fell flat with this story which was really disappointing.

Let’s talk characters – I did like Candice as a main character, and I love her friendships with Makalya and Demi. They are good, entertaining side characters who are written well. Alexis seemed okay to begin with, but I don’t know why he had to be turned into such a jerk in the end; I really don’t think that was the right decision but for some people it might have been the expected path for him. Daniel is also a good character; the designated good guy. All in all, I didn’t find any issues character wise besides Alexis suddenly going from a bit of annoyance to a completely awful person.

Plot wise, this story feels a bit all over the place and moves at a weird pace. There are too many short, unnecessary filler chapters that don’t add much. The search for her dad is randomly mentioned here and there and then she suddenly figures it out at the end – I don’t think this moment, which is such a big thing to happen, is given enough attention in the book. I’d have liked to have seen more happen with Daniel and Candice - I’m nosey, I’d like to have to seen more of them after they together, popping an epilogue in could have been a good idea.

I never like to be negative about a book, but something is really missing from this plot, I wasn’t swept up by the plot and the romance, but I do love the friendships in this, and of course, the setting is glorious and well described.

This was such a great read! Perfect for summer! We are definitely going to be adding this one to our womens fiction section. I loved the dynamic between Candice and Alexis. I also loved the storyline as well. And then Daniel was added into the mix. It really kept the book interesting and I couldn’t wait to see how Candices love story panned out. If she would get her happy ending and with who? I definitely wasn’t disappointed.

DNF...

Unfortunately, it was sooo disappointing. I don't feel any chemistry there, everything is so flat... It is even hard to describe what the story is really about, beside being a unsuccesful copy of Emily's book with the very similiar title...

huge NO from me

(1 star)
DNF at 47%

Reading this was not a good experience for me. I had too many opinions about it right from the beginning, especially because of the single POV. Candice lived in her head too much that she was oblivious about the present, that's how serious her tragedy was I'm guessing. She had two fairy godmother characters in her life, and somehow I rarely noticed their so-called kindness in the book.
Alexis was a judgemental, entitled jerk. And for some reason, it was okay for him to be. He knew he was a dick to the general population and did nothing to change that. I don't know how that can be endearing.
There wasn't any chemistry between the characters if I'm being honest. One minute Candice is fed up with Alexis, then the next we see her thinking about his supposed good looks and the connection she feels with him. There were a lot of plotholes and some very out-of-the-blue passages. It barely made sense after a point. The poor character build-up made it challenging to find uniformity in characters, and generally like them.
What really made continuing the book difficult was the miscommunication and the way the story unfolded.