French holiday is an enjoyable romance book, Enemies to Lovers, with a twist of gothic and comedy. I read it very quickly. Aside from a few plot holes and coincidences, I found it very enjoyable. The characters are quirky and charming. The descriptions of scenery and food are lovely, as you'd expect in a book mostly set in the French countryside. The family dynamics were just complicated enough, but never got very dark. A great summer read.

French Holiday follows the story of Merry and how she travels to France after watching her best friend and the man she is in love with marry her sister. At the castle, she finds Noah who she can’t stand. This is an enemies to lovers story. A slow burn as well. It was a sweet love story between Merry and Noah. It was a fun read! I really enjoyed this book. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I would read another one of her books again.

I loved this absolutely charming and fun romcom! I adored Merry and Noah’s banter and slow burn romance, the castle and its history, the Parisian setting, and the mystery which was an unexpected delight! The lobster scenes had me laughing out loud!! This is a perfect summer/beach/poolside read and I highly recommend it! I will definitely read more from this author!

With hints of "Under the Tuscan Sun" and "Eat Pray Love," Sarah Ready gives us a rom-com with heart and home repairs, love and adventure, and the familiar enemies-to-lovers trope with some snappy dialogue and chemistry.

This was a cute and fun read, and I recommend it as a beach read for those who would like to escape to France, but it might be out of your budget this summer.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC. All opinions are my own.

This was my first book by the author. I haven't read a romantic comedy style book in ages so the over-the-top-ness of some parts of this took some while to get used to, but I mostly enjoyed it after I settled into the story. It's largely predictable and tropey but I appreciated how it didn't have a third-act breakup and the characters, instead, communicated (actually, for much of it, with the FMC's resolution to be more direct). I feel like there were too many side-plots in the second half of the book and they overshadowed the main thread of the FMC and MMC as well as their individual growth arcs. The extra plots also took page-time away from the location (the story takes place mainly in the chateau and some of it in the nearby town of Annecy; but there was so much potential to include more of the local French countryside). Still, an enjoyable romcom to spend a lazy, summer Sunday with.

This book was absolutely adorable! Thank you to NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was enemies to lovers done absolutely right!! After her sister marries the man she was pining for, Merry escapes to France to her godmother's chateau to get away from it all. Except her new brother in law’s best friend is already there, and they do not get along.
The scene with the lobster had me laughing out loud!
Will absolutely recommend this book to everyone!!

French Holiday by Sarah Ready
*thank you to NetGalley for the free eARC*
*possible spoilers ahead*

After her sister marries the guy she’s in love with, Merry DeLuca flees to France to stay in her godmother’s newly purchased chateau. Unfortunately, the chateau is falling apart… and her godmother has already rented it out to Noah Wright. Noah is a travel writer, and happens to be the Best Man from the wedding. Oh, and he hates her guts.
Can Merry move on from her unrequited love? And can she an Noah learn to get along?

Well. This story was not what I expected. Some of it was predictable – enemies-to-lovers, fluffy romance, happily ever after… but the actual plot points were not.
Things I liked:
The ending. I’m a sucker for a happy ending.
The build up to Merry and Noah’s romance.
Things I didn’t like:
It felt very unrealistic, even for a rom-com. Certain events just left me going ‘that would never happen’.
Merry’s lack of French/knowledge of France. It felt like there was no research done about life in France.
Overall: 2.5/5

THIS WAS CUTE AND FREAKING HILARIOUS

I mean who doesn’t wanna find love in France?? I’m glad Merry got over her fantasy of finding a Pierre and found her Noah 🥹

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for my eARC.

Merry’s younger sister gets everything she wants – so of COURSE Merry’s long-time crush / best friend fell for Angela immediately and they had a whirlwind wedding. Merry’s eccentric aunt offers Merry a three month stay at her castle in the French countryside, and she leaps at the chance to have her Eat, Pray, Love moment – until she gets there and finds her worst enemy, Noah, there too. I always find the enemies-to-lovers trope a bit cliched and predictable, but this had some fun insights on relationships that I enjoyed, and the mystery that ran alongside the main story was fun too. Overall, a sweet and fun light read!

