I previously loved the Josh & Gemma series so I as excited for this one and I absolute adored it! It had a little bit of everything - romance, humor, intrigue and I loved the French setting! I loved how both main characters were given equal attention to their respective family issues. I would’ve given anything to have Noah’s POV! If you enjoy enemies to lovers, and forced proximity, I recommend this one!

Very fun enemies to lovers, one bed, unrequited love story set in France. I felt like I was at the chateau with them. Although it’s a light hearted romance, it also had its deep moments and family dynamics were real and not fantasized. I was also laughing out loud a few times. Fun read!

First, I want to thank netgalley for this arc. I am not really an audio book lover, but I just adore this one.
It is just such a sweet book. I love apsolutly everything about this book.

Noah and Mary are sooo sweet. This is such an easy 5 stars read.

This book just put a smile on my face.

I didn’t expect to enjoy this book as much as I did, it was to me a great sort of palate cleansing romance novel, the sort you read by the beach or pool, something happy to cheer you up after a particularly sad book. I’d definitely recommend it to fans of the genre, or anyone looking for a lighthearted read that they can get through quickly.

I loved Sarah's Josh & Gemma Make a Baby. Her sequel, not quite as much. However, I already knew FRENCH HOLIDAY was going to be good. Real good.

Merry's best friend, her unrequited love, marries her sister. Oh, look, there's already a story there. Needing a reprieve from her life and heart, Merry decides to stay at a castle owned by her friend. It just so happens, the horrid best man from the wedding is ALSO staying at the castle.

FRENCH HOLIDAY has a lot of Romance, a lot of sizzle, but at the heart it's really a Women's Fiction story. We dive deep into Merry and Noah's backstories. There's not anything wrong with that necessarily, but the first quarter of the story was a slapstick Rom-Com. Then it fell into the depths of serious topics,

I enjoyed watching Merry and Noah grow to love each other. There was a bit of a love triangle and a mystery. The setting of the castle and the story behind it were interesting.

Thank you NetGalley and Swift and Louis Publishing for an e-copy of FRENCH HOLIDAY to review.

I rate FRENCH HOLIDAY four out of five stars.

It’s been a very long time since I opened a book with plot and characters so compelling that I’ve read through the night until dawn. What’s a night sleeping when a story unfolds that leaves you gleefully turning pages to see what will happen next? Merry is a klutzy normal girl with plenty of problems. She’s allergic to lipstick and carmine dyes. And wherever she turns it seems like eyes glide past her to others. She needs a reboot so she quits her job and heads to a castle in France in very pathetic shape only to find already there, her nemesis, a man who disapproves of her at almost every turn. Morose and consumed with research he’s unwilling to discuss, he hardly seems like the man of her dreams. The book vibrates with good humor, crisp dialog, and misunderstandings galore. It’s a book to both savor and share with friends. And a wonderfully tongue in cheek gothic tale to boot.

This was a fun read! I liked it's pacing, use of forced (but agreed upon?) proximity, the setting in the French countryside and the sort of zany personality of the fmc. It kept me entertained throughout and sometimes that's all you can ask for.

I placed it at three stars because the main premise of the book, her sister marries the guy she has been in love with for years, is personally not for me. It wasn't the worst iteration of the trope so I was able to get past it without it being too bothersome. The sister was sort of a horrible person, and as a sister myself, I could never. Also, this book had a lot going on, plot wise, so at times it felt like it was too much, but surprisingly, the author tied it all together in a way that did not disappoint.

This was a gifted copy from NetGalley and I enjoyed both the e-book and audiobook. The narrator, Kelsey Navarro, did a superb job and made an enjoyable book even more so!

Sarah Ready is a new to me author. This book was so enjoyable that I will definitely be reading more of her books. Merry’s sister Angela is marrying the guy that Merry has pined over for four years. After Angela and Leo announced shortly after the honeymoon that they were expecting a baby, Merry calls a family friend for advice and is quickly on her way to stay in the French chateau that they own. Unfortunately she arrives there to find that Noah, the best man at the wedding, is also there and they do not get along. I love how humor and romance were written into the story and did not want to put the book down.

I received a free copy of this book to review through NetGalley.

As someone who’s spent a lot of time in Annecy, I loved that this book was set there (though there are some factual inaccuracies). The premise and setting add a little mystery to what otherwise would have been a straight forward rom com-recommend this one!

Absolutely adorable and quirky romance!
Forced proximity, one bed trope, slow burn, and minimal spice.
Both main characters are extremely likeable and relatable. The book kept me guessing with different twists and it didn't feel predictable.
Adore this book and would highly recommend.

I really enjoyed this book!! It kept me engaged throughout and was a really sweet story. I would highly recommend reading it!!

Sarah Ready has redeemed herself for me - after the let-down of her last release, which ruined my love of her previous books and one of my favourite of 2022 (yes, I’m talking Josh & Gemma, and the sequel which I hated), this new one comes in and makes me love her again!

