This was exactly what I needed to get out of winter depression when I need my own holiday. I love to idea of a flight plan. To take off and rediscover yourself as you get over someone. Enemies to lovers. Starting over somewhere new. Forbidden romance. The lobster scene in the kitchen will live in my brain forever.

I was interested in this book because I like Kelsey Navarro's narration. She is interesting and expressive. However, I did not enjoy the actual story. I got to about 16% and decided this book just was not for me. I understand that Romance books use tropes to frame a narrative for readers. This book has so, so many tropes that the story gets lost amongst them. Unrequited love for the best friend, an "ugly duckling" female lead, enemies-to-lovers, a rich "fairy" godmother, only one bed (in a freaking CASTLE?!), martyr complex coming out her ears... It's just way too much. I picked up the book again because someone I follow on Instagram gave this 5 stars. I made it to 32% before actually calling it quits. If there was just one likeable character that may have saved it, but Merry's entire family is toxic and narcissistic, her "best friend" is an oblivious fool, and Noah is so grumpy and broody that his "genuine smiles only for Merry" are not enough for me to like him.

I have struggled with my rating of this a bit.
It's actually a cute, funny, lighthearted romcom with a mystery subplot and some of my favorite tropes: forced proximity, enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, and one bed!

That said, it's a bit too long. 450+ pages is much too long for a romcom. It needed some major condensing. In addition, the large cast of side characters seemed a bit unnecessary. Lastly, there were some parts that were just a bit too contrived. I won't say more in fear of spoiling things, but a lot of what went on here just wouldn't happen.

In the end, it was well written and enjoyable enough, so I think a lot of people will like this one, especially if they're able to overlook the parts that are a bit unrealistic. 💗

I read eARC + ALC and the audio narration was very well done! 👍🏻

Ebook: 3 stars
Audiobook: 4 stars

The audio narration really enhanced this story. Well done!!

Thank you NetGalley and W.W. Crown for my gifted eARC and ALC.

I loved, loved, loved this book. Like you have no idea. Ive read two books by her and this by far is my favorite.

The description of unrequited love, the pain of knowing you can never have what you want was translated so well in this story. When she was hurting at the beginning of the story, I was hurting too.

I listened to the first few chapters with a friend and both of us were hooked, wondering about Noah. Why was he the way he was towards Merry? Did he like her? Despise her?

I loved the growth of Merry. She took control over her life and it was amazing!
When we finally figure Noah out... Well, I can't say too much. But it's worth it!

Thank you Sarah, and netgally for this read.

This was my first Sarah Ready book, and I’m ready to read more of them! It was so cute! I always love a good romance, but this was also humorous! I liked that the there was a bit of a mystery involving Noah’s family which kept the story going. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to listen to this book!

I received an arc of this title from Netgalley for an honest review. The story immediately drew me and kept me listening long after I should have turned it off, I loved the characters and the story.

This book didn't work for me. I had to DNF it.
I've read Josh and Gemma and really liked it but this wasn't for me.

I received an ALC (advanced listener copy) of this audiobook from Netgalley.

My heart was invested in this book. When we find out Merry has been in unrequited love with her best friend, Leo only to find out he is going to marry her sister. Oh mates! I was heart broken for her. So I had to listen to the story to find out if she will ever find someone else or if she is destined to be in love with someone she can’t have.

Noah is Leo’s best man and he sees right away Merry’s infatuation with Leo and tells her pretty much get over it.

Merry is rightfully heart broken and her godmother swoops in and offers her a three-month stay in the old French chateau she has purchased.

It will be an adventure for sure, Merry has all these ideals of what it's going to be like.. Oh man it's a great story of what not to prepare for. I laughed a lot. It was a good story of finding yourself and love. But also opening your eyes to what you thought was one thing really might not have been.

Merry’s sister I am 100 percent not a fan of and I kinda wished that Merry had said something to her sooner.

I would completely recommend this audiobook to anyone who loves romance and wants to get lost in a world that isn’t really reality but makes your heart swoon when it comes to romance.

The narrator was fantastic. I think I need to go back and listen to more Kelsey Navarro, the way she performs this audiobook added to the story completely.

