This was a nice read. I enjoyed Truman’s POV more than Greta’s. I was very interested in him finding all of the clues that linked the town to his favourite series, I liked seeing him help Ash with his business and his mother. It felt like they were partners. I do think Truman could have had some closure with Guy, and maybe take a bit more time to process before moving for another relationship.
With Greta’s romance, I didn’t feel like they were partners. Maybe that’s okay, since Carys is independent, but I got the impression that Greta wanted to be… closer? I know she wanted to get away from how overbearing her family was and she doesn’t want to treat her girlfriend in a way that made her uncomfortable, but I think maybe they wanted different things? I’m torn with Greta’s story. I really liked it at first, but the more I read I found myself just wanting to get to Truman’s POV again.
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3 stars, THE HOLIDAY TRAP by Roan Parrish is available September 6! Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley for the eARC.

I found the beginning of this slow moving and hard to get into, but once it picked up I did enjoy it. I liked that we got the different tropes for each couple. We also got to experience great growth for the characters which is unusual for a multi-couple book. There settings are great and so is the imagery describing them. It was just a bit slow for me!

This was an adorably cozy holiday romance! At times, I did find it a little tough to keep track of all the characters, and the writing felt a bit stiff throughout the novel. But overall, I enjoyed the story and the detailed interested of the characters.

I'm not entirely sure what to thing of this book. There were moments I really enjoyed it but there were times I skimmed over parts because I had lost interest. I stuck with it and I am glad I did but there were several times I felt disconnected with the story and some of the side characters. I did enjoy the main characters (I loved Truman so much!) and I really loved the idea of the story - the house swap during the holidays. I do usually enjoy Roan Parrish books but this one seemed to be more miss than hit for me.

Greta and Truman both need new perspective so, at the urging of a friend they switch houses- putting both of them out of their comfort zone. Truman, whose boyfriend turned out to be married, never expected to find love on an island off the coast of Maine and Greta, well, New Orleans is culture shock but she finds a found family and a love interest in Carys. Both characters have their fun quirks - and then there's Horse the dog. Its' sweet and it's as much about finding and standing up for yourself (especially with your family) as it is about romance. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

This book follows two different love stories. Similar to the movie The Holiday, Greta and Truman swap houses for a month during the holidays.

One of the things I really enjoyed with this book is that we as reader get to experience different tropes with each relationship. One couple has instant chemistry and the spicy scenes ensure early, while the other two have a much more slow burn romance.

Even with having multiple main characters, we still get to see a lot of growth in Greta and Truman. Greta in particular had personal growth that I completely related to.

The author really did a fantastic job of describing Small town Maine and New Orleans. The desire to visit both of these places has grown due to this book.

I’m going to start off this review by saying The Holiday (Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Jack Black and Cameron Diaz…that one) is my favorite movie. Point blank, it is my favorite. This book should have been an instant favorite for me, a queer version of The Holiday?! Everything I could’ve wanted…but it wasn’t. And that’s not to say I disliked this book, but it had some fundamental flaws that don’t hold a candle to the film.

Greta and Truman both need a change and swap houses, Truman reigning from NoLa and Greta from Owl Island. Truman needs someone to watch his beloved dog, Horse and Greta needs someone to care for her many, many plants.

While I really liked both Greta and Truman, Truman’s story read like the sweet, holiday rom-com story I expected and Greta’s read more like a story of self-actualization, growth and standing up for yourself, and therefore had a more serious and less fun tone. The tones of the interconnected stories didn’t match and because I was expecting a cute romance, made me gravitate to and enjoy Truman’s story much more. This was disappointing to me because the WLW story with a lesbian lead deserved to be just as fun and cheery as the MLM story in this novel. Greta’s love interest, Carys often came off as standoffish and disinterested while Truman’s love interest, Ash was always clearly into Truman. Which is even more confusing because I believe this book was written by a queer woman (it appears they use both she/her and they/them pronouns).

I did enjoy the queer found family of Greta’s story, I’m a huge proponent of this personally and always love to see this in fiction. It was lovely to see her finally find a space where she could comfortably be herself. I also did appreciate the realistic depiction of her blood family and the dysfunction and hurt that can come from those closest to you.

Truman always seemed very sure of himself and I loved the story of his love for the fantasy series he adores and the way he is immediately ready and willing to help Ash’s business not only survive but thrive. Ash and Truman build a solid foundation of mutual adoration and like for one another and their conflict ultimately comes from fear and anxiety.

I feel that making Greta’s storyline in this book a standalone novel and replacing the one in this book with a WLW love story closer to the tone of Truman’s could have helped make this the perfect queer holiday romance.

This one gets 3.5 stars.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I don't know it's if it's because I have been just shy of finding favorites lately, but everything about this book was perfect for me. I loved the premise and the theme, the characters and their love interests, the towns and the atmospheres. Everything.

