This was such a cute book. I enjoyed most of the characters and the setting, and I really appreciated the plot twists that gave the story some added depth. There were a few characters (looking at you Leo and Angela), that I strongly disliked, but I think that added to my experience reading the story. I would recommend this book if for a light read with a lot of romance!

3.5 Stars rounded to 4 stars. This book was quite cute, but in my opinion just dragged in places and definitely could have stood to be trimmed down a bit. The MC's sister was also very insufferable, which I think was the whole point of her character but I would have stopped talking to her halfway through the book.

The book takes you on a trip to Paris after Merry's sister marries the love of her life (we are off to a great start with the sister here). The catch? Noah (her now brother-in-law's bestie) who she cannot stand is also on a trip to Paris at the same location. Will sparks flys or will one of them pack their bags and fly home? Why is there a lobster roaming the castle they are staying at (justice for Louis btw)?

I received an advanced audio review copy for free from Netgalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

French Holiday by Sarah Ready is an absolute delight to read. I love this author's work, but this book is probably her very best. This story is the perfect summer ready. Merry and Noah and their love-hate relationship is the very best of what makes a rom com. I cannot recommend this book enough. The setting is lovely, the plot keeps the story flowing throughout-- all things about this book are great. Such a fun read! The audiobook is a perfect format for enjoying this book. I found the narrator's reading perfect for the tone of this book. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

Merry DeLuca is crushed after her sister marries the only man she's ever loved. So she leaves it all behind to stay in her aunt's crumbling French castle for a while. The only problem is that there is already someone staying there. Instantly Merry and Noah butt heads and stubbornly set off to outdo each other / prove each other wrong. The more time they spend together, the more they realize they have in common.

At times I was frustrated by the characters, and also, I'm not sure I could stay somewhere with no electricity and rats in the only bed (even if it is a French castle).

The audio is narrated by Kelsey Navarro, who has performed loads of other books I've enjoyed, so it's no surprise I liked this one as well. The audio comes in at just over 12 hours.

Cute, innocuous, and fun. Neither Merry DeLuca’s problems, nor her circumstances, seem all that credible, but if you’re looking for a few hours of romantic, comedic escape, French Holiday fills the bill, and travel writer Noah Wright is agreeable eye (book?) candy to round out the experience.

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up. Sarah Ready writes some cute romcoms. This was no exception. I do tend to enjoy her books on audio vs digital. The narration is so good and brings so much life to the story. I enjoyed the development of the relationship with the underlying mystery. I'll definitely keep reading Sarah's books.

Absolutely loved this audio book, it was so good that I listened in 1 sitting and it's not a short audio book! I loved the characters and the setting and can't wait to discover more from the author.

Thank you NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing for this advanced listener copy!

Solid 4/5 stars - enemies to lovers, forced proximity, one bed trope and he falls first I adore a MMC falling first !! I actually enjoyed Noah more than Merry - there is just something about a pining male character that I love! I found lots of good quotes on love and life and look forward to owning a physical copy to highlight for glances back at my favorite parts. The rom-com style was definitely present here, lots of hilarious moments especially with the lobster! I enjoyed the mystery to the story of the artist and Noah's search, that really added more to the story besides the romance plot line. I look forward to reading more by this author!

One bed. Forced proximity. Enemies to lovers. Merry impulsively leaves the country to find herself. I wish I had the guts to do that. And what better way to spend a holiday than with a hot guy you may hate? The story didn’t go the way I thought it would. I was pleasantly surprised by the twists.

Thank you to NetGalley for this audio ARC. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Jetting of to her Godmothers castle in France, Merry tries to get over her unrequited feelings for her best friend...who just married her sister. What she didn't bank on was Noah, the best man, being there. Noah has never liked Merry, for reasons unknown to her so having him stay in the castle is a less than ideal situation. Given that neither of them are willing to leave they will have to be civil to stay.

I'm not typically a romance reader so I was not expecting to enjoy this as much as I did but I was pleasantly surprised. From the comical events that take place due to Noahs presence, to discovering who the MCs really are, this was a fun and enjoyable audiobook to listen to.

I really enjoyed the character development in this too. This trip makes Merry leave her comfort zone to find who she could be if she just stepped out of her sisters shadow and there's more to Noah than the jet setting playboy he is painted as. I loved the comedy but also loved the drama that unfolds too!

Add the fact that some of my favourite topes are included, enemies to lovers, one bed, forced proximity, and this became a fun way to pass the time.

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 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.

𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝.

4/5 ⭐️ OVERALL

First, I’d like to thank Netgalley and the author for a copy of the French Holiday audiobook. I thoroughly enjoyed it and can’t wait to dive into some more.

This story follows Noah and Merry on a surprising holiday adventure that features enemies to lovers, forced proximity, only one bed, and a beautiful France setting.

I love the course this story took. It kept me interested and the narrator did a wonderful job. The plot was exciting and the romance was just right. If you don’t enjoy steam in your romance novels then you will love this one. It’s on the light side and focuses more on the character connections and plot.

This story ended perfectly and I’m so glad I requested this book. I certainly recommend this one if you’re looking for something light and funny with a mysterious twist.

