Omg!!!! This book was so much freaking fun! It’s been a long time since I’ve had a read that I wanted to stay up all night and read, but that’s exactly what this one did! I was up until 2am and could not put it down. And it was so unexpectedly funny! I’m talking laugh out loud moments. There was a bit of mystery too that keeps you hooked and I loved the way that part is the story payed out. This would make the perfect vacation or summer read. It was light, intriguing, swoon worthy, and so cute.

This was enemies to lovers but light on the enemies, mixed in with one bed/forced proximity. Once they waved the white flag, it was so fun to watch their tentative friendship blossom into this swoon worthy romance. Their chemistry was undeniable and I loved the back and forth banter. Noah and Merry were so perfect together. There were times when I just wanted to shake them and make them confess their true feelings for each other, but their hesitations were understandable. I wish we would have gotten dual POV but overall I had such a fun time reading this one!,

Thank you for the opportunity to review this new novel.

Merry was a good MC like Noah but I didn't really buy into Merry's feelings. All of the sudden she had feelings for him? There was no prelude and it got there too fast for me. Then the mystery with Noah's father felt forced.

The setting was fun but the scenes with the lobster...really?? Edit it out :)

I know that I have found a good book when I read when I should be doing something else. French Holiday by Sarah Ready hooked me from the beginning. Merry DeLuca must stand by and smile while her sister marries her best friend/secret crush. Escorting her down the aisle is the groom's best friend, Noah Wright who appears to loathe her. Through an unlikely set of circumstances, Merry ends up in France at a chateau to figure out how to rebuild her life. Her path to love and redemption is full of farcical interruptions, but the author, Sarah Ready, manages to keep the reader invested. This is my second Ready read and I am adding the others to my To Be Read List. A quick, fun, satisfying read.

French Holiday by Sarah Ready was a swoon worthy rom com set in France. While it was a slow burn for me, I still enjoyed the story and characters. You can't go wrong with a French chateau hosting the enemies to lovers. I love the mystery twist to this rom com as it elevated it from a traditional rom com story. Overall a great read!

This book was textbook chick lit, from the cover image to the storyline to the trip to France. Merry is upset that her best friend and secret crush Leo is marrying her sister Angela. And worse yet, Angela becomes pregnant shortly after. Merry finds her escape when her flightly godmother offers up her chateau in France. The chateau is a wreck and barely livable, but the worst thing is that Merry’s nemesis and Leo’s best friend Noah Wright is also there. Merry and Noah coexist together and grow to like each other. The book drones on a bit as Noah and Merry fight, but you know they will get together in the end.

This book was a miss for me. The overall plot line was promising, but it the characters' actions and responses seemed incredibly unrealistic. All 3 couples in the book were engaged within a month of dating. The "instant love" trope is very hard for me to get behind even for one couple in a book, so having it for 3 couples was just too much. There were too many sub-plot lines, and while each had potential, none were developed enough.

This was a slow start for me and wasn’t sure what to expect but I’m glad I stuck it out. However there were some things that didn’t felt thought out. For example, how were phones charged the whole trip when they were using battery powered lamps.

Very. Cute. In France. *swoon* Great for a rom com movie. Love the cover, it's so adorable!! Not quite enemies-to-lovers trope but definitely one-bed trope! I loved the backdrop of a French chateau, even if it is falling apart and dingy. lol. Will definitely be reading more from this author!

Sarah Ready books can be hit or miss for me; I've really enjoyed some of her works and have cringed at others. This one is a solid 3 out of 5 stars for me. While I liked the characters, there were some moments that made me sigh heavily (not in a good way) and roll my eyes. I like the idea of the main characters getting away from their lives for a bit and falling for each other in close quarters, and the setting of France was lovely, but I felt like the story didn't have enough to keep my interest. I think this would've been a great novella, but a full novel felt like it dragged. The lobster parts were just so random and out of place that I couldn't help but shake my head. I get that Ready was trying to be funny and quirky, but an escaped lobster living in the walls of a chateau? I couldn't tell if it was a romcom trying to be serious or a drama trying to be funny. It was a cute, but kind of forgettable, romance.

