I had a hard time connecting because it was distracting the two stories. This one wasn’t for me, DNF.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape media for this audio arc. Such a lovely listen. Following both stories was so fun and kept things so exciting and interesting. I love the juxtaposition between Main and New Orleans and what those locations mean for our two protagonists. If you're looking for a light delight to read, I highly recommend this gem.

I didn't realize how much I needed a queer version of The Holiday until I read The Holiday Trap. It was so much fun and I love that the two couples are m/m and f/f.

The multiple POVs works really well and I was never left confused as to which POV it was. Truman was very likeable and easy to relate to, especially with his love of a book series that impacted his life from from childhood to adulthood. Truman and Ash were undeniably adorable. I adored Carys' friend group. They were so welcoming and make a great found family for Carys and Greta. Greta is a plant master than has me jealous, you could feel her passion through the pages. I loved the side characters, everyone felt real and well thought out.

There was a bit of love at first sight, which isn't my favourite, but the cuteness overtook that for me and I really enjoyed it.

The narration was well done and both helped to bring the story to life.

This book was cute!

It took me a bit to get into this book but overall it was very cute and the relationships and stories were very realistic, something that often does not get portrayed in modern literature.

Quick summary: Greta and Truman switch places because they both need a big change in their current situations. Greta moves to the big city and Truman moves to a small town in Maine and they quickly become accustomed to their new lifestyles so drastically different from their previous. They make new friends, new relationships, and find that they very much needed a change in their previous lives.

Things I loved:
-The sweet connection Truman had to a book series and what a profound impact that had on his adult life (something we all can very much relate to, I believe!)
-The way Greta's new friend group quickly became her new chosen family and welcomed her with open arms
-Style: I loved the multiple POV and perspectives, flawlessly integrated between the chapters
-Steam!

Things I did not love as much:
-At times, I felt like the relationships could have been better developed and less "love at first sight" in both cases across the country

Overall, 4/5 stars, would recommend as a quick easy read!

I really enjoyed this book! The premise was an easy one but also pretty unique to what a lot of authors are doing. I liked that with the lesbian and gay romance we got different tropes and relationship troubles. This book is a holiday book but it doesn't feel too much like it

I loved the idea of this, as the Holiday is one of my favourite Christmas movies. I was excited for a new take on a house swap. Unfortunately, this was a miss for me. Greta felt so immature and I felt like skipping past her chapters. Truman was more likeable, but I didn’t feel like we had enough of a chance to really dig deep into his story.
I listened to this on audio, and the narration was well done.
Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Roan Parrish has quickly become one of my favorite authors, and she really hit her stride with this one! Obviously, my soft spot lies with Truman. I typically am not a fan of infidelity in a story, but it really helps serve Truman and his story line. I was an Ash stan the second he gave Truman a rose and I cannot emphasize how head over heels I am for that man. The cave scene?! It to mention their first spicy scene was hot af. Greta is a beautifully written chart, and reading about New Orleans through her eyes was lovely and made me want to visit. Caris and her band of loveable queerdo’s were a delight. There isn’t a single character in this that isn’t well thought out, developed, and cared for, all the way down to Horse (who, let’s be real here, is the breakthrough star). Roan really struck gold with this story, what a delightful, festive read that will leave you all warm and fuzzy inside

I really wanted to like this book. Theme-wise it was great - heartbreak, need for change/escape, meet-cute, falling in love - all great themes. Right away I was reminded of the movie The Holiday - which was great because I enjoyed the movie but also bad because I had high expectations.

Greta
○ loved the detail about her loving plants
○ liked that she was running away more from her family than some breakup
○ the relationship with Truman's dog was cute (loved that the dog was his own character)
○ really didn't feel any of the side characters in her storyline
○ found Carys unappealing and therefore found their love story unappealing and just couldn't believe or fall for it - also, this may have been on how the narrator spoke as Carys, it was horrible

Truman
○ really enjoyed his character - i felt his pain, confusion, anxiousness, self-depricating, list-crazed attitude lovable and relatable
○ thought his meet-cute and relationship with Ash adorable and believable - I was all in and rooting for them
○ loved his love for his dog

I feel like this book should have focused on just one journey and relationship - Truman and Ash. That would have taken this from 1 star to 4. The jumping between both and having to introduce all the side characters took away from the story.

Although I doubt I would have chosen this as a straight 59 year old woman, I enjoyed the story of Truman and Greta as they exchanged homes and discovered the loves of their lives. The characters on Owl Island were welcoming to Truman as he discovered a close community that helped each other out. Greta discovered she loved the tropical weather of New Orleans and met so many interesting people. Both locales were enticing through the eyes of newcomers and the story explored many topics such as aging parents, spreading your wings and communicating clear expectations. The chapters alternated between Greta and Truman, both very different, but very likable.

If you love the movie The Holiday, The Holiday Trap is the heartwarming, and delightful queer update on that story. I was utterly enchanted the entire way through, and both couples are so lovable. Any time I paused this audiobook in the back of my mind I would be thinking when I could get back to this story. This is a book I will definitely be recommending to my friends.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

This was just adorable. I actually laughed out loud a few times while listening to it and I don't remember the last time I did that! Warm hearted romance. The narrators were great as well!

Let's see. How do I summarize this? Overall I enjoyed this book. I thought it was cute and sweet and I enjoyed the obvious inspiration from the movie The Holiday.