I really enjoyed French Holiday and the great banter and bickering between Merry and Noah, who first meet at the wedding of her sister Angela to Merry and Noah’s mutual best friend Leo (who Merry has been secretly in love with for years). Noah, in a private conversation with Leo, which of course Merry overhears, expresses his immediate and intense dislike of her, so she forms her own similar opinion about him.

After Merry has a huge, crushing thing to deal with at work, decides to take off to her Godmother’s villa in France for a few months to reset… just to find Noah on her doorstep. Jupiter (the Godmother) had “forgotten” she rented it out to him. Now they have to figure out how to co-exist, since neither one is willing to leave the crumbling villa… oh, and there’s only one bed!

It was fantastic, the way she weaved the whole story from start to finish with some mystery elements in it, the new friends they made in Annecy, the art aspect, and bringing in a lot of Angela and Leo. A definite recommendation, especially the audio done by one of my favourite narrators, Kelsey Navarro! Such a great job by her!

I received an advance review and listen copy from NetGalley, and Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC (Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles), and this is my honest feedback.

I really enjoyed this book by Sarah Ready. Her descriptions of the chateau were so vivid I could easily picture the entire space. I really enjoyed learning and hearing more about Mary and the situation and background she came from versus how she ended up. I definitely recommend this one for anyone with a wanderlust and love for romance and even romcom. Thank you netgalley for the audiobook copy.

Hands down my favorite romance book - ever! This book has everything; lots of humor, enemies to friends to lovers, so much character growth and self-discovery, the perfect setting, a little mystery and even a part that made me shed some tears. I loved Merry and Noah with all my heart. I can't recommend this one enough!!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Sarah Ready has her niche in romance. I line that her heroines are a bit of an underdog, but they get the best HEAs. I enjoyed Merry and Noah's story from the beginning to the end..

I like a good enemies to lovers story. The characters were relatable and story line was easy to follow. It was a little wordy in a few places but all around a good read.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for a free arc copy in exchange for my honest review.

I love a twist on an enemies to lovers story and while this threatened to get messy with the main character's sister, it was the quick easy romance I expected

“If he couldn’t see how incredible you are, then he didn’t deserve you.”

French Holiday will take you on a dream escape to France to find inspiration and happiness, and quite possibly the love of a lifetime.

Merry DeLuca is in love with her best friend, Leo, but he married her sister so Merry needs an escape plan. Offered the opportunity to stay at a French castle for three months, Merry travels to France to get over her unrequited love. But when she gets to the chateau, she finds Noah Wright, the best man at Leo's wedding and the last person she wants to see.

Sarah Ready writes the kind of romantic comedies I love to read, full of love and romance but also lots of laughter. I loved the banter between Merry and Noah as they start as enemies, then become friends, then lovers. With close proximity and a single bed, heat and tension shines through the heartfelt moments. And, of course, things don't go exactly as planned and laugh out loud crazy antics ensue. The descriptive writing perfectly set the scene and took me right to the heart of France....the chateau, the bridges, Lac d'Annecy and a culinary delight of cheese, wine and croissants with orange marmalade. I loved the way art was an integral part of the story and I felt as if I could actually see the paintings.

“Lying next to him feels like lying next to a rushing river, and if I dip my hand in, I’ll get swept away too.”

Did I mention that Noah Wright is my newest book boyfriend? Sexy and sweet, he was so caring in his love for Merry. But this wasn't just a slow motion dream; Noah's passion was also fast and devouring. Broken by his past, his secrets hid an underlying vulnerability filled with pain and longing. Different from Sarah's previous books, this one also included a gothic mystery related to Noah's past to solve. While an intriguing and captivating twist, I thought this part could have been trimmed down to make more room for the romance.

“A rose is not as beautiful if there isn’t the threat of thorns.”

Merry brought out the best in Noah and their love grew through all the obstacles they encountered along the way. They both learned to let go of the past and to listen to their hearts. The third act break and the way loose ends were tied together progressed a little too quickly and I would have liked to see that further developed. But, even so, the ending was simply beautiful and I finished the book with a smile on my face.

“I’m yours,” he says. “I’ve been yours from the start.”

Ultimately, this was a story about the lightning strike of love at first sight and finding someone you love who sees you and who fully loves you in return. And finding your one true love in France is infinitely more magical.

** Special thanks to author Sarah Ready, Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. Quotes subject to change at time of publication. Available April 26, 2023. **

3.5 rounded down simply because it was too long. Edit please! The audiobook was adorable but even that couldn’t save it. Just too much for a rom com. Maybe the mystery element could’ve been left out? Also, I love a grumpy/sunshine moment but Noah wasn’t a grump he was plain ol’ mean and that just doesn’t work for me.
Thanks to NetGalley, Swift & Lewis Publishing, IBPA, and Members’ Titles and Audiobooks for the early review copies.

Cute romcom even if it was a bit unrealistic. I didn’t love it, but I enjoyed it. It kept me entertained.

3.5