I was so hopeful about this audio book because it has gotten so many great reviews and people were raving about the narration. Unfortunately, it missed the mark for me. I’m not sure I was the correct audience for this type of romance.

There were several very cheesy parts of this book that made me feel squirmy.. I was also put off by how so many creatures like a roach and a lobster got names and so much play time. There’s a super long scene about a lobster that I had to stop myself from fast forwarding. And hearing “unrequited love” about a thousand times had me rolling my eyes.

This narrator really bugged me and I wish I had a word to explain what she does with her voice that became so off putting. It’s like she went down at the end of every other sentence and made it dry and monotone sounding- but so many people loved the audio so it must just be my preference.

So thankful for the free opportunity to listen @NetGalley! Glad so many have loved it!

I admit the enemies-to-lovers trope is in a dead heat with the romance-in-a-foreign-country trope when it comes to my favorite conceits in romance books, so French Holiday was already starting out with several advantages in its corner. Some of the humor was a bit off-putting at the beginning because it wasn’t my style, but I eventually settled into enjoying Merry’s narration, and I did laugh out loud at several points. A few times I was outright in stitches cracking up, such as the fantastic—and utterly hilarious—cooking scene with the lobster. The book is worth reading for the lobster all itself.
I’m not a huge fan of speaking to the reader or the kinds of asides where a narrator is chiding themselves, and this book does make use of those, but the overall story was charming enough and many parts were so funny that I could overlook that device and still enjoy the narrative. The house was a character all itself, which I appreciated, and Merry’s aunt was a delightful character who was richly drawn despite having few appearances. The self journey of Merry as she attempts to come to terms with her unrequited love for her best friend was believable and relatable—particularly how she comes to recognize that she was more in love with an idea than a person. I would recommend the book to anyone who enjoys the travel-romance, finding-yourself-far-away, or enemies-to-lovers tropes, and it’s a fast, very fun read.

4.5 - We have meri who has always put her sister before her self sense she was a kid, when she wanted something she gave it to her even if she didn’t want to. And even when it comes to the man she loves. Her sister met the man she has loved for years that she wasn’t able to tell him how he feels but after one night with her sister they are walking down the isle and she’s lost him forever. That’s when our MMC noah comes into the picture he is the best man and he knows that meri is in love with his best friend and why they don’t get along he knows what it’s like to have un reciprocated love.after the wedding meri leaves her job and is looking for an escape and that’s she calls her aunt juniper up and she sends her to her place in France and meri is so excited for her perfect French holiday! But when she gets there she finds a surprise Noah is there also! Working on his next project, and why at first they fight but they decide to make it work why they are there. And I loved their journey they had a one bed trope which was perfect, and all the mishaps made for a perfect romcom! We also have a bit of a second love story with the neighbours and there’s was a cute add on! But the real star of this book was Noah’s story and why he was in France and I would of gave this 5 stars if I could of gotten in Noah’s POV in his head!

This was such a cute story, was a lot of fun, and has great characters.

The lobster scene reminded me of the little mermaid Sebastian and chef kitchen scene. I loved this book so much. It was more then just a basic romantic book. It had some family mystery’s, gothic romance, and lots of wine and cheese.

This makes me want to read more from the author. I was so happy with this story

Five Star Review Alert!

I just finished French Holiday by Sarah Ready and LOVED it!

Merry has been in unrequited love with her best friend for years… she is just getting ready to make her true feelings known when he meets her sister and gets engaged to her that same night! On the advice of her delightfully eccentric godmother, Merry runs away to France! When she arrives at the chateau she finds it falling apart and already occupied by her least favorite person in the world, Noah!

This book has it all!
Enemies to lovers
Forced proximity
Mystery
Beautiful French people
A lobster!

Definitely add this to you TBR!

Thank you NetGalley and Swift & Lewis for access to this audiobook! It was a delight!

This was my first Sarah Ready novel and I have to say that I will now read ANYTHING this woman writes. Seriously. French Holiday was an absolute delight from start to finish. I was engaged from page one and could not get enough. This book literally made me laugh out loud, get a little hot, feel the love feels, and made me cry. I went through every emotion in this book – in the best way possible!

Merry is desperate to escape heartbreak caused by her best friend (and unrequited love) marrying her sister. A sister who has a knack for getting any man she wants. When Merry’s artsy Godmother offers her a 3-month stay at her beautiful French chateau, Merry jumps at the chance. Little does she know that this perfect holiday may not be as perfect as she imagined. When the taxi driver reluctantly drops her off, Merry is in awe of the stunning castle – until she walks in the door. The castle is in absolute disrepair and barely functional… AND the best man from her sister’s wedding is also there (thanks to her godmother, Jupiter’s, meddling). The man that Merry absolutely hates.

