French Holiday by Sarah Ready is a light and predictable rom-com that I sadly didn’t enjoy as much as I hoped I would.

Merry is in love with her best friend, Leo, but never found the courage to tell him. He in turns falls in love with her sister after they first meet and end up marrying. At their wedding she ends up spending the night with Noah, Leo’s best man. She decides to get away and sort her life out by traveling to France for a few months.

I felt like this too long, with way too many “things” going on While predictable (I am okay with that) it also felt very cliche. I found myself saying “of course” several times while listening. I just couldn’t get behind why Merry wanted to always please her sister (who was terrible) and then how quickly Merry fell in love with Noah.

Thank you to Swift & Lewis publishing and Netgalley for and audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review.

It’s no secret I’m a massive Sarah Ready fan but this might just be my favorite? Enemies to lovers, one bed, a bit of a mystery, and hood banter? Yeah this sounds like the perfect recipe for a killer story.

I immediately fell in love with Meredith. She’s fun, quirky, and just an absolute gem of a person. Her heartbreak and character growth was addicting to watch unfold. Noah is one of those characters that you just know is a big cinnamon roll under the layers of trauma and putting on a face. The tension throughout is amazing and had me on edge waiting for them to finally acknowledge their feelings. I was pleasantly surprised to see a bit of mystery going on in the last half but it added a great layer to the overall story.

Torn between 2 and 3 stars for this one.
The cover is stunning and I was really excited to read this, but unfortunately it fell flat.

Firstly, the narration was very over dramatic and I really think I would’ve enjoyed the story more through my own reading. I couldn’t get past the exasperated sigh at the end of every sentence.

Second, the story was very cliche and cheesy. I didn’t find any of the characters likable. Especially Noah, who had nothing book boyfriend material about him. He lacked personality on all counts for me.

The one bed trope was also a dislike. It was very strange to me because I didn’t see why they couldn’t just go buy a second mattress. Especially if they hated each other so much! This book was an all around miss for me, however, I do think it can be enjoyed by others who are into a more cliche romance.

Honestly I thought I was going to DNF this audiobook after reading a couple of chapters, but I’m incredibly glad I persisted! I usually roll my eyes at the force proximity trope…but the humor and the chateau just made this set up enjoyable. The narrator is excellent. She really brings the story to life. It’s refreshing.
Thank you Netgalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing for this audiobook.

What do you do when you're in love with your bestfriend but he marries your sister? Sleep with his bestfriend right? & then leave hoping to never see him again.

This book was really cute. Swoony, funny, and sexy! Foreign setting, force proximity, enemies to lovers. It's a perfect example of what happens when you put yourself first. The cover is beautiful and the Narrator did a great job.

I was not expecting to love this book as much as I did. I was laughing with the relatable characters while loving the developing relationships! It was so fun to read!

I discovered this author on social media and have been reading her since.
This one, The French Holiday, is a little different from the others.
We are out of the city and in the French countryside. And to Merry this is a "grass is greener on the other side."
Sure, the roof and floor are barely hanging on, but it's France. Perfect, right?
Wrong.
This is my first audio book and am here to say the narrator is perfect and I never had to turn down or skip parts when I listened in mixed company.
you'll find:
low heat level
....but great chemistry
enemies to lovers
holiday-date (vacation for us in the states.)
fixer-up (house and people)

It's just not my cup of tea. I'm not a huge fan of slow burners. The concept sounds really compelling, but I just can't get invested no matter how hard I try. That's not a dig at you, it's just not my kind of book. I tried to broaden my horizons, but I just couldn't get invested in it

4.5 stars, rounded up

I’ll be honest, I 100% downloaded this because it was Listen Now and the cover is freaking gorgeous!

This was my first book by this author, but it won’t be my last! I absolutely adored the French setting, the “unrequited love” storylines from both Merry and Noah, and watching these two who had previously misunderstood each other come together in a beautiful way. And the one bed trope? SO well done. It’s one of my favorites for a reason, and I loved how Ready handled it here.

I was surprised by the secrets revealed and the mystery Merry and Noah had to unravel. It added an extra layer to the story that I really enjoyed.

All that said, what held me back from giving this a full 5 star rating was that it was soooooo long. I reached a point about 70% in where I was ready for it to be over, and I still had about a third of the book to listen to. I think a lot of it could’ve been tightened up and shortened, and I would’ve enjoyed it more. But maybe that’s just me.

