⭐️⭐️⭐️
Merry DeLuca has a big problem! It is her sister Angela and Leo’s wedding. Leo and Merry have been friends for at least five years but secretly she has always loved him, and she has never had the nerve to tell him just how she feels … now it is too late. Leo’s best man is the man Merry just despises the most, famous travel writer Noah Wright. With all the drama at the wedding and turmoil at work Merry’s godmother offers Merry the use of her newly acquired French Castle – time for an extended vacation and find a man for herself. However, once she arrives her nemesis, Noah has rented the castle from Merry’s godmother Jupiter, he is in France researching French Castles. Neither Merry nor Noah plan to leave.

I had such high hope for French Holiday, I so enjoy contemporary romance books and this one started out with some fun characters and the enemy-to- lovers did not last for long. But the book was just too long- at least it felt that way, I did not feel Merry and Noah had much chemistry as lovers and there were too many silly side stories such Louis, the lobster. While this was a pleasant read, it just wad not a book that was memorable.

Thank you, Sarah Ready, Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel is due to be released on April 26, 2023.

thank you to Swift & Lewis Publishing for this E-Arc in exchange for an honest review!

i ate this UP. so easy to read and i loved merry & noah’s characters sm.

this book is extremely lighthearted and so easy to read. i loved sarah readys style so much!

but can we fr talk about how terrible leo is as a friend & angela as a sister? i wanted to give them a piece of my mind for merry bc wow

merry is so matilda fr & i am so glad noah loves her the way she deserves 🤍

i would definitely recommend this one!!

Romance

Utter perfection! This author will now be a go-to author for me.

Merry has been in love with her best friend for years. On the day she planned to tell him about her feelings he meets her sister and falls head over heels in love. On the day of their marriage, his best friend- Noah, tells her she needs to get over it as there is nothing worse than unrequited love. She might listen to the advice if she liked Noah in any way. Since the first day they met, she has been on his bad side.

Her godmother offers up her chateau in France as a way to escape her life. She sees it as the perfect opportunity to get herself together. The problems occur when she arrives in France. Her aunt has also told Noah that he could stay at the chateau while he writes a book.

You know what is going to happen in the enemies to lovers romance, but Ready does a tremendous job of developing the relationship organically. Nothing is rushed and shared experiences only serve to solidify this relationship.

I loved it! Great beach or summer read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC of this novel.

The first 40% of the book did not impress. Once the mystery aspect started unfolding I became much more interested. There were a lot of eye roll moments for things Merry said, she came across as not being very smart several times and I don’t think that was necessary. Her shock about eggs not being refrigerated as one example. Also, what is up with the use of the word puce over and over? This wasn’t my favorite read but it was entertaining enough to finish.

This travel romance is perfect for someone who likes close proximity, only one bed, hate-to-love, etc, type romance tropes -- which definitely was me! I really appreciated that the main characters modeled strong communication with each other, while maintaining fun banter with each other throughout. I would absolutely read more of their life together, as well as other books by Sarah Ready.

This was a pleasant read. I didn’t hate it and found that it had a nostalgic late 90s/early 00s romcom feel at times but it was a little too predictable for my liking.

This story was delightful and a real escapist read!
The story begins with Merry participating in the wedding between her sister Angela and her best friend (and secret crush) Leo. Merry has been in love with Leo for 4 years and is stagnating in her job. Angela and Leo come back from their honeymoon and announce their pregnancy at the same time that Merry's job is falling apart. Enter Merry's flighty godmother Jupiter who offers her the opportunity to run away for 3 months to a French chateau that she has just purchased.
Merry takes her broken heart to Annecy, France to live in a local chateau and find out what will make her happy. Upon exiting the taxi, she discovers that Jupiter has also rented to Leo's best friend and Merry's enemy Noah. Noah is a famous travel documentarian who is in France to research his next travel special and book. Sparks fly and the plot catapults from here with zany adventures (the lobster episode was one of my favorites), flirty neighbors, lots of local scenery and a surprising mystery. Both Merry and Noah have unfortunate pasts that are dealt with lightly but compassionately.
This story made me want to book a trip to Annecy! It was like a travel recommendation and love story in one.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in return for my honest review.

This book was a complete roller coaster. There were new plot points left and right, but it all made sense which was quite amazing. There were so many tropes between Merry and Noah and so many more added in once Pierre and Camille’s relationship came into play. I do always love following more than one relationship in this sense, it just makes the book more than just a regular romance.
I feel like once the small mystery aspect was introduced close to the end of the book the book ended up rushing to get to the end. A few things were left unresolved but other than that I really enjoyed it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Swift and Lewis Publishing for an eARC of this book.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Steam Level: 🔥🔥🔥🔥 (one very descriptive open door scene)
Trigger Warning: parental abandonment, house fire, brief mention of loved one with cancer

Merry DeLuca has always lived in the shadow of her sister Angela. So when Angela marries the man that Merry has secretly loved for four years, Merry knows it's time for things to change. She quits her job and leaves for 3 months in France, thanks to a godmother who owns a vacant chateau. Little does Merry know, the man she hates- Noah Wright- is also staying at the chateau to work on a travel book. As these two figure out how to live together, they slowly begin to discover that maybe they don't really hate each other. And Noah is keeping a secret that will change everything. Can Merry come away from France with a new outlook on life and even a new romance?

