3.75 Stars
A fun rom-com with the enemies-to-lovers and force proximity trope!

This was a fun read about Merry, who's recently trying to get over a heartbreak, and Noah, an arrogant travel documentarian. What was supposed to be Merry's relaxing getaway in France turned into a chaotic mess when she found out she was spending her entire vacation with a man she couldn't stand. Or so she thought she couldn't stand.

I love the interactions between the two protagonists and how they slowly got to know each other. Not only that, but the author managed to weave in the heavier topic of abandonment and self-loathing. The only thing I didn't like was the predictability and how some scenes were too corny/cheesy- e.g. the lobster and the allergic reaction moment. Other than that, it was a great read!

Highly recommend it to those looking for a good rom-com novel!

***Thank you to NetGalley, Sarah Ready, and Swift & Lewis Publishing, LLC
for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Rating: 3.5 stars

Cover: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
This cute design gives off that happy summer vibe with its vibrant colours and pretty illustration. These aspects also provide a great visual representation of the fun, light story.

Writing: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
The story is brought to life through a simple yet rich writing style and setting that is easy to immerse into. I also loved the sassy and melodramatic narrative from Merry's point of view, as it was entertaining and constantly made me laugh.

"the value of loving someone can never be overestimated"

Storyline: 🌟🌟🌟
Through an intriguing start, we are introduced to Merry's unfortunate situation. As she tries to move on, the romantic comedy that plays out is somewhat predictable but still engaging since it is littered with numerous embarrassing moments and cute scenes. Besides this, several subplots add depth to the storyline, but I was not particularly invested in these.

Main character(s): 🌟🌟🌟🌟
It is hard not to like Merry's character given her comical and genuine personality. Even her insecurities and struggles with unrequited love only made her relatable, plus allowed for a delightfully heartwarming character arc.

"At the end of your life it’s not what you did that makes you happy, it’s who you loved and who loved you."

Secondary characters: 🌟🌟🌟
While several secondary characters are skillfully used to enhance the storyline, Noah and Merry's sister Angela are the only two who piqued my interest as they end up being more complex than initially presented. Although I never liked Angela, I loved Noah - even with his reserved and tight-lipped personality.

Romance: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Despite Merry's determination to resist her attraction to Noah, they gradually build a connection through multiple interactions that are bursting with chemistry. I especially loved that they became friends initially and enjoyed making each other smile.

Narration & Audio: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
The natural, conversational style used by Kelsey Navarro creates a fantastic listening experience that is perfect for the story. With skilful changes in her vocal pace and tone, Kelsey enhances the fun and witty narrative while nicely conveying the emotions within the tale.

All in all, 'French Holiday' is a fun, light, romantic comedy. While the story is relatively predictable, it is strengthened by the humour and lovable protagonist.

Sarah Ready has done it again! I came across her on netgalley last year on accident and what a happy accident it was. I have LOVED every one of her books. French Holiday is no different. Merry goes on a French holiday to get a break from life and reset. Unfortunately once she arrives she discovers she's not alone. This is a perfect enemies to lovers trope and you'll love every step of the journey.

3.5 for me
French Holiday by Sarah Ready was a fun and enjoyable audiobook. I really liked the narration, it was well done and brought the characters to life. I am a sucker for enemies-to-lovers with forced proximity and a one-bed trope, so this one was right up my alley. I liked that there was a little mystery to the story to make it different from other romances, and how it dealt with self-love and acceptance. I found it a bit long for my taste, and I think if I was reading it, it would have been hard to keep my interest, but the narration made it bearable. The lobster scene was unnecessary and I actually skipped it. Overall, I liked the audiobook and would recommend it to fans of romantic comedies with a twist.

This was a really cute book, an enemies to lovers book, with a few twists. I loved a lot of the characters. Noah, Merry, Camille, Pierre, Jupiter. It had all the makings of a good rom com… broken hearted lead, a romantic destination, a castle, one bed, a magical bridge…. and Louie the lobster! Touching moments and laugh out loud moments.
I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrator did a really good job.
The author’s book Josh and Gemma Make a Baby is my favorite of hers (love it!), and though I really enjoyed French Holiday, it didn’t have the spark of Josh and Gemma Make a Baby. I’d still definitely recommend it though. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for this enjoyable ARC.

𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲
𝐒𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐡 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

•𝐸𝑛𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑠
•𝑆𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑏𝑢𝑟𝑛 𝑟𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒
•𝐹𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑐ℎ 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑦
•𝐻𝑖𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑢𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑒/𝑚𝑦𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑦
•𝐹𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑑 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑥𝑖𝑚𝑖𝑡𝑦/𝑂𝑛𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑑
•𝐺𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑐 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑢

Thank you to Sarah Ready & Netgalley for a free copy of this arc in exchange for an honest review 🫶🏼

I listened to this audiobook in record breaking time; it was adorable and I breezed through it. The charming setting of atmospheric France painted a cozy picturesque country setting.

Merry, dealing with unrequited love after her sister marries her best friend Leo (Merry’s unrequited love), jets off to France for a much needed holiday. An unexpected surprise for Merry when Noah, Leo’s egotistical college roommate and one night stand of Merry, is also at the mysterious chateau. Attempting to do research for his book, the suspense and mystery surrounding him grows erratically.

As the enemies become less than enemies, and the secrets begin to unfurl, what will Merry find out about her godmother’s chateau, and the man she’s been sleeping with?

The narration from FMC was a 3.5/5 ⭐️ and flowed smoothly, but felt a bit shaky and unsure in the beginning of the book…progressed throughout the remainder of read.

Thank you to Sarah and the publisher for allowing me to listen to an advance copy of French Holiday.

4/5 stars.

General Description: Picture this- you are a bridesmaid in your sister's wedding (sweet) however she's marrying YOUR best friend and long time crush (not so sweet). Once they announce they are pregnant (very mixed feeling), you need a flight plan. Luckily, your godmother has the sweetest (in her opinion) chateau in France. Your godmother hasn't been to France to see the property, so you arrive to a dilapidated chateau, confusion, and of course your nemesis, who happened to be the best man in your sister's wedding. Can you say ROM COM in a book?! Wil the nemesis and you make it, or will you not make it out of France?

This is the story of Merry DeLuca and Noah Wright, if you're looking for a rom-com in book form, This is it.

The good:
- I loved ALL the characters.
- Everyone has growth.
- The emotions are REAL and you feel them.
- The quirky rom-com scenes made me laugh out loud.

The loss of a star:
- Honestly? Too many subplots! I just wanted to get back to Merry and Noah (in my opinion) but I was never bored, just anxious to get back to the main story.

Overall: If you're looking for a summer rom-com, here it is! Just be aware there is a lot going on.

Thank you for this ARC audio book to NetGalley and Sarah Ready.

I absolutely loved it! So stinking adorable! It was cute and had plenty of funny moments.

The characters are relatable and lovable.

Romance, humor, and a few twist all set in a French castle. I loved Merry abs Noah’s story. And the ending had me swooning!!

Favorite Pickup Line: “What if you’re my favorite destination?”

Post Date Recap: This book date was a setup. Translation: This is an ARC of French Holiday that I received from NetGalley to provide an unbiased review. Thank you to the team for allowing me this opportunity.

Since this is an audio, let's start with the narrator. I. Loved. Her. Seriously, this was an excellent narrator, wonderful inflection, and she deserves major props for not only speaking in French periodically throughout the story, but also butchering French in a very believable way. I was so impressed with her voice acting ability.

Now for the story itself… and boy is there A LOT. In the audio version it was over twelve hours and in print it is over 400 pages. I will say that this was a wonderfully written story and very beautiful prose, but I believe that there are a lot of little rabbit trails that possibly didn’t need to be explored.

I loved the entire concept with some throwbacks to an awesome romcom “My Best Friend’s Wedding.” Merry’s best friend (with whom she is in love even though she never admitted to it) Leo is getting married to her younger sister. The younger sister that Merry has never been able to say no to. The younger sister who survived their parents divorce with Merry. The younger sister Merry herself named because she believed her to be an angel when she was first born. That sister.

