🏰A romantic castle adventure like you wouldn't believe!

Sarah Ready's French Holiday appealed to the young romantic in me that could so easily buy into the female lead's dreamy vision of revelling in an extended holiday in a French castle and potentially hooking a handsome Frenchman. She's built the story on a a solid base of whimsy, a mystery to solve, enough handsome men to get the heroine's hopes up and with loving descriptions of the locale and the food. The main event, though, is romance in the wake of unrequited love.

I loved the way Merry dealt with the unexpected decrepit aspects of her godmother's castle. It was a roughing it adventure that turned out so well thanks to her attitude. And some of the most humorous moments, like the battle with Louis the lobster, made me like Merry all the more. For me, Merry started out as the underdog and then really turned the tables.

Noah, the male lead, is a bit of a closed book initially because the story is told from Merry's point of view and Merry just has prejudices and assumptions about him. But when he slowly reveals what makes him tick: boy!, a guy with hidden depths of sadness and emotion in general. Just the right touch of angst to him for a perfect foil for Merry.

I found French Holiday a great escape read, mostly light and sweet, but with just enough wrinkles, angst and slow build up to some heat in the relationship.

Thanks to publishers W.W. Crown Books and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

Like a beautiful chateau, a floaty dress, and wine that tastes like shooting stars, French Holiday is delightfully romantic, and just a little magical. Merry DeLuca is frank, stubborn, and absolutely charming. Noah Wright is grumpy, grating, and okay, yeah objectively gorgeous. But while the dream chateau her godmother promised she'd find turns out to be a little less that she'd expected, Merry finds that Noah might be much, much more. Merry and Noah's story was cute, if a little predictable, and the adventure they find themselves on is absolutely worth the ride.

this was super cute but it felt like a cheap knockoff of the un-honeymooners.

also i didn't realy get the whole twist thing about the artist dad. if the dad realy cared about the guy's mum so much, why was he with pierre's mum?????

when pierre arrived, it was low-key really funny.

the instant regret the guy must have felt - lol.

but i didn't think the guy liked her in the beginning because the behaviour was so questionnable.

REVIEW: French Holiday ⭐⭐⭐⭐

“At the end of your life it’s not what you did that makes you happy, it’s who you loved and who loved you” - Sarah Ready, French Holiday

This story was so freaking cute and charming! It has enemies to friends to lovers, close proximity, shared bed, slow burn, a pinch of spice, unrequited love, and many laughs along the way.

Merry (Meredith) hasn’t had the best luck. Full of unrequited love for her best friend, she now watches her sister getting married to him. Merry decides it is time for change and adventure so she leaves for a castle in France owned by her godmother. Well, Merry finds out it is going to be a bigger adventure than she bargained for because she is not alone when she gets there.

The characters are quite loveable and have great backstories to show us how they developed into who they are. The chemistry is so good and there were many times I said aww out loud. Of course, once you start reading a romance like this, you know where it will end, but the journey to that point was one I really enjoyed. I smiled and laughed throughout the story, and we even get a little bit of spice.

The only thing I wasn’t a huge fan of was a few of the subplots. Some of them kept going back and forth, while some I just had a hard time caring about.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and it was just wanted I needed to read right now. This story brings so many warm feels and laughs that it is a perfect feel-good story. I’m very happy I picked this one up.

Thank you Swift & Lewis Publishing and Netgalley for my ARC for an honest review!

4.5 Stars

This was a really fun read for me. For me, French Holiday is the epitome of a rom-com and Sarah Ready knows how to balance the heavier moments with the humor and romance you can expect from a rom-com.

After witnessing the love of her life marry her sister, Merry is given the perfect opportunity to run away from it all and spend three month living in a chateau on the French countryside. How could she possibly say no? What she didn't plan for was the aggravating best man at the wedding being there. And when both of them refuse to leave, they are going to have to find a way to live with each other. Calling a temporary truce seems like the only logical answer, but when a real friendship starts to develop it's hard to not care about the other person. And it might even make you with the holiday never ends, especially when that caring feels a little more like love each day.

I absolutely loved Noah in this book. He may have been a bit of a jerk at the start of the story, but I think it was honestly with the best intentions and also understandable given the situation. I love that he was never anything but honest with Merry, at least on the really important thing, he may have fibbed on one thing, but again understandable given the situation. I love the way their relationship developed throughout the story and I love the way they were there for and supported each other.

This was really fun read and one I would recommend to anyone who enjoys the following.

