Member Reviews
๐ญ แดส แดสแดแดษขสแด๊ฑ:
Your classic summer Romance. A chateau in the countryside of Annecy, France, filled with good food, wine and handsome men. The perfect combination. I loved that there was a deeper layer behind Noah. Which really added to the story. You could feel the spark between their denial. It is quite a slow burn and it could have easily been a lot shorter than the 450 pages. I felt like more could have happened and it was too quickly wrapped up. But overal a really enjoyable read.
โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ
๐ค สแดแดแด
ษช๊ฐ สแดแด สษชแดแด:
Short chapters
French Chateau
Confined space Romance
Character built
๊ฑสษดแดแด๊ฑษช๊ฑ:
๐๐ฆ๐ณ๐ณ๐บ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ถ๐ค๐ข ๐ฉ๐ข๐ด ๐ข ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฎโ๐ข ๐ฃ๐ช๐จ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฎ. ๐๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ด๐ช๐ด๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ซ๐ถ๐ด๐ต ๐ฎ๐ข๐ณ๐ณ๐ช๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ด๐ต ๐ง๐ณ๐ช๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ญ๐บ ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ด๐ฉ๐ฆโ๐ด ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ท๐ฆ๐ฅ. ๐๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ญ๐ช๐ง๐ฆ ๐ช๐ด ๐ณ๐ข๐ฑ๐ช๐ฅ๐ญ๐บ ๐ด๐ฑ๐ช๐ณ๐ข๐ญ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ณ๐ข๐ช๐ฏ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ด๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฏโ๐ต ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ฆ๐ด๐ค๐ข๐ฑ๐ฆ ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ.
๐๐ฐ ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐๐ฆ๐ณ๐ณ๐บ ๐ช๐ด ๐ฐ๐ง๐ง๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ข ๐ต๐ฉ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฆ-๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ต๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ช๐ฅ๐ข๐บ ๐ญ๐ช๐ท๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ข ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต๐ช๐ค ๐ค๐ข๐ด๐ต๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ค๐ฉ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ต๐ณ๐บ๐ด๐ช๐ฅ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฑ๐ด ๐ข๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ฉ๐ข๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ. ๐๐ฆ๐ณ๐ณ๐บ ๐ฌ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ด ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ค๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ช๐ฅ๐ข๐บ ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ง๐ช๐น ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐บ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ. ๐๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ช๐ฅ๐ข๐บ ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ง๐ฆ๐ค๐ต. ๐๐ต ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ข๐ด๐ต, ๐๐ฆ๐ณ๐ณ๐บ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ช๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ต๐ช๐ญ ๐ด๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ณ๐ณ๐ช๐ท๐ฆ๐ด ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ง๐ช๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ด ๐๐ฐ๐ข๐ฉ ๐๐ณ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ตโ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ด๐ต ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ข๐ต ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ด๐ช๐ด๐ต๐ฆ๐ณโ๐ด ๐ธ๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ด๐ต ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ด๐ฉ๐ฆโ๐ด ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ฌ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฏโ๐ด๐ต๐ข๐บ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ค๐ข๐ด๐ต๐ญ๐ฆ.
๐๐ข๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ด ๐ต๐ณ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ๐ญ ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ค๐ถ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ข๐ณ๐ช๐ข๐ฏ ๐ฃ๐บ ๐ฅ๐ข๐บ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ณ๐ณ๐ฐ๐จ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ท๐ช๐ญ ๐ฃ๐บ ๐ฏ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต, ๐๐ฐ๐ข๐ฉ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ง๐ถ๐ด๐ฆ๐ด ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ข๐ด๐ต๐ญ๐ฆ. ๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ค๐ฉ ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฏ๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐๐ฆ๐ณ๐ณ๐บ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐๐ฐ๐ข๐ฉ ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ต๐ถ๐ค๐ฌ ๐ต๐ฐ๐จ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐๐ณ๐ข๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ, ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ข ๐ค๐ณ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ค๐ข๐ด๐ต๐ญ๐ฆ, ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ข ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ช๐ฅ๐ข๐บ ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐จ๐ฐ๐ฆ๐ด ๐ณ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต. ๐๐ฐ๐ต ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐๐ฆ๐ณ๐ณ๐บ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐๐ฐ๐ข๐ฉ.