Now this is a rabbit trail I WOULD have liked to see the author explore more. As French Holiday is told solely from Merry’s POV it already borders on Chick Lit/Women’s Fiction (which I do not mind at all) so digging into Merry and Angela’s relationship and the ways that Angela has manipulated Merry through the years with both sisters actually acknowledging this fact would have been an asset to the story, but this was a subplot sort of brushed off and acknowledged more by side characters than the main character herself.

Merry grits her teeth throughout the wedding, not only to save face watching her sister get the man she loves, but also because the best man has gotten under her skin in the worst ways possible. He has insulted her (without knowing she overheard) and rebuffed her on her attempts at friendship. He also calls her out on her unrequited love, something she needs to hear, but hates.

But it is a one time interaction for the benefit of Leo and Angela’s wedding… except that when Merry’s life takes a nosedive and she follows her godmother’s advice of having an escape plan that leads her to a crumbling French chateau an unexpected guest is waiting. Noah Wright, the man she thought she would only need to endure for the wedding is her castle-mate having rented the location from Merry’s flighty and scatterbrained godmother as a location for his travel show.

So many points of this story were things I love. Set in France, rivals-to-lovers, forced proximity, and one bed. In addition to the multiple random subplots (such as Leo’s accusation of murder toward Noah), one other point that takes French Holiday from a 5 to a 4 star for me and that is the additions of Pierre and Camille to the story. I am, personally, not a fan of love triangles and, although this wasn’t a true love triangle, adding in extra people to take Noah and Merry’s attentions from each other was troubling for me. However I do know that this is a well loved trope for many, so please keep in mind that this was my own personal preference.

Even with those stumbling blocks for me, French Holiday is definitely a book date I could highly recommend you swipe right to check out!

💖A French chateau
💖Enemies to lovers romance
💖One bed

Meet Merry. She unexpectedly gets the chance to have a getaway at a French chateau. She’s hoping to find romance. Little does she know she’ll find it with the man she least expects!

What a delightful escape! This is a slow burn romance with so much wit and humor. I was laughing out loud so many times. Merry’s inner dialogue is so relatable and funny. The sizzling chemistry and tension between Merry and Noah is so intoxicating! I loved how Merry was able to break down Noah’s walls. I’d describe him as mysterious and handsome with a tough exterior, but so sweet and romantic underneath. I was so entertained from start to finish and couldn’t love this book more!

Thank you so much NetGalley & W. W. Crown for the advanced reader copy!

This was a cute, slow to burn, enemies to lovers, quick, beach read.

The narrator of the audiobook was good. Brought the characters to life brillantly, though with Readys writing ability, it wasnt hard. The characters are likeable to the point where I found myself rooting for them silently.

When your sister marries your best friend, what else is there to do but travel and get lost for a while in France? She doesnt count on a problem being thrown into her plans. The problem consisting of the only person knowing she is in love with her best friend sharing the same Chateau with her for three months. She doesnt expect to fall in love with him and better yet, to have him return the affection when they both assume the other hates each other.

The cover is bright and beautiful. Something that would catch my eye in the store. The writing, charming and moving. It was a nice summer read I will recommend to any rom com or contemporary romance readers..

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read/listen to this in exchange for an honest review.

Super cute and funny!

You'll like this if you enjoy:
Enemies to Friends to Lovers
One Bed Trope
Forced Proximity
Slow Burn
"It's always been you"

After Merry's sister married the love of her life, she decides to escape to France for 3 months holing up at her god mothers chataeu. Only the chataeu is not empty. Noah, Merry's least favorite person and the last person she ever thought to see again is there and he's not leaving.

I really liked this book, its giving your favorite early 2000's romcom. Stocked full of hilarious bits that will have you cackling. (That's NOT a kitten.) Pacing through out the book was good, you really felt like progression and chemistry between Noah and Merry was natural and not forced or awkward. All together really fun I'd recommend this if you're looking for light hearted romance.

A classic enemies-to-lovers contemporary romance.