So this book is about our two main characters Greta and Truman. Greta lives in this itty bitty little island in Maine where everyone knows everyone and her family is super close but also a little bit overbearing. When her mom and sister volunteer her for an auction of sorts and totally disregard her dislike of the event not to mention her sexuality as a lesbian, Greta needs to get away.

Then we have Truman. Truman with his giant dog named Horse who lives in New Orleans and when he goes to surprise his boyfriend with a little holiday gift he finds out that his boyfriend is actually a husband and a father. Bombshell. So Truman is heartbroken and has to get out of New Orleans immediately.

Thankfully for Greta and Truman, they have a mutual friend named Ramona who suggests that they do a house swap where Greta will go down to New Orleans and watch Truman's dog Horse for the month and Truman will go up to Maine and take care of all of Greta's plants. Neither one of them was expecting to find a deep love of their new environment as well as potential love interests.

I don't really want to talk a ton about what happens when Greta and Truman get to their house swapped houses, but I loved both of their love interests so much. I especially loved the conversations about mental health and family relationships and toxic parents. I need stories like this where there are characters in their 20s and 30s confronting their parents for their shitty behavior. We have a character who confronts an overbearing parent and another character who confronts a narcissistic parent and then we have another character whose parents is sick and that's an entirely different relationship.

This book isn't necessarily anything earth shattering but everything just lined up for me. The characters, all of them, main characters, love interests, and community characters were so we'll fleshed out and detailed. The cities and their quirks were interested and fun. Out of all the books I've read so far this month I've had so many that are almost favorites but something got in the way and I'm so happy that this one didn't have anything outwardly problematic about it. It was refreshing. I'm not super surprised because I really love Roan Parrish and have been looking forward to this one and I'm super excited that I was able to get the audiobook.

Jewish lesbian MC, fat sapphic/lesbian LI, gay MC, gay LI with depression.

The holiday, but make it very, very gay!
I really loved this!
Greta is living on a small, isolated and very cold island with her big chaotic family. Truman is living in sunny New Orleans with a gigantic dog (it’s a Roan Parrish book, ofc there are animals) in a happy relationship.
But when Gretas meddling mother and sister sign her up in a “dinner date auction”…with only straight people and Truman finds out his boyfriend is seeing someone else too, both decide to spend their holidays away from home.
Trough a mutual friend they decide to swap houses for a month and their adventures begin.

I really loved reading about both of them finding out who they are and what they want on their own. I loved them making new friends and finding new passions.
Greta and her queer friend group, her plant grandparents and her hot spooky tourguide girl.
Truman and his investigations on his favourite fantasy book series, his journaling and the hot flower shop guy.

This wasn’t really a holiday book with lot of holiday activities and decorating and traditions. Though I really loved that it included a jewish MC! For me this was more about their self discovery journey and then making healthy decisions for themselves and their lives.
I would have loved to read a bit more about Truman, because it was very focussed on Greta.
All in all I really liked this and had fun reading! I’ll definitely reread this in December via audio!

A heartwarming, funny, feel-good queer holiday romcom that sees two strangers swapping houses ala The holiday movie style and each finding new love over the holidays.

Truman is looking for a fresh start after he discovers his boyfriend has a whole other life, while Greta is looking to escape the claustrophobia and loneliness of living on a small Maine island.

When a friend suggests a house swap, both jump at the chance, which sees Greta discovering a bustling new queer community and love interest in New Orleans while Truman finds a new sense of home on the island as he befriends a local flower shop owner dealing with his mother's Alzheimer's.

I loved both these storylines equally. Both characters go on an important self-discovery journey finding meaningful and healthy romantic relationships. There are some steamy open door scenes making this more than your typical Hallmark style holiday romance. Highly recommended for fans of Alexandra Bellefleur and Casey McQuiston. Much thanks to NetGalley for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

I was excited to receive an ARC of my first Roan Parrish novel. I queer reimagining of the movie The Holiday seems like a great set up. Greta Russakoff lives off the coast of Maine on Owl Island. She loves her family but is they aren’t always understanding of her and her differences. Truman Belvedere lives in New Orleans and learns that his boyfriend of a year is actually married making him the other man. A mutual friend suggests Greta and Truman swap houses for a month. And surprisingly they do it.

I love following Greta to New Orleans. While out walking Truman’s great dane named Horse she meets Carys. Carys shows her around the city and introduces her to new friends. Carys makes Greta think about her family dynamics and how she interacts with them. She helps her in figuring out new boundaries which isn’t easy. There is some instant attraction which moves things along quickly. Carys has a very strong personality. Her behavior isn’t always kind but Roan gives her background and justification. I love Greta’s growth and her making other friends through her gardening too. Veronica and Helen were great and embracing of Greta.

