I love a holiday romance and this one did not disappoint. I enjoyed the hallmark feel of Holly's experience alongside a more tropical story for Ivy. It kept me wanting to read and was able to finish in a day.

If you are looking for hyper-realistic romance, this is not for you. Both characters magically falling in love in less than 2 weeks is not really real life BUT that is not what we read holiday romances for. If you are looking to get caught up in a story, this is perfect. While also representing a real friendship between two people who do not do things perfectly but are always doing their best for each other. It was very cute.

Thanks to NetGalley and Julia McKay for the ARC!

I am 100% already in my holiday romance era and loving it! This book reads like the most idyllic, cheesy Hallmark movie and I mean that in the best way. Ivy and Holly are two besties who look alike, have holiday names, and both happen to dislike Christmas. When Holly is dumped on her wedding day, she offers up her nonrefundable honeymoon to her bestie Ivy. Instead of getting the name changed on the reservation, she gives Ivy her ID to check in as her. Let’s just pretend this isn’t utterly ridiculous lol So while Ivy is taking Holly’s place on her honeymoon, Holly is going to the winter cabin Ivy had booked for her solo weekend art retreat. I loved both settings in this book. There’s something so cozy and Christmas authentic about the eco cabin. And then I also loved the idea of Christmas in Hawaii. Holly encounters an old high school frenemy aka the owner of the cabin. Ivy ends up meeting a cute bartender who helps her out of a sticky situation (Holly’s ex fiancé showing up on his honeymoon with the girl he cheated on Holly with). We basically get two adorable love stories in one. Yes, it’s very insta lovey. But it’s Christmas (coming from someone who doesn’t typically do insta love)!! Anything is possible at Christmas. It’s adorable watching Holly and Aiden reconnect. And even cuter watching Ivy and Oliver act like they don’t like each other when they so clearly do. Both stories were very fluffy and sweet and I ate them up. It is technically open door, but it’s all very surface level and doesn’t go into much detail. My only issue with the book happens towards the end. A heartbroken Holly calls Ivy crying her eyes out, begging her best friend to come home to help with her broken heart. Broken heart or not, this felt super selfish to me. Not only that, she fails to call Ivy back when she realizes she was overreacting and her heart isn’t broken after all!! And then has the nerve to get upset with Ivy when she learns about some stuff Ivy was keeping from her (for her own good). I also wasn’t crazy about the third person writing, even though it was also dual POV. Aside from that, I really did enjoy this fluffy holiday romance. Oliver and Aiden are both top tier MMCs. This book would make a fantastic movie. Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for honest feedback.

I really enjoyed this book. It does have a Christmasy feel to it but you could really enjoy this one anytime of year with the way it’s written. I’m giving it 3.5 stars just because with 2 romantic plot lines I felt like both relationships were very superficial and rushed whereas if the focus had been on just Holly or Ivy’s story we could’ve seen more character and relationship development. That said, I did really enjoy this one!!

✨ The Holiday Honeymoon Switch ✨

“𝘐 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘫𝘢 𝘷𝘶. 𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦. 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶.”

This was such a fun holiday read- plus you get two romances in one book! Think 'The Holiday' just with best friends and a sprinkle of 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall'. Plus the double HEA that gets delivered still has me smiling! I fell for Ivy and Holly's friendship immediately! (They bond over being totally over a frat party...um yes please) When Holly's fiancé jilts her the night before her wedding, she can't bring herself to take their insanely expensive honeymoon. Instead, she decides to switch vacations with Ivy. When they each arrive at their destinations, they go on their own adventures where they learn more about themselves, what they really want from life, and maybe even find love. (PS- I adored both men that pop up in their lives SO MUCH)

“𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘦...𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘰𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘐 𝘥𝘰. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳. 𝘎𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵?”

✨ Holiday Romance
✨ Second Chance
✨ High School Rivals to Lovers
✨ Best Friends
✨ Friends to Lovers
✨ Mutual Love of Art
✨ Forced Proximity
✨ Slow Burn

📚 Book: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🎧 Audio: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🔥Spice Rating: ❤️ (on the lighter side)

🎧 𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼...
I had so much fun listening to this audiobook! Brittany Pressley did a fantastic job narrating this audiobook. Her voice is so easy to listen to and she brought all the banter to life. If you like listening to audiobooks, I highly recommend this on!

Thank you so much to Julia McKay, Netgalley and PRH Audio for this gifted arc and audiobook.

