This was a fun, fast-paced rom com that felt like a good movie. It has an amazing slow burn, enemies-to-lovers and one bed. Both main characters are extremely likeable and had backstories which had me feeling for them and rooting for them both individually and together. Overall this book was an incredibly sweet, charming and drama free read.

Super cute enemies to lovers read, however, a little longer than it needed to be! Merry and Noah's relationship was adorable to follow but I honestly did NOT love some of the characters (Leo and Angela). Essentially a story around "lack of communication". I think if it just focused on Merry and Noah, I would rate it a 4/5.

I love the quirky parts of the story, the lobster LOL and the "kitten". Overall a very easy and enjoyable read!

This story started out as a bit stale, and I'm glad that I went with the audio as the beginning might've been the cause of a premature DNF otherwise. There was just too little substance and too many unlikable characters for me until we arrive in France. This is where our story actually picks up and integral parts are learned, characters become more fleshed out, and our scenery flourishes. The descriptions alone of the french countryside kept me daydreaming! Noah gave Mr. Darcy vibes initially, not always in a good way, but ended up as the supportive romantic lead we all love to see. It took a second for me to see Merry as someone I wanted to root for as she kind of came off a bit spineless and lackluster, but I guess that was the author's point. When she finally started coming into her own and growing in herself alongside Noah, I really got into their storyline. I truly enjoyed the mysterious aspects thrown in with the parental angles, as it's something experienced by more people than might be realized. My second qualm I'd say has to be the timeline cliche, as if multiple people in the same group just happened to find their HEA's within a 3-6 month time frame, it just felt a bit too rushed. Other than that, I am glad that I did not quit on this story, and I'm glad to see the author has continued in the path of deep diving beyond the rom-com!

French Holiday is Sarah Ready’s newest stand-alone romantic comedy. It is the funniest book that I have read in 2023, but is a heartfelt romance with a mystery.

28-year-old Meredith “Merry” DeLuca works in Human Resources in New York City and plays soccer in the park with her guy friends, Leo, Reggie, and John. Unfortunately Merry has had a secret crush on Leo for four years and when she’s finally ready to reveal her feelings to him, he meets her beautiful sister and proposes to her instead. At Leo and Angela’s wedding, Merry is paired with Leo’s best friend, Noah Wright, a famous travel documentarian. Merry and Noah have never gotten along, but they get drunk together, go back to his room, kiss passionately, and fall asleep. Merry sneaks away in the morning, thinking that they had wild sex.

When Leo and Angela return from their honeymoon and announce their pregnancy, Merry is devastated. Her company is laying off one-third of its workforce, and Merry has to inform the affected employees and out-process them. She quits her job and takes her godmother up on her offer of staying at her historic chateau in Annecy, France. When she arrives at the chateau, she discovers that her godmother has leased it to Noah Wright for three months. They call a truce and make an effort to get along.

Merry is hopeful that she will have a magical time in France and meet a wonderful Frenchman named Pierre who can heal her broken heart. Within a few days she meets their handsome neighbor named Pierre, and then a beautiful young neighbor named Camille. It appears that Camille is interested in Noah, while Pierre treats her like a pesky younger sister. There is a silent resentment between Pierre and Noah that finally reveals itself.

While Merry decides which man she prefers, they are busy solving a mystery involving a reclusive painter. Merry has some emotional healing to do also, resolving her feelings for her sister and Leo. The chateau is in poor condition so there are multiple comedic scenes involving a rat, a lobster, cockroaches, and breaking beds.

I really like the character of Merry; she is a strong young woman with some messy situations in her life but SHE is not a mess. Her recollection of Angela and the red bicycle really resonated with me, and I liked how she helps the other characters solve their problems. Noah is a closed book, but he seemed like a good guy. The vivid descriptions of the chateau, scenery, and food make the book come alive and transport the reader to France. I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy romantic fiction.

In addition to reading the book, I listened to the audiobook narrated by Kelsey Navarro. The narrator did an excellent job of bringing the story to life and engaging listeners.

I received an Advance Review Copy (ARC) from NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Merry finds herself the maid of honor to her unrequited loves wedding. That unrequited love just happens to be marrying her sister. She soon also realizes her dream job maybe isn't as dreamy as expected. Merry is at a crossroads in her life and is encouraged by a quirky aunt to take control of her life. What better way to do that than escape to a beautiful castle in the French countryside. A small mix-up has Merry staying with her arch nemesis Noah Wright, best man in her unrequited loves wedding.

This cute rom-com book was such a fun read! I enjoyed the narrator of this book. There were several twists and turns leaving me guessing the whole time.

