Rating 4.25/5 stars

French Holiday was an absolute delight to read! This was my first Sarah Ready book and I've got to say, I'm hooked! I wasn't sure what to expect based on the title and I went in a little blind, but I wasn't disappointed. I finished this book in less than 24 hours!

It's enemies to lovers with the one bed trope and even though the main characters are in the same chateau for a majority of the book, it feels like we went on a journey. Not only was the chemistry between Merry and Noah fantastic, but all of Merry's relationships are interesting. I particularly enjoyed how Ready wrote the relationship between Pierre and Merry. It seems like every character had a little growth arc and it was so refreshing to read.

Overall, this was a fun read and I would definitely recommend French Holiday. I can't wait to read more of Sarah's books!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and Sarah Ready for providing an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are wholly my own.

I think a trip to Annecy, France is in my future after reading about it in this book! This is a fun enemies-to-lovers story featuring Merry and Noah and a cast of characters in France. Lots of familiar romance tropes and a little bit of a mystery to solve. Time to go book a flight to find a crumbling chateau!

Thank you Sarah Ready and Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC for the advanced reader copy of French Holiday.

Wow, wow, wow! This was an absolute dream of a novel and I fell in love with this story. Sarah Ready created a novel where it felt like I was watching a romantic movie. The writing felt romantic and cinematic, painting a picture of a beautiful, yet crumbling castle in the French countryside. I was incapsulated by the love that came in many different forms throughout the novel - from friendship, family, home and romance.

Our two main characters Merry and Noah were well developed. Both characters showed growth in all aspects of their life, which gave them depth and a sense of reality. From beginning to end, I felt like I was in this love story. I was in their love story. It was absolutely beautiful.

I cannot wait to purchase my own final printing of this incredible novel.

This book was such a delightful surprise! I wasn’t sure what to expect when I decided to request an arc of this book but I knew I wanted to read something light and fun after all my recent reads and I knew that I would enjoy this since I’ve enjoyed reading Josh and Gemma Make a Baby and the Soul Mates in Romeo series. And sure enough Sarah Ready didn’t disappoint.

The premise of French Holiday revolves around Meredith (Merry as everyone else calls her) being in unrequited love with her best friend, Leo. On the night Merry decides to confess her feelings to Leo, Merry’s sister Angela calls her to help change a flat tire and Leo comes with. From upon meeting Angela and becoming smitten with each other, Leo calls Merry and informs her that the two were getting engaged the very next day. It was from this point onwards Merry’s life quickly changes. She meets Leo’s best friend Noah who doesn’t make a good first impression after overhearing a conversation he and Leo were having about him getting married so soon and Noah makes an unsavory remark about Merry. It was there that Merry decided Noah was her nemesis and haven’t gotten along with him since despite giving him multiple chances to change her mind. After learning some life changing news and experiencing problems at work, Merry’s godmother Jupiter informs her that she have purchased a chateau in France and would like her to stay there for three months since she would be too busy with her lover. Merry agrees and when she arrives in France she discovers that Noah paid Jupiter five thousand dollars to stay at the chateau too for work purposes. But Noah has another secret reason why for he’s staying at the chateau.

French Holiday has humor, mystery, spice and sweet swoon worthy and heart warming moments. It’s about finding love in unexpected places with unexpected people, rediscovering yourself, and realizing what true love is supposed to feel and look like but ultimately it’s about family and the extent that one will go for them.

I pleasantly enjoyed reading this book. It was such a heartwarming and fun experience. I’m looking forward to reading more of her future rom-coms.

Thank you NetGallery for allowing me to read an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Sarah Ready perfectly encapsulates the magic that is France from the sloping roads to the people that live there!

I went to France last September for the first time and I’ve been missing it a lot lately so when this book landed on my shelf, I was super excited to pick it up.

This book is perfect for those of us who love:
- enemies to lovers
- she fell first (he actually fell first), he fell harder.
- unrequited love (if you know, you know)
- ONE BED (but it’s actually just a moldy mattress)
- run down chateau in what is essentially the middle of nowhere

this book was magnifique!! i genuinely flew through it. I fell in love with Merry’s energy and love for her sister and stayed for Noah’s rare smirks. Their chemistry was truly off the charts. When they talk about enemies to lovers they need to use this book as the example. I will be adding Sarah Ready to my list of auto buy authors asap because I need to experience instant love for a book again.

