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. For lovers of Maggie Knox🎄🌲🎁🌊🐚🌺 I really enjoyed the book. While I'm not for romance right after a long relationship ending, this one was okay. 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.

Thank you to Netgalley, Penguin Group Putnam, and Julie McKay for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is a fun little Hallmark-esque holiday romance read! The two parallel storylines are a fun way to experience a beachy Christmas AND a snowy mountain Christmas in one book!

The friendship of Holly and Ivy is what made this book special. I mean- during their own meet cute- their friendship was solidified by purse wine. What's not to love!?

If you love to binge all the holiday books you can- definitely squeeze this one in!

Fan of the movie "The Holiday" rejoice! This was the perfect about of corny and cheesy that I needed as I read for Christmas in July. A lot of "insta love" in here but I didn't mind. If you go in expecting that I think you'll really enjoy!

Loved the plot of this book and it could be a hallmark film! I loved the contrasting pov and areas between the cabin and the sunny Hawaii beach vibes. It’s two different experiences both described really well and giving two different popular holiday spots.
Definitely portrayed the ups and downs of female best friends/ relationships in such a relatable and great way. I Adored all the relationships and friendships in this read!
Definitely an overall feed good read for the holiday season to snuggle by your fireplace and read with some hot coco.
I can also appreciate how there wasn’t a standard miscommunication 3rd act breakup, those can be over used and I can appreciate this book not having it.

This book honestly just wasn’t for me. I wasn’t a huge fan of the diary style writing in a contemporary.

I enjoyed the premise of this book and I felt the author did an exceptional job of executing the story and pacing the dual storylines.

I will say that one of the storylines was more appealing to me than the other, but both were well-developed. I appreciate the journey both of the FMCs went through and the secondary characters that added to there found family.

On the other side, the “third act conflicts” felt a little forced and unnecessary even though I get why it was included. Also……. MATT FREAKING SUCKS!!!! 😂

Thank you NetGalley, Putnam, and Julia Mckay for allowing me to review this ARC and offer my honest review. 🧚

This is a sweet holiday story about two friends, Holly and Ivy, who switch vacations with each other when Holly is left at the altar and her honeymoon accommodation fees are nonrefundable. Many tried and true romance tropes show up here, such as secret identities, second chance romance with a high-school crush, and suspicious family members interfering with true love. In typical holiday romance fashion, each friend meets the man of their dreams while staying at their separate destinations in Hudson Valley, NY and Hawaii. The story of how each woman experiences epiphanies about their life and discovers what is really important to them unfolds in a pleasant way, as the secondary characters bring in some new friendships and found family for each woman. If you are in the mood for an entertaining Hallmark-style holiday tale that celebrates both love and friendship, this is a cozy holiday read that delivers.

✨ Book Thoughts ✨
The Holiday Honeymoon Switch by Julia McKay

This book is like a warm hug on a snowy day and a cool breeze on a hot summer night! 📚✨ Julia McKay weaves a delightful tale of friendship, heartbreak, and unexpected love. Holly and Ivy's switch-up is pure genius! Their friendship is also the type of friendship everyone longs for. I loved the contrast between the sunny Hawaiian vibes and the cozy cabin charm (truthfully my heart did love the winter setting slightly more). The romance was both heartwarming and sizzling! This book is absolutely perfect for curling up with a cup of hot cocoa or sipping on a tropical cocktail. 🍹 Check out this book for a sweet escape!
Thanks to Net Galley and Penguin Group Putnam for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book completely captured the essence of the holiday spirit! The story of best friends swapping vacations and discovering love was absolutely delightful. I adored the bond between Holly and Ivy, and their unwavering support for one another was heartwarming. And let’s not forget Aiden and Oliver—who could resist their charm? This book was an absolute joy to read, making it the ideal choice for the Christmas season!

Rating: 3.5/5

I thought this book was a cute read that portrayed the realities of female friendship as they go along life together. Our fmc's, Holly and Ivy, bond over their shared love of holidays and delicious drinks. I liked the concept of having the reader live through two incredible stories simultaneously with the inclusion of two points of views. This book is a journey or heartache, friendship, love, and new beginnings,

It was a a nice lighthearted fluffy romance read and would be perfect for around the holidays or any season, truly. I loved the individual romances between each girl, but their friendship between each other was the primary focus.

What a cute Christmas read! I loved the characters and the dynamics. Cuddle up with a hot chocolate and read this during the holidays this year!

This was such a lovely holiday romance that was such a sweet, comforting read. Ivy and Holly become best friends at a frat party. What more perfect names could exist for best friends! Their friendship with stands the years and all of the heartbreak and love that they go through. The leading men are great matches for both women. Although, these women don't have the easiest journey, they eventually find their HEA. A fun read for the holiday season.