Truman meets Ash who runs a floral shop. Ash is overwhelmed running the shop and caring for his mother who is at the beginning states of dementia. I know Truman wallows for a few days but I’m not sure he really has time to process his break-up. In fact he escapes town without confronting his now ex. Truman is a fixer and idea person and is almost overwhelming to Ash but together they are very sweet.

I thought the book could use some trimming. The author loves lots of details and there is an excess of people and connections. Sometimes I love the extra information. But other times like the whole meeting a mysterious author or knowing background on almost everyone on Owl Island, I wondered what is the point.

On the whole the story is delightful. I wish I could know a little more of the fall out with Greta’s family after she finally speaks up for herself. But otherwise the author gives a lot of closure while wrapping everything up. This is wonderful queer representation. I don’t think I’ve ever read a story with both a f/f and m/m romance fully developing. Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. (4.5 stars)

The Holiday Trap was a delight! Let’s see if I can quickly explain its most delightful elements: the premise is a house swap for two quirky, nervous MCs, the two MCs are both hobbyists with intriguing interests, there is sooo much found family with great representation, and lastly we get four happy endings! You are going to want to check this one out!

2.7 ⭐️
I had a hard time connecting with the characters even tho I really liked the idea
I found the couples too similar sometimes, their dynamic was pretty much the same which made it feel a little boring.

Greta and Carys kiss the day they meet (I’m not the biggest fan of Insta love) it was 17% in the book and it felt too rushed.

For truman I wish he had taken actual time to heal before crushing on someone so quickly.

The vibes were fun tho I’ll admit that the gardening and the flower shop, the small town and the New Orleans vibes
The idea of the swap was very fun but it just wasn’t for me

Mein Leseerlebnis

Da mir andere Liebesromane der Autorin in der Vergangenheit gut gefallen haben, bin ich mit Vorfreude an diese doppelte Liebesgeschichte herangegangen. Beim Lesen habe ich leider schnell festgestellt, dass das Konzept mit zwei Liebespaaren in diesem Fall für mich nicht ideal war.

Der Schreibstil der Autorin hat mir wie immer sehr gut gefallen. Auch fand ich die Idee, dass die beiden Hauptcharaktere mal für ein paar Wochen den Wohnort tauschen, frisch und faszinierend.

Trumans Geschichte hat mich beim Lesen von Anfang an interessiert, mit Gretas Geschichte habe ich mich bis zum Ende leider etwas schwer getan. Ihre Liebesgeschichte faszinierte mich nicht und die Dynamik in ihrer Familie war mir etwas zu anstrengend. Auch fand ich New Orleans als Schauplatz für Gretas Geschichte überraschenderweise nicht so spannend wie ihr kleines Heimatort.

Trumans Liebesgeschichte hat mir mit leichten Abstrichen gut gefallen. Zu sehen, wie er an einem neuen Ort aufgeblüht ist, war zudem schön.

Eine Entwicklung in Trumans Geschichte bezieht sich auf eine geheimnisvolle Autorin, die er versucht zu finden. Mit diesem Erzählstrang konnte ich wenig anfangen. Auch fand ich Ramona, eine gemeinsame Freundin Truman und Gretas, nicht gerade authentisch. Als Verbindungsglied zwischen beiden hatte sie ihren Platz, ganz rund erschien mir ihre Figur aber nicht zu schein.

Das Buch ließ sich gut lesen und ich hatte mit der Geschichte trotz der angesprochenen Punkte insgesamt eine recht gute Zeit. So toll wie andere Romane der Autorin fand ich “The Holiday Trap” aber nicht. 🖤🖤🖤

Für wen?

Wer Liebesromane mag, in denen es zwei Liebesbeziehungen / Happy Ends gibt und in dem Neuanfänge einen wichtigen Stellenwert einnehmen, der sollte sich den Roman mal näher anschauen.

A queer version of The Holiday and it’s absolutely perfect!

I loved this book and will happily read everything by Roan Parrish in the future.

"The Holiday Trap" was lovely. Romantic and light-hearted and sweet, and 100% relatable.

This is my second Roan Parrish novel, but I feel like I now need to have a proper dive into her backlist because she does feelings, deeply relatable, a-punch-in-the-gut, types of feelings, really well.
I absolutely adored the premise of this novel. House swapping à la "The Holiday"? Two distinct storylines mirroring each other? M/M and F/F deliciousness, together? Yes, please. I had HIGH expectations, and unlike the latest rom-com novel I've read and reviewed, this one did not disappoint.