Thank you NetGalley for the early release!

As expected, another hit from Sarah Ready! It’s sexy and fun and set in a small French town, with lots of baguettes and cheese and apple tarts! The exploration of unrequited love and the pain of it, of how your childhood and relationships shape you, of feeling as though you deserve less - it all added substance to this gorgeous book. I couldn’t help but fall in love with these characters and of course, with a good dose of forced proximity, he falls first, only one bed and enemies to lovers tropes it basically has everything I could wish for in a romance.

The twists and turns with side characters Pierre and Camille made for a light detour from the main romance of this story. A little bit of jealousy goes a long way! The only thing missing (if I can even say that) is Noah’s point of view. Though I can see why it wasn’t included, I would have loved to see some parts of the story, and his interactions with Meri, from his point of view but overall it didn’t dampen my enjoyment of this read in any way!

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

I really enjoyed "French Holiday". It didn't feel like a typical rom-com, even though it did have a lot of the aspects you want in one. The story felt very layered and the characters were well developed. It's going to be a great spring break/summer read!

What I really want to highlight is Kelsey Navarro, the narrator. She was SO good. As a listener, I felt like she made Merry come to life. Her performance was really engaging and fun to listen too.

If you're a rom-com fan I would definitely encourage you to check out the book/audiobook.

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As a Francophile, I was intrigued by the setting of this book! A friend recommended it to me and I’m glad she did. The setting was beautifully described so even those not familiar with the area could picture it. Unlike many of these I’ve read that build up the enemies then suddenly switch to lovers, there was a build up to the love so it felt natural and right. I enjoyed this story and would look forward to a potential sequel!

Merry is in love with her best friend Leo. Only problem, he's marrying her sister. It's a classic tale of unrequited love. My heart broke for her.

Merry decides she needs to get away from it all and heads to her Godmother's CASTLE in France. It seems like the perfect place to sooth her soul. Except there is one problem. Noah. Noah is Leo's best friend, but he's nothing like Leo. He's been nothing but nasty towards Merry. And he's at the castle.

It's an enemies to friends to lovers and it's amazing. French Holiday is really next level writing for the author. The story is more complex, there are more layers. It was deep and emotional in unexpected ways. AND it was still LOL funny. Who knew a scene with a live lobster could be funny. But it can be and it was hilarious. Louis the lobster could have his own book. Or maybe a picture book or graphic novel?

This is a wonderful novel, a very special story that really shows off Sarah's amazing writing ability.

French Holiday was a fun, charming, and enemies to lovers/slow-burn book that made me want to get on a plane with my boyfriend and go to the Lovers Bridge!
This story follows Merry who decides to quit her job and escape her a French castle to *hopefully* forget that her younger sister just married her best friend, who she is in unrequited love and move on from him! She arrives at the chateau to find out her aunt has also rented the space to Noah Wright, the best man from her sisters wedding and whom she cannot stand.

My thoughts:
The audiobook is 12 hours and I couldn't get enough. I listened to this any chance I got; in the car, the shower, cooking dinner, cleaning the house, walking the dogs etc. This was a fast paced story and easy read. I like that I was able to shut off my brain and fall into this love characters and how they came together. This book had it all: enemies to lovers, one bed, similar family trauma, sibling tension, unrequited love, just a dash of spice, weddings, and the most ridiculous lobster scenes that made me laugh out loud, shake my head, and happy that I've never tried to cook lobster myself.
In addition to Merry and Noah, we get to see a second love story unfold with the other characters (that I saw coming being a hopeless romantic). Although I saw it coming, I was excited and happy for the couple and would read a story about what happens next with them.
Sarah Ready did a great job extending this story to make sure there weren't any plot holes while also making me want more from these characters.

Thanks to NetGalley, Swift and Lewis Publishing and the Sarah Ready for the opportunity to listen to this book!
ARC received in exchange for an honest review
4/5 stars

French Holiday was a very fun read. Merry and Noah are both likeable characters you can’t help but root for. The added element of a mystery adds another layer of enjoyment to the story.

Rom-coms! Do you love them?

Well if so, check out French Holiday by Sarah Ready.

Merry has been in love with Leo for years. But along comes her angelic sister Angela …and the next thing of course they get married. Leo’s best man Noah is indifferent to Merry and every interaction him makes her teeth hurt. Hilarity ensues as Merry, desperate to escape the newlyweds and her despicable job, moves to France for 3 months, only to find her nemesis Noah already there in the absolutely dilapidated castle.