3-stars. It was alright. I don't know, something just never clicked with me in regards to Merry and the tone of the writing. It was a quick and easy read, it hit all the right beats of the genre, it just didn't blow me away and it was easy to put down. I think it was so rom-com at times that it came off too goofy for me but that's a personal taste thing. It's a solid example of the one-bed and enemies-to-lovers tropes. The mystery was a nice twist and I'll give it another star for going the extra mile to challenge the plot a bit. For me, it's not a favorite but if you enjoy the lighter side of romance this might be a good pick for you.


Note: I received a free electronic edition of this book via NetGalley in exchange for the honest review above. I would like to thank them, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to do so.

4⭐️

Thank you to Netgalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing for this book.

“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.”

💜Enemies to lovers
💜Forced Proximity
💜One Bed
💜Slow Burn
💜Unrequited Love

This was a really cute book that was a breath of fresh air for me. It was a great beach read. I loved Merry and Noah’s banter and them slowly learning about each other.

French Holiday is such a sweet, heartwarming story. I really enjoyed the plot and the way the romance was developed. The characters were relatable and Merry, the FMC, has a great internal dialogue. I thought she was hilarious. I loved that there was no third act breakup and no basic misunderstanding that tears them apart. The scene was painted beautifully, the characters were witty and had diverse personalities, yet all they all meshed well together. There was very little spice and it was more romantic than steamy. The book focused on the relationship rather than the sex. I look forward to reading more of Sarah Ready's work.

Thank you to Sarah Ready, Swift & Lewis Publishing, LLC, and NetGalley for a digital copy of French Holiday.

Enemies to Lovers, One Bed Trope, and Forced Proximity?! All my favorite tropes in one book? YES PLEASE!

Merry escapes her crumbling life to a dreamy French castle that's basically uninhabitable. And just when she thinks her day can't get any worse, in walks Noah - the worst guy she's ever met. Forced together for the next few months, Merry and Noah strike a truce in hopes of making the best of their situation. Secrets and mysteries unfold while friendly banter turns to love.

Thanks to NetGalley, Swift & Lewis Publishing, and Sarah Ready for allowing me access to this book. All opinions are my own.

French Holiday is a charming romantic comedy with an air of mystery. Overall I enjoyed this entertaining and light read. I even audibly laughed at a few of the situations Merry managed to get herself into. Additional bonus: Sarah Ready utilized some of my favorite romance tropes:

❣️Unrequited Love
❣️Enemies to Lovers
❣️Forced Proximity
❣️One Bed
❣️Grump x Sunshine

At times, I found myself wishing for Dual POV so we could hear Noah’s thoughts, but Single POV with just Merry was also great. I occasionally found some of the writing style to be slightly immature, but the overall character development and plot progression compensated for it.

This one is perfect for summertime and lounging by the pool!

Thank you Sarah Ready, NetGalley, and Swift & Lewis Publishing for the eARC of #FrenchHoliday in exchange for an honest review.

A fun, romantic story set in a crumbling French mansion, this is a sweet, engaging read. While enemies-to-lovers romance books don't always land, this one did, with realistic and interesting character arcs, and good character growth. With a great cast of supporting characters and a charming (and unusual) setting, this is a perfect summer read to enjoy with a nice glass of rose.

This is such a lovely book. Poor broken hearted Merry arrives in France for a break after her best friend (unrequited love) Leo marries her sister. She is staying at her god mothers chateau but on arrival, she comes face to face with Noah (Leo's best friend and Merry's enemy). Forced proximity, beautiful descriptions of France and a couple I was rooting for. Very sweet and very readable. Highly recommend. Thank you to Netgalley.

If ever there was a book that made me want to hop on a plane to France, this is it!