Otherwise, I thoroughly enjoyed this one!

We jump right into things with Merry standing up as Maid of Honor at her younger sister's wedding. To Merry's best friend Leo. Who Merry is in love with. Yep. She then gets wasted with the best man, who she despises, and thinks maybe they hooked up. But she can't remember.

Then mix in the mess that's going down at Merry's job It's all too much, so she quits her job.

Her quirky aunt/(fairy) godmother sends her off to France for three months to house sit her chateau. She imagines herself meeting a fabulous French man and having a wild fing.

Imagine her surprise when, shortly after arriving at the chateau, she discovers Noah, said possible hook up best man, walking out of the chateau asking why she's there and claiming he is staying there.

There's a catch. This chateau is not the fabulous image her godmother portrayed. In fact, it needs a total rehab. And . . . it only has one bed, which she and Noah must share.

She's there to find herself. He's there to find his father. They decide to try to live in harmony and get along and stay out of each other's way. But things keep pushing them together. Their banter was fabulous. And I won't give away the ending, but I'm guessing you see where this is headed.

It was a fun read and I will be looking into more by this author.

Thank you to Swift & Lewis Publishing, LLC and NetGalley for both an ALC and ARC in exchange for my honest review. I switched back and forth and found the audio to be amazing as well!

This book is exactly what I want in a rom com. There were parts that made me laugh out loud. (Louis). I loved the dynamic between Noah and Merry. I loved their growth throughout the book (especially Merry). I loved that this didn’t fall back on a lot of the rom com cliches even though it would have been easy to do.

There was so much respect between characters and so much maturity. Like yeah you can take a minute to regroup but let’s talk about a possible issue rather than make assumptions. I enjoyed Merry’s relationship with her sister and the ways that it changed throughout the book. Sometimes we have to take off our rose colored glasses to really love someone for who they are. Flaws are important too.

This is a slow burn with a little bit of spice. It’s a lighter read with some big family dynamics sprinkled in. I would recommend this for anyone that enjoys rom coms.

4.5 stars, rounded up

I’ll be honest, I 100% downloaded this because it was Listen Now and the cover is freaking gorgeous!

This was my first book by this author, but it won’t be my last! I absolutely adored the French setting, the “unrequited love” storylines from both Merry and Noah, and watching these two who had previously misunderstood each other come together in a beautiful way. And the one bed trope? SO well done. It’s one of my favorites for a reason, and I loved how Ready handled it here.

I was surprised by the secrets revealed and the mystery Merry and Noah had to unravel. It added an extra layer to the story that I really enjoyed.

All that said, what held me back from giving this a full 5 star rating was that it was soooooo long. I reached a point about 70% in where I was ready for it to be over, and I still had about a third of the book to listen to. I think a lot of it could’ve been tightened up and shortened, and I would’ve enjoyed it more. But maybe that’s just me.

Otherwise, I thoroughly enjoyed this one!

This book was delightfully ridiculous.

I'm gonna be real....I was sucked into to this story and could not stop listening to this audio book. Are there parts of this story that are absolutely ridiculous? Yes. From the encounters with a very indignant lobster to the idea that these people stayed in this castle with no electricity or plumbing for weeks/months, you definitely have to suspend reality. But it was such a fun read with such great characters you definitely start to embrace the aspects of this story that are slightly unbelievable.

I loved Merry and Noah and their castle hijinks. The mystery element of this story was a fun addition that kept me guessing and trying to figure out how it would end.

I received an ALC of the audio book and I think this one is definitely worth the listen. Kelsey Navarro is a brilliant narrator and is honestly perfect for this one. I believed her as Merry and she had me cracking up at some of the nonsense Merry gets into.

Overall, this is a fun, light read that will have you laughing out loud. If you can suspend reality for a little while give this one a try. You won't regret it.

Thank you to Swift & Lewis Pub. and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was a pleasant read but overall, didn’t engage me very much and I found myself getting a little bored at some points. Although, one can assume how the story unfolds, I think it could have been a little more engaging .

I absolutely adore Sarah Ready! I’ve read quite a few of her books now, and she has become one of my favorite authors. And with that, this is probably one of my favorite of her books. It had all of the best tropes: enemy to lovers, forced proximity and then you throw in some mystery, twists, comedy, and unrequited love, and you have the perfect combination.

