For Merry life is to overwhelming especially after her good friend (unrequited love) marries her twin sister. She's
on vacation to process the loss of potential relationship and to recharge her batteries. Unfortunately her nemesis
Noah is staying at the same chateau. He's on a research project. This will make you laugh. Overall a 3 star read.


********************************I received an ARC for my honest opinion from NetGalley.*******************************************

This book was so cute. It focuses on Merry who is always in the shadow of her younger sister who always wants what Merry has. Angela gets married to Leo who’s Merry’s best friend and long time crush and Merry has a bit of a crisis. She ends up taking a trip to France where all of the magic happens!

This was so cute and relatable! I loved the sister dynamic and how I grew to love and hate the characters and their decisions. The world building was great and the mystery behind Noah’s father made for a great plot outside of the romance. This is the first book I’ve read from this author and I loved it. I can’t wait to read more!

This was my first book by Sarah Ready, and I absolutely loved it. It made me look forward to the summer and all the summer/vacation romances already out and releasing this year. But this one was brilliant. The chemistry and the mysterious plot made the book even better, and the journey of self-discovery for the hero and heroine.
The book begins with Merry preparing to walk down the aisle to the love of her life, but not as the bride but as a bridesmaid and maid of honour for her sister. Yep, I instantly did not like Angela. You can see how difficult it is for Merry, sitting on the sidelines, accepting the fact her sister is marrying the man she loves. Noah, the best man, seemingly hates Merry and is really bitter about her unrequited love (a prominent theme and discussion throughout the book).
After a tense wedding, a thought-to-be intense one night stand between Merry and Noah and the news that her sister was pregnant, Merry contacts her free-spirited godmother who promises escapism in a rural French chateau. Prepared for a relaxing reset on her tumultuous life, Merry finds Noah squatting in her perfect castle and starts beating him with a cucumber (which honestly was hilarious) because she thinks he’s stalked her after their sexcapade at the wedding. Turns out Noah has paid to stay there while he researchers art and a secret artist. After joking about meeting a mysterious French man labelled Pierre, a genuinely real Pierre arrives and he is just so charming and the friendship (and jealousy they attract) between him and Merry was great. I didn’t like Camille but I could tell that was the authors intention. By the end she was tolerable and I didn’t mind her, but initially she grated on my nerves.
I loved the setting, the humour, the chemistry. It was super easy to immerse yourself into the story. The characters you were supposed to love, you really did. The characters written with the intention of the reader hating them really worked and the side plot of a mysterious hunt for an artist who vanished after an accident was brilliant. It just added this extra dimension to a traditional slow-burn romance story. I won’t say much more about that side of things as it develops beautifully throughout.
I highly suggest you read this. It made me want to research small French villages that I could escape to this summer but unfortunately I do not have a handsome man to meet me there or know anyone that could lead me to charming French people and artists. I’ll definitely be reading the authors other work and I thoroughly enjoyed this.
Thank you for the eARC. I really appreciate it. As always my opinions and tastes in books are my own.

✨ARC Review ✨
***
Thank you to Sarah Ready for the ARC to review.
***
French Holiday was hilarious and so sweet. I loved these two characters so much. Merry had me rolling with laughter constantly. She was amazing and so accident prone. Noah was a bit of a grump but you cannot help but fall head over heels for him. This story was absolutely amazing and full of twists and turns. I loved the chemistry between the characters and their love/hate relationship. The ending was so good and I was left with a huge smile. Definitely a great read!
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⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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Full review on my TikTok account!

This contemporary, holiday romance has a single point of view, the one bed trope, the forced proximity trope, and focuses on unrequited love.