Spice Rating
🤍 clean romance
💗 closed door/ fade to black
❤️ spicy content (a few detailed scenes)
❤️‍🔥 explicit, play-by-play (major part of the plot)
🖤 graphic, more than vanilla

This was a cute story. Even though it was pretty predictable and at times clichéd, it kept me reading and rooting for the love stories to work out. The characters are well drawn and deeper than you might think on first glance. The story didn’t have a ton to do with Christmas itself, but there’s enough that I think it should be read during the holiday season. 3.5 stars.

A feel good start to my holiday reading! When best friends Holly and Ivy decide to switch holiday vacations neither had any idea that they would both have a chance at love! I really enjoyed that the vacation destinations are total opposites, the dual POV is great and I was rooting for both Holly and Ivy the whole time. If you love holiday rom-coms and happily ever afters then you will love this one!

Thanks to NetGalley and Julia McKay for the ARC!

Ivy Casey and Holly Beech are the best of friends! I loved their friendship! No matter where they are in their lives they always support one another.

Holly’s fiancé calls off their wedding and leaves her with a non-refundable honeymoon trip to Hawaii. Ivy already has a two-week cabin trip booked in the Hudson Valley to get away to focus on her art. Holly convinces Ivy to switch, leaving Ivy to go to Hawaii and Holly to go to the cabin.

When Holly gets up to the cabin she finds out that the owner is her high school rival, Aiden. When Ivy arrives in Hawaii she finds out the room is already taken because Holly’s fiancé is in there with another woman. There are no rooms left so she debates going home until she meets the hotel bartender Oliver. Oliver is so nice and welcoming and offers her a place to stay. We learn much more about Aiden and Oliver as the story goes on.

I really enjoyed the dual POVs of Holly and Ivy’s trips. It was very easy to get pulled into both stories and see them both fall in love (rather quickly) while meeting new people along the way.

This is a must-read for the holiday season!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

4/5 ⭐️ 1/5 🌶

read if you like:
holiday romcoms
Hawaii
meet cute

Such an adorable holiday romance read about Ivy and Holly. After Hollys fiancé leaves her the night before the wedding, the two best friends switch vacations. While at the new vacation/ not honeymoon, they meet these wonderful men. I really enjoyed the book. It's almost like two novellas put together to make a whole story between the two best friends. Thank you to netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for allowing me to read and honestly review.

I thought this was a really cute holiday read. I really enjoyed the concept of them switching vacation locations, and I loved all of the relationships throughout the whole book. This book was very good!

This is an adorable, heartwarming book to get you in the Christmas spirit. I loved the friendship Holly and Ivy share… the premise was super fun- predictable. But fun nevertheless… would definitely recommend to a friend!

I enjoyed this festive fast read, but the romances were very "instant love" and a little rushed. Of course a festive Christmas read is probably going to be a bit unrealistic, but Holly had literally just got left at the alter but then was obsessed with the new guy. I did enjoy the cozy vibes of the upstate New York cabin contrasted with the tropical setting of Hawaii. A quick Christmassy read!

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a cute holiday romance to give you all the holiday vibes. Holly and Ivy are best friends. When Holly gets left the night before her wedding, they decide to switch vacations, with Holly going to Ivy’s painting retreat in New York and Ivy going to Hawaii on Holly’s honeymoon. Could it be they both happen to fall in love on their vacations? This was told in duel POV perfectly. This was perfect for any Hallmark holiday movie lovers with all it’s cozy feels. I absolutely loved Holly and Ivy’s friendship and the love they have for each other. If you are looking for a cute romance this holiday season, this is definitely for you.

The Holiday Honeymoon Switch by Julia McKay
Holiday Romance
Pub Date: October 8, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I am going back and forth between fall books and holiday. I was so excited to get a copy of this one from Netgalley and @putnambooks and then it expired 😅 but luckily I was able to request from @prhaudio to finish it!

This is the story of Ivy and Holly two best friends who met in college. They are doppelgängers whose boyfriends knew they had to meet. Ever since then they have been inseparable.
We are now on the eve on Holly’s Christmas Eve wedding, when her fiancé lets her know he isn’t going to go through with it, he loves someone else. Holly begs Ivy for her to switch her reclusive holiday cabin in Hudson Valley for Holly’s Hawaiian honeymoon. Ivy of course will do anything for Holly.
Holly plans on wallowing and watching Christmas rom-coms, little does she expect her Airbnb host is her handsome high school rival.
Ivy lands in Hawaii ready to enjoy her alone time and work on her art. When checking in she realizes Ivy’s ex fiancé has checked in with his new girlfriend. Luckily Ivy is saved by the sexy bartender who has an extra room in their house.
The holidays may not be what they expected but even better. I enjoyed this one, it has a cute Hallmark vibe. Which is exactly what I like in my holiday books! I loved all the main characters and the vibes of both locations. I love to be stranded in either location!