The Holiday Honeymoon Switch by Julia McKay follows the stories of two friends (Holly and Ivy) – a pair that not only has matchy Christmas names but also are the true blue BFFs every girl dreams of having. When Holly’s fiance calls off the engagement the night before the wedding, she convinces Ivy to go on the honeymoon in Hawaii so the reservation isn’t wasted, and Holly will take the cabin reservation Ivy made to get away on an artistic retreat. Each woman has her very own special holiday, making new friends, falling in love, and more.
I enjoyed the writing of this book. I found the characters to be mostly realistic and easy to relate to. I especially connected with Holly as I also was a star student in high school competing against another student to be the best. McKay’s descriptions of the locations were so beautifully written. During Holly’s sections, I was convinced I was on set for a Hallmark Christmas movie; and in Ivy’s sections, I could practically hear the waves crashing onto the beach. Having each of the main female leads have her own storyline made the book feel like it was two books in one.
The first part of the book was easily four stars for me. I looked forward to reading the book every night before bed and was excited to get through multiple chapters to see what the girls were up to. However, towards the end, I felt the story was simultaneously dragging and predictable. It was great for a light, cheesy read, but so many parts towards the end that felt less realistic/believable to me (how fast the “insta love” really was, for example).
Thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the early read in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 ⭐️ The Holiday Honeymoon Switch is cozy holiday romance with dual POVs between best friends Ivy and Holly. It takes place over Christmas and New Years. You will love it if you enjoyed the movie The Holiday. They swap vacations after Holly’s fiancé breaks up with her the night before their wedding day. Ivy goes on Holly’s honeymoon and Holly goes to the small town cabin Ivy rented. They both didn’t expect to fall in love on their vacations. Such a cute HEA for both friends.


💕Best Friends
💕Dual POV from Holly and Ivy
💕Vacation romance
💕Small Town
💕Slow Burn
💕Spice 🌶️

This book was such a fun sweet romance to read. This was one of multiple books I was reading at the time and I kept gravitating towards this one. Even though we all know how romance books end, I wanted to learned more about the characters and their love. This book is a bit different in that it’s not just about romantic love but also the love between two best friends. The POV switches back and forth between the two best friends as each of them are going through their journey of falling in love. It has second chance romance, vacation romance, and holiday romance tropes all wrapped up in one. I’m not usually a fan of second chance romance but in this case the characters hadn’t dated previously. Instead, of them of them had a high school crush on the other and didn’t have a chance to act upon that crush until quite a couple years later. Another thing that made this book standout was this it didn’t have the common miscommunication temporary breakup at the end. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a new romance book to read.

Hallmark. This is basically a Hallmark movie, but with more cursing and sexual content. Felt like everything just wrapped up perfectly with a bow. It was too perfect. The dialogue missed the mark for me, I just can’t see people talking like that. Too much explanation. I enjoyed the story fine and did come to like the characters, but I didn’t feel the emotions that the characters felt. I saw everything coming. It sometimes felt like a middle school girl with a crush and a vivid imagination wrote the flirting bits. It was pretty good but didn’t get me all in my feels.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Content warnings: infrequent cursing with a few F bombs, open door sexual content, graphic but not frequent.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin for the opportunity to read this as an arc in exchange for an honest review. I felt as if the majority of the book pop culture was being thrown at us left and right to the point where it just became way too many references. There seemed to be so many unnecessary details the first half of the bookm The characters didn't feeling very relatable apart from Oliver, maybe that is just for me. I didn't really feel much of anything for them. The romances were definitely rushed. There were some cute moments in there as well though. Overall, I feel like this just wasn't the book for me.

Ivy and Holly meet in college when their boyfriends introduce them. It's wild how much they look alike, have in common, and how fast they form a friendship. Holly has been dating Matt and has been for 10 years. Her wedding is fast approaching and Ivy is slated to be her maid of honor.

The night before the wedding Matt shows up at Ivy's apartment to deliver devastating news to Holly. He doesn't want to get married tomorrow and he is in love with someone else. The blow is earth shattering but Holly pulls herself up by the boot straps. Her and Ivy decide to switch vacations.

Ivy is going on Holly's honeymoon and Holly is going on Ivy's art retreat in the woods. Everything is going great until Ivy sees Holly's ex on the honeymoon with his new girlfriend. Holly has a huge surprise when she has no clue how to work anything in the cabin and has to call the owner.

Holly and Ivy spend 2 magical weeks with their guys they have met, but all good things come to an end.....or do they end????

This was a fun and quirky romcom. I enjoyed how opposite the personalities of Holly and Ivy were but someone they were the same person. It was amazing to watch the Hawaii scenery unfold on the pages along with the most perfect Christmas tree farm ever. If you love romcoms, this is the perfect book for you!

Thank you @netgalley, @putnambooks, and @marissastapley for copy to read in exchange for my honest review.

I realize that all tropes have a place and a reader - and I realize this is personal preference - but I’ve yet to meet any reader who enjoys “Insta-Love.”

The Holiday Honeymoon Switch was one I picked up right after reading another Penguin Group Putnam title coming out this month (which was an easy 5 stars), but unfortunately this book was, for me, the opposite in every way.

Readers looking for a cozy/easy-breezy holiday romance book are going to enjoy this. But I fear seasoned romance readers will find it lacking. Everything was too easy, too neat. Characters’ reactions didn’t align with the plot points.

But my primary issue was the writing quality - which, as avid readers know, impacts every part of the story. More specifically, the sentence structure was repetitive/simplistic and the plot development was too straightforward/too “on the nose” - by this I mean, all tell and no show.

While I did give this a try and ended up reading more than I thought I would, I knew very early on it would be one I’d have to DNF.

As always, I appreciate the work that goes into writing a book and believe this book will find its audience. Additionally, I’m grateful to Penguin and NetGalley for the chance to review an e-ARC.

Holly, Ivy and Aiden need their own Holiday movie ASAP! I wish I had a best friend relationship like Holly and Ivy. They are so much alike and so different it was a lovely ying yang balance. The switch of the trips, brilliant! Also, how can the author have written a character so well I hate him! Hah! Holly’s ex was the epitome of I hate him. I also highly enjoyed how one of the trips went to Hawaii! So not what you think of for Holiday stories, which I appreciate because I myself am an island girl.

I loved everything about this book. It will absolutely also be a re-read come Christmas time. Its also going to be a “I told you first” to my friends and followers. Brav