In brief, the two main characters have to live together in a dilapidated house in the French countryside. The first half the of the book is a pretty bog standard romance, where the FMC is trying to have a holiday romance and forget about her home life whereas the MMC is slightly mysterious and seems to be there for research for his career. You watch their relationship develop in a really fun and enjoyable way and some of the chapters were absolutely hilarious. But by the middle of the book, Sarah made sure that the readers were not disappointed because she added in almost a plot twist that turned the second half of the book into a bit of a mystery romance, which was really entertaining (although some parts scared me haha!). Particularly during the second half, we see a very rich backstory coming from the main characters, and you develop a good bond with the characters.

Overall, it was a slight slowburn that had a beautiful storyline (which made me cry slightly at the end). Overall I rated it a 4.75/5 and a 2.5/5 in spiciness and I really recommend that people pick this up!

What a fun romp through the French countryside with Merry!

Merry has had a difficult time of it lately, her crush/best friend Leo marries her sister and she has a instant dislike of Noah, the best man, especially after spending the night with him. To top it off she quits her job without a backup plan.

Her godmother, Jupiter rescues her by offering her a three month stay at her French castle. Unbeknownst to Merry, Noah has paid Jupiter to stay at the same castle, also for three months. Of course the castle is in ruins, and the presence of an unexpected roommate is not how Merry planned to reclaim her life.

The story is fast-paced and laugh out loud funny. Enemies to friends to possibly lovers, well you will just have to read and find out! I wholeheartedly recommend the French Holiday as a delightful diversion to what is ailing you!

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Pub Date: April 26, 2023

I absolutely loved Merry DeLuca's story! She's one of those high-spirited FMCs from rom-com movies who goes in search of love and magic and dreams, and gets herself into absurd situations (in this case, it involves rats and bats and cockroaches and drinking grapes, among other things) "Louis the Lobster" is the real deal tho 🤣

The tone of the story reminded me of Leap Year - if you haven't watched the movie, take it as a sign 🥺 The first half of the book is *perfection* and I enjoyed the surprising turn of events in the latter half. The ending was perfect, but the bonus epilogue - Oh. My. Word!

Btw, Noah is *chef's kiss* 🙈🫶🏻

🥖 Jupiter's fun!

🥖 Pierre and Camille were cute :D

🥖 Not a fan of Leo & Angela (at all); they're meant to be tho 🤥

𝗩𝗲𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁: Feel-good rom-com vibes with life, love, lobsters, and happily ever afters in a French castle 🪄

French Holiday is another fun rom com from Sarah Ready.

Merry has loved her best friend Leo for quite awhile, but he falls for her sister Angela. Between being a bridesmaid in their wedding and dealing with Noah, the best man, Merry has had enough and takes a trip to France. She is surprised to find Noah is staying at the same castle, but things quickly change between them. Their relationship certainly started off antagonistically, but the two of them soon find real friendship and feelings.

I really enjoyed this story. This book is on the longer side, but it was an easy and entertaining read. It made me wish I was planning a vacation of my own to the French Countryside!

Sarah takes on another adventure with amazing characters and beautiful scenery. She does an amazing job describing every detail so we can visualize the castle/surroundings while we are reading. Noah is on a mission to uncover information about his past. He’s traveled across the ocean to continue his search while staying in a quiet castle. Merry is having a heck of a time and needs a fresh start. An adventure across the ocean may be the perfect escape for her. Noah and Merry are initially like oil and water - there are misunderstandings, hidden truths and some secrets that need to be revealed. I really enjoyed their banter and how their friendship developed. The lobster scene is probably my favorite!! This is a fun, sweet and entertaining story that will give you all the feels.

Sparks fly between Merry and Noah!! Enemies to lovers is one of my favorite tropes and I’m happy to say Sarah Ready totally nailed it with this story!!!

Never a dull moment with this duo!! I think one of my favorite things about this book was that although it was an adventure, it also had so much depth! I could relate to these characters and that made me so much more invested in the story.

Beautiful crafted Sarah Ready!! I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!!! I definitely recommend this book!!