The premise of the book is kind of absurd, but apart from that everything is absolutely perfect, it is the best mix of romantic and funny.
The characters are extremely likable and witty, and I found myself rooting for them, both together and on their own, every step of the way.

✨RATING: 4⭐️

✨REVIEW: Cockroach, Lobster, and Rats! Oh my! Merry needed to escape after her crush marries her sister and a trip to France is just what she thought she needed. Her experience in this old castle that is falling apart was hilarious and helped make this audiobook easy listening! We were doing a lot of cleaning and I didn’t want to listen to anything else! I enjoyed hearing her story and rooting for her to have her “lightning” experience in France. Thank you @netgalley for my advance eCopy!

✨PROS: friends to lovers, forced proximity

Thank you Swift & Lewis Publishing and Netgalley for my ALC.

This book was a wonderful escape. The narrator on the audiobook kept the story interesting and lively. I enjoyed the enemies to lovers story told from only one POV. Merry just watched her sister marry the love of her life, so she escapes to France for the summer. She didn’t know she’d be sharing it with Leo’s friend and her enemy. No third act breakup and no miscommunication. Overall, I really enjoyed this!

Such a sweet book! I loved Mary, and I was so happy for her ending. I also enjoyed that the big scene we all wait for in rom-coms was written differently. No miscommunication here! Noah was a male character to root for. The chemistry between all the characters was enjoyable to read.

I received an advanced audio copy. All thoughts are my own.

Well, I wish I had found out about the audiobook being available sooner! I already finished and reviewed the book on netgalley when I stumbled upon its audio version. And I would've probably found it more engaging if i had listened to it simultaneously. Out of curiosity, I had a quick listen and the narrator has a very pleasant voice that seems to bring the story to life. I'll have to check the audiobook section more often now!

Merry has spent her entire life taking the back seat to her sister. Any and everything she had and wanted her sister coveted and either was given it or just took it because in their family her sister was the “Golden Child”. To get away from it all after her sister marries her BFF, the man she has been in love with forever, their whackadoodle aunt offers her a getaway. She has a castle in France and thinks it would be perfect for her to emotionally regroup and figure out what is next. Except that she forgets to tell her that she also invited someone that Merry absolutely abhors with serious passion. He is one of the people she wants to get away from.. maybe the one she wants most to get away from. The castle is in terrible disrepair, the current guest is a jerk of the highest order, her aunt cares for no one or nothing other than herself, though she tries to come off as loving and benevolent. They eventually reach detente as their going to be spending three months together. An enemies to friends to more storyline. Some of it enjoyable, some of it hard to believe as I didn’t feel they had much chemistry. That aside, the time they spent together is interesting, funny, they uncover things they had no idea about, earn about themselves and each other all that leads to the expected and wonderful and expected happily ever after.

Merry is struggling with the marriage of her best friend (and man she loves) to her…sister. When given the opportunity to escape to her aunt’s French castle, she decides to spend three months there to reset. What she doesn’t expect is her best friend’s friend Noah, who’s never quite warmed up to her, to be staying at the castle, too. What’s worse? He won’t leave – and wishes to stay there as he needs to write and research his book. Will they manage to stay civil for the duration of their stay?

I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. From the comedy of errors that Noah’s presence set into motion, to really getting to know both MCs, this was a delightfully audiobook to pass the time with.

The character development is fantastic in this story. Merry comes to France with unresolved feelings and wanting to move forward in her life. There’s more than meets the eye with Noah. He’s more than some world-traveling playboy that makes the women swoon. For the laughs this book elicits, there’s so much depth and drama as well. The way the MCs relate to one another through the shared experience, castle, and…one bed.

Forced proximity, tension, enemies to lovers, and well-placed comic relief come together to make French Holiday a delight of a read.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing for the audiobook ARC. All thoughts in this review are honest and my own.

Loved this book!! Had some of my fav tropes too!!
Enemies to lovers
One bed
Foreign getaway
Oh my goodness this book was hilarious, romantic, a little bit mystery, slow burn.
I love Merry and Noah and all the crazy stuff they go through in this book! The sister was flippin annoying and I wasn’t a fan of her at all.
Can’t wait to read more by Sarah!!