✔️ Enemies to Lovers
✔️ Forced Proximity
✔️ Only One Bed
✔️ Unrequited Love with a Twist
✔️ France
✔️ First Person Single POV

*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

FRENCH HOLIDAY by Sarah Ready⁣
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My thanks to the author and publisher for a free. ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ⁣
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Honestly I didn’t think the cover of this book at all matched what was on the inside so I decided to make a fun little aesthetic reel!⁣
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Merry DeLuca has been in love with her best friend Leo for years, so you can imagine her pain watching him marry her sister after a whirlwind romance. She needs to get away so her godmother offers her the use of a tumbledown French chateau to regroup. The problem is that she has also offered said chateau to the best man, Noah Wright, a travel documentarian with whom Merry had an awkward one night stand with. Oh, and There’s Only One Bed. ⁣
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So far, so predictable, but I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed the second half of this book. There’s mystery, genre savvy Gothic romance references, a tale of lost love and art and beauty. I found Noah’s backstory really touching and I enjoyed watching the secondary romances bloom. ⁣
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My main gripe is it did feel like the author has never been to France 😅 Pierre Thierry and Camille Petit are the world’s laziest French names, and what is that lobster doing so far from the sea?! I also think 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 in this book got married way too dang fast. But I guess that’s on romance.
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#books #bookstagram #frenchholiday #sarahready #bookaesthetic #romance #netgalley

I found French Holiday to be very enjoyable. the characters are cute. The banter is entertaining. There aren’t any scenes with unbearable embarrassment or outrageous behaviors. It felt like a cute Hallmark movie with just a bit of mystery.

This book was a swoon worthy, slow burn romance that I didn't know I needed. French Holiday was such a fun read full of romance, mystery, and travel. It's a story of starting over and finding your true passions in life, and being able to change and grow in the best ways possible. I laughed out loud (more than once) and I truly rooted for Merry as she finally decided to do something just for herself and not her family.

French countryside, slow burn romance, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, and one bed. Yes, please and thank you!

5/5 stars and thank you to NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing, LLC for the digital copy for my review.

I loved this. The banter is so good between Merry and Noah. Noah is literally so sarcastic, I love it. I do think that the plot kind of got lost/muddled a little bit by the end of the book. Some major plot points were very easy to guess, which sucked a little. There’s an absolutely hilarious scene with a lobster that alone is worth the read. Over all I loved this book, it’s sweet and funny!




Thank you NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC for the ARC! Out April 26 2023!

Wow wow wow! I absolutely loved this book from start to finish. Best book of the year.

This is a delicious slow burn with travel, mystery, fun characters, a fresh start on life, and love. It’s a fun romance, but it also has depth.

Do yourself a favor and read this one.

French Holiday was a fresh fun read. Literally laugh out loud moments. Merry’s sister marries her best friend Leo . Merry devises to go to a French chateau to re evaluate her life. As enemies to love story that’s incredibly sweet and funny.

This was not a bad book overall but it was too long and about halfway through it started to drag and I begin to lose interest. I found I did not care much at all for the "mystery" in this or any of the secondary characters. It took away from the development of the romance to the point where that just felt tacked on at the end. I did love the setting of Annecy, France and the deteriorating castle but I wanted more forced proximity, enemies to lovers situations in this stunning setting. Sadly, that was never really the case because of course Noah never 'hated' Merry to begin with. I would try Sarah Ready's books again, though. This book will definitely have an audience, even if it wasn't for me, and I would recommend it to those who enjoy romance books set in the French countryside. Thank you to Swift and Lewis Publishing for the DRC in exchange for an honest review.

Magical & Breathtaking 🤍
My favorite book this month and it will definitely be on my top 10 for 2023.

This novel has it all:
Enemies to Lovers 🔥🤫
Forced Proximity 💃🏻
Only one bed 🙈
Banter 🤤
Slow Burn Romance
Grumpy X Sunshine
Second Chance at love
French sweets
Amazing Settings and so much more 😍.

Our lovely Merry seems like she has it all a job, family, and friends and her sister is getting married soon but she is marrying Merry's best friend and unrequited love Leo and to make matters worse Leo's best man is Merry's soul enemy Noah Wright ( these 2 are polar opposites).
However, when Merry plan to get drunk and forget her misery leads to her one night stand with Noah everything gets bad her job and everything else falls apart that's when Merry decides to go on a flight plan to France, Annecy to live in a castle called Chateau De Montlake .

On the other hand, fate had other plans for her cuz when she arrives she finds the one and only Noah Wright has rented the same castle and they will be forced to live together for 3 months.

3 months together under the same roof in the french country side away from the world, will everything change for them and find their happily ever after?
Get ready for an amazing journey throughout this book coz it's absolutely perfect 💖💖💖.

Loved loved loved it
Make sure to read it once its out.
Thanks to @Netgalley and the publisher for granting me an ARC of #FrenchHoliday in exchange for my honest review.
Xoxo💋

This is the third book that I’ve read by Sarah Ready and I think she’s pretty talented and does a good job with her stories and writing. Over all I had a pretty fun time with this book and I look forward to picking up more book by the author in the future.

