I absolutely adored this. It was an absolute joy to read! Once I started, I just didn’t want to stop. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

I was excited to read this book. I love the holiday vibes and the premise sounded fun! Think The Holiday movie, but in book form!

Sadly, the book was a miss for me. There was just way too much telling and not enough showing. The dialogue was cringy and felt stilted. It’s very insta-love for me and very unrealistic. Red flags were flying! I’m sure lots of readers will enjoy this feel good rom-com, but I just wasn’t for me.

This book took me awhile to start, but once I did, I couldn't put it down! It was so good! It was a unique idea and I lvoed seeing the characters interact. I want to read it again already!

Can't get past the choppy first person present narration. "Character is about to do this and "character is walking down the hall".

✨️eARC Review✨️

4/5 ⭐️
1/5 🌶

When Holly and Ivy (yes, they've heard all the jokes) meet in 2016 at a college frat party, they bond over their love of wine vs. kegs, their slight dislike of their boyfriend's frat parties and their love of New Year Day rather than Christmas. They become instant best friends who agree to never lie to each other. Fast forward to 2024, Ivy is getting ready to stand by Holly's side as she marries her fiance from freshmen year of college, only for him to break off the wedding. Holly convinces Ivy the one thing that would make her feel better is if they switch vacations which they should have no trouble doing since they ironically look like twins. Ivy will take Holly's tropical honeymoon while Holly will take Ivy's winter cabin retreat. What's supposed to be a quiet break for both of them turns into something neither were looking for. Holly reconnects with a highschool acquaintance while Ivy meets someone she could potentially see as more than a fling.

This book had alot of firsts for me. It was the first 3rd person POV I enjoyed. It was also the first book where there were 2 FMCs and the POVs were for onlt them ans not the MMCs. It was also the first book where aside from romance, it was about platonic soulmates as much, if not more than their romantic relationships. This book had open communication, even on hard subjects but no matter what the characters faced, they got their HEA even if they didn't think they were looking for it!

Tropes:
✔️ Holiday Romance
✔️ Vacation Romance
✔️ Dual POV of FMCs
✔️ 3rd Person POV
✔️ Soulmate Best Friends

An easy Christmas read.

I enjoyed the ease of the story and although I usually don’t like a dual POV story, the transitions were smooth.

With basically two stories in one book, you get very little character development or romance build up.

Why I gave it only ⭐️⭐️⭐️:

Why are so many characters in romance books artists? Here’s another one.

I found the “check the boxes” insertion of lesbian characters in both stories an eye roll. Larry in Hawaii is a bar owner that’s engaged but her (yes Larry is a woman) fiancée is barely mentioned. So what was the point? Alexa and her partner are bakery/cafe owners in the Hudson Valley story. Alexa is the mean and angry sister of Aidan and her partner is the sweet apologist for her anger. The author never shared why she’s so angry other than just excusing her behavior as “prickly”. It felt like a condescending, obligatory insertion of gay characters and I’m really becoming weary of authors doing it so they can be “woke”.

The environmental, eco conscious aspects of the story at times felt forced as well. It just didn’t flow and had no backstory. Instead it felt like the author just wanted to make a point instead of wanting to just write a good story.

Lastly it’s a Christmas book so I didn’t expect both characters to not like Christmas. Ivy doesn’t celebrate Christmas because her parents believed it was all about capitalism and Holly didn’t like Christmas because her wealthy parents always made it an over the top celebration rather than a cozy, family holiday.

With more character development, more Christmas cheer and focusing on just telling a sweet story instead of forcing points, this could be a 5-star read.

This book started out really good. I was so excited about the idea that these best friends were switching up their vacations. I got weirdo vibes from Oliver at first... I'm not sure if he just came on too strong for me or what but I kept telling myself there's no way I'd ever stay in the same house as someone I just met only hours earlier. In that same breath, I absolutely fell in love with Aiden. I think because of his connection with Holly. I love that they knew each other. And even though they talked about how it was mostly competition between the two of them, I wish there would've been like a crush one of them had on the other, it would've made more sense when they end up together in the end. Aiden was so sweet and not too forward for Holly but I will say things escalated quickly for both girls. I was pretty surprised when I got to 80% and there hadn't been a third-act breakup or falling apart but then it came around 87%. I was not a huge fan of the way this book ended. It felt super rushed like the author only had so many pages to write and forgot that there needed to be some breakup so she threw them in there real quick and then ended the book. Not a huge fan. I also can't believe Ivy and Oliver end up being the ones to get married in the end because of how much Ivy pushed back on their relationship and I just got weird vibes from the whole thing. How do you move across the world essentially for someone you "like" and have known less than 2 weeks?? Anyway, the book was fine but not a favorite.

2.5 rounded up. It's very much a Christmas romance - not a ton of depth, but fun for the holiday. I think where I struggled with this one was that it wasn't Christmas-y enough? Like if you're going to skate by on it being seasonal brain candy, you have to at least lean into it. Plus a lot of "conflict" was resolved so fast at no point were you even really invested. I read it in the depth of summer, so maybe reading it during the holiday season would make this a little more fun too.

Two best friends, two love stories around Christmas time. Holly has been dumped by her fiancé. She insists her best friend Ivy take the honeymoon while she goes to a cabin Ivy had planned to be secluded in. Neither woman expected to fall in love and cure their heartbreak, but isn’t that what it’s all about?

This book was sweet. I liked each love story equally so I wasn’t skipping pages to go back to the one I preferred. Very light steam but the romance is fully blooming.

