This is a very cute story about a women who goes on an extended holiday to a chateau in France after her sister marries her best friend (secret crush) and her job forces her to be someone she doesn't like. To top it off, her least favorite person is also staying at the chateau.

The audiobook narration is excellent. The book has many funny moments, especially the reveal of what really happened at the wedding. The bit with Louis went on too long and I think it would've been better if he was the "fluffy kitten" from earlier. The mystery involving the chateau's history was intriguing but took a bit of a strange turn towards the end with Noah and his past. There was a lot going on in the end and the romance ended up feeling rushed. Besides the really great honest conversations Noah and Merry had in the beginning, I couldn't figure out how they fell in love. Though the chemistry between them was great.

Overall a nice read made better by the audiobook narration.

(Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ALC)

4⭐/5⭐

I really enjoyed this book!! It was the perfect contemporary romance refresher that I needed after reading fantasy back to back. I've never read a book by Sarah Ready, but I am definitely a fan now and will continue to read her books now.

The romance in this book is to die for! Merry and Noah are my favorite couple ever😍. The chemistry between both of them is so intense and the smut scenes are 11/10👀

I listed to the audiobook for this book and love it! The narrator, Kelsey Navarro, made the whole book so immersive and entertaining with her storytelling.

Thank you to NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

📖Review:
French Holiday
By: Sarah Ready
4.5🌟🌟🌟🌟✨
Rounded towards a 5🌟
📖Book 45/100
💫Genre: Contemporary Romance/Women’s Fiction
🎧ARC🎧
Narrated by:
Kelsey Navarro
🇫🇷🦞🇫🇷🦞🇫🇷🦞🇫🇷
✨Enemies to Friends
✨Friends to Lovers
✨Forced Proximity
✨Grump to Sunshine
✨A hint of mystery
This book was such charming read. It had the perfect combination of love, hate, sadness, mystery, & spice! Merry (FMC) and Noah (MMC) we’re both extremely likable characters from broken families. Mary is in love, but her heart gets broken, and so she flees to France. Thanks too her splendid God Mother, she has a Chateau to bunk in, but she never imagined the guy she can’t stand coincidentally is there too. The next three months will be a whirlwind of events and emotions. I laughed, I felt suspense, and I even cried towards the end 👨🏼‍🦳🖼🖤🗼 I didn’t care for Leo nor her sister and feel their accusation about Noah was unnecessary🤷🏻‍♀️ By all means this was a great read and Kelsey Navarro brought this book to life….she rocked it 🫶🏻🙌🏻🫶🏻
🇫🇷🦞🇫🇷🦞🇫🇷🦞🇫🇷
📌Publishing Date:
April 26, 2023
💫Thank you @netgalley , Swift & Lewis Publishing, and Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) for this wonderful for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

#NetGalley #FrenchHoliday
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This is a sweet enemies-to-lovers romance featuring Merry and Noah.

Merry's sister just married Merry's best friend, Leo, the only man she's ever loved. In an effort to heal, she heads to France for a three-month vacation. She thinks perhaps some harmless flirtations and a French lover might help soothe her hurt feelings.

Noah is Leo's friend from college and the best man at his wedding to Merry's sister. Little did he expect to get stuck with Merry as the bridesmaid he's paired up with. Thankfully, he's able to head out soon after the wedding to resume his travels.

But Merry's meddling godmother has something up her sleeve, and the next thing we know, both Merry and Noah are staying in the same dilapidated castle in France for the next few months. That's when the sparks really start to fly!

I really enjoyed the journey the two MCs took, both individually and together, to heal from their past hurts and realize that love is as much about what you put into it as what you get out of it.

Thanks to Sarah Ready, Swift & Lewis Publishing and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

This is my second Sarah Ready book and I really was pleasantly surprised. I think in both books she takes the story in a way I’m not super thrilled with reading or is kind of weird. But over all I liked this book more than the last of hers I read!

French Holiday written by Sarah Ready and narrated by Kelsey Navarro is a charming rom-com audiobook that will whisk you away to a dilapidated French chateau for an unforgettable summer vacation. Merry DeLuca is secretly in love with her best friend Leo, who is marrying her sister. It’s bad enough that she has to wear a hideous dress as the maid of honor but being forced to spend time with Nate, Leo’s best man, is the final straw. When Merry is offered a fairytale French chateau for a summer vacation, she is ecstatic. Unfortunately no one mentioned that the chateau is crumbling, there are rats, bats and a lack of basic amenities, and - worst of all - Nate is also living there. Will either survive the summer?

The narration by Kelsey Navarro is perfect for this story. She brings the characters to life with her expressive voice and captures the essence of the French countryside. (I reviewed an advance reader/listener copy and all opinions are my own.) This book is the perfect summer getaway!

3.5ish.
Merry has just suffered through her best friend Leo (who she's secretly in love with) marrying her sister, after becoming engaged on their first date.
Her godmother, an aunt named Jupiter, has sent her to live in her French chateau for a few months. Unbeknownst to Merry, she's also rented the chateau to Leo's friend Noah, a travel documentarian.