“no one can know the height of love unless they know the depth. it is the agony of love that brings the ecstasy.”
“if you could read my heart, you will see the place I have given you there.”
“he said my name like if he stopped saying it then the earth would stop spinning.”

Fun, cute, light "empty calories" kind of book. I'd look for another by the same author.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

A fun little romance that had me giggling away from time to time.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review.

I loved this book! Most of it takes place in France and I think the different locale gave it a slightly different feel than your average everyday romcom. It also had some deeper threads running through the plot and the characters that made it feel like it had more volume to it.

The book starts at the wedding of Merry's sister, who is marrying the man Merry wanted for herself. She decides she needs a vacation and heads to France at the encouragement of her godmother. Guess who is already there? You got it...Noah. It also turns out that her godmother's property is in really bad disrepair and there's only one bed. They ever so slowly grow to like each other and then some.

This is a romcom, so there are lots of hilarious parts. By far the best are the lobster scenes. I really wish I had listened to the audio just for those. This was a great entertaining read for the funny bone and for the heart!

Thanks to Social Butterfly and NetGalley for the gifted copy. All thoughts are my own.

French Holiday is a delightful enemies-to-lovers romance that will leave you wanting more. This charming dramedy showcases the talents of a promising sleuthing duo, adding an element of mystery to the already captivating storyline. With its witty banter and sizzling chemistry, this novel is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat.

A great romantic comedy book... Lol... I actually laughed out loud at some parts of the book... It felt like a slow burn romance book to me... But the ending was good...

This was my first book by Sarah Ready, and it didn’t disappoint! Funny , witty , and filled with heart . This book takes readers on a life changing journey to France. I related to merry so much . Authentic, funny , flawed , and just trying to make it on her way after she faces some struggles .This book is superb contemporary fiction

📖 ARC REVIEW 📖

Thank you @socialbutterfly_pr for an early copy of French Holiday by Sarah Ready. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. 🤍

French Holiday is an enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy about Merry and Noah, who found themselves cohabiting in Merry’s godmother’s castle. Merry’s sister, Angela, just married her best friend and the only man she’s ever loved. Her life is spiraling down, thus she needed an escape to her godmother’s castle, which will definitely fix everything, from pastries to strolls in the vineyards at sunset – it’ll be the perfect holiday until Noah, the best man at her sister’s wedding and the worst man she’s ever known – is staying in the castle too. Stuck together, they strike a truce and plan to part ways after three months and never see each other again.

I initially found the premise of the story a bit out of this world, but I appreciated the way Ready was able to paint a picture of an old, rustic castle that needs some TLC, and I found that quite beautiful.

The main characters Merry and Noah were hilarious, and their interactions were adorable. I found it sweet as their relationship blossomed as they spent time together in the castle getting to know each other underneath their “hatred” for each other. I can’t help but root for them from the very beginning.

French Holiday is a light and chill read, perfect for the summer! Rating this ⭐⭐⭐.5/5. Releases April 26th, 2023!

Delightful romance with humor and heart

Hasn’t everyone thought about taking an extended holiday in Europe, preferably at a luxury destination? After her best friend/unrequited love marries her sister, Merry jumps at the opportunity to spend 3 months at her godmother’s castle in France. What her godmother fails to mention is that she has leased the castle to Noah, a documentary filmmaker and the best man at the wedding, whom Merry greatly dislikes. The castle, alas, is falling apart and has just one (dusty) bed.

This book has banter, friendship, romance, humor, and France, plus a mystery, a dashing French neighbor, and a lobster! (You will love the lobster.) I am a fast reader but I lingered over this book, reading a chapter a day because I didn’t want it to end. I enjoyed French Holiday by Sarah Ready so much that I preordered it after I read an advance copy (thanks to NetGalley and the publisher). Don’t hesitate to buy this book—it is delightful.

Merry has been in love with her best friend, Leo, for years, and is about to tell him how she feels, when he meets her sister Angela and falls in love at first sight. They get engaged the next day and Merry ends up as the maid of honor in their wedding, paired up with best man, Noah Wright, a well known travel photographer and documentarian. Merry and Noah end up spending that wedding night together, and she hopes to never see him again. That is, until she shows up at her godmother's French chateau after quitting her HR job, only to find that Noah is staying there as well.