Where to begin? This book was great! I adored our two main characters and the slow burn, building relationship they had. The landscape and foodie details we received as they wandered around the French countryside was brilliant. I was also very impressed with the authorโs writing style. Youโll get hooked and read in a few days, easy. There were several parts I actually laughed out loud because it was so funny (the rat, lobster, and dye incidents to be specific). Typically the books I end up ranking as โ5 starโ have the perfect blend of heart warming, humor, a little angst, and sweet romance all wrapped up in a nice little packageโฆ This book was it. I will most definitely be reading her other books!
โAt the end of your life, itโs not what you did that makes you happy, itโs who you loved and who loved you.โ
Rating: 5/5 stars โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ
This was adorable; a very easy, quick romcom that was actually funny (rare, I feel.) I loved the characters I was supposed to love and despised the ones I wasn't. I loved the character development of Noah. The setting was divine.... It was amazing. Highly recommend.
Merry is in love with her best friend, who also just so happens to be marrying her sister, and hates his best friend, who she ends up having to live in a crumbling French chateau with for three months. I think you can guess what happensโฆ
I loved the writing style of this book, it was super easy to read with a quick, punchy writing style and short chapters that kept the page turning.
There were fantastic, crazy side characters, an underlying mystery, a hilarious incident with a lobster and overall love, in all its many nuances.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.
I havenโt read the Josh and Gemma books by this author so I wasnโt sure what to expect. I absolutely loved it. Merry, after seeing her unrequited love Leo marry her sister and quitting her job, escapes to her godmotherโs chateau in France for three months for some alone time to get over Leo. A dream right?! Until she sees her nemesis Noah staying at the chateau as well.
Itโs a sweet romcom with enemies to lovers and close proximity tropes. It was funny (the lobster!) but also dealt with the heaviness of childhood family issues. This book had me hooked until the end, dreaming about spending time in the French countryside with a baguette and fresh cheese. Je suis amoureux!
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This was a really fun read.
A huge Thank You to NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing for my advanced e-book and audio copy of French Holiday!
What I Enjoyed-
โจThe Cover Art- Super Cute. The cover art really caught my attention first and then I realized it was Sarah Ready. It's all I really needed to know before diving in.
โจ The Audio- Kelsey Navarro was frickin fantastic.
โจ The Entertainment Factor- I am here for the drama ๐คฃ. This book was so entertaining. I was never bored.
Why This Book Lost a Star ๐
The Romance- The Romance wasn't BAD but the progression of the relationship was just unrealistic to me.
Overall- This was a great read / listen. This is my third Sarah Ready book and every single one has been a hit. I can't wait to read whatever she decides to release next. โค
Quite a fun story that has some interesting twists and turns. One of the few female romance protagonists that I actually really enjoyed. Loved the setting of a French chateau too. One of those books that you can enjoy without having to think too much.
I loved this book so much because it is nonstop hilarious! I read rom com all the time, but it I have never read one that had me laugh almost the whole book or so hard that I cried. My boyfriend kept giving me weird looks and asking me what was so funny and normally he does not ask me questions about the book I am reading.
The start of the book is a little sad because it starts out with Merry's sister Angela (who I cannot stand and if she was my sister, I would have probably punched her over the red bike) marrying Leo who is Merry's best friend/love of her life (so she thinks). Once we get to the reception it picks up and starts to be funny especially when Merry gets to France. Noah is probably my new favorite book boyfriend; he turns out to be a really nice and caring guy and I loved how the book ended for Merry and Noah!
Even though most of the book is set in France it kept reminding me of two movies set in Italy, Summer Villa and Under the Tuscan Sun.
Thank you, NetGalley for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
French Hoilday - Sarah Ready
Pub Date: 26 Apr 2023
Rating: 4.75โญโญโญโญ๐ซ
๐ซ๐ท ๐ซ๐ท ๐ซ๐ท
โ๏ธ Enemies at first sight
โ๏ธ forced proximity
โ๏ธ Enemies to Lovers
โ๏ธ Grumpy x Sunshine
โ๏ธ Unrequited love
โ๏ธ Quirky godmother
โ๏ธ Mystery
If I've not said this before, I'm saying it now.... I absolutely love Sarah Ready, in my eyes now, all her books are absolutely worth listening or reading.
This is my 3rd and as usual I wasn't disappointed.
I love a very good rom com... fun, beautifully written with so much depth... n this was it.
I listened to the audiobook and read it at the same time, finished the same day but in 2 sittings and it's worth every bit of my time. I just couldn't get enough of Noah and Merry. It was relatable and brought a whole host of emotions.
