Thank you to NetGalley, Publishers, and Sarah Moore for sending me a French Holiday in exchange for my honest review.

3.5/5 stars

Merry is in love with her best friend Leo, unfortunately, he is in love with her sister and they are getting married. After their wedding, Merry is in a rough place. When she is offered a three-month stay at a French castle she jumped at the chance. Her vision of French pastries and romance is quickly destroyed when the arrogant best man from the wedding is also staying there. Not to mention the castle is practically falling apart and a mystery to solve. Will she be able to change her luck or is she destined to crumble like the castle she is staying in.

This was a very cute read, I will say that the beginning of the book and the end of the book felt like two different books but it wasnt a bad thing. I loved reading about Merry's growth through out the book. She starts off as someone who isn't self-aware and I enjoyed listening to how she matured through-out. I loved the narrator, Kelsey Navarro, she did an amazing job bring the story to life, and I enjoyed listening to it more then I did reading it.

I wasn't the biggest fan of Noah I felt he was more mean and rude than grumpy. I also felt like it dragged a little in places and I found myself wishing the plot would speed up in places.

This was a very enjoyable read, that I would recommend to any romance lover!

I loved the blend of comedy, romance, mystery and some serious topics too. I really enjoyed that the setting was some different. I would have loved to have the MMCs POV. The narration was really well done.

Friends to lovers. One bed. Close proximity. French Holiday had it all! This was a cute, and sometimes cheesy, romance. The characters had so much chemistry and there were a few very funny scenes that had me smiling. French Holiday was the first Sarah Ready book for me and it won't be my last. Thank you to NetGalley, Sarah Ready, and Swift & Lewis Publishing for the opportunity to read this one in exchange for a review.

To be completely honest, this book frustrated me. There were so many over-the-top, ridiculous scenes that killed the book for me.

French Holiday is a perfect escapist read. It’s full of charm, with a balance of lightheartedness and emotional weight that makes it feel both cozy and impactful. Ready’s ability to create rich, likeable characters and transport readers to an idyllic setting makes this novel an enjoyable experience from start to finish. Fans of slow-burn romance, picturesque settings, and heartwarming journeys of self-discovery will adore this book.

If you're looking for a feel-good romance set against the backdrop of a dreamy French summer, French Holiday is a must-read.

I never listened to it because my NetGalley app wasn't working properly. So I had to uninstall it and then all but two of my audio books were gone.

Let me start off with the fact that I loved French Holiday! This book is so cute and a real page turner. I did listen to the audio book, so metaphorical pages but still. I couldn’t read it quick enough, I hated it when I had to put it down!

Right off the bat, Merry was in a low place. The love of her life/ best friend is getting married… to her sister…. Does it get any lower? Well throw in that her job was becoming dreadful and then the news that her sister was now pregnant. She was at rock bottom and scrambling to pick herself back up. What could be better than hitting the reset and refresh in a Chateau in France? Oh except that the fact that the best man, Noah Wright, that can’t stand her is there as well. What else could go wrong?

Famous Last Words…

I truly wont spoil anything for you because there are some crazy scenarios that Merry gets herself in and they are hilarious. Throughout the book Merry and Noah are forced to find a truce and form a friendship that really blossoms. French Holiday is an adorable Rom Com, Enemies to Lovers, Forced Proximity plus a heck of a lot of good steamy scenes. You will sympathize with Merry and swoon for Noah, all the while laughing your way through their silly times. Truly, truly loved this book! I enjoyed every page dearly!

It was okay. It was kind of a fresh take on gothic romances according to my experience. I liked the conversations, gothic setting, mystery plotline and overall plot. I couldn't get invested in the relationship between the main characters. The mystery elements kept me going.
Merry fell in love way too fast for someone who was trying to have just fun. I think there was a chance for a genuine friendship but love and decisions to spend a lifetime together? Not so much.
One thing that I found odd was that it made us believe it's not the cliché but it was ultimately exactly that. I don't have an issue with having a cliché plotline, but trying to make us believe it's not one thing when it is exactly that, I found a bit odd.
Spoilers: when I thought Noah didn't fall in love with Merry the first time he saw her, but he did exactly that. He said he didn't have unrequited love towards her, later he clarifies he knew she will fall in love with him sooner or later. I could take it as a good enough explanation.
It is a personal take. Could be ignored by someone else, just a me thing.
Overall it was okay, even though I wasn't blown away, it was a fun read.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Swift & Lewis Publishing, LLC and the author for the ALC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first Sarah Ready book. And wow, I should have picked up their books before. Its so packed with drama and banter and tenderness and all well balanced with full sketched out characters! In short it was a delightful experience.