3.5 stars rounded up because the mystery was a fun surprise! The first half of this book wasn’t bad but the second half was better. It was a bit slow and repetitive to start but I liked the characters, and the overall premise a lot. And considering how many common tropes were present, there was originality too. I enjoyed it.

This was a well-written, entertaining book. It was cute, fun, charming, steamy and kept me reading. I wanted to find out what was going to happen. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.

J'adore French Holiday. It was an original enemies to lovers storyline that flowed nicely.

When Merry DeLuca finds herself stuck sharing a French castle with her nemesis, Noah Wright for three months, she's sure they may kill one another. Yet, they find a way to make it work. Then gradually they seem to become friends.

Merry's sister just married her good friend and long-time crush. Noah is his best friend who picked up on Merry's unrequited love. Instantly, Noah treated Merry with disdain and borderline hostility. They survived the wedding and had made some questionable decisions after the reception. Then Merry thought she was free of him until she shows up in France and finds him at the small castle that her godmother owns. Apparently her godmother, Jupiter was confused and told them both they could use it. When neither of them agrees to leave, they have to find a way to stick it out together.

Since they are "only friends who aren't really friends," they feel comfortable telling each other things they normally wouldn't tell someone else. Through this sharing, they both find out secrets about each other that are pivotal to how they've become the people they are.

There were some points in the book that felt unnecessary and drug a little bit but for the most part I truly enjoyed this story. I really like both Merry and Noah's characters.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: I thought the narration was very well done and made the listening experience an enjoyable one. 4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for early copies of both the e-book and audiobook. I voluntarily chose to review them both and the opinions contained within are my own.

although I def-ed it at 50% I feel like that's definitely on me. This book is well written and funny, the main character is sassy and the guy is a nice person, I just wasn't in the right headspace for this one, if you are looking for a fun time tho, I would totally recommend, it's not too deep, it's shiny and pretty.

Thank you NetGalley, Sarah Ready and Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC for the ARC,
Also, if you love audiobooks, the one for this book is AWESOME. Highly recommend.

French Holiday by Sarah Ready. #FrenchHoliday #NetGalley

French Holiday by Sarah Ready would be the perfect summer beach read. This was so much fun. Unrequited love, enemies to lovers, one bed, a mystery, France, a chateaux (reminiscent of the one in The Decoy Bride with David Tennant), and a godmother.

This was my first book by Sarah Ready. I will definitely be reading more by her. I loved Merry. Her growth was wonderful. I wasn’t sure about Noah but he definitely grew on me.

I recommend. I received this ARC from @netgalley and this is my honest review.

French Holiday is the new standalone from Sarah Ready. This is an amusing romantic comedy about Merry DeLuca and Noah Wright. It is a charming enemies to friends, due to forced proximity
and then to lovers, even though they both try to deny their feelings. An entertaining story about
unrequited love, with some mystery and intrigue, all set in the beautiful french countryside.

“I knew you’d love me back sooner or later.”

The story starts with Merry putting on a brave face as her best friend Leo, marries her little sister. She loves Angela and has always given her anything she wanted, but didn’t expect it to be Leo, the only man she has ever loved. Things don’t improve when one of the groomsmen notice she is struggling with the situation. Noah is best friends with Leo and is a famous travel writer and film maker. She had an awful run in with him when they first met and hasn’t liked him since.

When her job gets too much and she just wants to forget all about what is going on in her life, she
jumps at a chance to have an adventure thanks to her quirky godmother who owns an old chateau in France. However, her dreams are blown apart when she arrives and it’s not what she expected. Then things go down hill fast when she finds Noah is also staying there.

Noah portrays a charming and cheerful persona to his fans but to her he is arrogant and cold. He is there to work on his next project and teases her about her romantic ideas about being in France. There are so many funny scenes as things constantly happen to her and Louis absolutely cracked me up. The author gives us conspiracy theories, revelations and other love stories as it turns out our couple aren’t the only victims of unrequited love.