This was a cute read - I will be honest... it reminded me of a "twist" on the Netflix show, "Emily in Paris" (imagine a season where Emily ends up in the countryside living in a Chateau...).

Merry (Meredith) is fed up with being a secondary character in her own life - her sister just married Leo, the guys she's been in love with for the last 4 years. When she's offered a three month vacation in the French countryside; Merry quits her job, sublets her apartment and bids her family "au revoir".

When Merry arrives in France she is greeted not only by a gothic chateau, she finds that there is already another occupant - Leo's best friend Noah. The Noah who very clearly doesn't like her. When he refuses to leave, they form a truce. Which leads to more (this is a romance after all).

Merry reminded me a LOT of Emily from the show - she has a "clear" idea of what living in France should mean (life in soft focus - everything a little blurry with a HEA) , including how one dresses - and at first refuses to let that idea go.

But then she evolves.

*Merry decides to change her approach towards life and living. She doesn't hide behind pleasantries, she decides that while in France she will be "direct and honest" - and she stands by that.

*Merry and Noah really do become friends - they talk, they share their feelings, their fears, their hopes. They build a connection - it's not just about a physical attraction.

*France makes a brilliant "secondary" character - the vineyards, the small medieval villages, the FOOD (cheese, baguette, wine). It wasn't only a location in the book, it felt like it's own character that was necessary to move the story forward.

*This wasn't only a romance - there was a little mystery (and art) thrown in for good measure. Which worked really well because it helped bring Noah and Merry closer, and built the trust between them.

I laughed (especially the scenes that involved Louis the lobster, rats, and cockroaches), I teared up a bit and I cheered Merry in her self growth. She was a character that grew on me, because she grew.

I recommend this read - I'd give it 3.75 stars (it's between a "I liked it" and "I really liked it".

Thank you Netgalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing for providing me with an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

I will read more Sarah Ready books (and will sign up to her website to get the bonus chapter about Merry and Noah).

Sarah Ready is turning into an author I can definitely rely on for a romance book I can't put down and French Holiday was no exception. Though parts of this book were utterly ridiculous and a suspension of belief was absolutely necessary to enjoy this, I really liked the characters and the setting and the slight mystery component of this story. The love story was cute and I felt a bit like I wouldn't mind doing some travelling but I have no desire to stay in a centuries-old castle that is falling apart LOL. A cute light beach read with a lot of fluff and low on the steam :)

This book was an amazing read. I really enjoyed that there was so much more to it than just a flight plan and that I could just feel all the emotions! I was hooked from the first chapter and just could not put it down. Given, at times I felt Noah had so many personalities to him because he just didn't feel like the same person. Every few chapters, he had a different behaviour and that hot and cold personality just made me a bit wary towards him. I loved Merry and her character development in the book. I was so glad to see a proper arc for her character and that slap!! it was 3:30 am for me when I read it, and you bet it made me wide awake because I was PROUD of her. Truthfully this book is a 3.75 ⭐️ but I rounded it up as it did have more good moments than bad ones.

It's a hilarious read with a mysterious twist to it and honestly a great spring read and it sets you in the mood for summer.

A rom-com. An easy read though maybe overly wordy at times. Predictable in many ways but with likeable characters. I really liked the angle on Noah's background story.
Some funny moments but they were sometimes a bit too slapstick.
Overall an enjoyable read.

This was such an easy read for me and I enjoyed almost every bit of it!

So Merry, in love with her best friend who also just happens to marry her little sister, decides to take her godmother's advice and action an escape plan. She quits her job in HR and boosts it to her godmother's castle in France for three months. There she is met by Noah, someone she doesn't like and who doesn't like her - they decide to call a truce and both stay there for the three months. Merry is living out her romantic french dreams while Noah, a famous travel documentarian, works. They share secrets and both sides of experiences whilst also forming a sort of friendship.

Look, this was supposed to be enemies to lovers and I enjoyed both MCs but I did not for a second believe that they hated one another lol they did have some pretty good banter though! Angela irked me and her husband just seemed so clueless. The introduction to the mystery was very interesting for me and it kinda really did change the way I saw the character and their development - I think it added more depth.

This was super charming, fun and a nice, easy read!

*thank you to netgalley for providing me an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

This was a fun rom-com! I loved the French setting, the interesting career issues of the main characters, and the overall plot. I did find some of the minor characters and some of the humorous parts to be a little over the top, though. I also liked that the two main characters didn’t make annoying and overly dramatic decisions. Overall, I really enjoyed this one and look forward to reading more by the author.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a complimentary digital copy!