I had high hopes for this book because when I started it I saw the potential and I didn't read any reviews before starting. However, my feelings changed quickly as this story went on.

It felt like the story dragged. At first there was so much build up, but then it seemed like the second half was rushed. It also felt like things were thrown into the story to try to build it up. I did end up skimming the last half.

Also, the chapters were so inconsistent in length. I found the first few chapters were so long and then the ones at the end were a few pages long.

Some of the characters were so unlikeable! The main guy - Alexis - was honestly the worst and so misogynistic. I saw through him right away. Some of the other characters did and said some questionable things.

The title of this book is so misleading. I thought it was going to be like Beach Read since the title and cover look so similar and the blurb sounds like Book Lovers. It felt like it was jumping on an author that is very popular and trying to copy them.

The dialogue is forced and unbelievable. As a romance lover, it offended me that a main character who makes fun of the genre is going to write one.

Overall, it wasn't the worst book I've read. It won't be one I recommend or even remember. I didn't find it to be a romance at all

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for ab advanced copy of this books.

I’m typically not that critical of books and book reviews, but this book just wasn’t that good. It was very hard for me to follow the storyline and keep reading the book. It was more like, I have to pick it up and keep reading versus I can’t keep from picking it up and seeing what happens next. This book is a hard pass for me.

I’d like to begin by saying thank you for the opportunity to read this book before its release.

I really tried to like this book but I did not. I gave it 2 stars instead of 1 because of Makayla. I loved her character and she really made me laugh but she was the only character I truly liked. I think this was a book that I really wanted to DNF but I finished out of discipline and so it took me a while to get through it.

Alexis was a creep and he blurred too many lines. Getting a woman intoxicated, making a move on her and attempting to justify your stalker behaviour (he legit described her nipples in her top for “book research”) was horrifying to read.

I didn’t fall in love with Daniel either. I’m glad Candice got her happily ever after in the end but I’d lost interest in the romance by the 50% mark. I frankly didn’t care if they got together or not. At some points in the book I wasn’t even sure who she was interested in.

Also the story as to why she moved to Cornwall seemed underdeveloped, as if it was just thrown in there as an attempt to give Candice some depth.

Personally I wouldn’t recommend this book.

I had to DNF this one. Did not love the story. The love interest was awful, and the book was just not it. Sold as a romance, this felt like anything but. The dialogue was also cringeworthy.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Meh not a fan of this book. I read it on a beach vacation and it was boring. I love the cover and title but the book was hard to get through. The back story was a mess and not interesting. The characters were ok.

Slow to start. Could not get into the book.
Dnf around 10%
I may try to go back and read at another time but for now I'm moving on.

I wanted to love this book so much, but I feel like a lot of the time nothing was being said or was happening. It felt like the same 3/4 plot points were being rehashed over and over again, but in different places or with different people.

Because we didn't get to meet Alexis and Daniel till nearly 1/3 of the way through, I feel like a lot was missed out on. I appreciate all of Candice's backstory, but I think this book just moved far too slowly. I also didn't feel like I truly connected to any of the characters, which made it difficult for me to continue.

Overall, I would try read another book by this author, but I think this book is not the cute, quick romance the cover advertises it as.

*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy via NetGalley.*

"Holiday Read", by Taylor Cole, is based on Candice, who is struggling to get over her husband's betrayal, and Alexis, a down-on-his-luck author who has based his latest novel on Candice. Overall, all the book's characters were unlikable and made bad choices. I wasn't sure who to root for in this book and ended up just skimming from the halfway point to the very end.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Aria & Aries for giving me an arc of this book in exchange for a review!

When I stumbled upon Holiday Read, I thought "what better addition to my holiday reads, than a book aptly titled "Holiday Read". Unfortunately, the book was not a holiday read nor did it leave me with that heart-warming feeling most holiday-- or rom-com novels in general- do. The book was also put forth as similar to Emily Henry, which I believe had me going into it with different expectations, seeing as I just finished with a back-to-back Emily Henry run (Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation).

Holiday Read is about this woman who moves from Hawaii to Newquay, UK in escape of her husband and his infidelity. One day, a young man -- Alexis-- walks into the place she waitresses at and decides to make it his writing spot. Her best friend and fellow waitress, Makayla, is fawning over him as he is described to look like a young Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam. Our protagonist, Candice, however, is not smitten, and in fact is more upset that he's taking up prime real estate and not ordering anything. Alexis begins to take an interest in her, and after becoming one of her surf students they begin to hang out. She then learns that she has been a research subject all this time for a romance novel that Alexis is writing (not a spoiler, this is in the summary). Instead of this being a breaking point in their…situationship, she eventually agrees to a deal where she helps Alexis write the romance novel (he clearly needs the help), in exchange for writing credit and royalties. Alexis' agent, Daniel, comes into town and makes the duo a trio. They do research trips around Cornwall to get themselves in the mindset of the novel, which is based there. This is about the only tie-in I could see to Emily Henry, since Beach Read had a similar premise to this part of the plot. In their journeying, Daniel becomes a more active player in this love triangle.