This was another delightful read from Sarah Ready! It was part rom-com, part mystery, and had two emotional back stories that brought tears to my eyes. Merry and Noah started off with a fun enemies vibe that slowly turned to friendship and then a fiery romance. I loved Camille and Phillipe- the neighbors who helped Merry and Noah. And Merry's sister was a bit of a villain who learned her lesson in the end. The mystery that came into play in the second half kept the story from dragging, and I loved how it all played out. I was also thankful that there wasn't a third act breakup, although there were definitely several moments that had me worried about whether Noah and Merry would work things out. I'm looking forward to whatever comes next from Sarah Ready!

Thank you Netgalley and Swift and Lewis Publishing for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

This book was so cute and FUNNY!!! I had such a great time reading this. Unrequited love? Check. Castle in France? Check. One bed? CHECK! Pet lobster? Uhhhh…check? Merry is dreading walking down the aisle. Her sister is marrying her best friend aka the guy she’s loved in secret for years. So when her godmother offers her the use of her very own French castle, Merry jumps at the chance to escape her life for a few months.

Only it’s not empty. It’s already occupied by none other than Noah, Leo’s best friend, her nemesis, and the guy she woke up naked in bed with the night after her sister’s wedding. Determined not to let this derail her plans for a fresh start, Merry agreed that Noah can stay. Especially once she gets a good look at the castle she’s residing in and woof…she is not impressed.

They spend more and more time together, meeting Pierre and Camille, their neighbors, and exploring the city of Annecy, eating cheese and baguettes, drinking wine that tastes like starlight, and generally living their best summer lives while occasionally bickering and maybe/maybe not falling in love while trying to convince themselves that they aren’t.

And listen y’all, this was laugh out loud funny at times. The scene with the lobster had me cry-laughing, it was a real giggle fest! Noah frustrated me for a while with his brooding and bending over BACKWARD to make sure Merry knew that there would never be anything between them, all while he loved her I’m secret. Swoon, seriously, the things he said to her!

“When I first saw you, you were the first bright thing I’d seen in years. You were the beginning of the end for me.” “Were you in unrequited love with me?” He laughs. “No. I was just in love with you. I knew you’d love me back sooner or later.”

So yeah, loved this loved them love love!

The French Holiday is a delightful, fluffy, whimsical read. I adore Merry and the slow build between her and Noah. I love the mystery of Noah's parentage and the folklore around the chateau. Sarah Ready excellently detailed the setting, from the atmosphere of the chateau to smell of the rain, it felt like a little vacation. Overall I really enjoyed this one, it kept my attention, made me laugh, and let me escape life for a bit.

French Holiday has an exciting concept and a fun-looking cover. I appreciated the author’s choice to move away from Paris and actually set the plot in a completely different part of France: le lac d’Annecy! At least, it’s a great choice to stand out, even though you still get your fair share of French clichés, like the food, the guy with an old-fashioned name and the castle. It’s a light feel-good read with potential. I’m just a bit disappointed because I wasn’t swept up by the story. I couldn’t sense the chemistry between the two main characters, so the plot didn’t feel as engaging as it could’ve been, for me at least.

French Holiday by Sarah Ready
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Merry is soooooooo happy for sister to get married. If only it were to any other guy than her best friend that she has been secretly pining for the past four years. And so she is escaping to a French chateau….only to find that the awful best man is already settling in there as well.
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What I liked:
-This book was super fun from the beginning to the end. Merry was our loveable heroine who had a goal, and Noah was the grump who had his own goal that he did not want Merry’s help with.
-The scene with the lobster was hilarious.
-I really enjoyed Noah’s back story, as crazy and unbelievable as it was.
-Pierre and Camille were our fun locals and they added a lot to the story.
-I wanted to go to France the whole time mostly to eat all the food they kept talking about. 😍
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4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Merry runs away to her godmother's chateau in France when her crush Leo marries her sister, there he meets again with Noah, Leo's best friend and the broodiest sexiest man ever who is renting the castle, and there is only one bed...

This book is just perfect, nothing is missing.
Mary in Noah are a cute couple, and the food descriptions are magnificent.

Thank you to Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have received a copy from Net Galley. This is an honest review.

Wow, I had not expected this book to be so much fun! I picked it up because I wanted to read something light and romantic and thought to give it a go. I was correct on the light and romantic part, but this story has more layers than I thought.

