What a fantastical, adventure of a romance!

Merry DeLuca has had enough! After her sister marries Merry's best friend and the only man she's ever loved AND her job becomes utterly unfulfilling, Merry jumps at a chance to live in her godmother's French chateau. But when best man and travel documentarian is forced to stay with her and the chateau becomes more work than pleasure, Merry can't catch a break! A whirlwind French romance that is equal parts fun and mysterious with funny moments that keep it fresh and lively!

I enjoyed this read! Merry is a great female main character. She's funny, relatable, and only slightly cringey. She means well and her heart shines. Our dark haired, snarky male main character Noah is lovable and the perfect grump to Merry's sunshine. Although their love felt kind of insta-love and I'm not exactly sure I understand what they loved about each other, their shenanigans were fun and light hearted and kept me turning the page.

Overall, a fun escapist romance that is super easy to love!

Thank you NetGalley and Swiss & Lewis Publishing for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

Lovely. Just lovely.

With vivid descriptions and great humour, French Holiday by Sarah Ready tells a story about a boy and a girl who face unrequited love and find requited love in each other. This book talks about love and its different forms, its importance and how it shapes us.

Merry DeLuca desperately needs a getaway after her best friend and secret crush marries her sister. With the aid of her godmother, she flies to France in hopes of having a romantic holiday, only to find herself having to live in the same crumbling chateau as Noah Wright, the best man at her sister's wedding and the person she dislikes.

This book is full of fun and laughter. Nothing beats Merry mistaking a rat for a kitten and destroying a bed while screaming in the middle of the night upon that horrid realisation. It made me chuckle, especially with how the revelation was written. There are just so many wild and hilarious situations in this story.

Meredith "Merry" DeLuca and Noah Wright are just so cute. I loved the way their love story progressed. It was just right. I felt for Merry, who had a crush on Leo, her best friend and later her sister's husband, but never got to confess. Her unrequited love. It sucks, and the whole situation is weird because he ended up becoming her brother-in-law. I'm just glad that she moved on and found her requited love. Noah is so sweet. He looks like a mean person, but he cares for Merry and doesn't resent her when silly things happen, such as the cucumber incident when they met in France for the first time after the wedding. For this man who's afraid of love to declare his lifelong love to a woman who's afraid of confessing in fear of being rejected, I think it's amazing. And I related to Merry's fear of taking the first step. It's such a real fear and present not only in the aspect of love.

I recommend this book to romance readers. This is a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers one-bed romance full of mystery and laughter. The writing is spectacular and the pacing is good. I could picture the scenes as if they were from a movie. This is not only a romance between Merry and Noah. The mystery aspect in the book was also good. The book talks about love and its different forms – romantic love, love between parents and children, love among friends, etc. It's worth it.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this read! :D

This is the first book I’ve read by Sarah Ready, and I have to say I was truly impressed. I’ll definitely check out her backlist titles. I’ve read some awesome romantic comedies lately so the bar was kind of high going in. Fortunately, this one did not disappoint. I loved that French Holiday sucked me right in from the opening scene and had me laughing out loud throughout. The banter between the two MCs, Merry and Noah, was a lot of fun.

The story is all about discovery. For Merry it’s a journey of self discovery as she grows to realize she deserves love and happiness. Noah’s discovery revolves around his family history. I thought the mystery component in this book added a lot of intrigue and depth to the plot.

I don’t want to say too much. Just pick this one up next month (4/26) if you like:
🥰 Relatable, lovable main characters
🤭 Giggle worthy rom-coms
😠 Enemies to lovers ❤️
👫 Forced proximity
🛏️ Only one bed
😾 Grumpy Sunshine ☀️
🏰 Overseas setting
🤔 Added mystery ⁉️

I both listened and read this one which was really fun. When I had time to cozy up with my Kindle I did just that but could continue the story on the go by listening to the audiobook. I enjoyed both versions; however, I think I preferred listening because the narrator, Kelsey Novarro, nailed it!

French Holiday is a light-hearted, sweet, quick and easy read that’s sure to have you smiling and laughing along the way.