Things I loved: the Jewish rep, a MC who is a Bullet Journaller, the way food is weaved into the book, the settings (both Owl Island and New Orleans), some standout secondary characters. I strongly prefered one couple and their story over the other but they were all (mostly) likable. The narration was also well done.

Things I had mixed feelings about: There was a lot of wisdom/lessons and it sometimes felt a bit forced BUT ultimately, I appreciated all of it so while it was not exactly expertly executed, it resonated with me and/or got me thinking often. There were a lot of characters to keep up with. Since it was an audiobook that was trickier to follow along with so I made a few notes and was able to follow along BUT I kind of loved so many of the characters that I didn't mind too much.

Things I didn't love about this book: There is a lot of convenient coincidence and secondary characters as devices in this book. Sometimes it took me out of the book a little bit. Also, I think the book could have been tighter - some parts felt almost mundane and, that threw the pacing off for me in places. Finally, because there were two storylines happening, it felt like it was hard to get as much depth from the non-POV love interests.

But again, I did enjoy this book and thing it's a nice light read, perfect for reading during the winter holidays.

I absolutely loved this one. It was cute and fun and the characters were perfect and quirky. This book made me want to move to New Orleans more than I already want to move to New Orleans. I think this book is the perfect queer complement to the original "The Holiday" and I wanted to read more on the characters' lives after I was done with the book. I'd definitely recommend this one for those wanting a different kind of holiday season read.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I loved this book so much, that I wish I could start it all over again for the first time. Such great characters that you want to be friends with them, and a great storyline.

Admittedly I am NOT a fan of the classic holiday film aptly titled "The Holiday." I know, I know #unpopularopinion. However, after reading the description of Roan Parrish's "The Holiday Trap" l,"which sounded earily similar to "The Holiday" if only because of the strangers swapping houses aspect, I knew I has to give this story line another go. And wow am I so glad that I did. "The Holiday Trap" is such a great romance for two down on their luck individuals in need of a change of scenery and the learning of some boundaries. While the actual Holiday season had a minimal role in this read, the giving spirit was on full display.

Parrish crafts two likeable characters with lots to discover about themselves and invites the readers along for the ride. Playing on two very opposite locations, New Orleans and Maine, the differences are what draws each to love their swap. With so many great lessons and themes this LGBTQ+ read is perfect for any season.

I think this was cute! I absolutely love The Holiday, so I was very excited to see a queer book with a similar premise. It was very fun to follow along with Greta and Truman as they healed and found love, and a holiday subplot is always a joy. I do think the book was a bit long and drawn out, but I would still recommend it to others.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a sweet, steamy holiday read.

I went into the book thinking it would be mostly holiday romance with a sprinkle of plot but there was actually a good amount of meaningful plot. Themes of finding who you are and what makes you happy were present in almost every character.

There are some great discussions of boundaries and unhealthy habits within families and individuals. This book was about growing up, working on yourself and finding people you love along the way.

I loved the fact that the two main pairings in the book moved at their own pace and each had some things to teach their love interests about themselves.

I’m very torn on how to rate/review this book because there was a lot going on and parts of it were more enjoyable for me than others.

First, it was set at holiday time and there were a few holiday events, but it was as in your face holiday as I thought it was going to be.

There were two storylines. Greta and Truman house swap for a month to escape their lives. This is facilitated by a mutual friend. Initially I was very upset that Truman left his dog in the care of someone he has never even met, but this may just be me.

I love Truman’s story line. At one point I was ready to put the book down, but I just had to know if he found the author he was looking for. I didn’t like Greta or many of the characters in her story line. She was trying to escape her toxic family, but she was extremely immature and was probably the toxic person in her family herself. He relationships were all very dramatic.

There were many queer characters in this book and I loved the inclusion of they/them pronouns.

Imagine the movie 'The Holiday" now imagine two queer characters in the story and instead of them being strangers from different countries there is a mutual friend and just a different state. That is this book! And I don't say that in a bad way. I love "The Holiday' anyone who is around me during Christmas time know that it is a classic watch. And this gave me the same type of feelings.

Overall, I liked this story. I was not obsessed with the story but I did really enjoy it. Honestly I thought the locals that our main characters met were fun and exciting but our main characters could get a little frustrating. Any because of that I found myself being able to set the book down which most romances have the opposite effect. That being said I really did root for them and enjoyed seeing where the story went. I felt there was a good mix of romance and character development throughout the book.

Anyone looking for a fun holiday read with sweet characters I recommend this book. Especially if you liked 'The Holiday'! Thank you NetGalley for an opportunity to read this story.

4.5⭐
R for some queer steamy love!

If you want a cozy book to get you in the mood for holidays featuring beautiful queer characters, look no further! Billed as a queer version of the movie The Holiday, this book hit all the rom com notes for me as Greta and Truman swapped houses between Maine and New Orleans. And as a former New Orleans resident, I loved the representation of some of my favorite areas in the city too!

This book gave me all the feels. Truman's adorable optimism and Greta's found family after living in a very heterosexual town were just beautiful representations of people finding their place after different internal struggles. I just wanted to hug Truman so many times in this book as he realized he was worthy of love and I was so happy as Greta learned to stand up for herself to her family.

While at times the romances were a little underdeveloped and instalovey because it had to balance between the two characters, I fully enjoyed this book. I wanted a happy pick me up that made me feel good and it completely delivered. Plus I got the Christmas and Hanukkah celebrations too. If you want a fun queer holiday read this fall/winter, I would definitely pick this book up!