The story starts with Merry who at the moment does not feel merry at all as her best friend and the love of her life has just gotten married to her sister and she truly does not know what to do with her life anymore. So when she gets the chance to travel to France to live in a Chateau for three months, she obviously jumps on it. Except she didn't expect Noah, the best man at her sisters wedding, who for some reason doesn't seem to like her seems to also be living in the her palace. So they have no choice but to come to a truce and adjust around each other,

Now we all know what forced proximity leads to, slow friendship, banter, attraction and then love. This was sweet warm endearing tale of 2 people who needed a respite from their normal life and fond solace in a new place and in each other. The Narrator did an excellent job in setting the scene and bringing the story together.

This would make a perfect rom-com movie! She is a little flighty, but he has a great backstory. I absolutely loved the pet lobster. This is set in the beautiful french countryside and is a fun read all around.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher/author for providing me with an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was exactly what I wanted it to be! I loved it. I will make sure to check out other books by this author. When I requested this I was just intrigued by the concept of it and I loved how it turned out. This story had a great plot and if you have read this and enjoyed it, This was so much. It was such a great story. I would say give this one a try. I will continue to follow this author. Way to go to this author for not letting me down.

I highly enjoyed the narrator of the audiobook. Kept me listening.

The premise of the story sounded so good but right in the beginning when she said what she said (not trying to spoil) I was out. I don‘t like that, even if that probably isn‘t gonna happen I didn‘t feel like continuing. I did try but this one was not for me

Yet another fabulous book by Sarah Ready, the audiobook was on point and absolutely joy to get lost in.

This book was so cute!!! The perfect book to get you in the summer mood (and make you wanna book a trip to France).

Mary is in love with her best friend Leo, who proceeds to meet, fall in love with, and marry her sister. Devastated, Mary decides to pack up her life momentarily to go live on her godmother’s castle in France— the problem? Leo’s best friend, Noah, is also staying there, and mary hates Noah.

It’s set in France, there’s only one bed, and there’s a flying lobster, what more could you want?? I listened to this as an audiobook and truly enjoyed it! Highly recommend to anyone wanting a fun summer read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Swift & Lewis publishing for the ARC!

Merry's life is falling apart. Her sister, Angela, marries Merry's best friend, Leo, whom she had been pining for. Merry quits her job that she once loved. Angela and Leo come back from the honey moon with a baby on the way and want Merry to be the godmother. At this, Merry calls in her own godmother's advise and asks for a stay at her French castle. Merry arrives at the castle only to discover it is already occupied ... by Leo's best friend who had taken an instant dislike to Merry when they first met. The castle is almost inhabitable but together they make it work. The longer they stay there together the more they learn about each other and themselves and maybe learn to love themselves and each other along the way.

The descriptions in this book had me opening the AirBnB app to find a place to stay in the south of France. There were definitely humorous parts (looking at you lobster) and tender moments. At times the story felt uneven. It seemed as if the author was uncertain as to how slow she wanted the burn to be and at times Noah was putting the brakes on when they'd already agreed to go. And it was weird that they couldn't just be beginning a relationship; Merry wanted to be in LOVE.

Overall it was an enjoyable romance and now I'm dying to go to France.

I really loved this romcom more than I expected. The narrator was great, which helped, but it was super charming. I loved the setting and the setup, and the mystery kept it intriguing once the characters got together. Merry was very relatable and funny. I loved the south of France chateau setting and that Noah was a travel documentarian, and the art plot line. This was my first book by Sarah Ready but now I want to read her other books.

Predictable but a great read for when on vacation. Characters were likeable, Merry and Noah definitely stuck with me and I enjoyed their banter so much. The setting was dreamy and made me want to travel more than I already do. I loved the nuances to French culture. All in all, would recommend to my rom-com loving friends.

I really enjoyed this audiobook. The narrator was incredible and it made the story feel like a movie in my head. I would definitely recommend this book to my friends and family. And I can’t wait to read more by this author.

I enjoyed this book a lot, pure escapist romance. I loved Noah and empathize d with Merry though she could be a bit clueless. the side stories were a bit complicated at the time but the slow- burning romance at the center of it all was lovely. The audio version was great.

So to start off this is a super funny book! This is also my first book by this author and I will be reading more.

Noah and Merry have a great way of talk g to each other. And you just can’t get enough of them.

The narrator did a great job on this book.