Thank you NetGalley for the audiobook and eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a quick and adorable read. I really enjoyed the setting and the characters. The descriptions made me feel as though I were back in France.

I really enjoyed this book, I've always liked holiday romance books so this was a very quick read for me, the only thing that was missing was the tension between Noah and merry, I feel as if they got together and shared their feelings for one another very quickly, I would have liked if they didn't share those as fast and have them pining for each other with longing looks and getting caught looking. That's just personal preference, but this book is very good, thoroughly enjoyed!

Meredith DeLuca has a bad case of unrequited love, like her sister's new husband bad. To be fair, you can't really blame her, Leo was her best friend first. However, Merry would never do anything to hurt her sister, so after quitting her job she take's up her godmother's offer of a castle in France and flies off to live in the French countryside for 3 months.

Merry is ready to find adventure and a new start in France, free of unrequited feelings. Instead, she finds her sworn enemy, Noah Wright. Okay, maybe he’s not a sworn enemy, but he is a man she seriously dislikes and one whom she is convinced hates her.

Merry and Noah are both stubborn but they compromise and decide to share the castle. They slowly start to realize that they may have more in common than they ever realized and a friendship begins to develop. Of course there is also a serious attraction between the two that they both try desperately to ignore.

We get to see Merry and Noah navigate complicated feelings, a crumbling castle full of unwanted guests (the creepy crawly kind AND the human kind who inspire feelings of jealousy), family secrets and love.

French Holiday was full of charm, love, and French fun. I loved every minute of it, I only wish their push and pull would have been a bit shorter, I was so ready for them to finally admit their feelings and get together, together a bit sooner.

Loved this cute, warm, cozy romantic book!!

I wish I could have more of it!

I read the book while listening to the audiobook and it pulled me in it in the most mesmerizing way possible. It's sweet, hurting but gives you the warm, fuzzy you want from a cozy romcom. If it's something you are looking for, go for this book.

The lines in this book is swoon worthy, I was literally feeling so warm, mushy that all of me melted. I want a NOAH so bad🫠🫠🫠🫠. I want to dress like Merry, be in France and do romantic things, go on picnics, find a Pierre and just get away for a while and maybe maybe find my Noah. He is literally my favourite character right now.

The tropes are swoon worthy, the author doesn't reveal them beforehand and it's so worthy getting found at the moment in the book. I can't be more thankful, it's one of the most beautiful things.

Merry going on her journey and finding herself more through it, I think the way she believes in herself is something to have in oneself. Her journey, growth is something I loved.

Merry and Noah's story is full of mystery, thrill, twists, uncertainty and charm that it needs.

I need to listen to this again 🥰🥰🥰🙈 and I will.

Merry is having to watch her sister, Angela, marry her best friend Leo, with whom she is in love. Noah is Leo's best man and someone Merry doesn't get along with. After spending the night together, Merry leaves Noah in his hotel room believing they had been intimate. Merry leaves her job in HR after having to lay off a bunch of people and needs to get away. Her godmother, Jupiter, offers to let her stay at her chateau in France. Merry takes the offer and heads to France only to find Noah has rented the chateau from Jupiter. Neither plans to leave France and so they spend the next weeks learning about each other, becoming friends and then more. I really enjoyed this story...I could have done without the lobster in the story but otherwise, good read!