French Holiday by Sarah Ready was an enemies-to-lovers heartfelt whirlwind romance that did deliciously good things to my heart. Once again Ready has created memorable characters in a magical setting. (Hello, French chateau!) Merry and Noah’s journey to HEA is full of longing, discovery, unrequited love, and swooning, so of course I loved every single bit of it.

Kelsey Navarro narrates this audiobook and she is pure Merry perfection! Kelsey embodied Merry’s hurt, pain, and conflicted emotions perfectly at the beginning of the story. However, I loved hearing Kelsey showcase Merry’s emotional growth and her realization that she truly loved Noah as the story progressed. Plus, this is a solo performance so Kelsey also tackles broody, devilishly handsome Noah, along with some intrusive, knowledgeable French neighbors!

Overall, I loved this book. If you are a fan of an enemies-to-lovers romance with a hot hunky travel documentarian, down on her luck heroine looking for a flight plan, a vacation in a French chateau, a truce friendship, unrequited love, secrets revealed, mysteries solved, slow-burn steamy times, finding the true meaning of love, and a HEA that will have you wanting your very own French Holiday, then you will love Merry and Noah’s story. I always look forward to more from Sarah Ready.

Cute, fun, sweet read about a woman who seizes a once in a lifetime opportunity to hit the reset button.

Merry is a young woman grappling with a general sense of discontent with her life. Her job falls short of fulfilling, her family judges her for being single, and to top it all off, her younger sister just married the guy she's loved for the past 4 years. So when Merry's godmother offers her the opportunity to take back control of her life and set flight to France for an extended vacation in provincial bliss, she jumps on it. Unbeknownst to Merry (but honestly a bit beknownst to the reader), a not-so-shiny knight is ready to knock her off her feet and challenge the magic of her holiday.

Overall, I thought the book was really cute and easy to read. There were some throwbacks to Pride and Prejudice, a one bed trope, enemies to lovers, and some unpredictable twists. A few of the twists were easy to spot, but well handled. There was one point where I thought the author was incorporating a misunderstanding-induced breakup, but the resolution was well written and mature.

While I thought some elements of the book fell a little too far on the cliche side, it was entertaining enough that I'd definitely come back for another Sarah Ready book.

I received this ARC from Netgalley and the publishers to read and review. All of my statements above are my true opinions after fully reading this book.

"If he could read my heart, he'd see his name written there."

French Holiday follows Merry and Noah, enemies from the start, and their three month journey in a French castle. Merry is going through a TIME in her life: she's in love with her best friend, Leo, who just married her sister, said couple are having a baby and asked her to be the godmother, and, to top it off, she quit her job. In search of an adventure, Merry flies to France to stay in her godmother's castle. To her surprise, she walks in and who is also there: Noah. Noah, Leo's best friend, might also be her #1 enemy, a mutual title between the two. Noah, there to research for a work project, is just as surprised to see Merry when she arrive.

Both needing to be there, and neither willing to leave, the pair works to put their disdain for each other aside and make it through the next few months living together. During this time, Merry and Noah find themselves in situations that have them questioning if they really are each other's enemy or if there could be something different under the surface. Along with some always popping up locals (Pierre and Camille), a nosy sister, and a lobster on the run (not even a joke), they realize that France, and the castle itself, might hold all of the answers they were looking for.

This was one of the best books I have consumed in a while. The cover is what initially grabbed my attention, and I couldn't be happier that it did. French Holiday was the combination of romance, mystery, and comedy - it had me truly gooey at some points. I had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook version of this and really enjoyed how Kelsey Navarro was able to voice the characters to life. I will be looking out for more audiobooks narrated by Kelsey along with reading other of Sarah Ready's stories.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Sarah Ready for the opportunity to listen this ALC in exchange for my honest opinion!