I felt so sorry for Merry at the start and was pleased when she took the opportunity to be herself and forget about everyone else for once in her life. I enjoyed all the funny incidents as she settled into life in France, her interactions with Noah and meeting her sexy frenchman. However, in the middle there was so much going on that the story lost its way a little. But it picked up again as her relationship with Noah changed and we learnt about the couple’s past. I laughed at her antics as she played matchmaker and how she dealt with Leo and Angela. The ending pulls on the heartstrings as the author cleverly brings everyone’s stories to a conclusion. I was glad Merry didn’t end up with Leo because Noah was perfect for her, thanks to her fairy godmother!!

"Si tu pouvais lire dans mon coeur, tu verrais la place où je t'ai mise."

Heartfelt and emotional, Merry and Noah's story really knows how to hit all your feelings, and balance it all with laugh-out-loud humor—you'll have tears streaming down your face from laughing so hard at the mayhem one rouge lobster can inflict!—and slow-burn romance. The enemies-to-friends-to-lovers vibes kindle the best anticipation with lots of steamy kisses and a little heat.

A crumbling chateau, gorgeous country side, delicious food (I'm so hungry!) and a beautiful love story, French Holiday is a romantic escape that will happily sweep you away. Don't miss the bonus epilogue filled with life, love, lobsters, and happily ever afters in Sarah Ready's newsletter!

"If you could read my heart, you will see the place I have given you there."

4.5 stars

Merry has been in love with her best friend for years—until he marries her sister. Needing a break, she summers in her godmother's romantic but dilapidated French castle. Her dreams of a perfect holiday are shattered when she finds that Noah—her new brother-in-law's condescending best man—is also staying there. They agree to a truce for the duration of their stay. But as secrets come to light, will their relationship turn to love?

This charming novel is clever, heart-warming, and funny. It includes quirky, unexpected characters and some over-the-top physical humor. The plot is multilayered and fast-paced, with some poignant moments.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I very much enjoyed this book. This was my first ever book by Sarah Ready. I’ve been wanting to read a book from her for a while now.

Merry’s life is spiraling. Her sister, Angela, just got married to her best friend who she has a crush on, Leo. Merry does not know what to do. She needs an escape plan and she gets one when she is offered to stay at a castle in the French countryside for three months. She thinks this is the perfect getaway to relax and get her life together. That’s until she arrives and realizes that someone else is staying at the castle as well. Noah Wright. The best man at the wedding and someone who she particularly doesn’t like.

Since this was my first book by Sarah, I was not privy to her writing style. This was the reason why it took me a later while to get into the story, since I’m not used to this type of writing style. In the end, I think it added to the overall vibe of the story. It was entertaining and made me laugh.

I loved the banter between Merry and Noah and how their friendship and eventual romance developed. I loved seeing Merry’s character development and her struggles unrequited love and how she got over it. Despite their initial tension between them, Noah and Merry’s friendship grew to something beautiful and it allowed how sweet and funny Noah actually is.

The plot was nice as well. At first I wasn’t really interested but as the story progressed and information was revealed, I was intrigued.

Now, I didn’t really like Angela. I just didn’t vibe with her at all. Camilla, at first, irritated me, but I grew to like her at the end.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read and would definitely read more from this author. I will like to re-read this book in the French countryside to fully absorb myself in the setting of the story. I think I would enjoy the story more if I do.

Thank you to Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC and NetGalley for this ARC copy.

French holiday was a really cute story and I had so much fun while reading it. There were a lot of hilarious scenes (like the lobster Louis). Also the setting in the french castle with only one bed that Merry has to share with Noah (the guy Merry accidentally slept with when she was drunk on her sister's wedding) was enjoyable. For me the last 50 % of the book was very sloow and didn't quite live up to the expectations. The romance between Merry and Noah felt also too rushed though they had a great chemistry.

Read if you like enemies-to-lovers, one-bed-trope, forced proximity, grumpy/sunshine.