GENERAL INFO
=======================================
Year Pub/Re Pub: 4/26/23
Page Length: 416
Genre: Rom Com
Setting: NY and France
Tropes: enemies to lovers, unrequited love
Source: Thank you for the e-ARC received via NetGalley and publisher. I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions are my own.
Standalone /Part of a Series/Installment: standalone
Epilogue Included: no
=======================================
Character(s)POV Spoken: Merry(h)
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BOOK DESCRIPTION
=======================================
M/F-M/M-M/M/F-etc: M/F
HEA/HFN/etc Ending: HEA
Contains Cheating: no
Contains Children: no
Flashbacks: yes, both Noah and Merry remember things parents did or didn't do for them.
Jealy/Possy/OTT Rating: 4. I think Noah is a little jealous of Leo and Pierre. Merry has to be jealous of her sister and Camille. Merry keeps saying she loves her sister so much trying to convince herself that she does.
Amount of Sex In The Book: just enough
Overall Smex Rating: 3
=======================================
CHARACTER DESCRIPTION
=======================================
HERO: Noah Wright
Hero Description: best man @ Leo & Angela's wedding. A grumpy, travel documentarian/photographer. BFF w/ Leo. Rents chateau from Jupiter in France under the guise of work.
Hero Likability Rating:4
HEROINE: Meredith/Merry DeLuca
Heroine Description: 28, her sister and BFF Leo get married, engaged after 1 day of meeting each other. Runs away to France at the suggestion of godmother Jupiter.
Heroine Likability Rating: 4
Secondary characters:
Angela-Merry's sister "the pretty one," shown love and liked by everyone. Think Amy from The Wedding Date
Jupiter-godmother, free spirit muse to "struggling" artists. Think Katherine from Under the Tuscan Sun.
Pierre-French neighbor/art collector Merry meets, hoping to have a fling w/ him
Camille-French neighbor, a Noah fangirl
=======================================
H /h RELATIONSHIP INFO
=======================================
OW/OM/Exes: Merry has been in love w/ Leo forever
Cheating Before/During/Outside H/h Relationship: no
Grovel Rating: n/a but both Noah and Merry have some explaining to do when things get sticky
Did OW/OM/Ex Ruin the Book For You: no, though I hated Leo came to France talking to Merry.
=======================================
TRIGGERS/WARNING: none I can think of besides some gangster cockroaches, bats, and a lobster
=======================================
AUTHOR OVERVIEW: Sarah Ready-1st time author for me
======================================
Overall Rating: 4.5
Do You Recommend This Book: yes
Will You Re-read This Book: yes
Would you read more books by this author: yes
Comments/Notes: Loved the escape Merry took while in France. Adventure, fun, and a fling was how it started, but becomes a nice journey for her and Noah in self-discovery. The French countryside was a character I felt and smelled in the book.

this was way more cuter and enjoyable than i thought it was going to be. only slightly (not even that bad considering) thing i have to say is that the pacing of the relationships is fast. the main couple is a slow fast burn if that makes sense, but still very much feeling all of the feelings for them. it’s just a cute, fun, goofy at times book. very much lighthearted (with your small dose of angst.) merry and noah are adorable.

thanks to NetGalley and publisher for this ARC.

Rating: 4 stars ⭐️

Tropes:
enemies to lovers ❤️
forced proximity 🏰
one bed 🛏️

This was such a fun read! I expected a fluffy cute romcom from the cover but WOW was I wrong! It had so many twists and turns and I just wanted to read more! 🤍

It starts with a wedding. Merry’s sister is marrying her bestfriend Leo that she loved for 4 years.

She wanted to escape her current life and fled to France were here godmother bought a château. But she wasn’t alone.. Noah, Leo’s bestfriend was there to finish his book. After a while she noticed that he was in France for a reason and he carried a lot of secrets.

I would recommend this book if you like romance books with a little suspense.

Thank you to Sarah Ready, Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC and Netgalley for providing me with this arc. All opinions are my own.

One (crumbling) French Castle. Two Enemies-at-First-Sight. The Holiday of a Lifetime.

Merry's really going through it when her Godmother offers her a stay at her french castle for three months. What could be better than that?
Turns out, her Godmother also leased the place to none other than Noah... Noah, the best man at her sister's wedding, and Merry had just spent the wedding night together but were a little too drunk to remember everything that happened.
Merry has her preconceived notions about Noah, and him her... but when neither plan to leave the chateau, they come to an agreement to be friends until they're not anymore. Both characters have such great history, and Ready does a great job developing them and intertwining them - you couldn't help but to root for them to get together. Their banter and communication were top notch, I have to say that made me love this book even more. There's a little bit of mystery tied into the chateau and the supporting characters make the story much more than just your typical romance.

This was my first Sarah Ready book, but it won't be my last!

Thanks NetGalley, Swift & Lewis Publishing, and Sarah Ready for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Out of all the books I’ve read this year so far, French Holiday is up there with my favorites.