🎧 ᗩᑌᗪIOᗷOOK ᗩᖇᑕ ᖇEᐯIEᗯ 🎧

𝕋𝕚𝕥𝕝𝕖: French Holiday
𝔸𝕦𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕣: Sarah Ready
ℕ𝕒𝕣𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕠𝕣: Kelsey Navarro
ℙ𝕦𝕓 𝔻𝕒𝕥𝕖: April 26, 2023
𝔽𝕠𝕣𝕞𝕒𝕥: Audiobook
𝔻𝕦𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟: 12hrs 2mins

4.5⭐️

French Holiday was my second book by Sarah Ready and my first narration by Kelsey Navarro. What a fantastic book! The story is great, and the narration is wonderful. Kelsey does a great job giving life to all of the characters.

French Holiday follows Merry DeLuca as her life spirals out of control. Her best friend and love of her life, well unknown to him, marries her sister. And if that isn't bad enough, she becomes pregnant. Quitting her emotionally taxing job and being overwhelmed with her feelings for her best friend and sister, she wants to escape.  Who has the answer, but her quirky godmother Jupiter! Jupiter fully believes that every woman should have some sort of exit strategy, and hers is an old chateau in the french countryside. 

Three-month escape is just what Merry needs. When she arrives, she is met with a crumbling castle, no electricity, and Noah! Noah is a good friend to Leo, her best friend, and a famous travel personality. Oh, and one night she woke up next to Noah after her sister's wedding. Noah has rented the chateau from Jupiter and will now be there at the same time as Merry.  This enemies-to-friends-to-lovers with forced proximity is an adorable romance. It’s wonderful to watch them move from enemies to friends. Both of them set on sorting out feelings that they are escaping from. Do they resolve their unrequited love? Do they both find what they are looking for? Is Noah really a murderer?!

Having read Josh and Gemma last month, I knew Sarah Ready has a way of making you feel all the emotions. This one was no different. I laughed, and I even teared up a little bit. She is excellent at adding humor (hello Louis, I’m talking to you) and making it feel so natural. This book was another win, and I look forward to reading more of her work.

Thank you to Netgalley, Sarah Ready, and Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC for this ARC audiobook (ALC) in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 star read!

Want to go on a mini vacay without ever leaving home? Well then pick up this book and give it a read. You will be swept right off into France…
The castle, gardens, people, and food all being described perfectly to make you feel like you are right there too.

I love a good enemies to lovers story. This one is no exception. Merry and Noah may not have hit it off right away, but being stuck together allows you to dig so much deeper into each other. Especially when you realize what you thought you always wanted doesn't even come close to what you can have.

I mean who wouldn't want a run down, rat infested castle, with only one bed, to share with someone you loathe. 😉

Content and narration reviewed separately below. Thank you to NetGalley Swift & Lewis Publishing, LLC, and Sarah Ready for an ALC of this book.

Content: 3.5 stars rounded down to 3. This would have my interest and attention and then lose me. I felt like it didn't really know if it was romance or women's fiction and could do neither effectively. The attempts at humor were very contrived, particularly that scene with the lobster. It could've at least been at the market with some interesting French influence, any kind of reminder that Merry is even in France. I would have loved if France could have been as important as the title suggests, but I never felt the scenery or sense of place was ever developed. I am an imaginative reader and I even had a hard time picturing whatever kind of castle they were in.

The real strength in this was when it wasn't trying to be a rom com. The serious dialogue between characters was when you got to see a hint of character growth. I struggled to get a sense of any kind of personality from the heroine for a significant part of the book. One thing I did appreciate is that I felt her maturity was realistic especially when it came to her relationship with her sister.

I felt that around the 65-70% this became a completely different story. It became less about Merry and more about Noah, which may have been better handled with dual POV. Merry's budding self discovery and character growth is pretty much abandoned when all of the sudden Noah is this mystery that has not been hinted about prior. There were quite a few attempts at twists that were off putting for something trying to be a rom com that fell flat for me. Overall at least there was some kind of romance since it is tagged as such so I did enjoy that, but there was quite a bit of randomness thrown in as well.

Narration: 4 stars for narration. I've listened to this narrator in the past and I am generally a fan, but I felt like the French accent was a bit lacking. There's some "other woman/other man" drama that didn't quite come through as being believable because the off accent did not entice me to those characters, particularly the male. Otherwise, the pacing and expressions were well done.