Ok, so Merry is this American girl whose sister is marrying her best friend, Leo, who Merry secretly loves. After a roller coaster of personal and professional emotions, she decides to take her one-of-a-kind godmother’s advice and sets off to live in a French chateau for 3 months. But who happens to also be there? Leo’s cold friend, Noah, who doesn’t like Merry even though she’s never understood why.

A secret past, a vindictive lobster (yes), curious neighbors and lots of sexual tension are now part of the plot. I initially thought the the story would unravel focusing only on the romance, but it was a pleasant surprise to know more about Noah’s mystery. There are some events that go into a deeper level and make the reader curious to know how it will end. However, some scenes are supposed to be comical but end up being too absurd, and towards the last third I was not interested in all the descriptions any more and skipped straight to the dialogues, hence the 4 stars. But all things considered, a nice read!

3.5 stars (rounded up)!

"French Holiday" by Sarah Ready is not quite as great as "Josh and Gemma Make a Baby" or "Josh and Gemma the Second Time Around," but it's still a (mostly) fun, fluffy enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, only one bed, he falls first, slow-burning romance with a bit of humor thrown in for good measure! I liked following Merry and Noah's stories. Readers get thrown into and immersed in their lives very quickly, and I enjoyed following their journey (and also, I REALLY wanted a croissant while reading)! While I enjoyed both of them as characters, I found myself HATING how Merry got treated her entire life, which impacted how she saw herself as a person. I just wanted to climb into my Kindle and give her a giant hug. Her mannerisms are understandable with all of her baggage and trauma factored into it. I also really liked Noah, but I wish he had gotten his act together a little sooner (if you know what I mean). The mystery aspects dealing with Noah and the real reason he was in France kind of came out of nowhere. I thought these elements of the story were the weakest by far. I *hated* Merry's sister, who was constantly barfing and complaining and being a whiny, bratty little sister. Cut her off, Merry! Geez! It's bad enough she stole your bike, but then she steals the love of your life!? Bye bye! I also hated Leo, what an absolute skeeze. Ugh. They deserve each other. The ultimate destination of this story is obvious, but that doesn't stop it from being a pleasing, beachy read that's perfect for spring and summer. Can't wait to read Sarah Ready's next novel!

Thank you to NetGalley, Sarah Ready, and Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC/Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles for providing me with an ARC copy of this book! All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for my review.

POV: Single
Spice: 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️

I shouldn’t have been surprised given the author, but I couldn’t put this book down! It gives off 27 Dresses kind of vibes, but in the French country side with a little bit of suspense!

I love Noah, and felt like I got to know him pretty well despite not having anything from his POV. I also really liked Merry and she made for an entertaining narrator. These two had the perfect love hate relationship and the tension was so good!

Beautifully written and mostly light and funny, there definitely are some emotional parts that had me in my feels, but that’s what I love about Sarah Ready books!

DNFd at 30%

I wanted to enjoy this and might do so after a few months. But for the first read, the narration and the writing felt off to me and the description of places didn't land the way it should for a book centred on a 'Holiday'. If I do end up re-reading it in the future, I will edit the review and post it on my socials and GR.

This book was fine. While there were parts I really enjoyed and some truly stand out characters like her godmother Jupiter and Noah, I found the main character to be quite annoying at times. I really struggled to get through the first 25% of this book partially because I found being in the main characters head to be a little frustrating. I found myself wishing that this wasn't only told from her POV. Once I got to around the 30% mark of the book though I found it to be a much more enjoyable listen/read. Overall it was a fine somewhat fun read that gave a little bit of 27 Dresses vibes.

Thank you, Sarah Ready, W.W. Crown and Netgalley for the gifted eARC.

Merry DeLuca has just watched her sister marry the love of her life, who also happens to be her best friend. When life starts to get overwhelming and Merry needs to get away from everything for a while, she takes her godmother's offer of a three month getaway to a French countryside castle. Merry has her sights set on a perfect holiday until she arrives and finds Noah Wright, the best man from her sister's wedding and her enemy, at the castle. Merry and Noah come to an agreement to be friends and live together for the next three months. But their feelings of friendship start to feel like more than just friendship.

French Holiday is a forced proximity, one bed, enemies to lovers rom-com. I enjoyed this book so much because there's so much more to this story than just a love story. I found both Merry and Noah's characters a delight to read about. You can't help but root for these two to fall in love from the very beginning. Merry has such a great personality. She's so full of life and funny, and she keeps the story light-hearted. Noah is serious, yet underneath, there's a soft side that only Merry can bring out. Merry and Noah have amazing chemistry and fit together so perfectly. The descriptions of the chateau, the village, the pesky lobster, and the neighbors add so much to the story. There's even a bit of mystery to the story that adds a bit of intrigue. This is by far my favorite Sarah Ready read to date.