Before I get into the bulk of my review, a quick thank you to both NetGalley and the publishers over at G.P. Putnam's Sons for allowing me access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review. The Holiday Honeymoon Switch follows Doppelgänger best friends Holly and Ivy who met at a Christmas party one year and are inseparable ever since. Nearly a decade later, Holly is left at the alter facing two unacceptable options: go on her honeymoon alone or spend two weeks with her icy parents trying to deal with everything. Her best friend Ivy comes up with a plan to switch holidays (Holly will go on Ivy's artist retreat while Ivy goes on Holly's honeymoon). Everything that happens afterward is a Rom-Com good time featuring two solid love stories. The Holiday Honeymoon Switch comes out on September 24th and is available for preorder now.

There was so much to enjoy with this one. The most prominent story element that sticks out to me is the friendship between Holly and Ivy. A lot of people say they are ride or die for each other, but with Holly and Ivy you know they mean it. They would do anything to help their B.F.F. Including swapping holidays (and other important plot related things I can't say). There's a little bit of suspending your disbelief with this one, but the characters felt so real and so well rounded with flaws and problems of their own. I was more than willing to go where the story wanted to take me. I felt like the romances felt so real despite the story taking place over such a short span of time. I can generally vibe with book relationships that happen quickly as long as the characters are acknowledging that this is "so weird and so crazy but feels so right" or something like that. I need them to let the reader know that they see how weird things could look from the outside but that something magical/wonderful is happening.

I do feel like one of the romances was easier to connect with than the other. I felt like I could root for Holly's romance more than I could Ivy's and I think it's because I didn't feel Ivy's emotional connection with her hero the way I did Holly's. I could connect with Holly's emotions more than I could with Ivy's. And maybe that's all down to really good writing of two different characters. Holly mentions multiple times that Ivy plays things a lot cooler than Holly does when it comes to romance.

Overall, this was such a fun and quick read for me. With real life being so time consuming lately, I don't remember the last time I read a book in three days. I think this one is going to go well for so many readers which makes me so happy. For the book's Christmassy rating, I would give this one three, maybe three and a half poinsettias. It doesn't get a higher Christmassy rating just because I don't love Christmas set in island/beach locations so it threw off the vibe for me a little bit.

I loved this take on the holiday swap trope. The 2 separate love stories plus the friendship love made this a really great read. I’ll definitely be recommending this when it publishes this fall.

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for the ARC of The Holiday Honeymoon Switch in exchange for an honest and independent review.

Holly is about to walk down the aisle with someone she's settling for and Ivy knows it. Matt will never in a hundred thousand years be good enough for Holly, but as Holly's best friend, Ivy should have won an Oscar three times over for keeping her less than star studded opinion of Matt to herself. In a twist of fate, Matt calls off the wedding to Holly the night before and in a sudden urge to be able to rest, reset and reflect, Ivy and Holly decide to switch vacation destinations for the next two weeks allowing Holly the time to process and Ivy the time to work on her art.

Ivy ends up on the island of Kauai booked under Holly's old honeymoon reservation. There's only one problem: Matt has already checked in with his new love interest on his arm and Ivy is out of luck for a place to stay. That is until she meets Oliver, the insanely handsome and artistic bartender, who offers her a room for rent up the beach for the next two weeks.

Holly, in search of quiet and solitude, ends up on Ivy's yearly art retreat to an eco-cabin just outside of New York surrounded by nothing other than snow and evergreens. In a surprising twist, Holly ends up meeting a blast from her high school past and discovering what love and attraction should feel like in a relationship.

Things are about to get a whole lot more interesting for both Holly and Ivy. Love has a way of sneaking up on you when you least expect it, as they are both about to find out. In an absolutely adorable love letter to everlasting friendship and healing, this book was such a fun read. I absolutely loved all of the main characters and supporting cast (hated Matt with a passion of a thousand suns) and couldn't help but cheer for both Holly and Ivy the whole way through.

This one was such a quick and fun read. Perfect beach day or travel day read. This on releases October 8th, so add it to your TBR list!! Thank me later :)

It may be hot outside, but this book totally got me in the mood for Christmas. Because of terrible circumstances two best friends switch their holiday vacations. First of all, the best friend's names are Holly and Ivy. So Christmas and so cute. I admired their friendship the entire book. They are the perfect example of what a true friendship should look like. They are adorable. This book is a dual pov and switches between the two of them and that's one of my favorite ways books are written. It felt like Christmas the entire time reading. Holly and Ivy are in two totally different places (physically and mentally) but everything about both of their stories gave off such a cozy Christmas vibe and it got me super excited for the holidays. Tis the season for romance (duh). The romance in this book is so sweet. Although it's forced proximity, the sparks are flying! It has just the right amount of spice that I like which isn't much. I think I was smiling the majority of the read. It had the perfect amount of Christmas, romance, friendships, plot twists, everything!

