I want to start this review stating I typically do not read romance novels. However, I was drawn to the fabulous cover of Sarah Ready’s French Holiday and was so glad I picked this book up.

Merry is at a crossroads. Her sister just married her best friend. She has quit her job. Enter her quirky Godmother who owns a castle in Annecy, France. When Merry is offered to stay at her castle for three months, how can she turn it down? Upon her arrival, she learns she will be sharing the castle with a man she detests.

There were many funny parts of this book, and a little mystery was thrown into it as well. It is definitely worth a read!

Thank you, NetGalley and Swift and Lewis Publishing LLC, for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions above are my own.

Merry needs a break from her current life. Enter her fairy godmother with the perfect solution. A French chateau, the ideal setting for magic to happen, the only problem? Noah Wright is there too.

As a firm fan of enemies to lovers I feel it doesn’t always translate well to contemporary romance but the tension between Merry and Noah was borderline perfection. They had wonderful banter and a decent amount of slow burn. I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen.

After watching her sister marry the man Merry has fallen in love with, who is also her best friend, she needs to put some emotional and physical distance between her and the situation. The opportunity to spend a few months in France is a dream come true until she arrives and finds out the castle isn’t as she imagined and that she won’t be alone.

Noah is a successful travel writer who has things he wants to keep hidden and family history he wants to uncover. He believes that the answers may be in France, so he isn’t about to leave the castle just to make Merry happy. Although they may have started out as adversaries their time together and the adventures they share will have them looking at each other in a completely different way.

Merry had tunnel vision and took some time to realize who was in front of her but once she did she supported Noah while he tries to get the answers he needs. The narrator does a wonderful job of describing the ambiance of both France and the castle as well as the burgeoning romance between the characters.

I adored this book. Before starting it I was stressed and hadn't read in a while. But Merry and Noah's story sucked me in immediately and left me unable to put the book down.

<i>French Holiday</i> is an example of an enemies-to-lovers story done right, plus well-done forced proximity and shared bed tropes. The reasons that Merry and Noah hated each other initially were resolved by the end and didn't leave me hating the characters. Instead, they were loveable and the story had the perfect amount of humor to balance out the hard-hitting topics. Louis came back at the perfect times, a unique touch that was definitely appreciated.

As the oldest daughter, Merry's relationship with her sister was painfully relatable. I loved the addition of these scenes, as they made the story so much more "full" and incredible.

Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone needing a good read, particularly a romance that will make you feel something! Don't let the cover sway you from picking up this story. Looking forward to seeing what else Sarah Ready publishes!

Thank you to NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing for providing the ARC.

I am a Sarah Ready stan, I'm not ashamed to admit it. After all of the heartbreaking joy of Josh and Gemma, I was way too eager for her next novel. And lucky for me, it didn't disappoint.

The book centers on unrequited love in all its forms. There are times it is painful, like when Merry pines away for her friend, Leo. This is where Ready's writing really shines. She has a way with words that makes you feel each heartbreaking emotion that her characters go through.

And Noah. Sweet, grumpy, loving Noah, who quietly loved Merry even when she loved Leo. Who put up walls to guard his heart, after everything he'd gone through, and who let Merry painstakingly tear them down when she realized that they were made for each other.

If there was only one thing that I could criticize it was the fact that both Merry and her sister ran headfirst into marriages with men they barely knew. But I also know someone who proprosed to someone after two weeks and they've been married for almost 40 years, so when you know, you know.

An adorable book.

Sarah Ready has the ability to put me through the ringer (such as her 'Josh and Gemma' books), but then she transports me to a less emotional ringer of a book that still explores the less brighter sides of life.

In 'French Holiday', Merry escapes to Annecy France to live in her bohemian aunt's rundown castle, only to find herself forced to share with documentary filmmaker Noah, a man she doesn't like, who was the best man at her sister's wedding. You see, her impulsive younger sister married Merry's best friend who was the man she was in love with. Along the way there's a mystery and a lobster.