🇫🇷♡ 𝑭𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒉 𝑯𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒅𝒂𝒚 ♡🇫🇷

✿ 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 ✿
This story is so darn cute! What a beautiful, funny, swoony, and heartwarming story.

I love Marry- she is flawed, real, and is very relatable. Her complex relationship with her family added depth and realness to the story. It was beautiful to see her journey of self-discovery and blossoming.

I really enjoyed the "solving a mystery" side to this story. It was an intriguing subplot! I also enjoyed the setting: an old chateau in a French countryside was absolutely *chef’s kiss*.

Romcoms are generally predictable (usually) – which isn’t a bad thing at all – but there were many instances where unexpected things happened. I can’t tell you how many times I laughed while reading this book!

✿ 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ½

✿ 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗲𝘀/ 𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀 ✿
- contemporary romance
- grumpy x sunshine
- slow burn
- unexpected love
- old castle in the French countryside
- one Bed

✿ 𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗲 ✿
- open door, light, romantic

A special thanks to @netgalley and #swiftandlewispublishing for the audiobook arc in exchange for an honest review 💗

This book had everything I look for in a fun summer read - a charming location, humor, spice, and fantastic narration. Oh, and it will have you wanting to jet off on a French holiday of your own.

It felt like a mix of 27 dresses and Emily in Paris. It’s my first book by this author so I wasn’t sure what to expect. What I got was lots of laughing, smiling, a few gutwrenching and heart-grabbing moments, maybe a bit of eye-rolling (pesky lobster!), lots of swooning, a bit of mystery, and a HEA that just makes you feel so good. Sigh. So so good.

From the start, I was invested in Merry finding her happily ever after. I mean, her sister had just married her best friend and the man of her dreams. Ugh, the unrequited love. An unexpected offer to escape to a French castle sounds like just the romantic adventure she needs. Much to her surprise also staying there is the best man at her sister’s wedding and the man she loathes, Noah Wright. Let me just say, I love Noah. He is quite the swoony hero. I enjoyed the depth and character development for both of them as their love story unfolded.

READ IF YOU LIKE
Enemies to lovers
Grumpy x sunshine
Forced Proximity
One bed
Slow burn
Low angst
French countryside
Single POV

Narration: Kelsey Navarro really brought this story to life. She was fantastic. I will absolutely be seeking out other books narrated by her. I typically prefer Dual POV but between Sarah’s writing and Kelsey’s narration, I didn’t miss it one bit. Oh, and let’s just say she nailed a surly, growly, Noah. Yes please and thank you!

I’m looking forward to reading future books by Sarah Ready. This one will likely get another listen before the summer ends. It would absolutely make the perfect movie.

Loved this book from beginning to end! Merry’s love for her sister lands her into an unrequited love situation then mix in a job she’s burnt out at and a best man that is so irritating… recipe for disaster. She decides on a flight plan that will get her out of her norm. Until Noah makes this plan come crashing down.

So amazing to see how the author wove in the references to other movies and books that have the “young woman who doesn’t know her self and the great adventure she goes on” theme.

I laughed out loud several times. While listening. This book has all of my favorite tropes, rivals to lovers, only one bed, self discovery, grand adventure.

3.5 stars rounded up.

I adored Mary and Noah but all the side characters in this book can kick rocks. I don’t know if it was intentional to make them all so unlikable but they were, and it was the biggest reason for any negative feelings I had toward this book.

The French setting in this book was great and all the food mentioned made me so hungry! I was very impressed with how well the setting came together and overall the atmosphere of this book was my favorite part.

The sub-plot was unexpected but was a nice little addition to the story even though I did guess the “twist.” I did however find at times the sub-plot pulled me from the romance. I enjoyed the slow burn and anticipating leading up to it. The amount of spice was perfect for my liking.

Overall I liked this book and would recommend. If you’re a fan of any of the below, I think you’d enjoy this!
Only one bed
Slow burn
Enemies-to-lovers
Travel
France
A mysterious side plot
Mischievous lobsters

Thank you netgalley & Swift & Lewis publishing for my gifted audio arc of this one! Kelsey Navarro did an amazing job narrating this book.

4.5 stars rounded up!

This book was more than I expected! It took me by such surprise. I expected it to be just another cheesy romance I devour and enjoy, but it felt like so much more. It was just a fantastic enemies to lovers romance set in France. There was one bed and unrequited love.

This was delightful, whimsical and adorable. I enjoyed every second of this story. There’s a mystery subplot. Highly recommend!

The premise to this book was kinda similar to Something Borrowed, with the main character Merry being secretly in love with her best friend who gets swept off his feet by her vivacious spontaneous younger sister. And then it switched to the movie Under the Tuscan Sun, where Merry escapes to a French castle to have a fling and regroup all her life choices but nothing goes as intended.

Overall this was a cute, fun and super easy listen that I really enjoyed escaping into . The main character at times was over the top ridiculous (in what way did you think a kitten was in the castle snuggling you??) but the story made me laugh and was low on the angst which I very much appreciated. I will pick up more books from the author and I recommend this for anyone who wants a light summer romance with a HEA.

This rom-com was too cute! I loved the storyline of enemies to friends and then to lovers. There's a few moments of suspense in this book as well. But this book is also not like your typical rom-com I loved how different it was and how I was able to stay engaged with the writing!!