I really enjoyed this book(audio). I loved how it covered a mix of genres in my opinion. It covered enemies-to-lovers, romance with a bit of spice, some humor, drama and mystery all wrapped up in one beautiful bundle.
I was transported to Annecy, with descriptions of the sights and food that made me imagine I was right there, seeing it and tasting it.
I was constantly wondering where Merry and Noah were at with their relationship, wondering if they were friends, were they more than friends. It certainly kept me guessing.
I liked the character involvement of Pierre and Camille. While they were sideline characters I didn’t feel as though their involvement was unnecessary which can sometimes happen. Their involvement was meaningful and added dimension to Merry and Noah’s relationship.

The narration by K.Navarro brought the characters and their emotions to life through the reading which made it even more enjoyable as I listened to my daily commute.

I will definitely recommend this. 5/5!

Such a charming, feel good book! The main characters is relatable and loveable, and the love interest is a fully developed, very interesting person. I loved escaping to France, and living through this truly romantic and funny rom com! This was a true delight on audio.

You are going to hate or love this book!

Merry for the past 4 years was in love with her best friend and now she is a guest on his wedding, with her sister. Yes, her love is marrying her sister. That’s life. On top of that she is quitting her job, because how many people are able to fire without getting depressed. But lucky for her, she has a godmother that happens to own a small, cute castle in France, and asks Merry to keep an eye on it for three months. It seems like a great opportunity for her own very French, romantic holidays to get over her now brother in law. The problem is tho, that when Merry arrives at her destination, she is met with her nemesis and one stand night, at least it is what she thinks.

This book starts horribly. You would think that it is going to be full of cliches when it comes to unrequited love and enemies to lovers tropes. I personally hated the FMC in the beginning. She was so… bleh! And then the narrative shifted and the story became a romantic tribute to gothic romances. I honestly can not name the feeling but I was sad, hopeful and nostalgic, and I don’t even know what I am missing to feel that way. Insane!

And Noah… world needs more characters like Noah!

So give it a try and tell me what you feel after this book, because I… I don’t recognise myself. Great story!

Sometimes the setting of a novel is just a foundational element. Sometimes it becomes a character in its own right. I’ve never been to this region of France, but I sure feel like I am well-acquainted with it after this novel. The romantic relationship between the characters worked well, but I found the subplot with the artist to be equally as interesting. I appreciated that additional layer of depth. The narrator was just right & navigated the embedded French well. This was a fun listen.

Cute enemy to lovers romance with some extra drama on the side. I felt like this really explored being honest with yourself, learning to be vulnerable, and removing expectations in order to fully be open to your surroundings. Some of the book felt like it dragged on a little, so I found myself wandering and had to refocus. But overall, I enjoyed it and the ending was sweet. And of course, now I need to find myself a pet lobster named Louie.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sarah Ready and Swift & Lewis Publishing for an advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

French Holiday
By Sara Ready
Narrated by Kelsey Navarro

Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC

This book hooked me from the beginning wedding scene. Merry is at the wedding of her unrequited love who is about to marry her sister. With the aid of some bubbly, Merry tackles the day with humor and grace and (unsuccessfully) tries to disguise her love for the groom.

Weeks later when the tensions in her life do not subside Merry opts for a “Flight Plan”. Perhaps I rooted for Merry because being in HR myself, some days I would welcome a 3 month escape to a castle in France!

Tensions continue when she arrives at her aunt’s French castle and is surprised to find Noah Wright - the best man from her sister’s wedding - also staying there. Good thing she had a trusty cucumber in her pocket.

The story unpacks the many types of unrequited love. We learn that perhaps the character’s unrequited love may actually be a distortion of the truth or perhaps even an unrealistic, idealistic love.

The humor kept coming in this book - accidental sleep cuddling, cockroaches and kitten - umm…I mean rat.

Narrator Kelsey Navarro effortlessly adapts her reading from humor to serious which made for an easy light read.

At the beginning of this year, Sarah Ready was a new to me author and now this is the third book of hers that I enjoyed immensely.

This book would be perfect for a wine and cheese book club! I highly recommend for anyone looking for a fun rom com and a trip to France.