This was a great holiday rom com. I loved the premise behind the holiday switch but was honestly surprised by the lack of conflict in this book. Everything seemed to be resolved too easy and the love a bit too quick. However, not every book needs to be the next American literary masterpiece and this quick read had a good pace and likable characters. Often with books like these I feel like the endings are very rushed and abrupt but this one wrapped everything up in a way consistent with the rest of the book. I would've loved a little more development of the relationships because I came to love the characters. Overall, this won't be a very memorable read but I certainly enjoyed it very much. I rate this 3.5 rounding up.

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

2.5 stars rounded up
This is basically a Hallmark movie in book form. Or should I say, two movies, because this felt forced like it was two stories crammed into one book. The characters seemed very one-dimensional, and the insta-love that took place for both FMCs was unrealistic. It was a cute story, but that's about it. No depth.

such a cute and fun holiday book!!!

i loved getting to know both Holly and Ivy’s characters while watching their stories unfold. originally i was nervous about keeping up with two different stories at the same time, but the writing was super fun and easy to read!!!

read if you like:
-best friends
-dual pov
-third person
-holiday romance
-vacation romance

thank you so much to NetGalley and Penguin Putnam Group for the arc!!!

Is two love stories in one book twice as cute or are both half baked? A little bit of both. I thought this book was genuinely cute and I liked both central love stories and all four of the main characters. Is this the deepest book you’ll ever read? No definitely not. Were there storylines that got completely abandoned? Yea for sure. Did everything wrap up a bit too easily for my taste? Certainly. But overall was it a cute holiday read and definitely worth picking up? Also yes!

Not going to lie, Holly AND Ivy are my absolute favorites. They're so much alike, yet different. I loved how hardcore of besties they were. I literally hate Holly's ex. I loved how both switched their trips with one another and everything that ensued following that. I loved the "happenstance" moments as well. Plus, Aiden is literally dreamy 😍 This was a cute twist on the typical holiday reads. I truly enjoyed reading this. It gave me all of the feels. The ending also didn't disappoint me. A wonderful "Christmas in July" read for me as Holly went to Hawaii! Lol so I loved the mixture of the two opposite weather in the holiday season.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and GP Putnam's Sons to read/review. All of the statements above are my true opinions after fully reading this book.

What a sweet and fun holiday read! This book is perfect for a holiday pallet cleanser and the writing was fun and super easy to read. I would recommend to a friend looking for a cute holiday rom-com!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC! All opinions are my own.

This book was a sweet, fun holiday romance about two best friends who swap their holiday vacations after one is dumped the night before her wedding, only for each to find their respective loves on this unexpected vacation. This is the perfect cozy read for anyone who is looking to turn their brain off a little during the holidays and just bask in what is an incredibly cute friendship. Our two male love interests have their own tropes and stories - we have one friends to lovers, the other about helping our FMC discover and embrace her love for art. A good quick read, but not particularly memorable for me.

The Holiday Honeymoon Switch was a cute and quick holiday rom com that sent my mind right to Hawaii. I was nervous about keeping up with multiple storylines throughout the book, but they flowed so nicely and I enjoyed how they developed. A great quick read to put you in the holiday spirit!

This was really cute and a light/fun read! I love that it was heavily focused on friendship and it felt like a cheesy cute Hallmark movie. You can never not like a Hallmark movie!

Really liked this one! I thought I would have trouble keeping the multiple POV and multiple stories straight, but they were both satisfying!

THE HOLIDAY HONEYMOON SWITCH by Julia McKay
⭐️ rating: 6/10

read if you like:
🎄 holiday romcoms
📍hawaii
👩‍❤️‍👨 meet cute

summary:
This book is about two best friends - Holly and Ivy, living in NYC. On the eve of her wedding night, Holly’s fiancé, Matt, calls off the wedding, leaving Holly alone to grieve. Ivy, who had been planning to depart on a two week, off the grid “art honeymoon” in upstate New York following the big day, suggests the two swap plans. Ivy will head to Hawaii, where Holly and Matt were booked on their honeymoon, and Holly will head to the cabin upstate to reflect on the end of her relationship. While there, Holly connects with a long lost friend from high school who she rents the cabin from. Meanwhile, Ivy finds herself without anywhere to stay on the island, and meets a bartender, Oliver, who she shares her story with.