Noah, the best man at Merry’s sister’s wedding, has his own reasons for staying in the crumbling castle. He’s working on a documentary about an artist who disappeared years ago that lived at Jupiter’s French chateau before she owned it. Noah has set out to solve the mystery of a fire that broke out in the castle and the painting of a beautiful woman jumping from the fiery tower that the missing artist created before he was never seen again. But it appears there might be more to story than Merry realizes.

Between attractive French neighbors, aggressive lobsters, and a ton of French wine, Noah and Merry begin to develop a friendship that could be leading to something else.

The character development in this book was great! Merry and Noah were both relatable and their storylines were equally interesting. It truly felt like the characters were growing throughout the novel and it was easy to root for them. The setting was absolutely perfect. Although it’s set in the beautiful French countryside, the crumbling chateau made for an even more adventurous setting.

I really cannot say enough good things about this book and about Sarah Ready’s writing. The lobster scenes had me peeing my pants laughing so hard. Also, it was super fun to have a character who works in Human Resources since I do as well. I listened to the audiobook and I also cannot say enough great things about the narrator, Kelsey Navarro. Her voice was the perfect fit for the book.

Very. Cute. In France. *swoon* Great for a rom com movie. Love the cover, it's so adorable!! Not quite enemies-to-lovers trope but definitely one-bed trope! I loved the backdrop of a French chateau, even if it is falling apart and dingy. lol. And I really liked the narrator!

Need to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book for exchange of a honest review.
Sarah Ready did a fantastic job of bringing two people together from being first enemies then as friends, and lastly to lovers. The chemistry between Merry and Noah is so obvious but they don’t notice it until they are stuck together in the French country side in a run down castle. I throughly enjoyed listening to this audio version of the book. Kelsey Navarro was the narrator. For the most part I enjoyed her but there were times her voice would get on my nerves. I will try another audiobook with her just to give her another try.

I really wanted to like this story but I found a hard time connecting to it.
I LOVED the narrator.
The shining light was that the plot keeping moving forward. I think the idea of the interweaving relationships and finding the right person for you was a strong synopsis I just struggled with the execution. The "only one bed" trope is highlighted and I do like the growing fondness that brings.
Overall, this book was not for me, but I think it may find a place for others.

Audio note: The audio was fantastic! Kelsey Navarro does a great job, infusing a lot of humor and quirkiness into her performance. It was perfect for the low angst, rom com vibes of the book, and made the listening experience even better. The story itself was also ideal as a workday listen, with little to no spice and an upbeat tone that was relaxing. A little on the long side, but a solid listen for sure,

Ready is definitely a hit or miss author for me, and I found this one to be somewhere in the middle. It has tons of personality and a fun, rom com feel. I loved the vacation vibes and the playful tension between this couple, and the setting was interesting. Forced proximity is a win, and peeling back the layers of the hero was great. I did think some of the humor was over the top and distracted from the actual relationship development, and parts of the story were wildly implausible. I enjoyed the romance the most, and think the story could've been tightened up a bit, I typically think Ready's rom coms are too short, but this one was significantly longer than usual, and that wasn't needed here. It dragged a bit, and I ended up losing interest somewhere along the way - switching to skimming by the end.

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

Story: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Narration: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Overall: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

A fun enemies to lovers, forced proximity romcom with 27 Dresses vibes. Merry is dealing with the heartbreak of the love of her life marrying her sister and impulsively goes on a trip to a French castle. However, when she arrives, she realizes she is stuck in the castle with her nemesis (and the best man in the dreaded wedding), Noah. They call a truce so they can stay in the castle together for 3 months, but will the forced proximity cause them to realize they may not be enemies after all?

This was such a cute book with excellent narration by Kelsey Navarro. The banter was excellent. The chemistry was hot. The location was dreamy. I definitely recommend this romcom.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is what a romcom should be like: lighthearted, funny, cute, naughty with a soul!

I loved Noah's backstory and the reason why he ends up in France which added to the emotional element to the story.

There was only one full fledged lovemaking scene but it was *phew* sexy🌶️🔥!

The kitchen scene with the lobster was hilarious!! This particular lobster surely didn't need PETA to fight its battle for survival 😂!

I am glad I listened to the audiobook because the narration by Kelsey Navarro was top notch!!! Listening to her bring this book to life was so much fun and a hoot!