I really felt for Merry, to be in love with a man for whom she thought she had an unspoken spark for, only to find him marrying her sister in a very short space of time made my heart ache for her. Ready manages to walk a very fine line between the pathos and comedy, and I think this is where her strengths as a writer lies. I also loved Noah's character development and his search for answers.

I must say I did find the side plot with the neighbours a bit much and would've much preferred it to be a triangle fake out, instead of the fourth party coming into the scene (being vague here because spoilers). I just found her a less rounded out character and couldn't buy the resolution to that C plot. I also could've done with less lobster hijinx.

This book was a delightful escapist fun, but what made this book even more special for me was that last summer I travelled overseas to Annecy France. All because I'd read a romance novel set in Lake Como Italy, and since that was too far and expensive, I searched 'big lakes, France". To my delight discovered Lac d'Annecy was a short train ride from Lyon, my destination. So I could easily remember just how blue the lake was, along with the canals and the pretty streets. If you cannot travel to Annecy though, read this book instead!

I absolutely adored this book. I was expecting a fun and light read with an enemies to lovers trope and it was so much more than that. I loved every minute of reading it and didn’t want to put it down. I loved the characters and the storyline, including the little bit of mystery that keeps you guessing.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and am giving my opinion freely.

This was my first experience reading a book by Sarah Ready. I am really glad I decided to give it a try. This book was refreshing from beginning to end. It is a love story and does fit the enemies to lovers and close proximity tropes, but it is so emotionally raw and genuine. It had comedy gold that had me laughing out loud, but also realistic enough that I could imagine the same things happening to me. The characters fell in love naturally as they got to know each other, became friends, and shared their real selves and the secrets that had never been told. I fell in love with them too, and couldn’t imagine a better couple than Merry and Noah. If all of MS. ready’s stories are this pure, I will be devouring her backlist pretty soon! If you haven’t read this book yet, don’t wait any longer it will leave you with warm fuzzy feelings down to your toes. I am voluntarily submitting this review after reading an advanced complementary copy. Thank you Social Butterfly PR and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

{3.5 stars}

Merry's best friend is marrying her sister, that sounds like a dream come true, if only she weren't in love with him herself. After years of pining away for him, her sister, who has stolen everything she loves all of her life, has taken him as well. She decides to go to a French chateau owned by her godmother to lick her wounds following the wedding. A wedding in which she hooked up with the best man, a guy she has no real love for. She arrives and guess who is there? They decide to share the place and slowly realize they may have more in common than they thought.

This was cute, although the "enemies" to lovers thing was more like two people who barely know each other to lovers. Noah's mysteries were pretty easy to solve. I wish we had a little more character development of Merry. Also I really hated her sister. This one was perfect for a day by the pool but not much more than that.

Thanks to Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC for gifted access via Netgalley. All opinions above are my own.

OH MY GOODNESS!! This book was absolutely adorable!! Thank you NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a delightful enemies to friends to lovers rom-com with a bit of mystery. The book is so unique and not like your typical rom-com and I loved it so much. I laughed so hard while reading the book that my family asked me if I was okay. Omg! Thinking about her being attacked BY their food still makes me crack up laughing. Hands down one of my favorite reads this year!! Not to mention, that the cover and title are so cute! This is one of those books I could read over and over again!! Definitely, need to purchase the physical copy for my personal library. 💜💜💜💜💜

Merry watches as her sister Angela marries her best friend (Leo) and the only man she has ever loved. She has never told anyone her feelings for Leo due to the fear of being rejected. When Merry receives an invitation to take a three month vacation to stay in a chateau in the French Countryside she realizes that this is the perfect escape from her life. Once she arrives things to start to unravel because Noah, the most annoying man ever, is already living in the chateau. He will not leave and she has no other place to go so they agree to live in the castle together. This is when the journey begins for Noah and Merry.

