I struggled to get through this one, finding it hard to really connect with any of the characters. I was looking for a light holiday beach read that left me with happy vibes up until the last page. Unfortunately, that is not what I found. I was under the impression, given the title, that it would take place during a holiday, but did not find reference to that in the entire book.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is a disappointing version of a similar book that has made a name for itself on Booktok.

I couldn’t see the couple being realistically in love, let alone attracted to one another and the story felt unoriginal in

✨Book Review - Holiday Read by Taylor Cole✨

⭐️⭐️ STARS

REVIEW: I thought it was going to be more of a rom-com, it’s marketed as such. The cover & synopsis all lead you to believe it’s going to be more of a love story and it had elements to be one but it didn’t feel like one to me. It felt much more like a drama. I didn’t like any of the characters, except maybe the best friend, and didn’t believe there was any “chemistry” on the page. I wanted more for this one and it didn’t deliver.

SYNOPSIS: Candice is working as a waitress while trying to get her surf school off the ground when she meets Alexis. Alexis is a writer and is in town trying to write a romance novel and Candice loves romance novels. They begin to be talk and Candice feels like it a new beginning until she finds out Alexis is just using her to get inspiration for his novel. Alexis enlists her help to write the book and between him, her and his agent Daniel, they get entangled in a summer of love. Will Candice find her love before the summer is over?

Thank you to NetGalley, Aria & Aries, & Head of Zeus for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This review is painful to write for me because I really really wanted to like this book. The summary seemed amazing and I went in with very high hopes.
Unfortunately, I was so disappointed in the read that I ended up DNFing at about 50%.
The plot idea was really interesting! But I did feel like it was taking a bit too long for everything to fall into place.
I also had trouble getting emotionally invested with the characters. I didn't get attached to the FMC. I can't explain it but I just didn't get her. And the inner monologues were a bit too long for my taste, giving a weird pacing to the story.
Maybe I wasn't in the right headspace at the time to really appreciate this book, honestly I don't know. But I've read amazing reviews about it, so if you're considering giving it a shot then please do and I hope you'll enjoy 💕

This one was alright but I’ve read similar and better books. I didn’t warm to the main characters and I found the concept quite bland and predictable.

I started off quite liking this book and the style of writing. It seemed modern and relevant and amusing. I was curious to see where things would go but, unfortunately, less than halfway into the book I got distracted and was never able to get back into it in quite the same way. I found myself skim reading a lot of it, and couldn't connect with any of the characters enough to be invested in what happened to them. Parts of the book felt choppy and unnecessary. I'm disappointed I didn't enjoy it more, as I really thought it started off well.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this eARC.

I feel like I am in the minority by saying that I actually enjoyed this book. I did manage to finish and and was pleased with the person our female lead ends up with. We all know Alexis is a total douche canoe and I completely understand why everyone was upset and triggered. It probably wasn’t the best to have them both be at that level of inebriated in order to progress their romantic involvement. However I think she also shouldn’t have gone through his personal writings. Sure, she wasn’t upset that her friends went through her journal, but they were also more well acquainted with one another. Just because it didn’t bother her, doesn’t mean it was the right thing to do. Definitely not defending him because he was pretty awful, but he can write what he pleases in privacy. Also, although the romantic scene was a bit awkward, he was not actively forcing himself on her (again, I get they were both drunk and probably should have waited for a better time to explore their interest in one another).

That being said, it did not deter me from finishing the story. I think the ending paid off. The story progresses past the two horrible men in the story until finally finding the right one for our female lead. I wanted to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book. I appreciate the opportunity.

This book was a swing and a miss for me. I think that although the author had a very unique and distinct writing style, the topics of the book and the characters were misrepresented.

There was not only miscommunication but a clear lack of consent in many situations, which just isn't something I like to read about in my romance novels.

I had a lot of trouble reading this one,

DON"T DO IT, it's said to be like Beach Read by Emily Henry, go read that instead. I can't understand why this would be marketed as a romance novel, with the whole 'enemies to lovers' trope, when the MMC mocks the genre, only writes it to make money and makes offensive comments, he doesn't appeal or appear redeemable at all and gets the FMC drunk to take advantage. This is vile.