I could smell the dents and I could feel the grass in my toes.

Sarah Ready does a magnificent job of brining the pages to life.

A sweet story turns mystery turns… you’ll have to read it and see. Super fun read. I’m ready to find a chateau in the south east of France and go!

I received a complimentary advanced copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased and honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

Merry leaves for a french holiday after her sister marries her best friend Leo (the man she has been in unrequited love with for four years.) There, she is stuck in a chateau with her sort-of enemy Noah (best friend of Leo and best man at the wedding.)

For me, this book had such an interesting plot beyond the usual romance storyline. I loved the slow burn and the twists this book took. The ending was really satisfying.

I read this by the pool and would highly recommend picking up a copy to read this summer. ☀️

⭐️ 4.5/5 stars ⭐️

This was a lovely enemies to lovers story and was a very enjoyable read. Most of the story takes place in France, and Ms. Ready really did a nice job of setting up the scenes and taking her readers on a trip through the French countryside. Merry needed a reprieve from her life. Her sister married her best friend and really the only guy she's ever loved. She needed to get away from everything, so when Merry's godmother asks her to go to France in her place for a modeling opportunity, she doesn't hesitate and gladly takes the vacation. This is exactly what she needs and very much looks forward to enjoying her holiday in a castle and soaking up all the French goodness. That is to say until Noah is in the picture. He was the groom's best man at her sister's wedding and the most annoying human on earth, and he is apparently staying at the same castle. They come to an understanding and agree to cohabitate peacefully for three months, then go there separate ways. Funny thing, though, spending all that time in close proximity and they begin to see each other much differently and certain feelings start to develop. Merry begins to think Noah isn't such a bad guy after all!
A very charming and delightful story that kept my attention from start to finish. The characters were entertaining and endearing and I enjoyed following them on their journey. Glad to have had the opportunity to read this one!
I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

I really enjoyed the first half of this book! The tension between Merry and Noah was great, and they had some pretty good banter back and forth when they were together. There were just enough enemies-to-lovers vibes without crossing any lines and to where you could fully believe that they 1. are definitely not so subtly in denial about their feelings and 2. will end up in a solid and cute relationship as the book progresses. Sarah Ready's writing was also very fun and light, and especially humorous (I'm looking at you, garden cucumber scene; I actually laughed out loud when I first read that). I will say that Merry's "I need to escape my current circumstances and flee to my godmother's French chateau that seems entirely too good to be true" attitude was unrealistic, but when the guy you're in love with, your best friend, gets married to YOUR SISTER (!!!) who only met him once before they got engaged (???), it's easy to excuse her mental breakdown and desire to start somewhere new. I would've needed to go to France if that happened to me too, honestly. (I also have many thoughts about Merry's sister, Angela, but suffice it to say: she needs to rein in her envy! Yikes!!)

The second half of the book, however, felt completely out of place? It was almost as if the author got swapped around the 40-50% mark and left an entirely new book in their wake. Why was there a random family mystery that needed to get solved?? There was a meddling French woman who was constantly described as smelling of apples??? And why did the slow-burn romance suddenly get put on 3x speed and three minutes after they kiss they're saying "I love you"??? I don't know. There was just so much randomness going on––including a pet lobster with scenes that went on for far too long––that overshadowed the whole initial point of the book. I also wasn't a fan of how each chapter eventually ended so abruptly, too. I started to feel like the chapters weren't wrapped up nicely or they lacked good transitions to the next chapter, almost like slamming a telling-not-showing door in our faces.

I would've really liked to see the romance remain the focal point of the story because I loooved Merry and Noah's banter and their flirting, and have some of the less important and random subplots be cut out. But it was an overall good read, and one that I would recommend to anyone interested in an enemies-to-lovers book set in a dusty French chateau that stans forced proximity. Just don't get caught by surprise over the family/artist mystery and meddling neighbors' subplots like I did, haha.

Thank you to Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my review!