I did like the story with Noah though; I could feel him really struggling with who he was for so long and the heartbreak of not knowing where his parents were. I was glad to see that closure for him. I know that it was in the POV of Merry, but I think having a split-POV with her and Noah would've taken this book up a notch.

Thanks to NetGalley, Swift and Lewis, and Sarah Ready for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Ready is definitely a hit or miss author for me, and I found this one to be somewhere in the middle. It has tons of personality and a fun, rom com feel. I loved the vacation vibes and the playful tension between this couple, and the setting was interesting. Forced proximity is a win, and peeling back the layers of the hero was great. I did think some of the humor was over the top and distracted from the actual relationship development, and parts of the story were wildly implausible. I enjoyed the romance the most, and think the story could've been tightened up a bit, I typically think Ready's rom coms are too short, but this one was significantly longer than usual, and that wasn't needed here. It dragged a bit, and I ended up losing interest somewhere along the way - switching to skimming by the end.

Audio note: The audio was fantastic! Kelsey Navarro does a great job, infusing a lot of humor and quirkiness into her performance. It was perfect for the low angst, rom com vibes of the book, and made the listening experience even better. The story itself was also ideal as a workday listen, with little to no spice and an upbeat tone that was relaxing. A little on the long side, but a solid listen for sure.

This was a bit of a slow burn. Enemies to lovers and forced proximity tropes at work here. It did end up capturing my interest, so stick with it past the beginning bits. Spice level of about a green pepper: it’s there, it adds some flavor, but not a lot. It did make me much more emotional than I was anticipating though! They storyline was a good one, it wasn’t just about the main romance. I wasn’t a fan of the sister in this, but she’s a main character and doesn’t show up a whole lot 😅 overall, a good book!

Noah. Everyone fawns over him, except Merry. And he doesn’t seem to care for her either. And she has to walk down the aisle with him at her sister’s wedding. To the man she has loved forever. Everything is fine. She can do this. And her godmother provides her with a perfect place to escape to for a bit to get her head on straight. But she forgot to mention that the perfect French chateau Merry is staying at for the next 3 months, she had leased to Noah. And neither one of them is willing to leave.

LOVED every moment of this book!

One of the things I look for in a romcom the most is that it entertains me and makes me laugh out loud, Sarah Ready delivered! I stayed up way too late to finish this one--on top of the romance and comedy in this book, there is an underlying mystery--which elevated this book to the next level.

The banter, the lobster--it was perfection. This book absolutely made it into my Top Reads of 2023 list!

So good!

I finished French Holiday in one go. A French chateau. Enemies to lovers. A crazy lobster. An intriguing mystery. This is such an entertaing read . If you like a romcom with mystery twist, then you should definitely give this one a try.

I got this arc in exhange for an honest review.

Merry is not having a great time in life right now. Her {fairy} godmother allows Merry to stay at her French Castle while sorting through her life. She is determined to go there, regather herself and have a really good time. While in France, Merry knows this vacation will fix all.

French Holiday is a good book. I rated it 4 stars because it was easy to read, the characters were likable and I was able to relate to most of the different scenes. I would recommend this to anyone who wants a nice HEA.

Thank you to Sarah Ready, Swift & Lewis Publishing, and NetGalley for allowing me a free copy of this eBook.

A delightful romantic comedy with the perfect setting that gave me all the feels. I would 100% recommend this book!

Highly entertaining, laugh out loud, sweetly sexy and laugh out loud fun adventures filled with lots of heartwarming goodness. Really enjoyed this action-packed adventure that was packed with witty and engaging charters, heart racing twists and sweet small-town awesomeness.

French Holiday has elements of the tropes haters-to-lovers, slow burn, miscommunication and one bed. I thought the FMC Merry was someone I could relate to - wanting a bit of magic just for herself. I found the romance a bit predictable, but it was still fun to read. The slow burn was really nice to read but I felt the part where Merry and Noah kiss on the bridge was a bit rushed - and all of a sudden they declare their love for each other - for the rest of their lives.... that was a bit much.
The part about the search for Noah's father added a nice depth to the story and although that felt a bit rushed at times as well, I still thought the moment where Noah meets his father was the most emotional part of the story. Also, the caste (or ruin) provides very nice elements. Being from Europe myself, I thought the whole 'being in France and eating French food' felt a bit exaggerated, but I can understand the FMC's obsession with good food. All in all I thought it was a fun read.