My thanks to NetGalley, the publishers Swift & Lewis Publishing, LLC/ IBPA Member's Audiobooks and the author Sarah Ready for the audio Arc of the book.

This book is the summer beach read that everyone needs.
It's light, it's fun, it's soul searching but in the way we all need
It's gorgeous

I highly recommend this book to everyone.

This is the French Holiday I want ;)
The characters where great and the setting adorable.
There where some expected problems to overcome but it was written in a great way.
And it was funny, if you're going to read this look out for Louis.

The narrator did a great job!

I loved this rom-com! It felt like going on a holiday myself. Surrounded by the French scenery and a chateau, the story feels like a dip into luxury. The characters were great and I'm a sucker for an enemies-to-lovers tale.
All around, this was just a fun, exciting book to read!

FRENCH HOLIDAY by Sarah Ready is a wonderfully written slow burn, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, one bed, low heat rom-com that will have you rooting for Merry and Noah.

Merry is complacent and has always lived in the shadow of her lively and vibrant little sister, Angela. Regarding her lil sis, "What's mine is yours" is Merry's motto. So, when Angela not only meets but gets engaged to Merry's best friend (and the love of her life), Merry sees a cure for her shattered heart when the opportunity (a flight plan) to stay in a castle in the French countryside for three months is presented by her godmother. Only her holiday cure-all is doused in ice water when she finds the arrogant Noah occupying the castle- a travel documentarian and the best man at her sister's wedding and her enemy.

Kelsey Navarro is outstanding in this first-person, solo narration. Kelsey's comedic timing and inflection captured my attention from the start! She was quirky, fun but also emotional and introspective as Merry's character developed. Kelsey also portrayed Noah's arrogant and pensive demeanor with ease. Oh, and her French is

Overall, I enjoyed listening to FRENCH HOLIDAY. I had so many laugh-out-loud moments, some full-on belly laughter, I wasn't ready for it to end.

French Holiday by Sarah Ready and Narrated by Kelsey Navarro was romantic comedy and a very good book, that will have you laughing out loud in several places......So be warned. It was a breath of fresh air and a great holiday read, I loved it, especially the characters.

The Narrator Kelsey Navarro was excellent.

I highly recommend this book or audiobook

Big Thank you NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing for my ARC and my audio copy.

This was the perfect palate cleanser! I started listening to the audiobook and was having a hard time because of the narrator, but that all changed when I switched the speed to 1.5x. From that point on, I did not want to stop listening!

The story was the perfect balance between love, lust and a little mystery. It was serious at times and utterly hilarious at others.

The story took place in an abandoned castle in France and honestly, I loved the simplicity of it all.

Merry grows and learns to let go and in the process ends up falling in the love. The connection between Merry and Noah was so beautifully written. The forced proximity and the “there’s only one bed” trope was exactly what this story needed. And the added found-family proponent was my absolute favourite!

The only factor that made this a 4⭐️ read was how fast everyone got engaged 😂

This book is a perfect beach/summer read and will have you searching for flights to France!

Recommend if you like:
💕Enemies to lovers
💕Forced proximity
💕Single POV
💕Holidays abroad
💕Slow burn
💕New-found family
💕He falls first
💕Only one bed

Be prepared for spontaneous outbursts of laughter and a few sniffles along the way! A fun rom com to entertain and delight you for hours as the narrator brings the characters, their emotions and the story line fully to life for you! I have to say that I enjoyed this story more than I thought I would. I think we can all relate to not feeling like the swan of the family or friend group, but rather the ugly duckling who is an afterthought, but how much of that is real or is it self-fulfilling prophesy? Sometimes time and distance can give you an entirely new perspective! A comedic look at a real issue for many people. This was my first book by this author, but I can guarantee it won't be my last! I love the wit and humor that she wove throughout the story to make it a really fun read or in my case a fun listen!

This was a lovely summer rom com you could clearly imagine in your mind like you were there. The second half seemed like a big improvement on the first and seemed to have slightly different vibes. This book gave me Emily in Paris and the wedding date film vibes but with lots of originality too! I also loved the little mystery storyline within the romance too which added a new layer to the story.

I listened to the audio book version and the narration was great! the voice suited merry perfectly and was so easy to listen too.

This book included: only one bed, unrequited love enemies to lovers, forced proximity, a French painter mystery, and so many animal mishaps.

However, in my opinion there were a few too many food references and descriptions. I know theyre in France with gorgeous food but descriptions of everything they are eating seemed a bit much at times.