The Mystery part was a bonus.
I loved the narration.
Thank you Sarah Ready, to the publisher Swift & Lewis Publishing, LLC and NetGalley for allowing me to listen and read to this book for an honest opinion
Merry is in love with her best friend but her best friend is about to marry her sister she needs to get out and away from them so she can find herself again. When she has to quit her job she takes the opportunity to live in her godmother's villa in France for a few months. Little did she know that the best man would be there
Merry doesn't like Noah, they had a bad first meeting
Noah is in France to work alone but now has Merry to deal with.
The house only has one bed and it needs a lot of work but Meery is determined to make the best of it while she gets over her crush and tries to move one
This story was more than meets the eye - Noah has a mystery being solved throughout the book. That's what makes this more than a romance.
I enjoyed Merry and her narration throughout this book - there was a lot of talk about past traumas and how one gets over them. As well as how that trauma affects how we love
A great romance with a lot of moments of overcoming past traumas
The narration was awesome - all the characters were distinct and I could hear the tones and meanings through her voice
I loved reading this book!! The enemies to lovers, the south of France setting, the wine, the art, an old chรขteau in a thunderstormโฆwhat more could you ask for??
Merry DeLuca is in love with her best friend and suffers quite the shock when he falls in a whirlwind romance with her sister. In a series of unfortunate events she goes from maid of honor at their wedding, to quitting her job and running away to France for a three month vacation from her lifeโฆand to hopefully get over her unrequited love. Imagine her surprise when by a twist of fate the best man from the wedding, a guy Merry cannot stand, ends up at the same rundown chรขteau in France to work on his latest travel-related project.
Thanks to NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!
This was my first novel by Sarah Ready and Iโm now a huge fan! French Holiday, releasing April 26th, is such a fun contemporary rom-com that had me smiling, laughing, swooning, and tearing up.
Merry De Luca is trapped in unrequited love hell; pining for her best friend Leo, who quickly falls in love and marries her sister. After the wedding, Merry flees to France for a three month break from reality as a caretaker of her godmotherโs beautiful chateau. She encounters two huge problems when she arrives= the chateau is in complete disrepair AND her godmother has also rented the chateau to Noah Wright, a grumpy travel documentarian and Merryโs arch-nemesis.
I love a good โonly one bedโ trope, and the tension between Merry and Noah was so rich! There is plenty of laugh out loud drama around faulty plumbing, cooking without electricity, and runaway lobsters, and even broken walls and beds. The author gave both MCs detailed and complicated pasts that added depth (and mystery) to the plot. The descriptive writing had me feeling like I was strolling through the vineyards, tasting delicious wine and food, or exploring the local idyllic village. Neighbors Pierre and Camille were a fun addition that included some fun double dates and increased tension between Merry and Noah. The slow burn romance was one to root for and led to breath-holding tension, and eventually some highlight worthy swoony dialogue.
This is a perfect beach read, so add it to your TBR.
Readers will adore:
Gorgeous, escapism French setting
Laugh out loud banter
Enemies to Lovers
Only one bed; forced proximity
Past family traumas
Relatable and funny heroine
Cinnamon roll, yet pensive hero
I'll be posting my review to Instagram @jens_toweringtbr the week prior to release!
Unrequited love is the most heartbreaking kind of love, but the power that Merry (and Noah) gained from it was amazing! I loved the dynamics from the very beginning between Merry and Noah, and watching that grow and change was so cute! I need to stop reading these books of Americans abroad because all I want is to travel the world, and I donโt have the money for that!
I didn't know what to expect from this book. I got it from the Read Now section on NetGalley. The cover is what drew me in. I'm a sucker for an illustrated cover. It starts off chaotic, but immediately has my attention. Merry is at her sister's wedding where her sister is marrying her best friend, aka the love of her life. That situation gave me Something Borrowed vibes. She's having to walk down the aisle with the best man, Noah, a guy who she thinks hates her. Merry escapes to a French chateau that her godmother owns. Of course she gets there and Noah is also there. Her godmother "forgot" she also rented her chateau to him. They both decide to stay and at first, it was giving me all the Hallmark feels. It starts off as the perfect escape for the winter blues. About halfway through, I honestly got a little bored. There's a handful of side stories that became a bit much for me to keep up with. Noah was raised by a single mom, and apparently there's an actual reason that he's in France (that I won't give away). This side story was interesting, but also took away from the Hallmark vibes. Well, really it felt more Hallmark Movies & Mysteries than romance. The other side story that was a bit much was Camille and Pierre's story. It just felt unnecessary but I guess they do end up all becoming friends. There are also parts of this story that were a little too quirky for my tastes. I can be down with some chaos, but first there's rats, and then bats, and then ghost stories, and then a pet lobster? I mean honestly. That whole kitchen scene I was like.... Some parts of this story were just straight up weird. And while this book is technically open door, it's very tame and clean. It's very "he makes love to me while the sun shines through the windows." I didn't mind it, but I'd almost prefer closed door if no real details will be given. Despite all this, while this book was a touch too long and a little chaotic for my taste, by the end, my cold heart was warmed. If you get past some of the quirky parts and extra side stories, this book really does give all the Hallmark feels. So much so that I'm able to forgive most of its shortcomings.