Our story begins with Merry attending her best friend’s wedding to her sister. On her arm for the procession is Noah, who has despised her at first sight. In addition to attending a wedding she doesn’t want to, her HR job becomes too much and quits. Luckily for her, her godmother conveniently purchased an unseen 17th century chateau in France. This is just the vacation Merry needs at this point in her disastrous life. However, upon her arrival, she realizes she will have a roommate.

I was grateful the miscommunication trope was not in full form as it can be written quite poorly sometimes. I do love “one bed” and “close proximity”, so this was fantastic for me. I also felt the writing was clear and flowing. The author utilized great descriptors without overwhelming the other elements.

Sign me up for Sarah’s next book!

Four stars. Refreshing and romantic read with the tiniest steam.

I absolutely love enemies to lovers and the forced proximity tropes. This has both, and they intertwine beautifully. The relationship between Noah and Merry progressed nicely, and it didn't feel too rushed like many enemies to lovers. (Although her sister literally got engaged within a day so ??, now THAT is fast). The imaginary of the French countryside is stunning and picturesque.

I will say that their name bothered me the tiniest bit, felt very Christmassy, which doesn't make sense to me. Also, I didn't connect to specific characters, which sucked because I enjoyed the book overall.

Many thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

I can’t put into words how much I needed to read this book. It has an amazing slow burn, enemies-to-lovers, one bed, and a surprising gothic novel feel.

The novel starts off with Merry and Noah as enemies, having to walk down the aisle together at her sister’s wedding, to her best friend, who is also Noah’s best friend. We get insight into their frienemies relationship and how Merry needs to get away from everyone and everything.

We get to France and, holy moley do I just love France. I’ve been several times and this novel brought me back to everything I love about it – castles, bakeries on every corner, and just the feel of romance everywhere.

Merry and Noah are stuck together in this decrepit chateau and, of course, there is only one bed! They strike a deal to become friends to make the next three months bearable, but of course three months is a long time for feelings to develop.

As the story is developing a mystery starts and you aren’t sure who Noah really is and what his intentions are for being in France. Is he there to be the great documentarian that he’s known for, or there to rediscover himself. The same goes for Merry, is she there to fall in love and be an inspiration, or is she there to solve a mystery.

Throughout the novel there are moments of true raw emotions and vulnerability that it made me tear up. Noah’s story is inspiring and had me sobbing at my work desk while reading.

If you are in need of a book full of heart, great tropes, and no third act break up, this is the romance book for you! Immerse yourself in France, and a true meaningful romance.

Cute forced proximity with a side of family mystery. I really liked the character development between the two main characters. Didn’t love the sister rivalry plot point, it felt too forced and cliche, especially toward the end.

I have loved all books I’ve read by Sarah Ready and this was no exception. It’s a great enemies to lovers story , there was a lot of depth to this romance, I loved the back story on Noah . All characters were relatable and the quirks they had fit well into the story. There were some laughable moments as well. The story wrapped up beautifully and all characters found their footings and learned to embrace life and love and all the beautiful and ugly times that come with it .

I voluntarily received a free copy from NetGalley and all opinions are my own .

I would recommend this book to family, friends and my book clubs

This was a fun, atmospheric book!
I did enjoy the story about Merry & Noah, how they evolved & grew as characters, as well as the mystery aspect made the book interesting. There were parts that made me laugh out loud (wittle “kitty” & Louis), but also parts that seemed a little repetitive, slow, & longer than necessary. Overall, this was a fun read!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing an ARC of “The French Holiday” in exchange for my honest review! First off WOW, I read a lot of arc’s and there are ones every so often that are clear stand outs and the French holiday was that, Merry is a hilarious main character and I was blessed with not only an arc but an audio book and I loved the narrator!

Noah was the perfect man, seriously one of my favorite characters, Camilla, the girl next door, was adorable, I wanted to not like Merry’s sister but I even liked her character! Leo was of course, hate-able.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who’s a fan of Rom-Coms.

I adored the beginning of this book. Was laughing out loud at the relatable inner monologue of the main character. This book is a VERY slow burn (which I normally like), but once you finally get a hint of romance it feels rushed and a different plot takes over.