Thank you PENGUIN GROUP Putnam and NetGalley for the ARC.

Gosh, The Holiday Honeymoon Switch has it all. Christmas, beaches, romance. This was a fabulous book. Five star read.

Read this contemporary romance if you like:
✨dual pov
✨best friend trope
✨insta-love
✨holiday/vacation romance
✨Christmas

Thank you Net Galley and G.P Putnam's Sons for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

My thoughts 💭
•It's The Holiday meets Forgetting Sarah Marshall meets The Unhoneymooners

Although it's something I've seen and read before (see above), I love the premise of the story. Unfortunately, this book was NOT for me as I found it extremely hard to get through with the bland and extremely cringy dialogue. The whole book felt like a play by play description of what was happening or what was being felt. It's a lot of "telling" and very little "showing" the readers what is going on. I am not usually a DNF'er, but I almost made an exception for this one.

If you liked “The Holiday” this gives very similar vibes. I adored the friendship factor in this holiday romcom. 3.5 stars

what a cute and fun holiday read. this contains best friends, dual pov (we love), third person, vacation, and holiday romance. it wasn’t my fav holiday read but i still enjoyed it and getting to know the characters

A cute holiday romance with some spice. The story switches between two female main characters who are best friends. One is gilted at the altar, and the other is an artist in need of a break. They decided to trade vacations and both end up meeting gorgeous men who sweep them off their feet. While this book is very predictable, it is a very sweet romance.

The Holiday Honeymoon Switch


I absolutely adored this book and devoured it in one sitting. The way the story unfolded kept me hooked from start to finish. While I'm not usually a fan of third person narrative, I found it to be charming and well-executed in this book. The characters, Holly and Ivy, were so endearing and relatable, and I couldn't help but root for them throughout the entire story.

Holly's meticulous planning and Ivy's free-spirited nature created an interesting dynamic between the two best friends. The unexpected turn of events that led to them swapping their upcoming trips added an exciting twist to the story’s plot. It was heartwarming to see how this decision ultimately changed the course of their lives. Despite a few minor editing issues and my personal preference against insta-love books, I would still give this book a solid 4-star rating for its captivating storyline and lovable characters.

The book beautifully captures the essence of friendship, love, and the unpredictability of life. The author did a fantastic job of creating a heartwarming and engaging story that resonated with me on so many levels. The setting of Hawaii and upstate New York added a wonderful backdrop to the unfolding events, making the story even more immersive. Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a heartwarming and uplifting read. It's a delightful story that will stay with you long after you've turned the last page.

This book is perfect for the holidays. It’s giving off a lot of the movie, the Holiday, vibes in the best way. I loved the friendship between Holly and Ivy and the guys? Swoon. I also loved googling all the places in Hawaii.

I received an arc from netgalley and the publisher.

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!! I was so worried we were going to have new men thinking each woman was the other but that didn't happen and I LOVE THAT!

Holly and Ivy are BFFs from the night they met. Their boyfriends were good friends and introduced Holly and Ivy at a party that neither particularly wanted to be at. They discovered how much in common they had and decided on the spot to be friends no matter what. Ivy and her at that time boyfriend are long over but Holly is about to marry the man she's been with since that time. That is until he decides they're not getting married because they're not really in love and there is someone else he would like to explore a relationship with. OMG WHAT?! Dick. In the fall out Ivy insists that Holly use her secluded cabin reservation to hole up and get her thoughts together. Holly decides that Ivy needs to change locations of her annual writing retreat to Hawaii since Holly doesn't want her nonrefundable honeymoon to go to waste.

I really love Holly and Ivy's friendship. They're so sweet, caring, and supportive of each other. I don't have a single complaint about this book.

This was a different holiday story yet I think it could have happened at any point in the year. While the infusion of some Christmas elements such as the characters being named "Holly" and "Ivy" who became best friends and a wedding that was supposed to happen during the holiday season, it really wasn't about the effects of the season leading to a romance. However, that being said, I enjoyed the concept of the switched honeymoon and once a year artist retreat as well as the second chance at love theme that both Ivy and Holly experienced. The story goes back and forth between these two characters to tell their story and yet they remain connected. This could be read anytime and was a pleasure to read, another feel-good book that there is hope after heartbreak. Many thanks to #netgalley #juliamckay #theholdiayhoneymoonswitch for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is such a cute and fun holiday book!!! I loved getting to know both Holly and Ivy’s characters and seeing their stories evolve. The romances were sweet, but I loved how the focus was more on friendship. This book was a quick and easy read. If you're a fan of holiday and vacation romances, you will love this one too!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Penguin Putnam Group for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

this was a pretty interesting concept - 2 best friends switching their holiday vacations after a mishap and meeting the love of their lives on those trips! we get to experience 2 storylines and follow the journey of 2 couples. unfortunately, i don’t think it was executed very well. first off, this was in third person which already made it hard for me to get into and feel connected to the main characters. the writing was super choppy. although julia mckay did a great job at setting the scenes and giving all the details, there were quite a few parts that felt jumpy. because we follow 2 couples, it seemed like they moved pretty fast in their relationships and they honestly felt forced and really awkward. i also did not really understand some parts of the book: why was ivy hiding from matt? why was alexa so rude? why did oliver act so weird about not wanting ivy to come with him to the waterfall? i wish there was a little bit more depth to the story and more relationship building between the characters. i was barely sold on the friendship between ivy and holly.