I loved this book so much!! It gave me all the holiday vibes and I was LIVING for it!!😍 Holly and Ivy’s friendship was everything! 🥹 and of course I also loved Oliver and Aiden 🥹 the perfect read for the Christmas time!

This was such a great holiday read!! I loved the main characters and the vacations they went on. It's a must read this holiday season!

Best friends Holly and Ivy decide to switch vacations when Holly’s fiance calls off their wedding with hardly any notice. Ivy is now going on Holly’s honeymoon trip where she meets friends and one of them may be a hot guy! Holly takes Ivy’s vacation where she reconnects with someone from her past amidst her heartbreak.

This was mainly a story of friendship with a twist of romance! It was cute and fluffy and such a nice palette cleanser. It was definitely not heavy on the Christmas theme if that’s what you’re searching for and can be read all year. I enjoyed this one!

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Julia McKay, and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for providing this free ARC. This is my honest review! This published on October 8th.

I loved this sweet holiday read. This was my first book by this author and now I’m excited to read more of her books. I loved the characters, they were relatable and had great chemistry and I loved the plot. I felt so bad for Holly, but just knew she would find happiness in the end.

Best friends are improving to have in life, especially in times when life is hard. Holly's December wedding is called off by Matt the night before they were to say, "I do." Ivy, her best friend, only wants the heartache to stop.
To not waste the honeymoon to Hawaii, nonrefundable from Holly's parents, she asks Ivy to go, while she swaps holiday plans and takes Ivy's solo trip to the snowy mountains in upstate New York.
Holly is pleasantly surprised that the caretaker of the eco cabin she'll be staying in is actually Aiden, her academic rival from high school. Meanwhile, Ivy shows up in Kauai to find Matt and his mistress on the "honeymoon" she was going on. Avoiding the couple at the hotel, Ivy is rescued by a hot bartender in more ways than one.
Holly needs some time to process her sudden break-up. Ivy needs her artistic holiday getaway. Will the best friends get what they need and more?

This dual romance has vibes similar to the movie, The Holiday, but is about two best friends, not strangers, who swap holiday destinations. Holly, whose fiancé dumps her the night before their wedding, goes to an eco-cabin in upstate NY where Ivy was going to take her annual two-week art retreat while Ivy goes to Holly’s honeymoon resort in Hawaii only to find that the a’hole ex-fiancé is there with his new girlfriend. The hot bartender, Oliver, who resembles Ryan Gosling, finds her a place to stay and there’s an instant attraction. Meanwhile, Holly, who still hasn’t cried after the breakup of her 10-year relationship, meets the cabin’s owner, Aiden, who is, serendipitously, her former high school friendly rival who’s had a major glow-up, now resembling Henry Cavill.

The chapters alternate between Holly and Ivy (this nod to the holiday is mentioned more than once), and describe not only the different ways Christmas is celebrated in a small Hudson Valley town and on a breathtakingly beautiful Hawaiian island, but also how each female lead finds instalove when neither is looking for it. Although there are some mildly steamy scenes, there’s not really much obvious chemistry. It definitely has a Hallmark movie feel to it. In fact, the focus is just as much on the loving friendship between Holly and Ivy than the two romances. If you’re looking for a feel-good, low angst Christmas story, this is a good one to check out.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from G.P. Putnam’s Sons through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

I recently read two new description that I would love to see become more wide spread.
Closed-Door Romance and Open-Door Romance.

Closed-door romance is a romance novel genre where the sex scenes are either off-page, fade to black, or have minimal explicit detail. I would love to see publishers and reviewers start using these terms so more readers are not caught off guard. To each their own but it is so frustrating that so many books have these cute unassuming covers and bam! You are caught off guard.

But I digress. This is a Closed-Door Romance which I appreciated. There was still heat but it wasn't in my face.

Holly and Ivy are best friends and would do anything for each other. When Holly's fiance unexpectedly calls of their wedding the night before, Ivy convinces Holly to take the trip that Ivy has planned and Holly convinces Ivy to take the honeymoon so it doesn't go to waste. This is a fun holiday "beach" read.

I received an ARC of this boo from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Wowowowow this book was SO cute!! I loved the back and forth of the stories and the cohesiveness of the storylines. I loved the friendship between the two female lead characters! I love loved the relationships of the people around them. I am so glad they didn’t hyper focus on the ex fiancée but focused on the new guys. Honestly, my only wish is that 1) it was longer and 2) we got just a bit more romantic scenes between the couples. Maybe also a bonus epilogue. But overall? The perfect book to kick off the winter season!

A cute feel-good romance reminiscent of the movie The Holiday. Including familiar second chance and miscommunication troupes with a minimum amount of drama, this story will leave you with a warm fuzzy feeling.

Ok, this book is exactly what i expected but also not what I expected at the same time. I was so excited to read this one and it did not disappoint. I feel like I have been picking the right books lately because this one was a 5 star. I was flabbergasted when we got to why there was not going to be a wedding. And also a little mad cause why… just why on that day of all days.. I also want to mention how much I loved their friendship. Holly and Ivy are exactly what I want in a friendship. The writing was great, pacing was perfect, I feel like it was the perfect length, but I also wouldn’t have been ,mad about 2 or 3 more chapters. I can’t wait to read more from this author. Check it out if you haven’t because it is so good.