I enjoyed the descriptions of the French countryside, picnics in the vineyard, French cuisine and the mystery of the famous artist. I was completely captivated from start to finish! Do yourself a favor and read this book!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

How do you get over unrequited love? Perhaps hooking up with a groomsman at the wedding from hell between her ex and her own sister might help. Nope. That was a mistake. Waking up with a doozy of a hangover in the best man's bed the next morning, dodging all of the condoms, and sneaking out of the hotel room never to see the loathsome Noah Wright again was a priority. Little did Merry know losing her job, finding out her sister is pregnant, and taking a vacation to France would bring her face to face with her nemesis once again.

Merry is a straight talker, a sleep cuddler, and she needs to stop believing she's an ugly duckling and become a swan. France is her chance "to live, to experience magic, to escape" so finding out Noah is staying at the same dilapidated chateau puts a wrench in her plans until she gets to know the troubled man hiding behind the jet-setting film documentarian persona. Noah has a heartbreaking secret that is revealed slowly and Merry is the driving force who helps him find his closure. Their love story is filled with crazy/hilarious moments teeming with rats, bats, and a lobster named Louis. Jealousy and matchmaking abound with a flirtatious Frenchman named Pierre and a mischievous sprite named Camille. And there is a mystery included regarding the legend behind an elusive painter in search of the woman he loves.

This is a cute and funny romp between enemies who become friends and then lovers. Memorable quotes include: "Loving someone can never be overestimated", and "Everyone is an artist. Every day we all create our life, we create our destinies! What is more artistic than that?" The setting is beautiful and the characters are entertaining.

Thank you to Ms. Ready for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.

I've enjoyed Sarah Ready's Josh and Gemma books, so I was looking forward to this one. However, I found it a struggle in comparison. The condition of the chateau made it hard to believe that it was habitable at all. The mystery was convoluted. I'll read her future books, but this one just didn't do it for me.

Thank you Swift & Lewis Publishing for the chance to read a digital ARC in return for an honest review.

I’ve been anxiously awaiting this book since I first heard about it and it did not let me down at all! Even as long as it was I could barely put it down, I hated every time I had to quit reading because my lunch break was over or I had to go to bed before work the next morning. The whole plot had so many intricate details relating the characters to each other in so many different ways that I loved reading along to see just what was going to happen next and how someone might react. Another part that really grabbed me was the fact that the book touched on unrequited love being more than just a romantic love. The love for a parent someone never got to meet, that was such a deep and emotional aspect of this story.

As I have found with the other books I’ve read by this author, I really love all the characters, even if they come across as a bit unlikable at first. And then there is always a character or two that keeps the humor going, and in this book, there was even an unexpected humorous character that didn’t disappear when I thought it would, a lobster that popped up again in such a hilarious way. The romance was wonderful, the having to realize that love isn’t always going to be about perfect swept away moments of thunder/lightning, at least it may not appear that way right away.

Wonderful new story from Sarah Ready!

Synopsis:
After Merry’s sister marries Leo, Merry’s best friend and the guy she’s been in loved with for years she talks to her Godmother. Her Godmother told her about her flight plan, a chateau in France. Merry goes to France to regroup…only to find that the chateau isn’t empty. Noah Wright, Leo’s friend who Merry despises.

My review:
French Holiday was a cute and fun read. I liked the book from beginning to end. The characters made me laugh a lot. I definitely recommend this one.

Thanks to Netgalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC for a copy of French Holiday in exchange of an honest review

I loved this book. Ugh I could just picture being in France- in the garden.. all of it. I was literally screaming hoping that Noah and Merry would end up together or that Merry would open her eyes and see that Noah is in love with her! Ugh, my heart. I loved the banter, the enemies to lovers, I loved the funny moments with the lobster and the little bit of mystery. Angela and Leo absolutely annoyed me because they're not the best sister/bestfriend to Merry. But aside from that- I loved this so much. Sarah Ready can write me a grocery list and I'd be excited to read it.

In many ways, the characters and plot in this book shouldn’t work – too cliché, too ridiculous (there’s A Whole Thing with a runaway lobster), too wishy-washy, just too much going on in general – but I still found myself really charmed by it.