The Good:

There are various points in the book that address her toxic relationship with her husband, Joseph. The writing on her feelings were relatable and while Joseph was a bit extreme at times, I think also the tension he brought was accurate and good portrayal of what that kind of relationship can be like.

"I needed him to understand that I was trying, that I would always try for him, but that I couldn't be his everything. He needed people outside of me, to give him other things. Other types of friendship, of closeness."

"I thought he would be reasonable, that he would change, if I just knew how to say the exact right things at the exact right time, but I never could seem to do that. When I finally figured out what I wanted him to know, he was done trying to hear me."

There were some other really good quotes that stuck with me, such as:

"My mom used to say that when a new person irritated me past what was rational, it was because they reminded me of a thing I didn't like about myself, some trait I wish I didn't have."

"There was a moment of recognition. The recognition you feel when you meet the people you were somehow meant to meet in life, not necessarily in the romantic sense, or even a friendship sense, but the ones who make you pivot in some way, toward something new."

These really made me think of occurrences in my own life, trying to think of examples and if I believed that was true-- trying to untangle my own past feelings.

The Bad:

Overall, I feel the story lost its way in the middle-ish, making the ending feel abrupt. Part of the plot was her being in Newquay to also find her biological father. However, this was addressed sparingly here and there and then suddenly resolved near the end. Without spoiling, there was also a scene where all the characters were involved, and while it was crucial for Candice's growth, I found myself kind of cringing as it was perhaps too cliché.

Alexis was rather misogynistic. Granted, this could just be his character (though he claimed to be reformed), but it did make his scenes hard to read. Again, this could have been to steer us towards a different love interest. He went from the forefront, to just kind of in the background. Which honestly, no complaints. Alexis sucked.

I didn't feel there was much chemistry build up with Daniel. He was just kind of there suddenly, and yeah between the two options I would pick him, but I wasn't exactly rooting for him either. With the multitude of Austen references, I feel he was supposed to be our Mr. Darcy, but it didn't quite reach.

Overall, the book had some good moments but I do not think it was for me. This is not to say it may not be a good read for someone else. Like I mentioned above, there were some good quotes that I think are going to stick with me. I do think the title and cover are a little misleading, and that may also have had to do with the mindset I went into the book with and what I was expecting.

Holiday Read at the moment I find no correlation from what I am reading to the title. Candice goes back and forth from her present and last and then she meets an author who is working on writing his latest book. I do not like DNFing books so I will finish and come back to update.

I love novels about writing a novel! The Holiday Read is a heart-warming, complex and sweet novel about what it means to leave behind everything you know and set out in search of yourself and your past. Candice left Hawaii for the Cornish coast, determined to start her own surfing business alongside her new eclectic friends. She meets Alexis, a handsome author with the biggest case of writer’s block who suddenly finds inspiration in Candice. Candice has to decide if she can trust Alexis and his editor, Daniel, who suddenly appears to oversee the writing process. This book is so much more than a simple love story. Cast with a fantastic slew of multi-dimensional characters, The Holiday Read takes readers on Candice’s complicated journey of self discovery. I enjoyed Taylor Cole’s writing style and release date of early May will make the Holiday Read perfect for summer indulgence everywhere!

A sincere thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

At first glance Holiday Read is a romance novel but for me it was really about finding yourself and the family of your heart.
When Candice travels to Cornwall after losing her mum and being deceived by her husband she is lost within herself. She is lucky to have kind-hearted Makayla stop and offer her assistance, which leads to a job at Demi's Cafe. Demi soon takes on a mother role and Makayla and Candice end up like sisters. The trust and love they all find for each other is really easy to see and makes for a lovely background in the story.

Candice is deceived again by Alexis when she thinks they are building a relationship, but really he's just using her as inspiration for his romance novel that he is struggling to write. I found his character very oblivious to the needs of anyone other than himself which was frustrating at times but fit well within the storyline.

Towards the end of the story it felt a little like things were wrapped up too quickly and some elements that weren't important could have been skipped to add more to other momentous events. I liked Candice and was really proud of her self growth within the story. Overall an easy summer read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC, however all thoughts in this review are my own.
dnf @ 32%. I prefer my love interests to not have consent issues and deep, DEEP, rooted misogyny.
You know when you're reading a book and you consistently
CRINGE every four lines or so? That's what it felt like reading this book.
Alexis, our love interest, cannot seem to grasp WHY using someone without their consent would be a problem!! And, mind you, this is only about a third into the book. Candice is an overly cynical character, who acts like she's S000 much better that everyone because she surfs.
I'm going to be completely honest. This book reminded me of beach read (very loosely) in its plot synopsis, and that is why I requested the ARC. However, I CANNOT stand how it evolved from cute concept to "oh no let's have a weird conversation about sexuality in Jane Austen books, and how Mr Darcy was definitely having an affair in London."
This book felt disjointed and I could not believe the blatant misogyny in this book. Alexis is a very, VERY toxic character, and I had to stop reading because of him.
1 (very very lenient) ⭐️

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and Aria & Aries for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Holiday Read releases May 11, 2023

I feel like we all collectively got baited into thinking this was going to be something like Emily Henry’s Beach Read.