If you were stuck spending the holidays along where would you pick to do it?

This was a perfectly lovely, “feel-good” comfort read. I loved the contrast of Hawaiian tropics and Upstate New York in the winter. It adds another dreamy element to the story. The characters were all completely loveable (except for Matt & Abby, of course). Reading this book felt like being immersed in a Hallmark movie with just a pinch more spice (not explicit)…so maybe more of a Netflix version. :) The epilogue was everything!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Starting my holiday season off with this fun romcom. What I loved about this book was the two main characters. The friendship between the two girls is what starts the story and keeps it flowing throughout.

Even though this is a holiday book, it could really be read at any time. There isn't a ton of references to the holiday and half the story is set in Hawaii.

As much as I enjoyed both Holly and Ivy, I was way more invested in Holly's storyline. I felt like hers was more fleshed out and we got to know her more.

Overall, I enjoyed the story and would definitely read more by this author.

I am recently back from a fall beach vacation, and Julia McKay (AKA Marissa Stapley) helped me segue into the holiday season while also taking me back to the sea with her novel The Holiday Honeymoon Switch! Considering I have a cabin vacation coming up while also still suffering from beach-lust, there couldn't have been a better time for me to read this book which features the best of both worlds! But that's not all that it has going for it ...

Best friends Holly and Ivy always have each other's backs. Not only are their names a well-honored pair (The Holly and the Ivy, anyone?), this duo has been inseparable since they met and bonded at a frat rager back in college. The cherry on top is that while also being similar-minded (a mutual distaste of Christmas and love for the New Year brought these girls together), Holly and Ivy even look alike, if it can be believed!

So when Holly's fiancé dumps her the night before their Christmas-themed wedding (Holly's parents' idea, not hers), Holly hatches a brilliant plan to help her heal. She will send Ivy off on her nonrefundable honeymoon to Hawaii so that Ivy, an artist, can take in the lush tropical landscape and create some amazing art, and Holly will head off to the isolated cabin in Hudson Valley that Ivy had booked for herself for an artist's retreat. Ivy will get to find inspiration in the beaches and greenery of Hawaii, and Holly will get some much-needed time alone to clear her head.

Of course, the best laid plans often go awry. When Ivy reaches the $4,000 a night Hawaiian hotel, she discovers that Holly's ex is unexpectedly there ... with a new woman! Not only that, they are occupying the suite where Ivy was supposed to be staying. Short on cash and without a plan, Ivy accepts the help of a very hot bartender who may just be able to help her turn this vacation around.

Meanwhile, Holly receives the surprise of her life when she discovers that her cabin host is actually her high school rival! He and Holly were neck to neck for top marks back when they were in school, and she can't believe the major glow-up he has gone through. Dare she say he is actually hot now? While being dropped like a hot potato the night before your wedding isn't ideal, Holly may be able to find a way to make her Christmas merry and bright after all.

The Holiday Honeymoon Switch is such a fun read about ride-or-die friendship! I envied Holly and Ivy their close-bonded relationship and loved how they are always there for each other through thick and thin. While their plot to switch vacations and their subsequent insta-love with the attractive men who were conveniently dropped in their laps was a bit far-fetched, this was still an amusing book to get lost in. This book is fairly Christmas-lite, especially considering that neither Holly or Ivy are fans of the holiday, and can be enjoyed in that hazy week between Christmas and New Year's if you can't squeeze this one in before the big day. Easy-to-read with compelling characters, The Holiday Honeymoon Switch is for anyone who has ever dreamt of a Christmas away from home.

This book screams Hallmark best friend romcom movie! I enjoyed this book so much. The main of this book was friendship and it delivered. For the most part, the story is pretty simple - two friends swap vacation and find love along the way. It's a supe fluffy meet-cute with a little steam, but I really enjoed the book. I recommend to people who love romance.

Whether your ideal holiday vacation takes place in the snowy wilderness or on a tropical island, The Holiday Honeymoon Switch will transport you to a Christmas getaway that’s filled with old friends and new loves. It’s a fluffy but charming double romance that’s just what you need to help you unwind at the end of another busy day.

Full review published on NightsAndWeekends.com and aired on Shelf Discovery.

If you like The Holiday movie, you're going to want to read The Holiday Honeymoon Switch! When Ivy and Holly switch holiday trips after Ivy's fiance cancels their wedding, adventures and love are on the itinerary.

An uplifting escape! I found Julia McKay’s The Holiday Honeymoon Switch to be a quick, entertaining read. While portions were not all that Christmassy, I nonetheless appreciated the ode to friendship, the dual romances, the divergent paradise-like environments, and the diverse characters.

Many thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the complimentary ARC. Opinions are my own.