This book has everything! Enemies to lovers, oops only one bed, a romantic international destination, a Bingley/Darcy-like conversation, a little gothic setting, a ridiculous lobster, a few picnics, just the right amount of spice, and a wedding or two.

I listened to this as an audiobook and found myself laughing out loud several times.

Now for the not so good:
There are two instances where Merry strikes a male character. Imo violence against another person should never be portrayed as funny.

The story became a bit draggy at the end as it wrapped up every last detail.

Maybe I need hearing aids but were points where the narrator’s voice dropped so low I couldn’t understand what they were saying, causing me to listen to it louder than usual.

I’ve listed a lot of negatives here but at the end of the day, I really enjoyed this book. It would make a great beach or pick me up readIt would make a great beach or pick me up read! It should be made into a movie. I’m looking forward to reading more by this author!

Thanks to NetGalley, Swift and Lewis Publishing and the author for the opportunity to listen to this book

I was so excited to get advanced copy of French Holiday narrated by Kelsey Navarro has a gift when it comes to bringing ROM COMS to life. I don't know if I would of enjoyed it as much if I just read it. There was some repetitive dialogue that was a little over the top with the lobster. I wish it was dual pov and had more of Noah's side. Other then that I enjoyed it I think the development better Merry and Noah becoming friends was done well. My favorite moments when they just talked in bed and just really started to open up to each other. There was plenty of sweet and funny moments with a little mystery.

Enjoyed listening to this story. I liked all the descriptions that were given about the “castle” and each place they visited. The narrator wasn’t annoying in her different voices. I laughed a few times which was surprising. That lobster haha. I also liked how Noah and Mary developed. I liked the little secrets.

This was one of the cutest rom-coms I have had the pleasure of reading in honestly a long time. The setting was literally perfect. A castle in rural France. ONE BED. Fun neighbors. Literally all I could ask for. I'm also a sucker for enemies to lovers -- especially when they need each other for help or comfort. My guilty pleasure.
The writing in this was so fun! It flowed perfectly and kept me interested. Also, there was no third act breakup!!!!!!!!!!!! It's so easy to use that to move the story along so it really showed skill and creativity that Sarah Ready didn't need to stoop to that. I also really loved the little mystery thrown in and the fact that it all wrapped up perfectly for a happy ever after.

Overall, if you're looking for a super fun, quick read that feels like summer and vacation, you need to pick up this book!

Thanks to NetGalley for this copy!!

I didn't expect to like this but it was really fun! I enjoyed having a little mystery that our main character has to solve, it always adds to my enjoyment of a story. The romance was fun, cute and low-key hilarious. I have mixed feelings about the French setting because it's always such a cliché depiction of France but considering the tone of the book, it fits with it! 4 stars, highly recommend for the summer!

J'ai eu un coup de foudre pour French Holiday! The cover art is pure beauty and the story is just as fabulous. When Merry's best friend and unrequited love marries her sister, and life spirals into an all time low, she escapes to a French chateau, dreaming of sumptuous food, glorious surroundings and a love affair with a French god. She arrives to find a crumbling chateau, and Noah - best man at the wedding and one of the most infuriating men she has met. With the prospect of living alongside each other for 3 months, the French dream is looking sketchy. An interesting bed buddy makes for a hilarious laugh out loud moment, followed by lots more comedy moments. This hate - to -love drama is combined with the pair trying their hands at being amateur sleuths on the trail to tracking down Noah's family. A humorous and heartwarming story with a few spicy moments. A perfect kick start to Spring- Summer romance listens/ reads. Now i am off to get some peaches - the exquisite description made my mouth water! Get ready to fall in love in France. #frenchholiday #sarahready #netgalley

This book is a fun romcom movie in a book!! Sarah Ready knows what a romcom lover wants. She holds back at the right place and goes big at the time!! There is not a misstep anywhere!!

This was such a fast, fun read. I loved being able to see a little bit of myself in Merry. She was great as being ad about her situation, but not appearing jealous. Getting the opportunity pick up and leave all your problems behind is something I’m sure we’ve all thought about. Noah was a mysterious book boyfriend whose past was not as bad as it seemed LOL also i could sense his big secret and hoped I was correct. I did have a hard time liking Angela, but I guess she redeemed herself, This is my second book by Sarah Ready and I can’t wait to read more

I stumbled on this audiobook and I have to say that while I went into it with low expectations I genuinely loved it. The main character Mary is relatable and funny, the spice is very G but still steamy because of the build up. There is a little mystery thrown in this romantic comedy type book that I am absolutely here for.
Get it.
Read it.
You’re welcome 😘