I'll need honest i DNF. I hate not finishing books, it pains me, but after months of reading a page, shaking my head and moving on to something else it's time to let this go.

The book felt so planned, forced, fake, not genuine.

Thank you to net galley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

A truly fun rom-com that offers readers something extra -- it lets readers in on the whole process of actually writing a romance novel, as the main character offers to let her friend use her life and story as inspiration for his next book. I look forward to recommending this book to readers who like contemporary romances with lots of humor and witty back and forth -- Emily Henry comes to mind for sure. Great story! Perfect beach read for anytime of year.

First of all i would like to thank netgalley for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review.
I dnf at about 15% because the book wasnt really connecting with me. It just felt like the author was trying too hard to pull from other stories and not really being real or authentic. I can’t say that I loved this but maybe someone else will.

It felt like a much worse version of Beach Read by Emily Henry. I didn’t like the characters. Especially the guy and how it seemed like he didn’t even like romance books which isn’t endearing.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC book to review! I had high hopes going into this book for a great romance story, but it fell flat. Lots of historical information and facts that I just found to be boring. Also a ton of info people that love literature would appreciate throughout the book (again, just not my cup of tea). There was no relationship development and definitely no spicy scenes. It felt one-dimensional. A lot of focus on the main character’s struggles and trauma from dealing with her difficult jerk hole of a husband. Book also starts with one character love interest then later shifts into a way I like, but we don’t get much out of the final relationship. It also threw me off big time that Alexis was a guy? That seems confusing? Trigger warning for domestic abuse. My big disappointment with this book was the complete lack of romantic development. It left me wanting more. Overall rating: 2/5 stars ⭐️⭐️

This is an extremely problematic book in terms of representation of people with autism or being neurodivergent and conflating the idea that because people may have issues with social cues and socialization they automatically don't no what consent means.

A major character in this book is written as neurodivergent and also an asshole who consistently crosses boundaries and does not respect when another character says no. It's clear the author has never actually spent real time with people on the spectrum or is extremely ableist.

On top of which this feels like cheap and bastardized version of Emily Henry's Beach Read.

I cannot in good faith give this above a one and highly recommend that people do NOT read this.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me this for my honest review.

I enjoyed this book. It was an easy read and perfect for my morning commutes.

Hawaiian Candice is working at a coffee shop in Cornwall while looking for answers trying to get her surfing school off the ground. When Alexis walks into their café, Candice’s best friend tries to convince her to go out with him. When Candice learns Alexis is using her for ideas in the romance novel is trying to write, she is furious. Alexis and his publisher, Daniel, bring Candice on board for the writing deal, and she spends the summer showing them around the area, helping write the plot, and wondering if any romance could happen off the page.

The story got a lot better once Daniel came along. This book has very flawed characters, which I believe is intentional, but they do not make good romantic leads. They are all in need to therapy. This book would be better marketed as women’s fiction and focusing on the friendship between Candice, her best friend, and their boss.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book.

Dnf 25%
Se me hizo pesado de leer, intentaba leer y 5 paginas parecian 20. Ademas empece a leer reseñas para motivarme de leerlo, y me terminaron DESmotivando. Mucha gente lo dejo sin terminar, y la verdad estoy cansada de leer libros q no me gustan por tener la sensación de que les debo algo a los autores jsjsjs asi q hasta aca mi recorrido con Holiday Read, ojala alguno lo disfrute como yo no pude.

I really liked the premise of this book, but unfortunately it just didn't hit the mark and I felt it didn't actually do what it said in the blurb. Although I liked most of the characters, I felt the plot wasn't developed fully and additional sub-plots could have been removed because it took away from the actual story. It was just too slow and busy for my liking, the main storyline ended very abruptly, and I was just disappointed because the premise of the story had so much potential.

Thank you again NetGalley, Taylor Cole and Aria & Aries for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Review also posted to Goodreads

I am so sorry. I tried to enjoy this book and not compare it to other similar works, but the similarities to Beach Read, one of my all-time favorites, were numerous, but it wasn’t nearly executed as well as Beach Read. I couldn’t connect with the characters, especially Alexis. I wasn’t rooting for him as a love interest. I didn’t get the attraction between the two of them and found the chemistry was lacking.
Thank you to Netgalley and Aria Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest book review.