There was a scene with a lobster that had me laughing out loud. It also made me want to go to a French countryside and eat apple tarts. Overall, I really enjoyed this one and it’s definitely up there as a top favorite!

Thank you @netgalley for this ARC

Thanks to Negalley and the publisher for this ARC audiobook in exchange for my honest review. Sarah Ready is a go to author for me. The stories are full of rich characters and side characters 🦞. What’s more fun than a vacation to a French Chateau… nemesis to lover plot line mixed in with a family origin story. This book was a solid 4 stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me the narration was lovely. This would be a great vacation or beach read!

So fun and refreshing! If I were in a reading slump, this book would’ve been the perfect one to pull me out of it!

4.75 stars

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator, Kelsey Navarro’s voice suited our main character perfectly.

Synopsis:
Merry DeLuca’s sister just married her best friend and only man she has ever loved, Leo. So when her godmother offers her a 3 month stay at a French countryside chateau, Merry jumps for the opportunity. But things end up taking a twist when she learns that she’s sharing the small chateau with Noah Wright, Leo’s best man, who refuses to leave!

This was a charming, fun and loveable enemies to lovers romance with a gorgeous setting that just adds to this amazing romance!

I flew through this audiobook in less than 24 hours and the only complaint I have is that I wasn’t super fond of Camille and Pierre, but other than that this book was so good!

If you love a little mystery subplot sprinkled into your romance books then look no further, this book is for you!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC for a copy of this audiobook arc, it is much appreciated!

Merry has given everything her little sister has ever wanted and has always looked up to her. She was always nice to her and even gave her the bike she had been saving up for, but she never thought she would be giving her love away. Merry has had a crush on Leo and Angela ends up marrying him. Merry is happy for her sister but so sad that she had to let go of the guy she has been in love with for so long. While at the wedding, she runs into Leo's best friend, Noah and they spend the night trying to forget about their own unrequited love. Merry gets the opportunity to move to France for 3 months, but she doesn't expect Noah to also be there. They share a chateau... a very small one... and start to get to know each other way more than they thought they would.

This book started out and I was just so sad for Merry. I couldn't even imagine losing out on the chance to be with the guy you love because of your sister! From the moment she met Noah, I wanted them to be together and because of other things like her love for Leo and Pierre in the way, I wasn't for sure if that was ever going to happen. I enjoyed every second of this book an had so much fun listening to it! The narrator did such a good job really giving the characters life and love. I can't wait for everyone to read this book and love the characters as much as I did!!

Thank you so much to Netgally and the Publishers for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own!

I really loved this book! It follows Merry who goes this epic journey to discover herself and what she wants out of life since her sister just married her best friend/the guy she has been in love with when she is offered a trip to a chateau in France without knowing that her kinda enemy would also be staying on site. I really enjoyed the progression of their relationship and found myself laughing out loud at multiple parts of the book. Massive plus for all the creepy crawlies and for the lobster that end up joining along the way (this was such a good and funny touch). I also really loved the storyline of the MMC and the journey that he ended up taking in hopes to find more about his background - I thought the reasoning he ended up getting into the line of work he was in a little heartbreaking but also so beyond sweet. Huge thanks to Swift & Lewis Publishing and NetGalley for providing this audiobook for review. All opinions are my own.

Tropes - one bed, forced proximity, enemies to lovers

Thank you to Netgalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing, LLC for gifting me the audiobook of French Holiday by Sarah Ready. It publishes 4/26/23. All opinions are my own and my opinion is that (drumroll) I recommend it!

After Merry DeLuca’s sister marries the love of Merry’s life, she needs an escape. Enter an invitation from her godmother Jupiter to stay at her newly purchased 17th century castle in the French countryside for free. Um… YES! Unfortunately, Jupiter forgot to mention that she also gave the same offer (albeit paid) to Merry’s nemesis, Noah Wright. Cue the shock, the angst, the forced proximity, the home renovation, the fun, the laughs, the mystery, the ghost??, the lobster, the nod to The Hating Game in chapter 3, the friends, the nice short, chapters and an enjoyable listen!

This is narrated by Kelsey Navarro and I like her unique, slightly raspy voice.

Open 🚪
4/5 ⭐️
12 h 2 minute listen (can easily be sped up and it doesn’t seem this long!)
Location: A crumbling Castle in France