I loved the scenery, the foods, and even the falling down chateau. And I was amused by the nosy neighbors Pierre and Camille. But I found the side story of Noah's mother to be far more interesting than the various antics with the lobster.

The narration by Kelsey Navarro at first felt a bit distant and bored, but I loved when she spoke French, so it grew on me :)

Thank you to NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing, LLC for this early audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 out of 5 stars!

I really enjoyed this! It was a fun romance that was long enough page-wise to allow time for both main characters to divulge enough information about themselves that the relationship development felt realistic. It was lighthearted sometimes while taking on a much more serious tone at others as it explored the characters’ backgrounds, which I appreciate in this genre. It also had a few side plots going on; one of them I really enjoyed while the other one I wasn’t as fond of — didn’t dislike it by any means, but I was much less interested in reading about it. There was a slight mystery element to this book that works really well for it, and makes the fact that it’s longer than a standard romance make a lot of sense!

I would have loved to see more of Noah’s professional work, and it did take awhile for me to really get into the story, but once I did I was smiling along with the audiobook. There was some stuff with one of the b-plots that was introduced rapidly at the end that I think was a bit too much to add on as well. The narrator did a great job of conveying the emotions of the various characters!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC!

This is the second novel I’ve listened to from Sarah Ready after accidentally reading the second story from her Josh and Gemma duet earlier this year.

The story follows Merry Deluca as she goes off on a three month holiday to a French castle following the wedding of her sister to her best friend, and unrequited love, Leo. Discovering she’s not alone she’s forced to endure the company of her enemy Noah - Leo’s other best friend.

With forced proximity, enemies to lovers and some dodgy seafood this gives major Unhoneymooners vibes so if you enjoyed that book give this one a go. I enjoyed Josh and Gemma the Second Time Around but I really enjoyed the story and characters in this one. That might be because I haven’t skipped the start of a series but I think it’s because of Noah’s sub plot.

I would have loved a dual POV with this one as I would like to experience first hand how Noah viewed Merry and he definitely comes across as the grumpy to her sunshine but deep down he’s a big softie.

What do you do when the love of your life is marrying your sister? You take a French holiday for three months!

Meredith’s (Meri) life is falling apart. She has been in love with her best friend, Leo for years. Sadly, Leo is in love and marrying her sister. Her inability to profess her feelings to either her sister or Leo, leaves Meri to serve as the maid of honor alongside best man, Noah (her nemesis). The wedding proves to be the least of her worries. Her job in Human Resources requires her to layoff a significant number of her colleagues. Unable to continue working for a company she no longer respects, Meri resigns. With no love or job tying her down, Meri flees to France in hopes of starting over.

I am a fan of Sarah Ready. Having read two of her previous books (Josh and Gemma) I can safely say she is a go to author for me. Her writing is filled with tons of humor and heart. I was able to both read and listen to this book on audio and both versions had me laughing and tearing up!

This book features popular tropes such as:
Enemies-to-Lovers
Forced proximity
Roommates
Only one bed

*Unlike the other works I have read from Ready, this book is equal parts romance and mystery. It was fun to watch Meri fall in love and help Noah solve the mystery surrounding his family. The myster element was unexpected but a welcomed surprise!

Special thanks to Netgalley and Swift and Lewis Publishing LLC for allowing me to read and listen to this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

A fun loving forced proximity/enemies to lovers romance. I really enjoyed this one, it was sweet and funny.
What would you do if your sister marries the love of your life ?? And you're the maid of honour at the wedding, and the best man hates you ?
If my aunt owned a castle in France I would definitely be going there to escape...

I really enjoyed listening to this, the narrator was nice and clear.

Thank you for this Sarah, I really enjoyed the growing relationship between Noah and Merry, the banter was cute. This romantic comedy is good for the soul.
And thank you for making me want to attack someone with a cucumber.

I wanted to like this, and the premise for the book sounded interesting. Three months in a French chateau? Oh god, PLEASE. That sounds right up my alley.

At first, I started with the audiobook, which was a mistake, seeing as I'm really not an audiobook person. That was a mistake (sue me for trying a new experience, okay?!). The beginning of the book totally hooked me and I was digging the initial premise...but the narrator's voice kind of grated on my nerves. It's like she sounded, I don't know...smug? But I think that comes a bit more from the fact that I'm unaccustomed to listening to books instead of narrating them in my own head.

So after a few hours of that, I switched to the ebook, thinking I would enjoy that better. Well...no. Somehow, the book lost my interest after Merry arrived in France, which is obviously the opposite of what was supposed to happen. The storyline with Noah was bugging me somewhat and things were feeling cliched, so I went ahead and looked at GR reviews to see what happens in the rest of the book. Seeing how the rest of the book plays out confirmed my decision that I did not care to continue. I have no doubt that lots of romcom fans will love this book, and I can somewhat see the appeal! But it was not for me.

Overall, I love this book. I love how everything unfold especially between Noah and Merry’s feelings for each other. I also love the mystery that was folded into the book, that was a good idea to make the book unique from most romance books.