One of my favorite movies is The Parent Trap, and one of my favorite holiday movies is The Holiday. I am a complete sucker for plots where two different storylines are swapped, and I absolutely ate this book up. Holiday romances are very hit-and-miss for me; I either love them or hate them. I am happy to report that The Holiday Honeymoon Switch was one that I loved. I am excited to promote this book both on my social media outlet and in my store as the holiday season approaches.

Cute Christmas vacation swap. Holly and Ivy met at a college party with their boyfriends. They became fast friends and when a wedding is canceled but the trip is paid for the girls swap vacations. Each woman falls for the location of their trip along with a..umm local man!

This book was such a fun romance! I loved the dual POVs from each best friend, all of the banter among the characters, and the growth seen in each best friend as they fall in love. Definitely a great read for the holidays!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an early copy.

The Holiday Honeymoon Switch was a great read. It was two romance stories in one. Holly and Ivy are besties Holly is now getting married but the groom decides they are not right for each other. Holly tells Ivy go on her honeymoon while Holly goes to Ivy's upstate vacay.. enter all kinds of I loved both Ivy and Holly. They really support each other and it was nice to read- of course there are love interests for both ladies! There was also some good secondary characters would recommend!

bookscoffeebrews Book Review: THE HOLIDAY
HONEYMOON SWITCH
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Julia McKay @marissastapley
Publisher: G.P. Putnam and Sons@putnambooks
Thank you to @netgalley for the ARC of this book

Generally I spend the month of December reading
Holiday books but this year I have had many in my
TBR pile so I started early.

It is December and Best Friends Holly and Ivy end up
switching “vacations”. Ivy ends up on Holly’s
honeymoon after she is left at the altar. Holly really
doesn’t want to go on her honeymoon so she switches
with Holly and goes on Holly’s ”artist retreat”. Ivy now
in Hawaii check into the Honeymoon Suite and finds
Holly’s now ex with a new girl. Ivy is now furious and
also now roomless. What Ivy didn’t plan on was the
yummy bartender comes to her rescue. Holly heads
out to the rugged artist retreat and her AirBNB host
ends up being her old high school academic rival and
who now happens to be really HOT. Now these two
friends may have a really nice Christmas Holiday after
all. Just as in any fictional book the romances go fast
and they get rather hot and steamy. Will Ivey and Holly
find forever happiness with these Holiday Hotties.

What was so wonderful about this book was the
relationships between these two best friends. Both
would do anything to help the other. This was fun
read and perfect to get you into the Holiday Spirit!

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#chirstmasbookstgram #read #reader #reading
#readreadread #readmorebooks #readersofinstagram
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Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam, and Julie McKay for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

A cute holiday romance read following two parallel storylines. Paying homage to the storyline of "The Holiday", we have two main protagonists. Holly has a cheating fiancé and finds out the night before her wedding, leaving her with an already paid for honeymoon. Ivy, Holly's best friend, has a scheduled snowy retreat. The two decide to swap their Christmas plans giving us two totally different holiday experiences - a beachy Hawaiian vacation & a cozy cabin on a snowy mountain. I personally loved the cabin setting.

The purpose of the swap was escapism and healing. Neither woman is on the lookout for a new romance...oops. Enter Aiden and Oliver.

I loved the overall premise, but I think I just wanted more. Each love story itself wasn’t my favorite as I'm not a fan of insta-love (and we get that x2 here), but there wasn't anything inherently wrong or caused my distaste. Things progressed and happened so quickly without really any depth. In a Hallmarky kind of way, everything happens seamlessly and with ease.

One major flaw for me is in writing. There was a significant lack of sentence variety and I fixated on that quite a bit There's a lot of, "She did this..." "She thought that..." "She decided..."

I eventually grew to like Holly and Aiden together, while still not caring for Ivy and Oliver's budding relationship. Holly and Ivy's friendship was the best relationship!

If you're looking for a quick palette cleansing holiday book, give it a try.

This is by Marissa Stapley under the pseudonym Julia McKay.

A fun holiday novel with a great best friend relationship and sweet love matches! I thought the chemistry between all the characters was well written!

The Holiday Honeymoon Switch offers an uplifting story that follows Holly Beech, a young woman who escapes to a Hudson Valley cabin after being left at the altar, and her best friend Ivy Casey, who takes Holly's place on a honeymoon in Kauai. With a light, witty prose style, the characters are sweet and sympathetic, navigating a delightful blend of life, love, family, and introspection. The plot weaves together themes of support, new beginnings, and the power of friendship, creating an amusing and festive narrative. Overall, this charming tale by McKay is a delightful treat filled with sweet romance, picturesque settings, relationship drama, and a generous dose of holiday cheer.

I am a huge fan of this author in GENERAL and love love a holiday romance. This one was so fun and reminded me of my favorite holiday movie THE HOLIDAY. friends switch their wintery and sunny vacations after one was left at the alter. Obviously there’s so much fun but mostly the HEA is what I’m looking for and this had it! Loved!

This was an adorable holiday read. I thought the characters are fun and likeable, though Holly at the end did some things that were so selfish that she lost a lot of points but otherwise I loved the chemistry between the characters and especially the friendship between Holly and Ivy. The settings were idyllic (who doesn’t want a vacation in Kauai or a nice cabin in the woods?!!!) and the writing was easy to follow with distinct voices for each character. Overall a fun read!