WOW! I was not expecting to love this book as much as I did. Merry was the perfect heroine - she was smart, sweet, and laugh-out-loud funny. And Noah was the perfect grumpy hero who was such a cinnamon roll deep down. The way their relationship developed was so touching and made my heart swell. I loved the setting, and after looking up photos of Annency, I must go! Pierre and Camille were such fun side characters as well. This story was just so sweet and heartwarming.

TW: Cancer, loss of a parent, parental abandonment

Thank you to NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

3.75 stars

French Holiday is an effervescent romantic comedy in a lush setting with some over-the-top slapstick moments. I could easily see this being made into a movie.

I enjoyed the premise and the slow building tension between the two protagonists, and think that the single POV (Merry’s) was appropriate for this particular story. However, I would have loved the epilogue to have been from Noah’s perspective. I really wanted a glimpse into his head, and into the feelings he feels for Merry.

Another tiny contention I had with the story was its (in my opinion) overuse of physical comedy. It just didn’t translate in a written format (but would perhaps be hilarious visually) in the same way that witty dialogue or banter would have. But that’s just a personal preference.

Overall, I had a great time reading this book, and am excited to read other books from this author.

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

🏰Summary🏰
Merry just had to stand up in her sister's wedding to her best friend, the man Merry loves. She escapes her life to France after being offered 3 months to stay in a French castle owned by her godmother. But when she arrives, she isn't alone. Noah Wright, the best man in the wedding and documentarian, is already there. Noah and Merry did not hit it off so three months together in France was not at the top of Merry’s dream vacation list. After a truce is made, Noah and Merry decide to make the best of sharing the chateau, but French neighbors and a secret Noah is keeping, are just a few things making this friendship, or more, complicated.

🏰Review🏰
I adored this book. Who doesn’t dream of an extended vacation in a foreign country and finding a handsome foreign stranger to woo them? With forced proximity, unrequited love, one bed and a little enemies to lovers, this book was full of all the best tropes, and in France! Merry and her situation was relatable, I loved Noah’s arc and the little mystery in the story. It was a super fun read and I highly recommend!

A book full of escapism, romance and a few laughs thrown in. Nice to be able to get lost in a story and be taken to France with two likeable leads. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

Fun read for anyone who has imagined dropping everything and starting over again. I loved the castle and the French countryside. Noah was perfection!

French Holiday is a romantic comedy, but also has the weight of unrequited love, unexpected circumstances and the search for purpose. I feel like many romances these days have dual perspectives, so this one being just from Merry's perspective was refreshing. The reader is kept guessing as to what Noah is feeling, the same as Merry, which I enjoyed. And Noah's feelings are the only mystery, as the book goes on more is revealed about why Noah and Merry each ended up at the chateau. There were a couple of side characters that I didn't enjoy at the start, but they grew on me when they became vulnerable with Merry. Overall, this is a great book for the summer reading season and would be fun to read while on vacation or even if you are just dreaming about your next travels. I recommend this book for fans of The Wedding Date and One Night on the Island.

Just when I think that a Sarah Ready book is the best, she manages to reach a new level. A ‘French Holiday’ was absolutely sublime, and I can’t stop smiling since I finished the last page.
Merry DeLuca needs to escape her life when her best friend and love of her life, marries her sister. So, when Merry is offered a three-month holiday living in a romantic castle in the French countryside, she believes that this holiday will fix everything. Until she arrives and finds Noah Wright, the best man at her sister’s wedding and the man, she wants to seriously avoid, staying at ‘her’ castle. Yet Noah refuses to leave the castle, having paid to stay for his travel documentary research. So Merry and Noah are stuck in the castle for three months. What begins as a terse arrangement, soon begins to feel like a friendship and then, so much more. Soon, Merry is missing Noah, as soon as he leaves for the day.
The transition of their relationship from friendship to love was so gradual that it seemed a foregone conclusion. As the story is told from Merry’s perspective, the author keeps Noah’s feelings tightly hidden with only subtle glances, as a means of understanding how he feels. Noah’s past is gradually revealed to Merry, and I fell in love with his character, just as Merry did. I also adored the characters of Pierre and Camille, and how their story is interwoven into that of Noah’s past. I also loved the backdrop of the French countryside and the amazing food, the latter of which had me rushing for a cookbook on apple tarte tartin.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.