The story follows Merry, who jets off to her freewheeling godmother’s newly purchased French chateau after the man she’s been in love with for years marries her sister, only to find that Noah, her brother-in-law’s best friend whom she believes 1) hates her, and 2) drunkenly slept with her at the wedding anyway, is *also* at the chateau, doing research for his latest documentary.

Though the story is all from Merry’s POV, it becomes clear that while she is living her travel adventure dreams, despite the state of the chateau (it’s filthy! there’s no electricity! it’s infested!) and looking forward to a whirlwind romance (there’s a hot, motorcycle-riding, art dealer next door!) Noah is in the midst of a Gothic romance as he pensively researches and generally broods around, but somehow always saves the day.

The second half of the book does a lot of emotional heavylifting as Noah reveals more about himself and his interest in the chateau and an artist who used to live there. And from there, the frothy romcom plot takes a bit of a left turn into Gothic territory (there’s a triple-mystery and a ghost story and yes, you can probably guess the outcome, but no, that won’t make you feel bored with the story) – but don’t worry, you haven’t been duped and it doesn’t linger there long. Because at its core, French Holiday *is* a romcom.

Though it is outlandish and over-the-top at times, it’s also cute and sweet and easy to binge and set in France. And honestly, sometimes that’s all you need.

3.75🌟
1🌶️

I highly recommend you to read this rom com if you like;
• Enemies to lovers
• Forced proximity
• Grumpy x Sunshine
• One bed

I really like this standalone rom com set in Paris with great writing style that describes the setting, Paris in a country side with beautiful scenery and the delicious food!

I also love the chemistry between the main characters, Merry and Noah. The bantering and how they started to open up to each other are my absolute favorite moments. Their personality is different but that’s what makes them good for each other.

Not just Merry and Noah love story, there’s also a mystery element in figuring out Noah’s parents. My heart is also touched by the love story of the painter with his way of painting as a love letter to his loved one.

Overall, it’s a well written rom com with loveable characters, beautiful setting and fascinating plot. I feel satisfied with how everything got wrapped up at the end!
I’m really looking forward to read more books from this author in the future!

⚠️ 𝐓𝐖: death of a parent, abandonment, sexual content

<i>I received an advanced review copy for free through Netgalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Huge thank you to the author and publisher! </i>

This book was just everything that I love in a good romance. I really enjoyed the two main characters and their banter. I laughed out loud, got warm fuzzy feelings, and gasped at reveals in the plot. Such a wonderful story for a perfect spring day!

Another fun romance story by Sarah Ready. I loved the descriptions of French cheese, wine, and food but I was terrified of the creepy Chateau where Merry and Noah end up staying in France. I would have been out of there instantly once I knew about the rats and bats! Luckily Merry and Noah stick it out and their love story begins. These were both great characters and I loved their dialogue. This is another engaging book by this author!

French Holiday by Sarah Ready 3.5 stars

This was my first book by Sarah Ready and I enjoyed her writing style. I loved the characters and the scene she set in France. I could feel the warmth of the sun and then damp in the stones. I could imagine the crumbling ruins of the castle. Even though I wouldn’t sleep in a centuries old bed myself. There were a lot of laugh out loud moments, I really enjoyed the dialogue between our two MC’s.

*Spoilers*

There were a few small inconsistencies in the story. For example while Merry and Noah are having breakfast she says; He’s already finished his croissant. He ate it with gusto.

Then on the same page a few paragraphs down she says; He looks down at his breakfast and tears a bit of his croissant off but instead of eating it, he sets it back on his plate.

I didn’t enjoy the scene with the lobster, it felt too unbelievable. I have never known a lobster to jump back out of a pot of boiling water and cause such a ruckus.

I also didn’t love Angela labelling Noah a murderer. It felt unnecessary, that’s a huge accusation. I’m sure Leo wouldn’t let his friend stay in the same place as a suspected murderer. Also he was never really a suspect after the police found out his mother got in a flight to France before she died.

But I’m glad Noah found closure.

And I’m glad Merry found Noah.

Thank you to the author and the publisher for this ARC. Looking forward to reading more in the future.