Thank you to NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!
French Holiday by Sarah Ready is an engaging, romantic story that will keep you turning pages late into the night. Filled with heartache, love, secrets, and a hint of mystery, this book is sure to delight readers.
The story follows Merry De Luca as she tries to escape her heartache and pain from seeing her sister marry the man she loves by traveling to a French castle for a three-month holiday. When she arrives, she finds Noah Wrightโthe best man at her sisterโs wedding and the worst man sheโs ever knownโstaying there too. Despite their dislike for each other, fate leads them together in a surprising way.
The characters are well-written, and each have their own unique qualities that make them stand out. The setting and scenery are described in detail so readers can really immerse themselves in the story. The plot twists keep readers guessing until the very end, making it difficult to put the book down.
Overall, French Holiday is an enjoyable read with plenty of romance and drama that will leave you wanting more when you reach the end. Sarah Ready creates an unforgettable world filled with passion and excitement that will have readers wishing they could be part of it themselves!
Merry has escaped to France after the man she loves has married her sister. However, she's not the only one staying at the chateau, and her unexpexted companion is the last person she wants to see... This book definitely grew on me - or more specifically, Merry did. Her fresh, funny, honest voice brings the chateau and town of Annecy to life, and depicts the other characters around her with plenty of nuance. There are light moments, swoony moments, elements of mystery, entirely realistic portrayals of family tensions, a build-up of suspense as Noah's feelings and motivations are gradually revealed, and an amusingly wry riff on gothic novels, all in a beautiful setting. Definitely recommended.
This is a lovely, easy read that still manages to pack in an emotional punch and so many sweet moments!
I loved the French setting, this made me want to book a trip immediately. The progression of Merry and Noah from enemies to friends to falling in love was so well done! There's also a family mystery that unfolds throughout the story, which was a nice backdrop to the romance.
It was easy to see this would be and enemies to lovers trope. That doesnโt change my rating though, I enjoyed this and think it leaned into its tropes well. The banter was great. Noah was dreamy and polite. I loved the various supporting characters and enjoyed the Arnout storyline. I appreciate love stories that have a good plot outside of two characters falling in love, and this had that.
Also, the cover is gorgeous. Iโve learned itโs hard for me to read a book that I donโt like the cover of. Iโll be searching for more contemporary romances from this author, I liked this one a lot.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy.
Hi, thanks for the ARC. Please see the link for my review on Goodreads. I really really loved this book! https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5367927979
Review: โญโญโญโญ/5.
Ahh, where do I start about this book? The whole book has a very beautiful French Setting. It gives off the vibe of you being a young maiden, somewhere in a small French town living a fairy tale.
What I liked about the writing style was that you can easily find yourself imagining things, like a rom-com movie going through your head. There were a lot of small elements that made the whole story effortless. Personally, I loved the element of gothic chรขteau & Anteros.
The characters were absolutely perfect. While I loved Noah and wished one for myself ๐คญ, Merry was my absolute favorite between the two. She fell in love with the idea of finding magical love in France and then found herself living the very own idea.
The banter and humor didn't disappoint me at all. There were some points where I laughed so hard because how silly Merry was being. ๐๐
Now talking about their chemistry, I was expecting a bit more electrifying build-up between them but if you're into mild to no smut/spice books then I guess it's perfect for you. Also, cute moments alert!!! There are many cute moments between Noah & Merry that will have you feeling giddy and giggling so read it at your own risk. ๐คญ๐คญ
Overall this story was good, had a touch of mystery & suspense, there were a lot of heartwarming moments where I couldn't help but find myself smiling, requited love, great characters, art, French vibes, ahhh the whole book was just perfect!!!