Greta and Truman were absolutely endearing, wonderfully quirky and awkward and lovable, MCs. And I found so many of my own personal flaws and vulnerabilities in both of them: they're very realistic, complex and deeply relatable protagonists and I adored them to bits. I loved how both of their personalities and personal stories mirrored the other and I absolutely adored reading about their thoughts and feelings and reasonings. I can't tell you how many passages I ended up underlining; Roan Parrish has such a beautiful prose.

The romance aspect was equally lovely, and although I absolutely cheered for Greta and Truman finally finding their happiness and somebody to cherish them, I wasn't overly fond of their love interests. Or, better yet, Ash was fine and sweet and nice, but I would have loved to see him and Truman explore their relationship a bit more, whereas I wasn't a big Carys fan. Yes, she's sexy and edgy, but I also found her totally judgemental and harsh and rude, and I really couldn't stand the fact that it was always Greta apologizing for things, and not her. If you've read the book, you know what scene I'm referring to: absolutely ridiculous and it made me so angry that Greta was so ready to apologize and blame herself for *gesticulates* that.
Her friends, on the other hand, were *chef's kiss*: Veronica and Helen were fabulous, and while I was reading this, I too wanted to be adapted by them like Greta was.

The settings were vivid and beautifully described, and I felt like I was there with Greta and Truman, exploring hidden caves and haunted cemeteries, and finding myself along with them. Roan Parrish is a wonderful storyteller, and although I did have some really minor quibbles with some characters, I really enjoyed this novel and I cannot wait to read a bit more of her books.

Greta feels stuck living on a small island in Maine. She loves her family, but they can be completely overbearing. Truman has had his heart broken and wants to get far away from the city that serves as a constant reminder of his lost love.

With the urging of a mutual friend, Greta and Truman agree to swap houses for a month and each find a new home.

I was so excited by the premise of The Holiday Trap. A queer version of The Holiday? I was sold!

While I didn’t love Carys, Greta’s love interest, I thought their story was sweet. Carys shows Greta that she can live a life independently from her family without feeling guilty.

I loved Truman and Ash’s romance and felt the two complemented each other very well. I would love a book featuring Truman and Ash’s dual perspectives.

This was so good! Before I started reading I was worried that two couples might be to much for one romance novel but Roan Parrish did the concept really well and I never felt like got to much attention over the other or that the character/development would have needed more room. I loved how different the relationships developed - while everything went pretty fast for Greta and Carys, Truman and Ash's story felt much more slow burn which was a nice contrast. While I have never watched The Holiday, I do like holiday romance movies for their lightheartedness and am only ever missing queer ones - I absolutely got the queerness I always want from this book! As with all of Roan Parrish's books this one does not shy away from deeper topics - this book is a romance novel but also very much a book about boundaries, community and friendship and (found) family and finding what you want from life.


Content Notes (list may be incomplete):
bees (in the context of keeping them for making honey)
cheating (ex-)partner
parent with dementia/alzheimer's
explicit/graphic sex scenes
queermisia (not a central theme or big part of the book!)
difficult family dynamics, family who does not respect boundaries
abusive parent
weed & alcohol use (the latter as a means to distract oneself from a emotionally difficult situation)
discussion/recollection of antisemitism

This book was everything our society needs.
Greta and Truman are both extremely unhappy with their lives. Truman is unable to make decisions for himself and is coming off of a bad breakup in New Orleans, and Greta is 'alone' on an island in Maine. With the help of a mutual friend, they switch places.

The most magnificent aspect of this book in my opinion is the representation of queer characters. Greta is a lesbian and New Orleans opens her mind and her heart, while Truman, also gay, finds himself in Maine.
Parrish doesn't brush over the relationships either, the characters respect each other's pronouns, you learn about the emotional journey many of the characters have had with family and friends, and the reader gets a glimpse into what it's like to be queer in a society that doesn't understand, or sometimes doesn't want to understand.
There are plenty of spicy hetero stories out there, but this time, we get super spicy lesbian scenes, as well as spicy scenes with Truman and his love interest.

This won't be everyone's cup of tea, but Parrish includes many important messages within her novel. Love is love, respecting others' boundaries, family is who you decide it is, making decisions for yourself is not selfish, etc. Society and people may tell you otherwise but at the end of the day, you get to decide how you will live your life and it's absolutely NOT selfish.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for my eArc in exchange for an honest review.


The Holiday Trap releases on September 6, 2022!

This was delightful! I was totally drawn in by the first half, and while the second half lost a little steam for me, I was invested enough that I didn't really care. Both plotlines are fun to follow, and there's enough going on outside of the romance that the characters feel very well-rounded. Also, I was absolutely overjoyed by the surprise that one of our main characters is a Jewish lesbian! I'm always looking for more queer Jewish rep, so it's pretty rare that I don't know about it going into a book.

CW: dementia, infidelity, marijuana use, homophobia, transphobia