This story is entertainingly cute! The POV alternates between Holly and Ivy, and while we don’t go deep into either of their personalities or back stories, we do get their descriptions of their vacation getaways, both of which are well articulated and sound beautiful! I wish we got to learn more about them as individuals — who they are and what they’re looking for. We do get to learn a little about them through their romantic encounters though, and it’s fun to watch their (quick) attractions to their respective men. The dual POV’s almost make it like you get two stories in one qnd both are cute and unique in their own ways. While there isn’t any crazy, unpredictable drama in either story, they’re both feel good, and isn’t that all you really need from a romance anyways?

Thanks to Penguin Group Putnam and Net Galley for the advanced copy. For a beach read and holiday story all in one, check this book out when it releases on September 23!

Thanks Netgalley for the chance to review. I'd give this a solid 2 stars. It was just ok for me. Very friendship forward, closed door, Hallmark wannabe movie. I jumped on the arc because I love the Holiday...this is missing that magic.
I think Holly and Ivy, two best friends who swap holidays after Holly is left at the alter, are way too calm. Like theres no REAL emotion there? Being left at the alter should have so much more interiority thats just completely missing. I think the third person POV didn't help matters? I needed to connect with them a lot more and the emotionality just wasn't there.
I DID actually think the love interests were fleshed out really well, which was a bit surprising. But they weren't awful. I just didn't love the women at all, and it took away from sinking into the story.

<b>3.5 stars, rounded up because of that absolutely adorable cover ❤️</b>

As soon as I heard about this book coming out, I was super excited to read it! Between the festive names of the characters (Holly and Ivy!), the swapping lives plotline, and Christmas feels (both tropical and wintry), this sounded absolutely adorable.

This story follows Holly and Ivy, inseparable best friends, swapping lives for Christmas. When Holly’s fiancé breaks up with her just before the wedding, Ivy goes to Hawaii for Holly’s honeymoon and Holly takes Ivy’s off-the-grid art retreat. Of course, there are romances for both of them that develop.

This was really cute. I liked the Christmas traditions in both locations, particularly Ivy in Hawaii. I loved Santa and Mrs Claus arriving on a boat pulled by dolphins! All of the tropical traditions were interesting and fun to read about. I also loved Holly’s small town Christmas. That town sounded absolutely adorable!

While there are definitely romances, at its core, this book is about female friendship and I loved that so much! Holly and Ivy were great friends and had many inside jokes and such.

However, there were a couple of things that missed the mark a bit for me. First off, it’s a personal preference of mine, but I am not a fan of the third person present tense. I find that it makes it more difficult for me to connect with the story, so that detracted a bit. I also found the steamy scenes a little out of place in what had been a very cute read up until that point. In general, I prefer my Christmas reads to be on the cleaner/sweeter end, but again, that is my personal preference. Overall this is definitely one I’d recommend!

Disclaimer: I received this arc with the mindset that I would give an honest review. Thank you so much!!

I love the platonic soul mate relationship that was described between Holly and Ivy. Friends since college, meeting at a kegger no less, the two have shared their ups and downs and even a sandwich or two together. So, when Holly’s fiancé calls off the wedding and she is left with a nonrefundable honeymoon, Ivy steps in to offer up her trip to the mountains to give Holly the time that she needs to heal by herself. Wanting to be left alone could be found better in the mountains than on a tropical trip, right? You would think so but that is not always the case and we are take on a rom com journey through her healing process.

This book was written in 3rd person and it swaps between Holly and Ivy on their respective trips. This allows us to see what is happening at the same time but in different parts of the world. It also helps you connect to the two characters because they really are 2 soul mates (friendship only). This was a feel-good romance with a Christmas theme to put you in the holiday mode. Its Christmas all year round for me when it is in a book.

I definitely recommend that you read this book!

Thank you so much to Penguin Group Putnam, Julia McKay, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. It was fantastic!

An entertaining contemporary romance filled with humor, heart, and unexpected twists. The ‘switch’ premise adds delightful charm to this feel-good read. Perfect escapism for romance enthusiasts!

Fans of The Holiday will especially enjoy this romcom with nods to the fantastic film, Meet Joe Black. There’s plenty of romance, female friendship, and escapism via two dreamy settings: Kauai and the Catskills. Overall, this was a light, feel-good read that I’d re-read (esp during the winter holidays which is when this story takes place) & recommend.
Thank you #Netgalley for the ARC e-book.