A three-month holiday living in a castle? Sign me the eff up!

This book was so cute and good and magnificent! Enemies to lovers, forced proximity--it's my dream come true. I loved the bonus of the mystery. Merry arrived to a castle for a much needed break, and lo and behold, Noah is there who she doesn't like. Neither willing to leave, they are forced to strike up a friendship that'll lead to something more (because of course it does!) This was delightful. Sarah does amazing at making me swoon and laugh at the same time. The romance was cute and lovely.

I can't wait to read more by this author!

This book was just fun to read! Funny at times, heartfelt at others, “French Holiday” is an enchanting romance with a fairy tale setting, witty dialogue, silly scenarios, and at the heart of it, two people who go from not liking each other to finding the love they both need.

After Merry’s sister marries Leo- Merry’s best friend and the love of her life- she doesn’t know if her happily ever after will ever come. After quitting her job, her Godmother offers her the opportunity of a lifetime: house sit for her at a fabulous French Chateau while she figures out what she wants to do with her life. Apartment sublet, bags packed, Merry heads to France with high hopes, only to arrive at said chateau and see that it’s less than fabulous and that it’s also being occupied by Leo’s best man and Merry’s nemesis Noah. When neither of them want to budge on leaving, they agree to share their French castle for 3 months and all the trouble that comes along with it. As time goes, their arrangement turns to friendship, and then friendship starts to look like something more.

I found the comedy in this ‘friends to enemies’ romance to be refreshing. The banter between Noah and Merry was cute, fun, and made me look forward to every interaction they had in the book. Were some of the scenes a little wacky (I’m talking about you, Louis the Lobster)? Yes, yes they were. At the end of the day, however, I also think they added to the charm of the story. At the end of the day, I really enjoyed myself reading this book, and think that others will as well, a solid 4/5 stars. Enjoy!

**Thank you so much to Swift and Lewis Publishing LLC and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. It was a pleasure!**

Thank you NetGalley, author and publisher for having this available as an ARC. I had seen it all over Instagram that I had to check it out.

The story follows Merry who has to watch her sister Angela marry the man she’s in love with, Leo. She can’t help but look on with wonder - why didn’t she ever tell Leo in the 4 years that she knew him. Leo’s best man Noah encourages Merry to stop pining for him and to move on. Merry can’t stand Noah, thinking he’s arrogant and can’t understand why everyone likes him - it’s probably because he’s famous for making documentaries and has so much charm. She gets drunk at the wedding, wakes up in Noah’s bed and quickly gets out before he wakes up. At breakfast, Merry’s godmother Jupiter encourages her to seize life. She has a chateau in France if Merry ever wanted to create her own magic. When some unfortunate circumstances occur at work, Merry takes the plunge and who happens to be at the chateau? Noah! Can she really spend the next 3 months with him? Or is there more than meets the eye?

I was so engaged with this book that I read it in 6 hours. This was so much fun to read! The internal dialogue of Merry had me laughing out loud at times and I could relate to her worry or thoughts surrounding herself. I think when you’re constantly in the shadow of someone else, it’s hard not to be a bit self deprecating. When she found her spark and need for adventure, I was really rooting for her to have a holiday romance with a French men.

Noah was a bit of a mystery at the start. He had a hard exterior and he was just an onion waiting for the layers to be peeled back. We learned why he kept everyone at arm’s length and why he didn’t let anyone truly in. My picture of him is that he’s just stunningly gorgeous! His love of reading and references to gothic romances had me smiling.

There was little spice in this book and I didn’t mind that. It was more cleaner than the books I’m used to haha! The writing is so easy to read. You’ll laugh, smile, have some cringe moments, probably say “oh why did you do that?” and love all the characters at the same time. This was definitely charming, sweet, fun and a rom com you’d love seeing being made into a movie. Would definitely recommend!