The plot (if you can even call it that) was not cohesive. There was simultaneously nothing happening, yet also way too much going on.
I found the writing to be very wordy and unnecessarily full of filler. This easily could have been condensed further.

I had a hard time finding the characters likeable — especially Alexis.
What was the point of having him as a male romance author when clearly he has no passion for it whatsoever and is only doing it out of desperation and monetary gain? It’s so disingenuous and really cheapens the whole romantic aspect. Focusing on writing a novel within the book could have been an easy vessel for needed chemistry and tension, but there was a missed opportunity. It would be a stretch to call this a romance when it leans more towards lit/women’s fic.

The long lost father subplot was really rushed in my opinion, and was treated like an afterthought.

This book relied heavily on repeated mentions of Bridgerton, the regency era, and the works of Austen and other classics with misogynistic undertones.

I have a dry sense of humour but I did not find this “romcom” funny at all… I would gladly pay to never read “tit limpet” again.

I also can’t get over how contradicting the synopsis is — “they hit it off straight away” — ?? The main character Candice literally tells us how she had a bad feeling about this creep from the get go?! I mean… what the hell. She was standoffish during all of their interactions.
This is not the “ultimate sexy and escapist romcom for book and beach lovers” like they are marketing it as.


“What makes a good romance? I don’t think I even know. In its essence, I mean.”
“I know what it is for me.”
“Then could you share? Because I have no idea.”
“I guess for me it boils down to the trope that we so often see in Austen novels.”
“Which is?”
“Two people longing for each other, not able to have each other, suffering in silence. They share this huge intense thing that they can’t talk about. And nobody knows, except them.”

This book was not good. It just drags and drags, and it really bothered me a lot of the stuff the characters said or did. No spoiler as it happens quite soon in the book, but one of the characters literally is so pervy and creepy towards a man, then one of the characters is seen casually smoking a joint - no thanks, don't want to read about that in my romances. DNF.

I was a little concerned based on the title and cover that it was going to try and claim to be like Emily Henry's 'Beach Read' without actually following through on what makes her stories great. My fears were realised.

Really tried to push through with this one but I was honestly quite disgusted. There is a certain threshold for misogyny and the propagation of problematic ideals that I can take before I just can't any longer. The majority of people who would pick up this book are likely to be fans of romance, so it's a good idea to not alienate your romance genre-loving audience by debasing it and bastardising it.

There is also a right way to do 'grumpy'/'cold' male leads. Making them a misogynistic pig is NOT the right way.
Not to mention the VERY dubious consent that was an extreme ick. I'm not sure if the author thought it was supposed to be sexy but it was NOT.

There is also such a hodge-podge of random plot threads that seem very disjointed and just like they were shoved in there for more drama and ticking off a trope checklist. I'm sad because I was initially hopeful we really WOULD be getting at least some caliber of the story it was advertising itself to be, but my hopes were dashed quite quickly. Wouldn't recommend this.

The cover of this one is just so cute and I was really excited about it. But then the run-on sentences, misogynistic male main character and the overall sense of an author trying too hard was just super off-putting.

Candice is an American surfer who moves to Newquay, UK, trying to find herself after her marriage falls apart and is looking for her biological father.
Candice meets two women who become like family and help her through challenging times.
Candice meets Alexis, a handsome but loathsome writer who is trying to write a romance novel but doesn't have the emotionality to do so. Daniel, Alexis' literary agent, arrives and advises Candice and Alexis to work together to complete the novel. From here, different relationships form, and many other interactions follow to bring everything together for closure for a romance novel.
This was slow and mournful at times. The writing was good, and I enjoyed the history of Newquay. I didn't love this book as it seemed, at times, maybe too real, and romance novels are a bit more cozy. The ending, however, is very much in tune with romance novels; happy.
A final thought is the title doesn't seem to fit with the story. I kind of see a link, but overall, the title doesn't seem to fit.
I give it 3 stars
I want to thank NetGalley and Aria & Aries for the arc.
#HolidayRead #NetGalley #aria

I DNFed this at around 40%.

This was poorly written and there were major consent issues.

Also, the book is misleading and doesn't a tually take place during the holidays. It kind of feels like it's trying to lure in people who enjoyed the Beach Read.

Also the MMC is a misogynistic piece of work and once you are down that path there is really no coming back.

A wonderful read. When Candace comes to the UK, she is escaping her cheating husband and best friend. She is also on a mission to find her father, who was from the Cornwall area. Meeting Alexis and Daniel, she is confronted with two possible love interests. Good read, and was hard to put down. Highly recommend.