Full Review: https://wp.me/p7zL11-1ZA

It took me a minute to get into this book, but once I was in, I was way in! I couldn't put this down! I am so in love with the Chateau, the fun characters, the love story, everything! I am definitely adding more of Sarah Ready's books to my TBR.

I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator was wonderful!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

I absolutely LOVED this book!

Merry thinks she is in love with her best friend, but her best friend is in love with and marrying her sister. Enter the best friend's other best friend, a run down castle on the French Countryside and a mystery. This story has everything, I laughed and cried and cheered. Highly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC for the opportunity to read and review this story prior to release. I will recommend it highly to anyone who will listen!

#FrenchHoliday #SarahReady #ARCReview
#NetGalley #SwiftAndLewisPublishingLLC
#Romance #ContemporaryRomance #FrenchCountryside
#RundownCastle #Mystery #Travel

This was such a cute book! French Holiday was the definition of a rom com. The story was fast pasted, funny and sizzling with chemistry. It hooked me from the beginning and held me captive. I switched between reading and listening to the audiobook and loved the narration and accents. I’m happy to have found a new favorite author.

I had no idea what to expect when starting this audiobook because it was my first story by Sarah Ready. I was very pleasantly surprised and I know I will read more of her work! I completely enjoyed the both the main characters and really enjoyed their chemistry. I also loved that there was obviously a focus on romance, but there was so much more depth in this story. I really enjoyed the mystery and watching all the pieces fall in to place. This was a fun story and I felt like it was a great nod to Pride and Prejudice, with it's own twist. I think that Kelsey Navarro did an excellent job in narrating this story and I can't wait to listen to more of her stories.

Thank you NetGalley and Swift and Lewis Publishing LLC for this ALC. All thoughts are my own.

Uber cheesy, super predictable romance with flat characters and too much going on. When we meet Merry, she is getting ready to be a bridesmaid for her sister! Angela, who is marrying Leo, who is Merry’s best friend. Merry has been in love with him for the past 5 years but hasn’t had the nerve to tell him and now it’s too late-he has spent one night with her sister and they’re getting married. At the wedding Merry spends time with the best man, Noah, a famous travel writer, who she strongly dislikes.
After all the drama of the wedding, she decides to take her godmother’s offer of a three month vacation in a French castle so she can find someone of her own. But when she gets there, the castle isn’t in great shape. And surprisingly, Noah is also at the castle but for completely different reasons-he’s trying to find someone too, but in a completely different manner. .
There were some fun moments (like Louis the lobster) but I think the author tried to throw too many different things into the pot to see what stuck and it kind of got jumbled up for me. Maybe it’s just me and others will enjoy it.
The narrator was kind of annoying as well.
Thanks to Swift & Lewis Publishing and NetGalley for this audiobook arc in exchange for my review.

French Holiday is the first book by Sarah Ready I’ve read but it certainly won’t be the last. Merry DeLuca is serving as the maid of honor for her younger sister Angela’s wedding to her own best friend, perhaps love of her life, Leo. Adding insult to injury, she is paired in the wedding party with Leo’s best friend Noah Wright, who Merry detests.

Upon her sister’s honeymoon return, Merry learns of Angela’s pregnancy and about gags herself when she is asked to be the godmother. Merry’s own godmother, Jupiter, offers Merry an escape plan when she not only has her sister’s pregnancy to deal with but also the loss of her own dead end HR job. Dangling a three month stay in Jupiter’s French chateau, Merry takes off with a new beginning in mind.

However, pictures do not show the chateau’s decay and there is never a mention of the fact that Noah Wright had paid a rental fee for this same time period. As Merry and Noah negotiate a chateau in disrepair, rats and roaches, overly amorous neighbors, and the ghosts of artists past, the story is excitingly fun and unpredictably poignant.

This is a lovely story with great characters, a beautiful setting, and a lovely outcome. I very much enjoyed this book and I do recommend it!

4.25*

The story follows Merry ( which is a people pleaser, shy & self-deprecating) & Noah (broody-ish, tall, dark, handsome, and mysterious) and their story.

The book had a lot of humour, beautiful scenery description, and just the right amount of characters and development. At times, it felt like the story was dragging a little bit. However, the adorable MCs and their slow burn & angst kept me interested.

Apart from being a super lovey-dovey story about self-discovery, unrequited love, and friendship, this story had a mystery element that I did not expect!

There are some interesting plot twists, and although I've mostly guessed them, they were presented in a fun and unique way throughout the story.

I kind of wish that the story was told from both Merry and Noah's POVs, but we can't have everything now, can we? 😄

About the audiobook: I've gotten quite fond of the narrator's voice as the book progressed. There was a good amount of emotion behind the voice, and I did like that she sounded surprised when the character was surprised, even that horrid French accent was still kind of cute. There is nothing more that I hate in an audiobook than flat, monotone voice, and I'm thrilled to say that this was not the case here.

I have enjoyed listening to the audiobook and was actually looking forward to hearing what's next, which rarely happens with me when listening to audiobooks. Brownie points!!

If you love French setting, slow burn, enemies to lovers, angst, a little dash of spice and character based books, with a mystery flare, then this book is for you!